MAC Messages – Number 82

July/August 2000

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Message from the Chair | Let Professional Development Make You a Star! Continuing Education Opportunities for the MAC 2000 Meeting | Benchmarking Initiative | MAC Nuggets | The MAC/MLA Student Internship Program | Hospital Libraries | News from the States | Honors and Awards Committee | MAC Messages Deadline | MAC/MLA AHIP Counselors | MAC Officers, Committee Chairs, Editor, and State Reporters

The Year So Far

Since the annual meeting in Wilmington last fall, MAC has gone about its regular business of planning the next annual meeting and CE courses, producing a new directory, holding committee meetings, renewing membership; exchanging information via the newsletter; List; and Web site; forming task forces; selecting sites for future meetings; selecting honorees; and planning for the future. We are looking forward to what promises to be a fine annual meeting in Roanoke in October. Pre-registration packets have been mailed. Look at the MAC Web site for up-to-the minute information on the meeting. We hope all MAC members will try to attend this meeting not only to take advantage of the program offerings, but also to participate in and contribute to the work of the chapter. It is important that our attendance at this meeting be high, so find the means to come yourself and encourage others to attend as well. We need this time together to revitalize MAC!

Your Executive Board and committee chairs will meet September 15th in Richmond, Virginia on the campus of the Medical College of Virginia of VCU. The agenda will include strategic and financial planning, goal & objectives for 2000/2001, the structure and financing of annual meetings, purposes of the Government Relations committee, the work of committees, and others. There will be a general call for agenda items via the List later, but please contact me with matters for the Board at any time. The meeting is open to any MAC member.

Later this summer, you will receive from Terrance Burton, your immediate past president, and a ballot for you to select next year’s officers. Please watch for the ballot and return it promptly. Let’s be unlike the situation in other elections we know about and have a high voter turnout! It is also not too late to make suggestions for candidates to Terrance. It is even OK to nominate yourself.

Now this is important!! All MAC committees are in need of members for next year. This is your chance to give to your chapter, to the profession, to the cause of excellence in health information services, to engage in professional development. Volunteer for a committee. Look on the MAC Web site under About MAC in the Policies and Procedures. Section III lists all the committees and outlines their activities.

Here are the specific needs (but feel free to request membership on any committee that interests you):

• Professional Development Committee: needs a member from DC and needs members from hospital or special libraries
• Publications: needs members from Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia
• Membership: needs members from Virginia, Maryland, DC, and West Virginia
• Honor & Awards: needs members from North Carolina, West Virginia, DC, and Maryland
• Government Relations: needs members from anywhere

A form to volunteer can be found on the MAC website under About MAC. It’s the first one!

I regretfully report that our membership numbers are down. We currently have 244 members who have renewed for 2000. Our membership in years past has averaged closer to 300. Some 70-80 folks who were members last year have not renewed this year.

I charge each of you to ask your colleagues whether they have renewed and encourage those who haven’t to do so. Each of you, personally, try to recruit a new member to the organization. We must have a healthy membership and new members to sustain a vital organization. Help us do that.

For your information, MAC has 15 members new to the organization this year. Our membership breakdown by state is: DC, 16; Maryland, 62; North Carolina, 82; Virginia, 58; and West Virginia, 13. Thirteen members are from outside the region (PA, SC, AL, IL). There are 337 MLA members in our region who are not currently MAC members.

The Strategic Planning Task Force needs your help. We want to revise and update the 1994 plan in the short term, and later conduct an extensive needs assessment to inform further revision. To help us revise the plan, I am putting a series of questions to the List. Please respond to these and help the task force come up with a revitalizing document that will help the organization move forward.

We are proud that Pat Thibodeau, our chapter nominee to the MLA nominating committee, was chosen at the next level to be among those on the MLA ballot. Look for your ballots later this year.

We are proud that MAC member Jackie Ramseur received the Lois Ann Colaianni Award for Excellence and Achievement in Hospital Librarianship at the MLA Annual Meeting in May.

We also are proud that Carol Jenkins was elected MLA President for 2001/2002. That’s two MLA Presidents from this chapter in three years!

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Let Professional Development Make You a Star!
Continuing Education Opportunities for the MAC 2000 Meeting
October 18 – 21, 2000
Roanoke, Virginia
Prepared by Karen Grandage, PDC Liaison
Professional Development Committee

Wednesday, October 18

“Applying Copyright Law in Libraries”
Full-Day Course
Time: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Instructor: Jim Heller, MLS, JD
Director of the Law Library and Professor of Law,
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, VA

Location:

Hotel Roanoke

Course Description:
Explore copyright issues by analyzing the rights of owners and users of copyrighted works. Discuss permissible practices in for-profit and nonprofit libraries; educational uses; document delivery services; audiovisual materials, databases, and digital information; foreign works; and licensing. Review, analyze, and discuss federal copyright law, including the DMCA, interpretive court decisions, and congressional and other guidelines.

CE Credit: 8 contact hours
Fees, MAC/SLA Members: $130.00
Fees, Non-Members: $170.00

Wednesday, October 18

“Introduction to Electronic Resources”
Half-Day Course
Time: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Instructors:
Jean L. Siebert, MLS, AHIP, Electronic Resources / Reference Librarian, West Virginia University, Morganton, WV,
Terrance Burton, MLS, AHIP, Director Health Sciences Library, West Virginia University, Morganton, WV,
Mary Frances Bodemuller, MLS, AHIP, Library, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lewisburg, WV

Location:
College of Health Sciences

Course Description:
A macro view of issues relating to the evaluation, licensing, purchase, and implementation of electronic resources. Focused toward librarians responsible for obtaining and maintaining resources and their administrators. Presents the terminology necessary to interface with vendors and systems departments. Explores methods of evaluating electronic resources by arranging a trial for a sample of users and designing evaluation forms for their comments Examines collection development issues and licensing of electronic resources. Learn about a unique case study about electronic resources used in multiple sites in this region.

CE Credit: 4 contact hours
Fees, MAC/SLA Members: $65.00
Fees, Non-Members: $85.00

Saturday, October 21

“Keeping Up with NLM’s PubMed”
Half-Day Course
Time: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Instructor:
Sandra Teitlebaum, MAT, MLS, Outreach Coordinator, NN/LM Southeastern/Atlantic Region, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD

Location:
College of Health Sciences

Course Description:
This is a refresher course for experienced online searchers covering System enhancements to PubMed. Designed for the NLM searcher who has been searching the PubMed system but would like a refresher or update on the new features and search enhancements that have occurred in the last year. Course attendees should have some knowledge and experience with PubMed searching and be familiar with MEDLINE, MeSH vocabulary and Boolean logic as these topics will not be covered in this class.

CE Credit: 4 contact hours
Fees, MAC/SLA Members: $65.00
Fees, Non-Members: $85.00

Saturday, October 21

“Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM): Information Resources for Choices in Healing”
Half-Day Course
Time: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Instructor:
Charles Wessel, MLS, Coordinator of Affiliated Hospital Services, Health Sciences Library System, University of Pittsburgh

Location:
Hotel Roanoke

Course Description:
This course provides an overview of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in health care today. It will discuss the most commonly used CAM systems, their nomenclature, their impact on the treatment of chronic diseases and the future impact these therapies will have on the provision of reference services in academic and clinical settings. The focus of the course will be on the use of Internet resources and guidelines for the provision of reference to individuals seeking CAM therapies. At the end of this course participants will be able to:

[1] Define the role of CAM in health care;

[2] Compare and contrast the most commonly used CAM therapies;

[3] Describe typical reference problems involving CAM therapies;

[4] Identify Internet resources for users with questions on CAM therapies;

[5] Understand information problems associated with locating CAM literature;

[6] Understand and utilize guidelines in providing reference to individuals requesting CAM information.

CE Credit: 4 contact hours
Fees, MAC/SLA Members: $65.00
Fees, Non-Members: $85.00

Saturday, October 21

“Management for Solo Librarians”
Full-Day Course
Time: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Instructor:
Judith Siess, MSLIS President, Information Bridges International, Inc.
Publisher/Editor of “The One-Person Library: A Newsletter for Librarians and Management”

Location:
Hotel Roanoke

Course Description:
Do you work alone? Do you have trouble getting it all done? Find the solutions for the issues and challenges of managing a small, limited-resource medical or hospital library staffed by one person or one professional with nonprofessional assistance. Acquire the tools and the confidence to be your institution’s sole information provider.

CE Credit: 8 contact hours
Fees, MAC/SLA Members: $130.00
Fees, Non-Members: $170.00

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The MLA Benchmarking Initiative is a database under construction that will offer hospital libraries the opportunity to learn more about the benchmarking process, compare data, establish best practices, and identify and work with a benchmarking partner. Currently, the database is in the beta-testing phase. Institutional members of MLA are asked to submit their data so that the tool can be tested for validity, ease of use and functionality. This phase is only a test and we need 100 participants! Once the beta test phase evaluation has been completed, the official launch of the Benchmarking Network will be announced hopefully before the end of the year.

Once operational, the Benchmarking Network will provide a means of entering data related to your institution, resources, and services. It will be possible for you to compare your data to other institutions of your choosing or with a profile selected by you.

To learn more about the Benchmarking Network and to input your data into the beta test database, sign on to the members-only site of MLA <www.mlanet.org> and follow the Benchmarking links. As you input your data, please use the comments section if you feel some questions or vague or need additional information. Remember that this is only a test! The actual database will hopefully be available for your input later on this year.

I serve as the Benchmarking Chapter Educator (BCE) for MAC. Please share your comments and questions with me, so I can forward them to the Benchmarking Content Team. Please watch MAC Messages and the MAC Listserv for additional information. I will be presenting a poster session at MAC in Roanoke to answer more questions about this initiative. Also, if you would like to set up a brief meeting with me at MAC to discuss the Initiative or to have me answer specific database questions, please contact me. I’ll be sending out more information regarding appointments closer to October.

Sarah Towner Wright, MAC Benchmarking Chapter Educator
Wrightst@arlhosp.org
Phone: (703) 558-6524
FAX: (703) 558-6975

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There was a rush at the end of June to finish as many bills as possible before the July 4th recess. The Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill (H.R. 4516) that contains the funding for the Government Publishing Office and the Federal Depository Libraries was passed. Although some cuts were restored, there will less printed and more electronic materials available from the government. Fears that this will increase the Digital Divide were voiced.

The FY01 appropriations bill (H.R.4577) for Labor-HHS-Education, which contains the funding for the National Library of Medicine, passed the House on June 14, 2000 and the Senate version (S.2553) passed on June 30, 2000. $256,281,000 was appropriated with $4 million designated for improvement of information systems.

Since this is election year, the Hill should be very quiet from now on. We have already noticed that commuter traffic has decreased because the representatives are back home campaigning!

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Are you, or do you know, a current MLS, MLIS or MIS student who has a demonstrated interest in health sciences librarianship or medical informatics as a career? Is the student enrolled in a program in the Mid-Atlantic region (DC, MD, NC, VA, WV) or enrolled outside the region but living or working within the region? The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association (MAC/MLA) is seeking applicants for its Student Internship Program. This internship provides the opportunity for a student to become involved in the activities of a professional association and work with experienced health information professionals from a variety of libraries.

What are the Responsibilities of an Intern?

As a member of the MAC/MLA 2001 Annual Meeting Program Committee, the intern will work with the Program Chair (Chair-elect of MAC). It is expected that the intern will contribute a fresh viewpoint and knowledge about technologies, services, etc. new to libraries. Other duties may include helping to identify topics and/or speakers for the October 2001 Annual Meeting in Ocean City, MD. At that meeting, the intern will report back on his or her experiences of the past year to the MAC membership.

What are the Benefits of the Internship?

The intern will be able to learn about the functioning of a health information association, and specifically, about a MLA chapter. He or she will get to know, work with and learn from professionals in various health information settings in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Additional benefits include subsidized travel and lodging for Program Committee meetings, and subsidized travel, lodging, half day CE class and registration for the program portion of the Annual Meeting.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted by October 2, 2000. For questions or an application, please contact:

Kathy Kruse
FDA Medical Library, HFD-230
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11B-40
Rockville, Maryland 20857
Phone: 301-827-5692
Fax: 301-443-6385
E-mail: Kruse@cder.fda.gov

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Before your initial interview, do your homework. Collect recent job ads with salary information for other hospital library positions. When possible, gather information about salaries in academic, public and school libraries in the locale of the interview. If possible, look at the potential employer’s policies concerning salaries. Find out if the company pays moving expenses. Decide what you think is a reasonable salary. To strengthen your resolve about what is reasonable, see if you can get the estimated starting salary for a RN that has just finished an AA degree.

The interview is your best opportunity to impact your salary in a positive way. Go armed; take duplicate copies of your salary research information (one copy for your use, one copy to share). When the question of starting salary arises, realize that you have an opportunity to educate your potential employer about fair wages in the library market. If moving expenses are available but you don’t need them, ask if the money can be applied to your salary. (It doesn’t hurt to ask.) Keep in mind that your starting salary is of paramount importance, because future salary increases may be based on a percentage of your current salary. You need to get the most you can at the outset.

If you have been in your position for a few years and feel that your salary has not kept pace with the job market, there should be a mechanism within your organization for salary review. Start by updating your job description. Point out how changes in technology have expanded your role. Consider how the growth and diversification of your hospital have changed your job. Gather information about salaries at other comparable and/or competing hospitals. Analyze the MLA Salary Survey for 1998, available to members at http://www.mlanet.org. Glean information from the survey that is most relevant to your situation.

When writing a memorandum to justify a salary review, remind your supervisor that your familiarity (through experience) with the organization allows for timely, accurate provision of library service. Point out that you save higher-salaried staff time by providing them with information important to the decision-making process. Bear in mind that most Human Resources Departments would like to pay you as little as possible. Your request for higher salary must be convincing.

The timing of your request can be crucial. Managers at CFVHS are given two opportunities annually to discuss salaries. In April during the budget proposal process, a meeting is scheduled with Management Engineering about labor budgets. This is the best time to ask for an increase, because the salary amount can be allocated in the next fiscal year’s budget. Raises are tied to annual performance appraisals for managers during September. A few years ago I did not sign my annual performance review until a salary review was completed. I felt that when I signed I would be locked into a salary for twelve months. I successfully used what little leverage I had to call attention to my need. Assess the processes within your organization and determine the best time to initiate your request.

To help with your convictions about your salary, find out what you can about other healthcare professional salaries. In 1999, a staff nurse at a small hospital in rural North Carolina received a two-year signing bonus of $8,000 to stay in her critical care position. Despite all the current financial woes, hospital administrators have found salary money to provide bonuses to healthcare professionals. Don’t librarians deserve a piece of the pie?

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Maryland

Welcome the new Consumer Health Outreach Coordinator for NN/LM SE/A, Jana Allcock. She comes to us from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Library in Little Rock, where she worked as the Coordinator for Access to Electronic Resources, and helped to build the consumer health collections and connections across campus. She began her career as a hospital librarian at Baptist Health, also in Little Rock, where the librarians and health educators began a successful health information and education service – including databases, videos, health screenings, pamphlets, and books.

Jana graduated from Ouachita Baptist University with a B.A. in English, and went to graduate school at Texas Woman’s University where she earned her M.L.S.

Jana is returning to Baltimore, where she was born and raised, after spending the last 10 years in Arkansas. To contact Jana, call the RML at 1-800-338-7657 or e-mail jallc001@umaryland.edu.

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West Virginia

The West Virginia Health Sciences Library Association’s annual meeting was held April 27 – 28, 2000, in conjunction with West Virginia Consult’s Gatekeepers Conference 2000 in Morgantown, WV. In addition to attending various skills sessions such as Network Access Coordinator Beth Wescott’s presentation on the new DOCLINE, HS librarian Jean Siebert’s session on the new PubMed, and an introduction on the use of Personal Data Assistants in the health care field; participants earned MLA credit for the course “Rural Aging – Focus on Health Information”. (WVU Center on Aging)

Jean L. Siebert, electronic resources/reference librarian and Terrance M. Burton, director, Health Sciences Library, West Virginia University, presented a poster session entitled Reference Manager: Electronic Assessment, Promotion, Instruction, and Consultation at the Medical Library Association’s annual meeting in Vancouver, BC, on May 8, 2000.

Nancy J. Wasson, head, Access Services, Health Sciences Library, West Virginia University and Carroll W. Wilkinson, head, Wise Library Circulation Services and Colson Reserve Library, West Virginia University Libraries, West Virginia University, also presented a poster session at MLA: Demystifying Document Delivery: Electronic Document Delivery in West Virginia.

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Virginia

VCU Libraries is pleased to announce the appointment of Jean Shipman as Director, Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University, effective August 1, 2000.

As Director of the Tompkins-McCaw Library, Ms. Shipman will assume a lead role developing and advancing library services and collections in support of VCU’s programs in biomedical and health sciences on both the MCV and Academic Campuses. In addition to her role in directing and leading the largest medical research and teaching library in Virginia, Ms. Shipman will have a prominent role in overall strategic planning, governance, administration, and budgeting of the VCU Libraries system.

Ms. Shipman brings outstanding qualifications and experience as a leader in medical librarianship to her new role. With nearly 20 years of experience in medical libraries, she has held a variety of increasingly responsible roles at Welch Medical Library, John Hopkins University; the Greater Baltimore Medical Center; the Southeastern/Atlantic Region of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine; and the University of Washington at Seattle. She comes to VCU from the position of Associate Director, Information Resource Management, Health Sciences Libraries at the University of Washington, the premier health sciences center for the Northwest U.S., where she demonstrated an outstanding record in fiscal administration, personnel management, and particularly in program innovation.

Ms. Shipman has been very active professionally within medical librarianship, with broad participation in many local and regional medical information initiatives. She has held numerous leadership posts with both regional chapters and the national Medical Library Association, culminating in her current role as a member of the Board of Directors for MLA. Ms. Shipman also brings a distinguished and prolific publication and presentation record, with over 40 publications and presentations to date. A member of both Beta Beta Beta honor society for biological sciences and Beta Phi Mu honor society for library and information science, Ms. Shipman received the Bachelor of Arts in biology from Gettysburg College and the Master of Science in Library Science from Case Western Reserve University.

VCU Libraries welcomes Ms. Shipman back to the SE/A Region and to MAC!!

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In May, the Medical Library Association selected Jacqueline Ramseur of CaroMont Health-Gaston Memorial Hospital, Gastonia NC as recipient of its Lois Ann Colianni Award for Excellence and Achievement in Hospital Librarianship. The award is given for significant contributions to the profession through overall distinction or leadership in hospital librarianship; teaching, research, advocacy, or development or application of innovative technology to hospital librarianship. Jacqueline was recognized for running an exemplary one-person library for the staff at her 329-bed community hospital. She coordinated the library’s move to a new facility and succeeded in computerizing library services. In November, Jacqueline won the MAC One-Person Library Award.

Join in congratulating Jacqueline on this honor and award.

Janice E. Kelly
Chair, Honors and Awards Committee

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Newsworthy items for the MAC Messages September/October issue may be submitted to the editor (macmessages@angelfire.com) until September 15, 2000. Remember to include “MAC” in your subject line.

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