Thoughts on MAC 2023 from a Student Vision scholarship recipient
As a lifelong Pittsburgher and an MLIS student at the University of Pittsburgh, I am so happy I could attend this year’s MAC meeting right here in my hometown as the recipient of the MAC Student Vision Scholarship. I’m lucky to work with several wonderful MAC members as an intern at Duquesne University’s Gumberg Library, and attending the meeting gave me the chance to see medical librarianship beyond the scope of my existing institutions, as well as a new network of mentors to learn from!
Right from the start, everyone I met was incredibly welcoming and happy to share advice. Hearing from current and past MLA presidents Amy Blevins and Shannon Jones at the New Member Reception really illustrated the lifelong collaborations and friendship that MAC builds. My conference buddy Corey Harmon quickly put me at ease in a new group of people and included me in conversations with other MAC members about challenges and opportunities in their workplaces this year. As a soon-to-be job seeker, I appreciate folks’ willingness to discuss the whole reality of their workplace, not just the good things. In that vein, I enjoyed Mary Lou Klem and Elizabeth Blackwood’s presentations and the glimpse they gave into the boundary setting and problem solving that librarians sometimes need to do while working with medical researchers.
AI has been a huge topic in my MLIS coursework, and the program offered an incredibly helpful and varied series of presentations. I left with a greater understanding of both the ethical concerns and the potential benefits of AI tools. The plenary panel with Dr. Erin Walker, Dr. Faina Linkov, and Michelle Kraft left me hopeful that AI can be a tool created to make people’s lives easier and better if we build it with real humans in mind. I got a lot of Kelsey Cowles and Rebekah Miller’s escape room puzzles about AI deepfakes wrong, but as a trivia and game show nerd it’s fueling me to learn more about AI image generation!
I’m also grateful that the programming allowed me to learn more about how I can help make my community a healthier and more equitable place as a health sciences librarian. The presentation on the culture and history of the Seneca people from Mr. Miguel Sague, Jr. taught me much that, unfortunately, I didn’t already know. The activity following his talk emphasized for me that truly inclusive health care honors the unique histories, concerns, and cultures of underserved and underrepresented communities. I was excited to see so much contributed work about community collaborations and outreach, and I hope to take what I learned from the work of MAC members to build mutually beneficial, respectful, and compassionate relationships with the communities my institution serves.
Thank you to the Membership and Recruitment Committee for the opportunity to attend the meeting, to my Duquesne colleagues David Nolfi, Jo Dienst, and Madelyn Glymour for encouraging and supporting me at the conference and beyond, to Ruth Bueter for taking the time to review my resume, and to Corey Harmon and his colleagues at East Carolina University for making me feel very welcome at my first MAC meeting. Here’s hoping I’ll see you all at the next one!