Annual Report 1999/2000

Midcontinental Chapter

The Midcontinental Chapter, serving the states of Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, currently has 247 members. The 1999 Annual Meeting was hosted by the Wyoming contingency. With the theme "Where the Pavement Ends…," the annual meeting offered a great variety of fine speakers, five continuing education courses and 16 vendors, all meeting together with 86 attendees in the beauty of the Teton mountains at Jackson Hole, WY.

Goal 1: Professional Development

• 25 chapter members were placed in new committee and leadership positions. Approximately 20% of the Midcontinental Chapter’s members serve in positions as chapter officers, committee members, appointed officers and meeting planning positions.
• The Nominating Committee presented a slate of potential officers for 2000-2001. The membership has voted and been notified of the elected new leadership.
• The chapter’s 1999 annual meeting and continuing education courses were well attended. Meeting planners provided a fine opportunity for learning, sharing and fellowship.
• Lisa Traditi, Program Committee Chair for the annual meeting in Denver in September 2000, has the meeting’s theme: "Doing the Impossible." Denver planners are using the chapter’s website to promote the 2000 chapter meeting. The Jane Carver CE grant was approved for a chapter member who will be attending the 2000 annual meeting.
• Plans for a tri-chapter meeting in 2001 are underway with the Midcontinental chapter accepting the South Central chapter’s invitation to meet with them and the Southern chapter in October 2001.
• The Academy of Health Professionals has been promoted via the chapter’s newsletter, email discussion list and Website. Members have been encouraged to contact chapter members serving on the MLA Credentialing Committee or the chapter’s Credentialing Liaison.

Goal 2: Advocacy

• The chapter’s Governmental Relations uses the chapter listserv (MCMLA-L) to provide timely announcements of important legislative and policy issues.
• The chapter chair has assertively used MCMLA-L to provide frequent updates on chapter activities as well as MLA’s initiatives.
• Two listserv inquiries regarding chapter member’s interest in mentoring and their need for mentoring relationships have been explored. Information gathered has been forwarded to MLA’s Mentoring Program Task Force.
• The chapter archivist and chapter council alternate are working to revise the chapter’s Archival Policy. As a team, they are dedicated to properly organizing the chapter’s archives and preserving them for future access. The chapter has allocated funding to acquire proper storage equipment for its archives.
• Two members were recognized at the chapter’s annual meeting in 1999. Cliff Nestell was presented with the Barbara McDowell Award for Excellence in Hospital Librarianship. E. Diane Johnson was recognized with the Berniece Hetzner Award for Excellence in Academic Health Sciences Librarianship.
• The first Website editor was appointed and the chapter’s Website is being developed to provide a variety of new resources for use by members.

Goal 3: Organization

• Chapter leaders endeavor to maintain and improve MCMLA through organizational and fiscal development. The 1999 annual meeting of the chapter was a financial success in addition to being a professional development success.
• The chapter listserv and Website are being used in new ways to develop communication among the membership and gather input from a membership that spans a large geographical area.
• The Bylaws Committee is working to complete a total revision of the chapter’s bylaws and plans to bring the bylaws revision before the membership for approval at the next annual meeting in September 2000.
• The Publications Committee has proposed and had a new chapter logo approved by the Executive Committee. The new logo is being used on the chapter’s listserv and will be incorporated into chapter business at every appropriate opportunity.
• Chapter officers, with input from past and present meeting planners, thoroughly examined the anticipated annual meeting rotation schedule. A proposed rotation was approved and announced to the membership via the listserv.

Goal 4: Research

• Following up on earlier efforts, an additional virtual focus group was sponsored by the Research Committee in 1999.
• The chapter recognizes the value of MLA’s Benchmarking Initiative and is recruiting for its first Benchmarking Chapter Educator.

Goal 5: Communication

• Communication among the MCMLA membership has expanded through increased use of the chapter’s email discussion list. The listserv infrastructure was also upgraded during the year.
• The Publications Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee on the Membership Directory are working to develop an electronic directory. Action on this topic will continue.
• The chapter chair has used an email communique to provide members with a monthly summary of chapter activities, leadership decision making, professional reminders, etc.
• The Membership Committee is revising the membership brochure to facilitate and improve chapter recruitment opportunities.

MOTION

This report is informational and requires no action by the MLA Board of Directors.

Report submitted on March 9, 2000, by
Anna Beth Crabtree, AHIP
Chair, MCMLA 1999-2000
Director of Medical Library Services
St. John’s Health System, Springfield, MO

Additional Chapter Officers for 1999-2000
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Lisa K. Traditi
Past Chair: Peggy Mullaly-Quijas, AHIP
Chapter Council Representative: Susan Craft, AHIP
Chapter Council Alternate: Mary E. Helms, AHIP
Recording Secretary: Alice Edwards, AHIP
Newsletter Editor: Martha Burroughs, AHIP
Website Editor: Lynne M. Fox, AHIP
Executive Secretary: Saundra H. Brenner, AHIP
Parliamentarian: Nancy N. Woelfl, Ph.D
Archivist: Rose Schinker
Photographer: Ken Oyer
Meeting Planner: Rebecca S. Graves
Credentialing Liaison: Peggy Mullaly-Quijas, AHIP
Program Committee Chair: Lisa K. Traditi
Bylaws Committee Chair: Richard J. Rexroat
Education Committee Chair: Rebecca K. Satterthwaite
Governmental Relations Committee Chair: Janice Carter
Honors and Awards Committee Chair: Joy Winkler
Membership Committee Chair: Lenora Kinzie
Nominating Committee Chair: Kristin W. Louden, AHIP
Research Committee Chair: James M. Nyce
Publications Committee Chair: Martha Burroughs, AHIP