Medical Library Association | Publications : Journal of the Medical LIbrary Association

Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA)

Obituaries in the JMLA:
MLA Practice with Respect to Deceased Members and Staff
Policy and Procedures (approved July 2002)

By T. Mark Hodges, Associate Editor, Obituaries, JMLA, updated June 2011 by Susan S. Starr, JMLA Editor

Introduction

Part 1: General Policy

The Need for Obituaries

Types of Obituaries

Obituaries and MLA

Type 1 Obituaries

Type 2 Obituaries

Part 2: Procedures

Notification

Action by MLA News Editor

Action by JMLA Obituaries Editor

Unsolicited Obituaries

Introduction

Over the years, JMLA has published obituaries of deceased members of MLA. Other persons deemed worthy of mention, because of their connection with the profession or the association, have also been included. Generally, these obituaries have been of a high standard and have been a fitting tribute to their subjects. The need exists, however, for written policies and procedures, hence this statement.

Part 1: General Policy

The Need for Obituaries

No profession really merits that title unless it has a history and one that is well documented with facts and figures, dates and data. Among the items in any organization's history is documentation of the accomplishments, attainments, service record, discoveries, implementations, initiatives, and the like of its members, practitioners, and staff. Paramount are the obituaries following death.

Types of Obituaries

Obituaries are of two forms:

a simple death notice or announcement with name, dates, place, and most recent position of the deceased, plus a few sentences about him or her (Type 1)
a death notice that combines the above with a more complete biography (Type 2)

The latter kind, appearing in the months after death, is the defining statement of a person's birth and background, education and training, experience and accomplishments, and his or her influences on others and on the profession.

Such an obituary also affords the opportunity for an assessment of an individual's special worth and contributions

to the institution(s) he or she served
to the profession and its professional organization(s)
to society

and for

personal reminiscences
a character study

It is with the latter kind of obituary that this guide is primarily concerned. Firstly, however, MLA's policy regarding deceased members in general.

Obituaries and MLA

The association aims to record and publicize the deaths of all its current members and staff, whenever or however these deaths are brought to its attention of MLA Membership Services (see more below on this and on former members and certain nonmembers). To ensure that this is done properly and systematically and to see to it that, as far as possible, no one is overlooked, the JMLA editor has appointed an officer to be in charge, with the title of obituaries editor of the JMLA, and this standard policy and procedures statement has been posted on MLANET. It provides that:

every recently deceased MLA member or staff member (past or present) qualifies for a Type 1 obituary, which will appear in the MLA News
selected members and staff members (and certain others) qualify for a Type 2 obituary, which will appear in the JMLA

Type 1 Obituaries

MLA will attempt to announce the deaths of all current and former members and staff, and its Membership Services will notify the MLA News editor whenever it receives word of such deaths, either directly or indirectly.

Periodically, the editor of the MLA News will insert a notice reminding the membership to notify MLA Membership Services of the deaths of members (and not to assume that someone else will do this); better for MLA Membership Services to receive duplicate notification than none at all.

The amount of detail in a death announcement in the MLA News is at the editor's discretion and subject to the space available. The deaths of former members and staff will be reported in the MLA News if they were members of MLA for ten years or more (though this may be varied for cause). The fact that a person has not maintained MLA membership in retirement or on transfer outside the profession does not preclude his or her death being noted, provided the above conditions are met.

The deaths of nonmembers might be noted if warranted, but sparingly. Examples include, but are not limited to

benefactors of the association or the profession
overseas health sciences librarians who are generally regarded as having international stature
public officials (appointed or elected) whose actions have had an effect or bearing on health sciences information technology or librarianship
spouses of members, if there is reason to believe it is of relevance or importance to an appreciable part the membership

Type 2 Obituaries

These will appear in a regular feature (or "department") of each issue of the JMLA. The purpose of this page is to recognize significant service, not to amplify what has already been announced in the MLA News. For this reason, inclusion shall require that the deceased person fall into one of these three groups.

Group I: member or staff member at time of death or former member or staff member with continuous membership or service of ten years or more prior to death

Group II: public officials (appointed or elected) and others, whose actions have had an extraordinary effect or bearing on health sciences information work or librarianship

Group III: health sciences librarians, not otherwise covered, who are generally recognized as having international stature.

For those in Group I, the deceased shall have served the association and the profession in a way that demonstrates dedication and commitment to MLA and has significant and lasting achievement in the field. Taken into account too will be the person's role in mentoring and the influence that he or she has had on others. Below are examples of such association and professional activity.

Association

Tenure of a major elective or appointive office in MLA, such as:

association liaison
board member
chapter or section leader
committee chair
JMLA editor
MLA News editor
parliamentarian
president

Recipient of a major MLA award or honor, such as:

Estelle Brodman Award for Academic Medical Librarian of the Year
Lois Ann Colaianni Award for Excellence and Achievement in Hospital Librarianship
Louise Darling Medal for Distinguished Achievement in Collection Development in the Health Sciences
Janet Doe Lectureship
Fellowship
Honorary Members
Joseph Leiter NLM/MLA Lectureship
John P. McGovern Award Lectureship
Marcia C. Noyes Award
President's Award
Thomson Reuters/Frank Bradway Rogers Information Advancement Award
Carla J. Funk Governmental Relations Award
T. Mark Hodges International Service Award
Lucretia W. McClure Excellence in Education Award
Michael E. DeBakey Library Services Outreach Award
MLA Award for Distinguished Public Service

Profession

Major library directorship or department headship, with unusual or outstanding achievements and responsibilities in such areas as:

building design and construction
building expansion
collections development
grants and contracts received
innovative service
outreach services
program planning
program implementation
renovations
staff training

Initial and continuing education in such activities as:

course development
class teaching
training and demonstration
mentoring

Publications and presentations articles in refereed journals including:

book authorship or editorship
named lectures or invited presentations at national or international meetings
position and research papers

Other examples, though not limited to:

consultantships
public service
service on institutional and external nonlibrary boards, committees, councils, juries, teams, task forces
service in retirement

Part 2: Procedures

Notification

Whenever MLA Membership Services receives word of the death of a member or staff member, the facts will be sent to the MLA News and to the JMLA obituaries editor. Whenever the MLA News editor receives word of the death of a member or staff member, the facts will be sent to MLA Membership Services and to the JMLA obituaries editor. Whenever the JMLA editor receives word of the death of a member or staff member, the facts will be sent to MLA Membership Services, to the MLA News editor, and to the JMLA obituaries editor. Whenever the JMLA obituaries editor receives word of the death of a member or staff member, the facts will be sent to MLA Membership Services and to the MLA News editor. Whenever a member of MLA hears of the death of a member or staff member, the facts will be sent to MLA Membership Services, which will relay the word as above.

Action by MLA News Editor

The editor shall

establish that publication of the death notice meets the criteria set forth above
edit the notice to conform to house style and contain its length to the available space
where possible, name the immediate or closest next-of-kin, partner or companion, and indicate if memorial donations have been designated
publish the notice in the Personals columns of the next issue

If the editor of the MLA News ascertains that a Type 2 obituary will subsequently appear in the JMLA, this will be noted in the death announcement.

Action by JMLA Obituaries Editor

The obituaries editor shall:

Decide, based on the criteria above and in consultation with the JMLA editor, whether a Type 2 obituary is warranted. If so, the obituaries editor shall
Select a writer for the obituary, usually from among coworkers, family members, and colleagues. If no one can be located, the obituaries editor will write the obituary.
Provide deadlines and length requirements to the obituary writer (400 to 1500 words). Every effort should be made to complete the writing of the obituary within six months of learning of a member or staff member’s death.
Edit the obituary as needed and send it to the JMLA editor.
When notified by the publisher, review the page proofs, consulting with the author as needed, and alert the author that reprints may be ordered, at their expense.

Whereas MLA News publishes a death notice in the next available issue, obituaries are generally published in the JMLA 10 to 15 months after the JMLA obituaries editor is informed of a member or staff member’s death. The longer timeframe reflects the more complex editing process as well as the JMLA's quarterly publication schedule.

Unsolicited Obituaries

From time to time, the JMLA may receive an unsolicited obituary from a member who feels that an obituary for a deceased member is warranted. The fact that such an obituary was not invited does not preclude its being considered for publication or its actual publication (though only contributions from MLA members or staff will be considered).

If the editor receives the uninvited obituary, he or she will refer it to the obituaries editor. If the latter receives it, he or she will inform the editor. In either case, the obituaries editor will weigh the unsolicited obituary against the criteria and requirements previously stated and submit his or her opinion to the JMLA editor, who will make the final decision. If unfavorable, or if an obituary is already in progress, the JMLA editor will notify the writer. If favorable, the obituaries editor will take over and act as is done for solicited obituaries.