MAC Messages – Number 72

In 1982, the Library Services Department of Cape Fear Valley Health System began a Consumer Health Library as a public service to the community. Materials for healthcare consumers are collected in five formats:

1. Electronic
2. Book
3. Newsletter/Magazine
4. Audiovisual
5. Pamphlet/Brochure

The pamphlet/brochure format is least expensive, yet most difficult to maintain. Acquired materials are placed in a “dedicated” file cabinet using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) as the topical authority.

Acquiring the materials requires tenacious determination. Sources of free, “acceptable” brochures are government agencies and self-help groups. Self-help groups have local chapters, state chapters, and national headquarters. Some pharmaceutical and medical supply companies provide “acceptable,” no cost materials. At least two publishers provide low cost brochures that are marketed to physician offices:

Other sources include newspaper articles, leaflets printed from reputable web sites and photocopies journal articles. (HINT – The North Carolina Medical Journal contains a “Health Watch” section for patients). Some medical specialty groups, such as the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Academy of Pediatrics, produce excellent pamphlets. A good electronic database for patient level informaiton is Care/Drug Notes, part of the Micromedex system. Patient education leaflets are available in English and Spanish.

The most frequently asked question from the MAC annual meeting: “When can I join?”
The next enrollment period is planned for Spring of 2000.

Rudy Lamy, American Psychiatric Association, is the new MACLend coordinator for the District of Columbia.

Barbara Zimmerman, Librarian at Rex Healthcare, resigned on November 6, 1998. DOCLINE requests routed to Rex may not be filled in a timely manner.

The American Library Association (ALA) makes it easy for all of us to let our voices be heard by our legislative representatives. The Washington Office of ALA offers the “Legislative Action Center” on their Web site. Available through the Action Center is a “Congressional Directory” which includes congressional committees and telephone numbers. If you don’t know your Congressperson you can find them by using the “Find your Representative” link simply by putting in your zip code. “Write to Congress” contains congressional e-mail lists and automated form letters ready to send electronically or mail to your representative. “ACT Now”! is a current awareness list of library issues being considered by Congress. There is even a “Capitol Hills Basics” which gives tips on communicating with Congress and helpful information on the legislative process. The URL for the “Legislative Action Center” is http://cqrcengage.com/ala/?5.

Update on Library Laws and Issues

• Congress gave final approval to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) Copyright Treaties Implementation Act signed into law (Public Law 105-304) by President Clinton on October 28th. The law updates the Copyright Act for the new technologies now widely used and conforms US law to the Geneva WIPO treaties negotiated in December, 1996. The Collections of Information Anti-Piracy Act was dropped from the WIPO bill. The database protection measure contained in this Act would have adversely affected the library community as well as other educational and research institutions. One of the provisions included in the bill would have allowed facts to be copyrighted.
• The Istook Amendment was dropped from the Health and Human Services (HHS) Education Appropriations Bill. The Amendment would force libraries and schools which were receiving federal funds to install and use filtering software.
• The Boucher/Campbell Digital Era Copyright Enhancement Act is now before the House. The Act would protect fair use, digital preservation, library lending, distance learning and access to the technologies needed in each of these educational activities.
• The House is also considering several database protection initiatives such as H.R. 2652 that would restrict the use of many scientific databases.
• Implementation of the E-Rate is being threatened on Capitol Hill. The E-rate is a telecommunications discount for libraries and schools contained in the Telecommunications Act universal service legislation for connecting rural America and low-income communities to the Internet.
• President Clinton has asked that the Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA) be funded at its current level of $146.3 million. ALA is lobbying for an increase to $160 million. LSTA offers federal assistance to all libraries for a variety of crucial activities such as connecting to the Internet, providing consumer health information, supporting literacy and life-long learning and training the public in the new technologies that are now available.

There are many issues now before Congress that will have a lasting impact on libraries. It is important that we all make our voices heard and our influence felt by our representatives!

Highlights of the MAC/MLA Committee Reports

Treasurer’s Report….

July 1, 1997-June 30, 1998

Honors and Awards Committee….

Committee members: Sarah Towner Wright, Chair; Myra Binau, Chair-Elect; Lucida Ewards; Jean Hiebert; Mary Hyde; Brenda Seago, Board Liaison.

The Committee’s main accomplishment this year was the implementation of the MAC Bibliography. The purpose of which is to encourage research and professional development, and to honor chapter members by publicizing chapter activities and the accomplishments of its members at a national level. Dan Horne serves as the MAC Bibliographer and the Honors and Awards Committee Chair serves as the Co-Project Leader. MAC Board members submitted their entries during the month of April. The next few months were spent developing the database in Procite. In September, 1998, the database was opened to Chapter members for their input. The Bibliography forms (for material written during the last two years) are located on the website and in MAC Messages, September 1998. The MAC bibliography will be on ongoing project with submissions accepted year-round.

Membership Committee….

The Membership Committee met in January to discuss the coming year. In February, reminder notices were sent out to members needing to renew their membership. We had 26 new members join MAC in 1998.

The database of members is now being maintained by Lynn Eades. The question of whether or not to move the database to another program has not been decided.

The new brochure was reviewed at the January Executive Board meeting. Several minor changes were made to it. Lynn Eades was directed to spend up to $500.00 having the brochure printed.

Professional Development Committee….

Committee members: Janie Trumbull, Chair; Beth Layton, Chair-Elect; Jean Blackwell; Linda Frank; Kathyrn Kruse; Claire Meissner; Margaret Norden; Anne Powers; and Jean Siebert. With Jean Hiebert’s resignation, Paula Raimondo agreed to serve again as PDC AHIP Coordinator of Counseling, and Susan Feinglos continued as MLA AHIP Liaison. Our MAC Executive Board Liaison was Terrance Burton.

Beth Layton has been our PDC home page web master since early 1997. Using the MAC web template, she designed a page with general information about the PDC and listings of educational events divided into the following sections: regular scheduled classes (for instance, NLM training events); upcoming opportunities (like MAC); lists of CE links; and additional suggestions. The information is current, and is updated about once a month. Web page future: liks to project reports and links to other information about professional development can be added. Because Beth will be the PDC chair in the coming year, a new volunteer is needed to continue the project.

Karen Thomas, our 1997-1998 intern, joined us while she was a student at the School of Library and Information Sciences at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. She commenced working with the PDC Committee at the January meeting and chose as her internship project the investigation of members’ interest in electronic journal clubs, with Beth Layton as her mentor for the project. A report of her project is in this issue of MAC Messages.

Publications Committee….

Committee members: Julie Garrison Chair; Beverly Murphy, Chair-Elect; Martha Bedard; Stphan Stackhouse; Paula Raimondo; Jonathan Lord; Barbara Kuchan, Newsletter Editor.

In addition to continuing the production of MAC Messages and maintaining the MACMLA-L listserv, the Committee decided to focus on adding information to and redesigning the MAC website. Some of the major additions to the website in the past year include: MAC Messages (starting with issue 68), the Policy and Procedure Manual, and the “Anatomy of a Chapter” library histories page. The Committee will continue working to add a calendar of events, the MAC brochure, a Publications page, and other information to the website.

A new newsletter editor, Barbara Kuchan, took over for Beverly Murphy as of the May/June 98 issue of MAC Messages. Beverly Murphy has continued to be active with the Publications Committee and has been instrumental in making the web version of MAC Messages available.

Governmental Relations Committee….

The GRC members continue to monitor important legislative initiatives that affect health sciences librarians. We also continue our support of MLA legislative and lobbying activities throughout the year.

During the 1997 MAC Annual Meeting the GRC sponsored a Skills Session on Copyright Law which was very well attended.

An Electronic Journal Club: MAC Intern Project, 1998

News from the States…

VCU is currently conducting a national search for its next ULS Executive Director. Recruitment information for this position can be found at: http://www.vcu.edu/vcu/faculty/vacancies.html#uls

Have you renewed your membership?

One of the greatest strengths of any organization is its members. The more members, the more we can learn from networking with each other. If you have not yet renewed your membership, please complete the membership form.

If you aren’t sure of your membership status, check the mailing label on this issue of MAC Messages. The two-digit code in the upper right-hand corner indicates the last year for which your dues were paid. If your label has “99” in the corner, then you have already renewed your membership.

Questions about your membership status or any address changes should be directed to: Lynn Eades, beades@med.unc.edu.

At the this year’s MAC and Pittsburgh Regional Chapter 1998 Joint Meeting, the following awards were presented:

Marguerite Abel Service Recognition Award:

“She puts the serve in service.” This comment was made by a MAC member about Beverly Murphy, Head, Marketing and Publications, Duke University Medical Center Library, Durham NC, and one of two recipients of the Marguerite Abel Service Recognition Award. Beverly has contributed substantially to MAC. She has held numerous positions and has given countless hours of service to our organization. Serving on numerous committees including the Membership and Publications Committee and completing a three year term as editor of MAC Messages are a few of her accomplishments. Beverly is a mentor, AHIP counselor and an instrumental member of the MAC Centennial Task Force. She is currently serving a term on the MAC Executive Board as the Chapter Treasurer and is active on both the local and national level. She has also been chosen as one of the Librarians that was honored by NLM during their National Medical Librarians Month this October. As one MAC member stated, “Beverly has done it all!”

Diane McKenzie, Librarian, University of North Carolina Health Sciences Library at Chapel Hill, NC, is the second of two recipients of the Marguerite Abel Service Award. Diane stated that this award has special meaning for her because her first position in a Medical Library in 1968 was under Marge Abel. Diane has dedicated many years of service to MAC and has served on numerous committees throughout the years. These committees include the Publications Committee, Program Committee, and the Nominating Committee. She is also one of the first members of the Honors and Awards Committee and participated in developing proposals for its first awards. A mentor in almost every sense of the word, she has been a MAC buddy, an AHIP mentor, and the first Liaison to the MAC intern. As one MAC member commented, “She has had many firsts!” She has been the catalyst behind the MAC Centennial Task Force and has published columns in MAC Messages, MAC News and Anatomy of a Chapter, a book about MAC’s history for its members. She has also published a three-part history article in the Bulletin of the Medical Library Association. She was instrumental in procuring MAC Centennial pins as well as preparing the MAC Birthday Card for MLA, Centennial poster and web page for the annual MLA meeting in Philadelphia. As one nomination form read, “This is a remarkable accomplishment for the chapter.”

One-Person Library Recognition Award:

Kathryn Chmiel, Director of Hupp Medical Library in Wheeling WV, is this year’s recipient of the One-Person Library Recognition Award. Kathryn is known by many for her diligent involvement in MAC. She has given many hours working on a variety of projects, and you may remember her as Co-Chair of the Local Arrangement Committee for this year’s MAC annual meeting in Pittsburgh. She has hosted round-table discussions at MAC meetings and has also served as Chair of MAC’s Honors and Awards Committee. Kathryn is active in MLA’s Hospital Libraries Section serving on the 1998 Nominating Committee and the 1999 Program Committee. She is also serving her second year on MLA’s Continuing Education Grant Jury. Kathryn has just finished a two-year term as the Secretary of the West Virginia Health Sciences Library Association. She has also published a column about computer training for residents in Medical Reference Services Quarterly. Kathryn’s colleagues have stated that she “enthusiastically supports and participates in our profession” and that “she is a good example of how a one-person librarian can be involved.” Congratulations, Kathryn!