MLA '06: Section Program Themes

MLA '06: Section Program Themes

The diversity of thought-provoking programs coordinated by sections and special interest groups (SIGs) offers exciting opportunities for you to celebrate the realm of medical librarianship and bask in its bright future. This list is organized alphabetically by primary section sponsor, then by secondary sponsor and SIG. Some sections have exclusively invited speakers and panelists to participate in a program, and are not accepting contributed papers.

New for MLA '06
Some MLA ‘06 section programs are soliciting posters on the same themes as those for papers and will display those posters in the same room as paper presentations in a simultaneous, unified poster arrangement. Any programs with this arrangement have it so noted under "Program Format".

Print a copy of the section program theme grid (PDF, 84KB).

PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Collection Development Section	Hospital Libraries and Technical Services Sections	The Journey Ahead: Leaving Print for the Virtual Library	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters, Q&A/Discussion	Elizabeth Lorbeer
THEME/BACKGROUND: All library activities are being affected by the shift from print to electronic. Decisions on how to collect and control our resources in a multi-format world are our greatest challenge. This program will address what measures are being used by libraries when dealing with electronic resources. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: What approach are libraries taking toward virtual migration? What tools are being created or implemented to keep track of electronic resources? Is user behavior different when using e-resources rather than print?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Collection Development Section	Public Health/Health Administration Section and Outreach SIG	Gathering Health Data in E-Environments	Contributed Papers, Demonstration, Q&A/Discussion	Elizabeth Lorbeer
THEME/BACKGROUND: The spread of information has created a global arena where health practices are disseminated and exchanged. By collecting, distributing, and analyzing data from a variety of resources in the virtual realm, libraries all over the world have significantly increased their capabilities to disseminate information about the human body and spirit. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: How will federated searching influence search results? What are the reading habits of our clientele? What role do gray literature and institutional repositories play? How are libraries providing access to statistical data sets?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Consumer and Patient Health Information Section	Chiropractic Libraries Section and African American Medical Librarians Alliance SIG	Promoting Patient Safety	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters	Howard Fuller
THEME/BACKGROUND: This session will explore what librarians are doing to promote patient safety, how library projects are impacting patients and/or organizations, and how librarians' involvement is helping organizations meet accreditation standards in this area. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Examples might include: the ways evidence-based medicine improves patient safety and quality of care, the development and/or use of Web-based education to improve patient safety, the six sigma initiatives and safety outcomes, and the library's role in creating an informed patient.
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Dental Section	Medical Informatics and Public Health/Health Administration Sections	Stuck on E: Patron Expectation of E-Everything Changes What We Do	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters	Kathleen McGraw
THEME/BACKGROUND: Course materials and information resources are increasingly available in electronic formats. As a result, how libraries support the information needs and education of health care professionals is rapidly changing. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: What innovative approaches have you used to teach patrons' how to navigate the entire range of information resources? How do you provide effective assistance to patrons who are working away from the library? How do patrons use the library when many of the information resources they need are online? When do patrons still need or prefer print materials?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Educational Media and Technologies Section	Public Services Section and Libraries in Curriculum SIG	Integrating Technology into the Health Sciences Curriculum	Contributed Papers	Brenda Seago, AHIP
THEME/BACKGROUND: Libraries are becoming more involved in curriculum integration and are using innovative methods to partner with faculty, staff, and students. In addition, technologies for teaching from a distance are evolving and providing new opportunities and challenges for instruction. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: How are you integrating the use of technology into the health sciences curriculum and distance education classes? Technologies may include learning management systems, classroom control systems, voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP), Polycom, streaming, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc.
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Educational Media and Technologies Section	Medical Library Education Section	Virtual Classroom: Demonstrating the Use of Distance Learning Technologies	Contributed Papers, Case Scenarios and Demonstrations in an Actual Electronic Classroom Setting	Brenda Seago, AHIP
THEME/BACKGROUND: Many libraries and library schools are reaching out to distant learners and are using innovative technologies, such as Horizon/WIMBA, WebCT, Blackboard, audience response systems, production of CDs and DVDs, and more to reach these students. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Demonstrate how you have used learning management systems, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, classroom control systems, audience response systems, and more to integrate the use of technology into the curriculum for medical education and to teach evidence-based medicine.
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Federal Libraries Section	Outreach and African American Medical Librarians Alliance SIGs	From Arizona to Zimbabwe, Afghanistan to Vermont	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters	Rebecca Satterthwaite
THEME/BACKGROUND: Share your experiences with providing information to consumers or health care providers. How have you effectively reached underserved populations such as immigrants, Native Americans, or urban dwellers? Where do medical relief organizations or health care professionals in war torn or developing countries go when they need quality health information but cannot reach their usual sources. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Describe your experiences with outreach to underserved health care professionals or consumers. Have you developed unique methods to deliver health information to indigent, migrant, or rural populations? Maybe you have served Doctors without Borders or provided much needed information to relief workers in Afghanistan or tsunami ravaged countries?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
History of the Health Sciences Section	Hospital Libraries Section	Junk into History? Dealing with Archives and Gifts	Contributed Papers and Contributed Posters in an Integrated Room Setting	Diane McKenzie, AHIP
THEME/BACKGROUND: Have you taken advantage of the opportunity to showcase your library while preserving your institution's history? Many institutions assign archival functions to the library, and the library is often given unsolicited gifts. Librarians do not always have the skills or space needed to deal with archives or gifts. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Papers and posters in this session will illustrate working successfully and creatively with archives and gifts. Topics may include: evaluating gifts, managing archives, solving space problems, managing donors, and acquiring archiving skills.
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
History of the Health Sciences Section	Oral History Committee, MLA Board, and MLA Headquarters	Passing the Baton: Transforming Knowledge	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters, and Invited Speaker in an Integrated Room Setting	Diane McKenzie, AHIP
THEME/BACKGROUND: Knowledge and scientific ideas are transferred and changed through mentoring, research, and social or scientific pressures. Examples: the heart from Galen to Harvey to DeBakey, genetics from Mendel to Watson and Crick to the Genome Project, or the mentoring of Osler or Henderson. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Papers and posters should show how skills and knowledge are passed from one generation to the next. One invited speaker, Jeremy Norman, editor of the Morton bibliography, will discuss the career and legacy of Leslie Morton.
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
History of the Health Sciences Section	Pharmacy and Drug Information Section and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Health Sciences Librarians and Mental Health SIGs	Between "Madness" and Mental Health: Changing Perceptions and Treatment	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters, and Skits	Diane McKenzie, AHIP
THEME/BACKGROUND: Perceptions and treatment of the mentally ill (formerly termed mad or insane) have changed. Papers, skits, or posters may cover topics, persons, or institutions involved with these transformations including pharmacotherapy; stigma; medicolegal information (insanity defense, imprisonment); deinstitutionalization; definitions (e.g., homosexuality was previously considered a psychiatric disorder); or preserving unique or historic library collections about these topics. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Papers, posters, or skits showing the transformation of how society or medicine has viewed mental illness. A psychiatrist who is also an historian will present a paper on changes in pharmacotherapy.
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Hospital Libraries Section	Corporate Information Services, Federal Libraries, Health Association Libraries, and Veterinary Medical Libraries Sections and Assessment and Benchmarking and Department of Veterans Affairs Librarians SIGs	Demonstrating Our Value: Benchmarking, Return on Investment, Cost Benefit Analyses	Contributed Papers<	Mary Fran Prottsman, AHIP
THEME/BACKGROUND: Proving our worth in terms that speak to our administrators' bottom line is critical to our survival. Share your experiences in demonstrating your impact through cost benefit analyses, return on investment, benchmarking studies, or other performance measures that document your contribution to your organization's success. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: How do you communicate the value of your services to your administrators? Have you used benchmarking data to receive an increase in staff, space, or financial resources? Have you circumvented the downsizing of your program?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Leadership and Management Section	Corporate Information Services, Health Association Libraries, and Technical Services Sections and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Health Sciences Librarians SIG	Managing Change	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters, and Invited Speakersin an Integrated Room Setting	Patricia Higginbottom, AHIP
THEME/BACKGROUND: As libraries evolve, library staff must evolve. This program's focuses on our evolving profession, creation of preemptive change, our role as change agents, and the influence of societal change on our work. Further, this program will focus on achieving necessary changes while maintaining stability and continuity in our organizations and the profession. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Should librarians develop different skill sets and take on nontraditional roles? How do we influence users' perceptions of libraries? How can library managers facilitate positive growth and change? What societal changes influence us most?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Medical Informatics Section	Public Health/Health Administration Section	Informatics for Healthy People	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters, Invited Speaker	Kathryn Kerdolff, AHIP
THEME/BACKGROUND: Goal 23 of Healthy People 2010 provides the impetus to "ensure that Federal, Tribal, State, and local health agencies have the infrastructure to provide essential public health services effectively." This program will utilize the Healthy People 2010 framework to analyze the characteristics of the information systems necessary for robust public health. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: What systematic collections, analyses, interpretations, dissemination plans, and/or use of health data drive your efforts to determine the health status of populations, plan prevention programs, and evaluate program effectiveness?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Medical Library Education Section	None	Transformations in Progress: Voices of the Next Generation of Medical Librarianship	Contributed Papers	Cynthia Vaughn, AHIP
THEME/BACKGROUND: This forum provides an opportunity for students and recent graduates to present research from their degree and/or training program. This next generation of medical librarians will ultimately be responsible for transformations in the profession. A stipend will be awarded. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Presenters will be first-time MLA presenters who are current or recently graduated library and information science (LIS) master or doctoral students, as well as individuals from postgraduate training programs in LIS or medical informatics.
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Nursing and Allied Health Resources Section	Hospital Libraries, Collection Development, and Dental Sections	Building Health Collections in the Post-Brandon/Hill World	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters, Invited Speaker	Melody Allison
THEME/BACKGROUND: Given limited budgets and expanding choices, how are librarians selecting print and electronic resources for nursing and allied health professionals in academic, clinical, dental, and public health settings? This program will present ways of defining what is appropriate for local collections, as well as identifying core book and journal titles. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Do we need core lists? What is working to help select books, journals, and aggregated resources? Can bibliometric research help with collection development decisions? Share model library and section-sponsored initiatives with your peers.
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Nursing and Allied Health Resources Section	Hospital Libraries and Chiropractic Libraries Sections and African American Medical Librarians Alliance SIG	Implementing Evidence-based Practice in the Real World	Contributed Papers, Invited Speaker	Melody Allison
THEME/BACKGROUND: Evidence-based practice (EBP) has been widely touted, but clinical realities often create barriers to best practice. Invited experts will share experiences and help define what is needed to implement EBP at the point of care. Librarians will share EBP successes, with an emphasis on collaboration with nursing and allied health professionals. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: What are the best ways to take EBP from concept to reality, to implement EBP in the real world of clinical practice? What interdisciplinary efforts or initiatives have librarians led or participated in to implement EBP in their hospitals, health systems, etc.? What collaborations are working to promote and teach EBP?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Public Health/Health Administration Section	Research, Health Association Libraries, and Federal Libraries Sections	Evidence-based Public Health Librarianship	Contributed Papers, Invited Speaker, Case Scenarios	Marcus A. Banks, AHIP
THEME/BACKGROUND: What are the information needs of the public health workforce? What research supports library efforts to facilitate public health decision making? This program will take a rigorous look at these questions. It will also provide tools for practicing evidence-based public health librarianship and ideas for locating information about this topic. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: We invite papers regarding the information needs of the public health workforce and descriptions of tools for practicing evidence-based public health librarianship. Case studies about efforts to meet a specific information need are also welcome.
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Public Services Section	Outreach and Molecular Biology and Genomics SIGs	Transforming Reference and Outreach Services for Biomedical Researchers	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters	Roberta Bronson Fitzpatrick
THEME/BACKGROUND: The established standards of information and reference services delivery are well known in biomedical libraries. How do these standards apply to biomedical researchers, who are often very savvy information consumers, and to other users, who "speak" an unfamiliar, often very technical, "language?" This session will examine best provision of reference services to these users. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Demonstrate or suggest how to best leverage complex and diverse information resources to provide the best reference services. Describe successful or unsuccessful reference or outreach services or provide a lesson plan that teaches a good way to tackle tough concepts.
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Relevant Issues Section	Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Health Sciences Librarians SIG	Transformation Begins with a Single Step…	Contributed Papers, Invited Presentations	Ellen Gay Detlefsen
THEME/BACKGROUND: Have you taken a stand on a library concern, an ethics problem, a medical issue, a breaking news story, or a world event—and made it professionally and personally relevant in your library and/or your life? Take the time to tell us how to make one small step for change. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Send us your good examples of how you saw a problem and showcased it as a relevant issue in your library or program and share with colleagues how you handle the concerns of today's world.
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Research Section	Hospital Libraries and Nursing and Allied Health Resources Sections and Outreach and African American Medical Librarians Alliance SIGs	Research 101 Toolbox	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters	Mary Jackson
THEME/BACKGROUND: The Research 101 Toolbox provides useful information to assist you in your research to determine needs assessments and outcome measures. Using the right tools will save you time and increase the quality of your end results. Participants will gain knowledge on how to use the toolbox, design research, combine methods, collect data, analyze data, and write up the research project. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: What are the best methods to use to transform daily work projects into research projects? How does one organize the data and select the best research method(s) to use? What collaborative efforts are in place to match up librarians with mentors and statisticians? What is the best approach to writing the summary and conclusions?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Research Section	Consumer and Patient Health Information and Hospital Libraries Sections	Tools to Assist Underserved Librarians	Contributed Papers, Contributed Posters, Invited Speaker	Mary Jackson
THEME/BACKGROUND: Transforming librarians into researchers is not such a daunting task! However, it can be difficult to determine which daily project has the added value to become a research project. Acquiring the appropriate tools and skills will enhance the underserved librarian's ability to determine how to proceed when selecting the best research method(s), how to collect and analyze the data, and how to design the study. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: How does one acquire the appropriate tools and skills to transform underserved librarians into researchers? What tools and resources are available to find funding and related opportunities? What is the role of research in librarianship?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Technical Services Section	Educational Media and Technologies Section	Transforming Scholarly Publishing: The Role of Institutional Repositories	Contributed Papers and Contributed Posters	Cecilia Botero, AHIP
THEME/BACKGROUND: Much has been made of the "crisis in scholarly publishing" in recent years. Institutional repositories have taken a central role in the discussion as possible solutions to that crisis. Libraries are playing a pivotal role in the creation and preservation of these institutional repositories. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: How are digital materials being organized to provide access to these materials while they are being preserved? What has been the library's role in advancing institutional repository initiatives in various institutions?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Veterinary Medical Libraries Section	None	Transforming Veterinary Dentistry through Education and Practice	Contributed Papers and Invited Speakers	Jill Crawley-Low
THEME/BACKGROUND: Our speaker will discuss aspects of the specialty practice of veterinary dentistry and the value of continuing education for practitioners. Contributed papers will discuss the primary sources of information relating to veterinary dentistry. SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: What are the primary sources of information available to librarians building collections in veterinary dentistry? Which dentistry titles should be included in veterinary dentistry collections?
PRIMARY SPONSOR	SECONDARY SPONSORS	PROGRAM NAME	PROGRAM FORMAT	SECTION CONTACT/ EMAIL
Veterinary Medical Libraries Section	Chiropractic Libraries Section and Complementary and Alternative Medicine SIG	Animal Magic: Integrative Strategies for Health and Well-being Learned from Your Pets	Contributed Papers and Invited Speaker	Jill Crawley-Low
THEME/BACKGROUND: Complementary and alternative therapies are increasingly used in veterinary medicine. Our invited speaker will tell true stories of animal magic and encourage integrative strategies for improved health and well-being for pets and pet parents. The contributed paper will discuss evidence-based information sources related to veterinary complementary and alternative veterinary medicine (CAM). SUBMISSION QUESTIONS/REQUIREMENTS: Describe the most important evidence-based information sources that are available to CAM practitioners and researchers. In addition, identify CAM resources specific to veterinary medicine.

Thanks to Oxford Journals for their sponsorship of the MLA '06 Website