MIDLINE
No. 101 | Fall 2005 Newsletter of the Midwest Chapter / Medical Library Association
In This Issue President's Message 2005 Annual Conference Reports Summing Up 2005 Distinguished Librarian of the Year Scholarship Winner Reports MLA and Midwest Chapter News and Activities 2006 Officers Treasurers Report Fall Board Meeting Bylaws Revision 2006 in Louisville New Member Profiles Feature Article Conscience Works What’s Happening: News and Announcements from around the Midwest Chapter MIDLINE Publication Information	President's Message                             By Sheryl Stevens, Midwest Chapter President Raymon H. Mulford Library, Medical University of Ohio, Toledo, OH sstevens@meduohio.edu Greetings Chapter colleagues: I know I speak for all of you who were fortunate enough be able to attend our 2005 Annual Conference in Fargo, ND (September 16-20) when I say that it was truly exceptional! In addition to terrific weather, the planning committee provided us with fantastic speakers, a great selection of CE courses (I took three!), exceedingly well-organized paper and poster sessions, gracious hospitality, excellent food (loved those Swedish rosette pastries, of which I also took three, and then one more back to my room), and some absolutely unique special events (e.g., a showing of the film Fargo at the historic Fargo Theatre preceded by a little live music on its refurbished “Mighty Wurlitzer” pipe organ and an introduction by the Fargo actress who played the kidnapped wife in Fargo. Now where else could you experience that?!?).  On behalf of the entire Midwest Chapter membership, I’d like to extend a huge thank-you to conference co-chairs Mary Markland and Judy Rieke and their dedicated and creative planning crew. Your incredible hard work and attention to detail resulted in a spectacularly successful meeting (our first-ever conference in ND), which I’ll undoubtedly remember as the highlight of my year as chapter president. Another conference first in 2005: the Awards and Scholarships Committee announced the winner of the chapter’s first Distinguished Librarian of the Year Award at our Annual Business Meeting on September 19. The well-deserved honor went to our current Treasurer and 2006 President-Elect Chris Shaffer, and judging by the audience’s reaction, they couldn’t have agreed more with the Committee’s choice (me, too). A couple of other noteworthy items: 1) We had the pleasure of sponsoring two outstanding Annual Conference Scholarship recipients, Gabriele Hysong (an Indiana University library student) and Jason Young (an Iowa hospital librarian), and 2) At the pre-conference executive board meeting, a number of proposed bylaws changes were discussed which, among other things, would reduce the board’s somewhat unwieldy size and streamline business and decision-making procedures. Bylaws Task Force Chair Melinda Orebaugh will continue to direct this rewrite project, with a completion date set for next year. Finally, as the end of the year rapidly approaches, I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all of you for giving me the privilege of serving as your chapter President in 2005.  It was a tremendous honor, and I truly mean that. Also, my sincerest thanks to each member of our 2005 board, committees, and task forces for helping to make this such a productive year for the Midwest Chapter and such a personally and professionally rewarding one for me. I look forward to assisting our 2006 President Eileen Stanley in any way possible and, of course, to seeing all of you at next year’s Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY.

Summing Up: The 2005 Annual Conference in Fargo

By Lila Pedersen, 2005 Annual Conference Publicity Chair
Library of the Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
lpederse@medicine.nodak.edu

Two hundred years after Lewis and Clark made their fantastic voyage up the Missouri River from St. Louis to the Pacific, the 2005 Annual Conference is history. The journey of the Corps of Discovery took three years and nine months from its authorization by Thomas Jefferson in January 1803 to the return of the expedition to St. Louis in September 1806. Our expedition took just a little less time – from September 2002, when bids were let for the conference hotel in Fargo, to September 2005, when the meeting took place.

To give you the flavor of the meeting evaluations, included in this article are sample compliments in brackets. (Of course, criticism is excluded!)

The meeting had many wonderful moments. The invited speakers were dynamic and engaging. [“Dr. Mayer was absolutely fascinating speaker—could have listened to her all day.”]  The contributed papers and posters were excellent. [“Posters and presentations were of highest quality research.”] And the social events were memorable. [“Dinner/movie Fargo was great!”] For many of us, the highlight was the surprise visit from actress Kristin Rudrud, who played the kidnapped wife in the film Fargo. She responded to audience questions about working with the Coen brothers, and how she  developed her Minnesota accent and speech patterns (although she is a Fargo native). While eating our Scandinavian smorgasbord before watching the movie in the Fargo Theatre, we also were entertained by the playing of the mighty four-manual Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ, which disappeared into the bowels of the orchestra pit during the concluding piece.

                                                                                                                
                                                                                                         
                                                   Diane Nordeng in Swedish costume, greeted visitors to the Fargo Theatre

The conference committee is pleased with the outcome of the planning and work that were invested in the chapter’s first meeting in North Dakota. Some facts and figures:

• 145 people attended

• 101 people attended 5 continuing education courses

• 50 people earned 2 CE credits at the GMR technology forum

• 3 tours, attended by 41 people

• 2 sunrise seminars

• 4 invited speakers

• 18 poster presentations

• 12 contributed papers

• 22 exhibitors and 13 sponsors

The 2005 conference introduced a few new practices, some of which future planners may elect to continue: a new attendees and new members reception preceding the welcome reception [“Thank you for doing something special for new members & first time attendees.”], the preliminary program on the Web only [“Excellent thing, could always find it! Wasn’t buried under a pile of papers on my desk.”], an online registration option [“Glad we had both paper & electronic avenues to registration.” “Able to register ASAP & grab a seat in CE classes before they filled up.”], and a credit card registration payment option. Even with all of the great programming and abundant food [“Thanks for the breakfast buffets instead of continental breakfasts!”]), we are glad to announce that the conference made a comfortable profit.

In addition to tremendous financial support from commercial exhibitors and vendors who sponsored the conference, we wish to express thanks to other groups that provided help. The Greater Midwest Region of the NN/LM assisted in many ways. They sponsored the popular CE, Measuring Your Impact: Using Evaluation to Demonstrate Value, which filled with 25 students. The GMR also provided breakfast one morning, coordinated the Technology Forum, helped with equipment setup, and paid the telephone bill for the many conference planning committee meetings. Staff from the North Dakota State University Libraries helped with equipment setup for the exhibits and worked at the registration desk. Chapter members from all over helped to staff the registration desk.

And many thanks for the work of conference committee members from outside North Dakota, who greatly lightened our load: Joan Zivich, exhibits; Frances Cockrum, poster sessions; and Bryan Vogh, technology [“The technology for presentations was really well done." “Bryan should get an award from how well he managed it and always calmly and with a smile.”]. The North Dakota branch of the Midwest Chapter thinks of itself as a small but powerful group [“ND team rocks!”], but we could not have done it without the help of many others. And thanks to all 145 of you who came to Fargo!

To sum up: “The city of Fargo was very welcoming.”  “Did I enjoy myself? You betcha!!!”

Check out the post-conference information on the chapter website: http://midwestmla.org/ 

The Inaugural Distinguished Librarian of the Year Award

By Elaine Skopelja, Chair, Midwest Chapter Awards and Scholarships Committee
Ruth Lilly Library, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
eskopelj@iupui.edu

It was a real pleasure presenting this inaugural award to Chris Shaffer of the University of Iowa Hardin Library at the Midwest Chapter Meeting in Fargo. When his name was announced, he was completely surprised, and even more surprised by the spontaneous and enthusiastic standing ovation that greeted the announcement. His long list of accomplishments for the chapter has culminated in his newly elected position as President-Elect (while completing his term as Treasurer). He’s also coordinating the 2007 Joint Chapter Meeting in Omaha.  Chris was a mainstay at the Greater Midwest Region office in Chicago and an invaluable resource for librarians in the region before going to Iowa.

Members of the Awards & Scholarships Committee (myself, Melinda Orebaugh, Pamela Bradigan and Amy Hatfield), had a difficult time choosing from among our three outstanding nominees, but it was inspiring to see what our members have accomplished. We hope to have even more nominees next year, so we encourage members to check out the award criteria at: http://midwestmla.org/awards/ .

During the presentation, Ed Holtum summed up Chris’ career by quoting Harry Truman’s remark that, “It’s amazing how much you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” And to quote Ed again, “Thank you, Chris, for what your work has meant to this region and congratulations on being the first recipient of this wonderful award!”

Conference Reports from the 2005 Scholarship Winners

Questions and Answers with Jason

Submitted by Jason Young, Medical Librarian
Ottumwa Regional Health Center, Ottumwa, IA
JJYoung@orhc.com

Q: What’s your favorite memory from the conference?

A: Do I have to pick just one? OK. I’d have to say being at Monica Mayer’s talk. All the presenters were excellent, but hers was the most poignant to me. It really got me thinking about history and how far medicine has progressed in just 200 years. I also learned about Native Americans' contributions to medicine, which are often overlooked.

Q: Name three things you learned.

A:

1. Gosh. I’d say the CE class Measuring Your Impact taught me ways to see how I’m doing. It got me thinking about doing a survey. A week after the conference, I created a one-page survey and sent it out to physicians. I wanted to get their perceptions of the medical library’s collection, where they get their information and whether they prefer hard copies of books and journals to electronic versions. It’s Day 2, and I’m happy to report I’ve received several responses already.

2. Ann McKibbon is the Bono of medical librarianship, a true “rock star.” Her talk on the future of evidence-based practice was informative, and her CE class was great. We dissected medical research articles. That was great practice for me, being new to the field.

3. The last thing I learned is that health sciences librarians are a good bunch of people. I’m happy to be a part of this coterie.

Q: Did you get enough to eat during the conference?

A: There wasn’t a moment during the whole conference that I was hungry. The food was great and plentiful.

Q: On a related note, did you get any exercise?

A: Walking to and from my room was quite a workout. That’s the largest Holiday Inn I’ve ever seen. A nice place!

Q: Did you get a chance to experience Fargo?

A: I met a nice woman from Fargo, Susan Wee, on my arrival flight to the city. She gave me the insider’s guide of what to do and see. I spent some time at shops and restaurants downtown and spoke with the locals at the Plains Art Museum. The city is more progressive than most people think. Bonanzaville was filled with all kinds of curios and wonderments. I could have spent a whole day there. The Fargo Theatre (and the Wurlitzer medley) was a treat, too.  

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A: I’m glad people wore their nametags most of the time. It really helps us greenhorns remember names. I want to commend the planners and hosts for their magnificent job. This is the conference I’ll judge all other conferences by. Oh, and thanks again for the scholarship!
 

2005 Scholarship winners Jason Young and Gabriele Hysong

Reflections on My First Midwest MLA Conference

Submitted by Gabriele Hysong, "Future Medical Librarian"
School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN
gabi@alumni.indiana.edu

I could hardly believe it when Elaine Skopelja notified me that I had been one of two recipients of the Midwest MLA Chapter’s $500 scholarships to attend the conference this year in Fargo. I was ecstatic. My passion has always been to become a medical librarian and now I was attending my first medical library conference. When I had applied for the scholarship, I had no real expectation of winning. I was sure there were so many more qualified applicants.

The host librarians and the city of Fargo made a most wonderful welcome for all. The conference facility, the food, and entertainment were delightful. However, I did have one unpleasant experience—the mosquitoes ate me alive when I dined outside with a fellow librarian. I had not realized how voracious those little North Dakotan bloodsuckers were!

Here are the reasons I will be returning every year to the conference:

It’s the best networking experience you can have, especially when you’re new to the field. I met many wonderful librarians, employed in various settings, who gave me lots of wonderful guidance and support. I learned that many librarians, like me, were career changers who found their previous experiences very much enhanced their current professional lives. Not only did this conference allow me to begin a networking opportunity with peers, but it helped build my confidence and relationships with highly qualified experts, such as Dr. Ann McKibbon, who asked me to be her assistant at the MLA conference in Phoenix. I will then be able to attend her CE course at no cost especially since I will be a newly minted MLS graduate with little money and a school loan. Not only did attendance at this conference help me to develop, maintain, and enhance professional contacts, but also connect with medical librarians from Indianapolis, where I currently reside.

The workshops and seminars provided learning experiences that have certainly enhanced my coursework. The camaraderie and enthusiasm, and sharing and exchange of ideas was most invaluable. The guest speakers inspired me, made me laugh and revaluate how I solved problems. The poster sessions were invaluable, and I plan to present a poster of my internship project at a future conference. The exhibits helped make me aware of new and existing products, available services, and establish relationships with vendors.

Most of all, upon returning from the conference, I was rejuvenated and energized and am looking forward to the 2006 conference!

Introducing the New 2006 Officers and Representatives!

By Pat Redman, Chair, Midwest Chapter Nominations and Elections Committee
Taubman Medical Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
pmr@umich.edu

The Nominations and Elections Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 2005 election:

• President-Elect: Chris Shaffer

• Treasurer:  Marlene Porter

• Secretary:  Deborah Lauseng

• Representatives-at-Large: Theresa Arndt, Beth G. Carlin, Stephen Johnson, Edwina "Winn" Theirl.

The election was very close and the committee congratulates and thanks everyone who graciously offered to serve on the Midwest Chapter board. Nominations and Elections Committee members include Pat Redman, chair; Mary Congleton; and Charniel McDaniels.

The 2006 potential candidates for membership on the MLA Nominating Committee were elected by the Midwest Chapter board at the fall meeting: Kellie Kaneshiro, Candidate and Carol Galganski, Alternate.

Treasurer's Report

Submitted by Chris Shaffer, Midwest Chapter Treasurer
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
chris-shaffer@uiowa.edu

Chapter assets are $37,373.19 as of October 24, 2005. The budget, financial statement, ledger, accounts and reports are available on the Chapter web site at http://midwestmla.org/business/treasurer/. An Insurance Alternatives Task Force was established at the fall 2005 board meeting. The task force will contact other MLA chapters for information about their practices and consult with the MLA Financial and Administrative Services department. A proposal will be presented at the Spring 2006 Board Meeting in Minneapolis. Task force members are Marlene Porter (chair), Chris Shaffer, Bryan Vogh, and Linda Bunyan.

I'm happy to report that Midwest Chapter/ LA members donated $826.00 for Hurricane Katrina relief at the chapter meeting in Fargo. The money will be sent to the Southern and South Central chapters for distribution to libraries in need.

Fall Board Meeting Highlights

Submitted by Theresa Arndt, Midwest Chapter Secretary
Taubman Medical Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 
tarndt@umich.edu

Highlights from Midwest Chapter/MLA Executive Board meeting, September 16, 2005, Fargo, ND:

• The board approved expenditure of $75 for promotional buttons for the chapter Task Force on Library Promotional Materials ("PIE Shop" buttons you may have seen in Fargo).  There was a "PIE Shop" booth in Fargo, and members are encouraged to submit promotional items which will be shared via the website.

• The board approved payment of an invoice for $445 to the Medical Library Association to cover the cost of general liability insurance, professional liability insurance, and group federal tax exemption. The board will establish a task force to survey other chapters and investigate methods to reduce insurance and tax filing expenses.

• A motion to give complimentary chapter memberships to students was made by the board at the Annual Business Meeting and was subsequently approved by the membership.

• Kellie Kaneshiro was elected Potential Candidate for MLA Nominating Committee and Carol Galganski is the alternate potential candidate.

• Revisions were made to the Travel Reimbursement Policy, which provides travel funding assistance to those traveling on chapter business. The revised policy will be posted to the website.

• There was a lengthy discussion of possible revisions to chapter bylaws. We need to align our bylaws with MLA's. This is also an opportunity to clarify and improve wording in our bylaws. A committee chaired by Melinda Orebaugh will be working on draft revisions. The goal is to have revised bylaws for discussion at spring 2006 board meeting and by the membership at the 2006 fall annual meeting. We will need MLA approval prior to membership vote.

Bylaws Revision on the Horizon

The Midwest Chapter bylaws are currently being considered for revision. The executive board members discussed proposed changes during the fall board meeting and will finalize the revision during their March board meeting. The proposed changes will be posted to the chapter website for membership review and feedback in June of 2006. Chapter members will vote on the bylaws changes during the annual business meeting in Louisville, KY. The major purpose of the bylaws revision is to streamline chapter business processes in order to more quickly respond to the needs of our membership and to MLA. The MLA model chapter bylaws are being used as a guide. Many procedural instructions currently in the bylaws will be moved to the Board Responsibility and Procedure Matrix. Your input is desired and strongly encouraged! Please contact Melinda Orebaugh, Chair, Bylaws Task Force mgorebau@gundluth.org by the end of January 2006 with your suggestions.

2006 Annual Conference in Louisville New Dates!

By Elizabeth Smigielski, Chair, 2006 Annual Conference Publicity Committee
Kornhauser Health Sciences Library, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
elizabeth.smigielski@louisville.edu

That’s right! We have new dates for the 2006 Annual Conference in Louisville. It will be held October 7-11, 2006. This is a change from the original dates which were October 6th-10th. We’ve just moved everything up a day. The meeting will now begin on Saturday, October 7th and end on Wednesday, October 7th. Don’t fret; you won’t miss anything. We’ll have the same great programming, but best of all, you’ll still be able to go to the St. James Court Art Fair, check out the downtown galleries, nightclubs, shops and museums, and dine at any number of restaurants from ethnic holes-in-the-wall, to four-star landmarks. So, mark your calendars now for next October 7-11, 2006 in Louisville, where you’ll find a fulfilling conference in a fun-filled city. Come on down for some Southern Exposure: A Different Point of View.

New Member Profiles

Submitted by Mary K. Taylor, Midwest Chapter Member
Morris Library, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
mtaylor@lib.siu.edu

Nita Burke is the Resource Center Manager for Southwest Health Center in Platteville, WI. Her main responsibilities include customer assistance, reference support, research, acquisition of resource materials, and cataloging of materials. She serves as the archivist and is responsible for program development and consumer education classes. Her professional interests include consumer health, medical information, and educational outreach. Nita graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Graduate School of Library and Information Studies in 2002. She has an undergraduate degree in English and education with a minor in journalism from University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Her home town is Darlington, WI. Her hobbies include reading, creative writing, design, and gardening. She is married to Lee Burke and has two grown children, April Burke Byl and Dana Burke, and a 12 month-old grandchild, Tabetha. Nita recently switched from being a library media specialist to being a consumer health librarian. She says she, "likes it so far!!"

Jean Frantz is the Library Services Representative/Archives Coordinator for the Indiana University Dental Library in Indianapolis, IN. Her main responsibilities include working with the archives collection, handling reference requests, and circulation duties. She is currently a student in the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science in Indianapolis. Jean has a B.A. in communication with a radio and television concentration from Purdue University (Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne campus). Her home town is Huntington, WV. She enjoys traveling, reading novels, and history. Jean is married and has a dog and a cat. She adds, "I love library school and wish I had started much sooner than I did. I had been out of school 12 years before I started back."

Jerry DeWitt is the Library Manager at the Carle Foundation Medical Library. He states that he is in charge of all library functions and the library's budget, and adds, "By default, I seem to have become the intellectual property guru." He was a nurse for 14 years before changing to librarianship. (He never thought that he would end up in a medical library.) Jerry graduated with as master's degree in library science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1991. He received a B.S. in administration of justice from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 1976, and has an A.S. in Nursing. He is originally from Chicago, but has lived in Champaign for the past 25 years. He enjoys cooking, fencing, and archery. Jerry is "looking forward to the 29th wedding anniversary in November. Met Teresa (the spousal unit) at SIU Carbondale in 1975." They were married one year later. They have one daughter, Katie, who will be attending college soon.

James Burgett is a Reference and Education Librarian at the Chandler Medical Center Library of the University of Kentucky. His main responsibilities include reference, bibliographic instruction, and clinical rounding. James is originally from Belfry, KY. He received his M.L.S. from the University of Kentucky in 1993, and has an undergraduate degree in German and French from Berea College. His hobbies include photography, art, travel, and hiking.

Susan Mayer is working as a library intern at the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota, creating pathfinders for their caseworkers and social workers to use. She is a student in the MLIS program at the College of St. Catherine (through Dominican) in the Minneapolis, MN area. She loves her Reference Sources in the Health Sciences class and would love to work in a medical or biotech library. She states that she hasn't, "been able to find a (paying) job to get other library experience but [I] am always on the lookout." Susan has a bachelor's degree in biology and public health. She adds, "I live on a hobby farm with my husband and two teenagers. We have horses, chickens, dogs and a big garden. We are hunkered down, like the rest of you Midwesterners, for the long winter."

Holly Ann Burt is the Education and Outreach Coordinator of the Greater Midwest Region/NNLM. She is responsible for training in PubMed and ToxNet, national exhibits, and is the state contact person for Ohio. She was formerly Information Resources Manager and internal webmaster of the National Patient Safety Foundation. Her professional interests include patient safety and environmental health. Holly received her MLIS in 2002 from Dominican University. She has an undergraduate degree in astronomy with a mathematics minor from San Diego State University, and a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. Her home town is Whittier, CA. Holly's personal interests include genealogy, cats, reading and travel.

Conscience Works

By Sue London, Midwest Chapter Member
Ruth Lilly Medical Library, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN
slondon@iupui.edu

Conscience Works: A Collection of Electronically Published Works on Moral Developmental Psychology and Its Application (http://shaw.medlib.iupui.edu/conscience) is a collaborative effort between the Indiana University Conscience Project and the Ruth Lilly Medical Library. It has been funded in part by the National Library of Medicine via a $40,000 Consumer Health Initiative Subcontract from the Greater Midwest Region/NNLM. The intent of the project is to bring together existing digitized and previously un-digitized consumer-oriented and scholarly research materials on moral developmental psychology, including the development of the conscience in children affected by abuse, neglect, trauma and other emotional or mental health disorders, as well as in children experiencing normal development.

The works are freely available from a single website and are also in the process of being archived in the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Digital Archive, IDeA (https://dspace.iupui.edu/handle/1805/37). This repository is based upon the MIT DSpace model. Items are being cataloged using terminology from the Unified Medical Language System. The web server on which most of the materials are currently stored is maintained by the Indiana University School of Medicine’s Ruth Lilly Medical Library. All online publication and digitization is being done by a librarian. Bibliographies will be linked back to PubMed records for access to abstracts and, if available, free full text. The repository will be accessible worldwide, including via links from finding tools such as MedlinePlus, and will include translations of some of the scholarly tools and other publications into additional languages, including Braille.

Among the materials currently available on the web site are several books for children and teens, available only in Conscience Works. Study guides are being developed for the books so that they may be used by parents, educators and health professionals who deal with children and adolescents. Other content includes original scholarly papers, tools for researchers and educational materials for health professionals.

More information about this project is available by visiting the website or contacting the author (slondon@iupui.edu or 317.274.2281).

Editor's note: Some of the above information was also presented as a poster
at the Midwest Chapter/MLA Annual Meeting in Fargo, North Dakota, September 19, 2005.

MIDLINE is published in electronic format four times a year by the Midwest Chapter/Medical Library Association. The newsletter and archives are available at http://midwestmla.org/MIDLINE/. Statements and positions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily represent the official positions of the Chapter, the Chapter Board, or the Editor. Contributions from all Chapter members are welcomed and encouraged. Copy deadlines for coming issues are as follows:
 

Issue	Copy Deadline	Posting Date
Winter	January 15, 2006	February 15, 2006
Spring	April 15, 2006	May 15, 2006
Summer	July 15, 2006	August 15, 2006
Fall	October 15, 2006	November 15, 2006

Contributions may be edited for brevity, clarity, or conformance to style. The Medical Library Association Style Manual, available at http://mlanet.org/publications/style, provides guidelines for MIDLINE contributors. All copy should be submitted in electronic format to the editor, Clare Leibfarth (e-mail: LEIBFARTH@exchange.oucom.ohiou.edu). Photos should be submitted as .jpeg files.