MLA Member Communities

MLA communities support sharing and communication through tools like member forums, document sharing, and blogs and wikis. 

Also visit MLA's social media accounts for news about our activities and to interact with other health sciences librarians.

Community Leaders should familiarize themselves with community resources, MLA's structure, organization, and program areas:

• General MLA Information
• Caucus and Domain Hub Resources
• Leaders Orientation
• Annual Reports

Caucuses

MLA caucuses are groups of members who coalesce around major themes of long-term concern to the membership, such as library specialties or medical librarian activities and services. Caucuses may also coalesce around specialized or topical themes of concern. Caucus members share information with each other and the general membership in order to educate, strategize, and further the aims of the Association.

MLA caucuses offer diverse opportunities for getting involved in the specific topics you are interested in. Caucuses may offer:

• networking opportunities
• newsletters
• blogs
• grants and scholarships
• other programs and services.

MLA members may join one or more of the 44 caucuses of the association. See the list of our caucuses and their descriptions.

Community Council provides oversight and guidance in how MLA's caucuses are created, organized, and governed

Domain Hubs

In 2019, the MLA Board approved the creation of seven collaborative areas for caucuses, each aligned with a professional practice area, which are called domain hubs. Domain hubs are groups where caucuses come together to collaborate on activities and programs of interest to a broad audience (e.g., MLA members, the public, health care providers) and to connect to MLA-wide activities and programs (e.g., annual meeting, continuing education, MLAConnect, and MLANET). Domain hubs are the go-to place for members to access integrated content, and they provide the public a window into the profession and access to open resources.

Domain hub teams and projects

Committees

MLA committees offer leadership and professional development opportunities and perform a wide variety of functions within MLA. All MLA members are encouraged to apply for committees. 

• Learn the Basics of MLA Committees
• List of Committees and Members Currently Serving

Chapters and Other Organizations

• Chapters are geographic groups affiliated with MLA. Chapters offer regional meetings, continuing education opportunities, newsletters, and networking.
• Chapter Council promotes interchange among chapters and among sections and chapters and provides an opportunity for chapters to participate more directly in the governance of the Association through representation of their interests at the Board level. 

Allied Groups: A comprehensive list of other organizations that share our goals.