Annual Report 1999/2000 

International Cooperation Section

Goal 1. Professional Development, Advocacy and National Information Policy

• The International Cooperation Section combined three MLA goals (professional development, advocacy, and national information policy) into one goal. Four committees (Sister Library, Job Exchange, Journal Exchange and Bilateral Agreements) joined forces to establish shared sister library relationships (Sister Library Initiative) with two international medical libraries. Instead of one library agreeing to form an exclusive relationship with one international library, several libraries will serve as mentors, advocates and colleagues, providing library materials, services and supplies as needed.
• The Sister Library Initiative selected the Medical Research Library of Latvia in Riga, Latvia, and the Medical Library of Holberton Hospital in St. Johns, Antigua. These libraries have excellent librarians who want to provide biomedical information to health professionals. Unfortunately, funding has been so poor that little can be done to improve print collections or purchase access to full-text electronic content. For example, the Latvian library cannot afford to subscribe to journals in the year 2000. The Antigua library’s outdated collections and physical facilities need upgrading.
• Committee members have publicized the Sister Library Initiative in a number of publications including MLA News, International Cooperation Section newsletter, and the European Association for Health Information and Libraries (EAHIL) newsletter, Section email discussion list and the Section Website.
• Libraries have been asked to provide a finite number (10 or 25 or 50) photocopies of journal articles, donate needed journals or textbooks, or serve on the Sister Library Initiative committee. Pending approval from the MLA Board, the Sister Library Initiative plans to solicit funds, products and services from various vendors to provide materials and resources for sister libraries.
• Section program planners collaborated with several other MLA sections to plan and sponsor several invited and contributed paper sessions for the annual meeting. Co-sponsored programs include Calming the Dragon: the Mind-Body Connection in Healing, Dragon Love: Copyright from an International Perspective, Getting Health Information to the World, and East/West: Merging Trends in Medical Therapeutics.

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

Committee Personnel
Livija Carlson, Vicki Croft, Diane Ebro, Janet Fisher, Donna Flake, Avril Reid, Lenny Rhine, Barbara Ruelle – Sister Library Initiative
Min-Lin Fang, Donna Flake, Lynn Fortney– Cunningham Fellowship Planning
Pi-Yung Hsu, Bruce Madge – Membership
Polin Lei - 8ICML Task Force
Polin Lei, Wendy Wu – Website
Jie Li – Newsletter
Joanna Chen Lin, Dorothy Fitzgerald, Amelia Butros - Nominating
Ruth Marcolina – Governmental Relations
Jill Mayer – Bylaws
Keir Reavie, Amelia Butros – Section Program
Rick Ralston – Listserv Manager

Submitted by:
Elizabeth Connor
Chair, International Cooperation Section