Submitted by Chrysta Meadowbrooke
Student at University of Michigan School of Information, Ann Arbor, MI
I'm very grateful to the Awards and Scholarships Committee and the Midwest Chapter for providing scholarships that help students attend the annual meeting. I feel honored to have received one of the awards this year. The chapter's support enabled me to stay for the whole conference, including a CE class. I had never attended a conference on librarianship before, and it was wonderful to meet so many friendly people with great advice for students like me just beginning their careers in health sciences librarianship.
Packed as the conference was with excellent presentations and discussions, it's hard to choose just a few highlights. However, here are some that stand out in my memory:
- Attending the MLA Breakfast for library science students, where MLA President Mary Ryan spoke informally about the national organization and opportunities for students. I appreciated the chance to talk with her, and it was fun to trade stories about library school with students from other schools.
- Getting fired up at the keynote address by Deena Ebbert — complete with plush fish flying through the air! Her lively descriptions of the four principles of the FISH! Leadership Philosophy (be there, play, make someone's day, and choose your attitude) will help me take a more creative approach to studies and work.
- Learning about ways to increase health literacy and reduce health disparities. The presentations by David Slawson, Patricia Martin, and Diane Moyer left me with pages of handwritten notes and lots of ideas that I will pursue further about these topics that are close to my heart and interests.
- Assisting Merle Rosenzweig in the poster session, where we talked with many people about how librarians can support faculty in complying with the new NIH Public Access policy. I felt so impressed throughout the conference at the broad range of publications and research that health sciences librarians in our region are participating in.
- Feeling inspired by MJ Tooey's call near the end of the plenary session to be proud to be a librarian. I am excited to be joining this profession! This session also gave me a lot to think about for the future and has sparked some good discussions with my classmates, especially in our library leadership seminar.
I'm very glad I was able to talk with so many people, receive thoughtful advice, learn about the many possibilities within health sciences librarianship, and in general have a good time. Thank you again for making it possible for me to attend. I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at future conferences!
Submitted by Zach Young
Library Technician, University of Kentucky Medical Center Library, Lexington, KY
The three things I will always remember from the 2008 Midwest Medical Library Association Conference are: giving my first professional presentation, the amazing trip to the Detroit Institute of Art, and overcoming a strong desire to jump over numerous tables attempting to catch one of those stuffed fish that Deena Ebbert was throwing out.
These things never would have happened had I not won the Annual Meeting Scholarship. I cannot thank the committee enough for giving me the opportunity to attend the conference. From the moment I arrived to the moment I left, I was meeting like-minded librarians. I felt at home.
The keynote speaker, Deena Ebbert, gave a very entertaining and useful talk on teamwork and leadership. She also provided some very nice souvenirs for the vocal members in the crowd. I was not one of them. "Discretion is the better part of valor," as they say, so I used some and stayed seated.
That evening, we all loaded up on a couple buses and journeyed to the Detroit Institute of Arts, where we were provided with a wonderful meal and some intimate tours of a few galleries. After a long day of meeting and greeting, this was the perfect ending. People were in good spirits and the food was amazing. The honey mustard sauce on the ham stole the show. The paintings were excellent, but the person who concocted such a delectable dressing is an artist in his or her own right.
Monday was the culmination of months of hard work for me. I do not remember much of the actual presentation, nor does my colleague Robert Shapiro, who was presenting with me. We both got up and did our parts, and before we knew it the presentation was over. It was a great experience. The audience seemed interested, and we received some good questions.
As soon as we finished presenting, we said our goodbyes and then headed back to our school and work obligations. On the ride home we had fun recounting our experiences at the conference, things we learned, people we met, and, of course, our plans to attend the next Midwest Chapter conference.
Submitted by Chris Allen
Community Health Library, Munson Community Health Center, Traverse City, MI
Quoting Mark Twain, receiving the Professional Development Award to attend "Vital Signs" the Midwest MLA/MHSLA Annual Conference was a "most moving and pulse-stirring honor." I appreciate the opportunity to network with colleagues from other regions and states and to attend the continuing education, concurrent sessions, posters, and papers.
I attended Scott Garrison's screencasting CE on Saturday and had a hands-on experience of creating online tutorials and simple instructional demonstrations using Jing, Adobe Captivate, and Screencast.com. In additional to the techie techniques, there was great discussion and exchange from the attendees.
On Tuesday, a small but engaged group gathered for Susan Barnes' community assessment class. Susan shared the steps required to collect data about a community's population characteristics and possible needs for health information outreach. It was good to learn about the vast collection of statistical resources that have been gathered on the Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce (phpartners.org). This website will be very helpful in the future.
Other highlights of my conference experience included David Slawson's thought-provoking session on evidence-based medicine and talking with the poster presenters on their projects and research. The special events were wonderful opportunities to relax and make new acquaintances.
Kudos to the "Vital Signs" Conference Planning Committee. I know tremendous effort went into planning and executing this event. I enjoyed every part of the weekend, the continuing education, the hotel, the food, the events, and the friends. I am truly honored to have had this opportunity and very proud to be a member of our profession.