Annual Report 1999/2000 

Medical School Libraries Section

Goal 1. Professional Development

• The Section co-sponsored four programs during the 1999 MLA meeting in Chicago, IL:
  • "A Medical Informatics Research Agenda for the Next Century" (with the Hospital Libraries, Medical Informatics, and Research Sections)
  • "Taking It on the Road: Providing Access to Information Resources for Students Off-site" (with the Dental Libraries, Hospital Libraries, Nursing and Allied Health Libraries, and Pharmacy and Drug Information sections)
  • "Evidence-based Medicine: Implications for the Health Sciences Librarian and Other Health Professionals" (with the Hospital Libraries, Medical Society Libraries, Pharmacy and Drug Information, and Research sections)
  • "Collaborating Today for a Better Tomorrow: Reports of Collaborative Research Crossing Disciplines, Institutions, Associations" (with the Hospital Libraries, Medical Informatics, and Research sections)
• For the 2000 Annual Meeting in Vancouver, BC, the section is involved in planning for six programs:
• The Section is sole sponsor of two sessions:
  • "Approaches to Organizational Change: Library Services in Health System Mergers" and
  • "You Never Stop Learning: Developing Leadership Skills Throughout Your Career"
• The Section is co-sponsoring three sessions:
  • "Clinical Applications of Technologies: Linking Knowledge-Based Information to the Clinical Record" (with the Medical Informatics Section),
  • "Life-Long Learning: Information Competencies for the Health Practitioner", (with the Medical Informatics and Public Health/Health Administration sections), and
  • "Collaborating to Create Opportunity: Building and Growing Consortia to Provide Resources" (with the Hospital Library Section).
• Finally, along with the Technical Services and Collection Development section, the Section is co-sponsoring a symposium:
  • "Dragon by the Tail: The Myth and Reality of Electronic Journals."

Goal 3. Organization

• The process of changing the organizations name and purpose has proceeded throughout the year. In the fall a detailed report and recommendation was submitted to Section Council and subsequently approved. The proposal was approved by the MLA Board of Directors at its February meeting and returned to the Section for implementation. A Bylaws revision that will formalize the change has been prepared and will be presented to the Section membership for approval at the business meeting in Vancouver.

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

Respectfully submitted:
T. Scott Plutchak
Chair, Medical School Library Section

Section Officers
Chair: T. Scott Plutchak
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect and Chair, Program Committee: Julia Sollenberger
Secretary: Judith Robinson
Treasurer: Barbara Epstein
Section Council Representative: Frances Lynch
Bylaws: Carol Burns
Membership: Tom Williams
Nominating: Susan Jacobson
Strategic Planning: Karen Brewer,
Newsletter editor: Dawn Littleton
Website editor: Sue London