Current Issues in Professional Associations

LIS 2000

Understanding Information

9/28/2006

Overview of the MLA

• Medical Library Association

• Founded in 1898 by four librarians and four doctors

• 2nd oldest library association in the USA

• Includes 1200 institutions and 3800 professionals in the health field

• Created to “encourage the improvement and increase of public medical libraries”

Overview of the MLA Continued

• 23 special interest groups that meet and encourage networking

• 14 geographically grouped chapters

Purpose of the MLA

• To develop programs to serve the needs of health information specialists

• To be an advocate for all health science librarians and libraries

What the MLA Does

• Annual meeting to discuss new research, papers, issues, etc.

• Provide guidelines for upgrading medical libraries’ services, resources, and facilities

• Promote communication between library, institutions, and government

• Help medical librarians find jobs

What the MLA Does Cont’d

• Provide continuing courses for educating librarians

• Provide honors, awards, scholarships, and fellowships

• The Exchange

• The Bulletin of the Medical Library Association and the MLA News

Current Issue: Electronic Access

• Problem: The current model for electronic access leaves many libraries and institutions overpaying and without ownership rights

• Goal: To reduce costs and achieve a more equal standard for contracts

Electronic Access: Solutions

• Unify with other organizations

• Educate and encourage open access journals

• SPARC, BioOne, PubMed Central, Public Library of Science

• Directory of open access journals (www.doaj.org)

• Disseminate in house articles and information

Current Issues: Global Initiatives

• Problem: There is a large gap between the haves and have-nots in the international health information field

• Goal: To provide a strategic plan to improve and promote international relations and programs

Global Initiatives: Solutions

• Designate an International Affairs Officer

• Create an MLA International Award for Excellence in International Service

• Create an international website

• Partner with other international organizations to create Librarians Without Borders

Current Issue: Health Information Literacy

• Problem: 1) According to the Wall Street Journal, “as many

as half of all adults in all socio-economic levels struggle with health literacy”

2) According to Lucian Leape, Harvard public health professor, “medical errors are a leading cause of death, account for more fatalities each year than breast cancer, automobile accidents or AIDS”

Health Information Literacy Problems Cont’d

Health Information Literacy Goal

• Goal: Because of their ability to quickly acquire and organize relevant information, medical librarians should play a larger role in providing information to both doctors and institutions as well as patients

Health Information Literacy: Michael Homan: Health

Professionals• Put health librarians on the patient safety

committee

• Have doctors work with health librarians on a one-on-one basis

• Create an easily implemented and used system for doctors to report mistakes and more importantly to learn from them

Health Information Literacy: Michael Homan: Patients

• Be an available source of information for patients and their families

• Create easily found and reliable websites for health information

• Quickly search for information and articles on the special needs of a patient

Health Information Literacy: MLA Solutions

• MLA definition: Health Information Literacy is the set of abilities needed to: recognize a health information need; identify likely information sources and use them to retrieve relevant information; assess the quality of the information and its applicability to a specific situation; and analyze, understand, and use the information to make good health decisions.

Health Information Literacy: MLA Solutions

• Create resources like MLA’s “Top Ten” and recommended websites

• Partner with other organizations to promote health information literacy

• Since only 20% of members were involved in health literacy programs, more should be encouraged

• Division of the ALA

• 11,000+ members

• Mission: to enhance the development and effectiveness of public library staff and public library services.

Public Library Association

Issues PLA 2005 Membership ReportMOST INTEREST

1. Ideas for promoting use of library services

2. Marketing the library3. Ideas for increasing

financial support for library

LEAST INTEREST

1. Fees for service

2. Finding a library job

3. Cooperation with academic libraries

DISCUSSION

What issues do you believe are most important to public libraries?

PLA Membership Report

pp. 25-27

The State of America’s Libraries

Americans named the top characteristics of public libraries:

1) Free services2) Lifelong learning3) Enhances education4) Information for school and work5) Free services gives everyone a chance to

succeed

SMARTEST CARD CAMPAIGN

Subscribe to e-newsletter on Smartest Card Campaign

Nonmembers:

email: bmacikas@ala.org

Special Libraries Association

• 12,000+ members

• Mission: promote and strengthen its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives.

Publications

• Information Outlook

monthly publication available in IS Library and online http://www.sla.org/content/shop/Information/subscript.cfm

• Special Libraries

SLA journal from 1910-1996 available in IS Library and online as PDF

http://www.sla.org/content/shop/speclibs.cfm

E-Newsletters

• SLA Connections

• Learning Connections

• Public Policy Connections

• Conference Connections

• Industry Connections

Professional Development

2006 Annual Campaign

for Professional Development1) create SLA LearnCenter

2) more online courses

3) purchase Internet-based video and audio system

4) construct an Internet studio at SLA's Global Headquarters

Click University

• Live and self-paced online courses

• Certificates of Advanced Study

• Discounts for degree programs at Drexel and University of Syracuse

• Free podcasts for non-members from SLA Conference and info about Click University

SLA PITTSBURGH CHAPTER

• The Confluence

Newsletter for SLA Pittsburgh chapter available online

http://units.sla.org/chapter/cpit/publications.htm

ALAWON

American Library Association

Washington Office

Newsline

The ALAWON: What It’s About

• An irregular publication, but trends show it comes out 2-3 times a month.

• Acts as a mouthpiece between ALA members and/or library activists and federal legislators

• Each issue focuses on one or two hot topics that involve Capitol Hill.

Why Do Librarians Need This?

• 1. ALAWON provides opportunity to unite librarians on government issues

• 2.This union allows librarians a chance to make a greater impact

• 3. Keeps librarians current on what’s going on in Washington

What are the main topics/recurrent themes

discussed in ALAWON?

August’s Topics

• August’s topics fell under 2 main issues:– Increasing awareness of libraries

• LCSM = Library Card Sign-Up Month• Literacy Information & Communication

Regional Resource Centers program– Funding

• Updated Grants page on ALA Washington Office’s website • New grant for “The Big Read” program

Library Card Sign-Up Month

• September• Encourages parents to sign kids up for

cards• ALA is asking Congress to mention LCSM

in local speeches, etc. to get the word out• Encourages ALAWON readers to do the

same• ALAWON has link to a fact sheet on

LCSM

The Big Read

• National Endowment for the Arts’ The Big Read program

• 100 grants awarded in 2007

• Communities come together to discuss one book

• Communities will receive library resources as well as the grant

• Link to www.neabigread.org

September’s Topics

• H.R. 5439, the “Orphan Works Act of 2006”– Deals with increasing awareness of this act and

challenging the legislation

• ALA Washington Office offers free Online Advocacy Training– Geared towards training library supporters to

communicate with Congress

More September

• Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, S. 2590– Provides awareness of a new bill that allows a

searchable database to show grants, loans, contracts, etc., awarded by the federal government

– Amendment to original bill was passed that requires separate search engines for grants and contracts

How does this kind of newsletter/information

benefit library supporters?

ALA Washington Office’s Other Current Issues

• The Washington Office has eight main focuses besides the Newsline. Some are:– Technology, the Internet, and

Telecommunications• Broadband• CALEA• Interactive Web Applications• E-Rate • Internet Safety

– Federal Funding• Why it matters to librarians• Current status• What you can do

– Head Start• Child development program that helps kids from low-income

families be better prepared for school• Current status• Recent Legislative background

– Civil Liberties, Intellectual Freedom, and Privacy• CIPA

• Privacy• US PATRIOT Act

These are just a few of the main issues that ALA’s Washington Office are focused on right now. The Newsline is geared towards keeping interested parties informed on issues related to these topics.

American Libraries

• Publication from the ALA

• Published monthly

• Subscription required or available with ALA membership

• Unlike ALAWON, American Libraries has articles dealing with local issues, job info, and non-government-related topics

Current Issues in American Libraries

• August’s issue discusses:– Rebuilding New Orleans’ libraries– News from meetings/conferences of ALA

organizations– Literature by librarians, on library issues– Job opportunities and ways to connect to your

community

• September’s issue discusses:

– ALA awards, scholarships, grants given and received in 2006

– Business strategies for libraries– Marketing strategies for libraries, things like

changing the concept of how a library is perceived