Merger is Official!
From Julia Shaw-Kokot and Jonathan Lord:
The merger of the Pittsburgh Regional Chapter and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter (MAC) of the Medical Library Association (MLA) is now official. The merger proposal was approved by Chapter Council members at MLA’s 2009 Annual Meeting in May. The Western Pennsylvania area that previously made up the Pittsburgh chapter has been added to the existing MAC region, and Pittsburgh chapter members have become MAC members. MAC welcomes our newest members!
The two Chapters and their members have always been close neighbors. Pittsburgh and the West Virginia area of MAC share a close geographic bond, and Pittsburgh members have been regular attendees at MAC annual meetings. In fact some librarians residing in the Pittsburgh area were already members of MAC. The two Chapters held a very successful joint meeting in Pittsburgh with the theme of “Get On Board!” in 1998. A decade later, the movement to merge began.
A group of dedicated members from both Chapters have worked since MLA’s 2008 Annual Meeting to plan the merger. Their work continues as the logistics are worked out. This is the first merging of MLA Chapters. This unprecedented action was guided by the MLA Board and staff members who provided a basic framework of activities and timelines. Paula Raimondo, Chapter Council Chair and member of MAC, has served as the liaison between MLA headquarters and the MAC Executive Board, offering her valuable support and advice.The bigger MAC looks forward to the infusion of ideas, energy and participation from the new members. Perhaps MAC will soon meet again in Pittsburgh, this time with a meeting theme of “Full Steam Ahead!”
Julia Shaw-Kokot, MAC Chapter Council Representative
Jonathan Lord, Alternate Chapter Council Representative