Quality Information for Improved Health

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Medical Library Association

• Quality Information for Improved Health

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MLA 2002/03 President Linda A. Watson, AHIP

• law6z_at_virginia.edu
• [phone]
• See the MLANET presidents site at
  www.mlanet.org/about/leaders/president_02-03/index
  .html

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2002/03 Theme Extreme Librarians Champions
for Quality Health Information
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(No Transcript)
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Recruitment Challenge

• Task Force to Plan Recruitment of the 21st
  Century Workforce of Health Information
  Professionals

"The Medical Library Association's MLANET also
outdoes ALA. This invigorating site offers
medical librarianship brochures in both English
and Spanish. There are also tip sheets, both for
new librarians and for those entering the field
as second careers. There are links for career
exploration and resources and online career
fairs, as well as a list of U.S. and Canadian
library schools divided by state and province."
Library Journal, February 1, 2003
Librarians considered a hot ticket!
February 24, 2003 USNews.com
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New Career Website

• Career exploration
• Career Resources
• Career fair
• Tip sheets and advice

www.mlanet.org/career/index.html
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Diversity Initiatives

• ARL Leadership and Career Development Program
• Carla Funk 312.419.9094 or funk_at_mlahq.org
• Spectrum Scholar

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Spanish language brochures
Descifrando el Lenguaje Médico
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Pew Internet American Life Collaboration

• Vital Decisions How Internet Users Decide What
  Information to Trust When They or Their Loved
  Ones are Sick

www.pewinternet.org/reports/
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Users Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health
Information on the Web

• MLAs Top Ten Most Useful Consumer Health Sites
• Recommended cancer, diabetes, and heart disease
  sites
• Visit
• www.mlanet.org/resources/usersguide.htm

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Health Information Literacy Task Force

• Defining Health Information Literacy
• Potential partners
• Communications plan
• Members Neil Rambo, Chair
• Marie T. Ascher, Joyce Backus, Erica Burnham,
• Joan Durrance, Marcia Horner, Sandra I Martin,
• Susan Murray, Heidi Sandstrom, Carla Funk,
• Evelyn Shaevel, Linda Watson

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Making our Case

• Information TherapyInnovators Conference
• September 2002
• MLA Elevator Story wins 3rd prize!

• URAC Web Accreditation Committee
• MLA member Michelle Spatz is quoted in a November
  14, 2002 press release from URAC "Consumer health
  online closing the credibility chasm" "Consumer
  health librarians and information professionals
  as a whole are very concerned about how consumers
  approach and use the World Wide Web for personal
  health research. They've developed tools, such as
  hands-on classes and posting quality criteria on
  their Web sites. The Consumer's Union report
  confirms what many librarians already know.

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Advocacy Efforts

• The Role of Medical Librarians in Reducing
  Medical Errors in HealthLeaders News, Sept 16,
  2002 www.healthleaders.com
• Value of Library and Information Services in
  Hospitals and Academic Health Sciences Centers,
  May 2002
• Value Toolkit coming May 2003
• ALAs Campaign for Americas Libraries
• Interview about MLA in Research!Americas member
  newsletter

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Continuing Education Committee

• Teleconferences
• Feb 2002 PDAs
• Dec 2002 PATRIOT ACT
• Mar 2003 HIPPA
• Fall 2003 Consumer Health (planned)
• Consumer Health Information Specialization
• Web-based learning
• New ways to earn CE credit
• www.mlanet.org/education.index.html

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Task Force to Develop MLAs Center of Research
and Education (CORE)

• Extending MLAs educational scope building on
  our current strengths
• Helping librarians achieve goals
• Reviewing Platform for Change
• Members Connie Schardt, Chair
• Prudence Dalrymple, Sharon Dennis, Jo Dorsch,
• Julie Garrison, Jeanne Gittings, Carol Jenkins,
• Barbara Rapp, Maxine L. Rockoff, Carla Funk,
• Jerry Perry, Kathleen Coombs

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David A. Kronick Traveling Fellowship

• Established by grant from Virginia Bowden
• Supports visits to libraries in US or Canada to
  explore a specific problem or question affecting
  the health sciences information profession
• 2002 Awardee Patricia Nelson
• 2003 Awardee Michael Kronenfeld

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Donald A. Lindberg Research Fellowship

• 25,000 fellowship
• First Award Catherine Arnott Smith to explore
• "the mismatch between terms used by healthcare
  professionals and those used by everyone else
  patients, those who care about patients, and
  health people in need of health-related
  information. The research is aimed at better
  understanding the language used by consumers to
  express their health information needs the types
  of questions they ask in a virtual encounter and
  the specific health-related context of their
  questions. It relies on emails submitteed to
  health reference services.
• 400,000 fundraising goal

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Informationist Conference(May 9, 2002)

• Remember another
• I word - IAIMS -
• that was not easily
• understood?

What is it?
Complete transcript available at
www.mlanet.org/research/informationist/discuss.htm
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Task Force on Information Specialists in Context

• Two year term, until 2005
• Coordinate implementation of Informationist
  Action Plan
• Members to be named in April

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Informationist Action Agenda

• more than just MLA involvement
• many partners needed
• will take time to implement
• will require funding sources
• actions may change as progress is made

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Action Agenda Objectives

• Clarify informationist definitions and identify
  and promulgate descriptive roles for these
  professionals, be they health sciences librarians
  or other information specialists working in
  context.
• Encourage systematic evaluation and dissemination
  of findings on the costs and benefits of
  providing in context information specialist
  services.

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Action Agenda Objectives

• Promote and support the entry of health sciences
  librarians and other interested health
  professionals into informationist positions.
  Effectively articulate informationist expertise
  domains to potential employers.
• Obtain funding to implement objectives and fund
  pilots.
• Identify and publicize opportunities for
  informationists training.

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Legislative efforts

• Institute of Museum and Library Services
• Two new Governmental Relations Committee
  statements on Distance Education
• Friend of the Court brief
• Legislative Visits Support NLM TEACH Act
  Concerns about DMCA
• Support Digital Media Consumers Rights Act,
  HR107 (Boucher-Doolittle Bill)
• More info at www.mlanet.org/government/index.html

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Publishing Issues

• Highlight resource materials and position
  statements on electronic publishing and licensing
  issues already on MLANET
• Increase MLAs visibility in discussions of
  publishing issues and work with sister
  associations
• Get input from members on the impact journal
  prices and licensing restrictions have on their
  libraries and their users
• Hold an Open Forum at the San Diego Meeting
• Monitor the Faxon/Rowecom situation

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Benchmarking Network

• 2002 385 members
• Thanks to all of you who participated!
• Valuable data for you to use
• 2003 will you participate?
• 2003 Presidents Award to Roz Dudden for her
  efforts

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Standards and JCAHO

• Hospital Library Standards revision finished
  summer 2002 (see October 2002 JMLA)
• JCAHO Information Management Standards review
  Jeannine Gluck and Carla Funk, MLA
  Representatives
• DIFFICULT WORK!

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MLA in the News
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October was National Medical Librarians Month!!!

• Creative Promotions Awards
• 1st Prize Duke University Medical Center Library
• 2nd Prize Childrens Hospital of Michigan,
  Detroit Medical Center
• 3rd Prize Eastern Virginia Medical School
  Brickell Medical Library

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2002 PR Swap n Shop
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April 6-12 is National Library Week!
Promote Medical Librarians on April 11th
http//www.mlanet.org/press/411/index.html
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May 2-7, 2003www.mlanet.org/am/am2003/
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Revised Strategic Plan
MLA VISION MLA believes that quality
information is essential for improved health. MLA
aspires to be the association of the most
visible, valued, and trusted health information
experts with proven positive influence on the
quality of health in the world.

• Much member input web discussion forum chapter
  meetings
• Final Draft distributed April 2003

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MLA Future By Fortune
MLA VISION MLA believes that the future is within
our control. The first step to better times is
to imagine them, and the beginning of wisdom is
to desire it. Golden investment opportunities are
arising. We will inherit some money or a small
piece of land so our financial outlook is
excellent. We will travel to many places and our
road will be made smooth for us by good friends.
We will be fortunate in everything we put our
hands to and we can always find happiness at work
on Friday.
MLA CORE VALUES We find beauty in ordinary
things. A good evening is one spent in good
company. When we cannot invent, we must at least
improve. We depart not from the path which fate
has us assigned. The world is a grand comedy to
our sense of humor.
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Medical Library Association

• Quality Information for Improved Health