September 2008 No. 105

President's Page

Autumn has arrived with winter close on our heels. The arrival of fall weather makes me nostalgic for the past. I reminisce fondly over the warm summer days and the CAHSLA picnic. In fact, I think fondly of many special moments in CAHSLA history. I recall getting trapped in an elevator full of librarians, waiting to board a riverboat in ankle deep water, and loosing a Frisbee on a rooftop. These moments have brought much laughter and togetherness. As CAHSLA members we have bonded in good times and bad.

Economically we are facing hard times both in our personal and professional lives. Gas prices were astronomical and although they have been going down, we are still experiencing financial difficulties. As librarians, we have always been resourceful people and although “going green” is the latest mantra of times, this is nothing new to us. We CAHSLA members share our collections and our ideas and our support.

We had a very successful opening meeting in September with a powerful speaker for the LAM Foundation and a number of new attendees, several of whom followed up by becoming members. A CAHSLA membership is just about the best bargain money can buy.

The Program committee has some great plans for us. Coming together for CAHSLA meetings benefits us in both tangible and intangible ways. Sharing our ideas and resources helps us cope in the workplace. Our kinship helps us cope emotionally with the difficulties in our lives. Regina Hartman and her committee will bring us together for our next meeting in December.

I hope to see everyone there to celebrate the holidays, contribute books to a needy non-profit organization and to revel in the kinship we share.

Valerie Purvis

Midwest Chapter/MLA 2008 Annual Conference, Troy, MI

Those of us who attended the Midwest Chapter, Medical Library Association meeting in Troy, Michigan had the pleasure of participating in the keynote session led by Deena Ebbert. Ms. Ebbert, now a motivational speaker, has 15 years of experience working in the corporate world and 5 years experience working as a professional opera singer. She even treated us to a few lyrics from La Traviata. Ms. Ebbert urged us to adopt a “theme song” that reflects who we are and how we want to affect people around us.

Ms. Ebbert showed the FISH movie filmed at the Pike Place Fish Company in Seattle and then challenged us to apply the principles from the film – Have Fun, Be There, Choose Your Attitude, and Make Their Day. Ms. Ebbert encouraged us to embrace things going wrong as this is an opportunity to innovate and change things. She also encouraged us to notice people (really notice them) and pay attention to their needs. Ms. Ebbert challenged us to partner with people to solve problems. Finally, she asked us to consider what imprint we want to leave on the world.

This was a thoroughly entertaining, thought provoking, and motivating session that asks us “Who are you being while you’re doing what you’re doing?”

For more information about Deena Ebbert, visit http://www.propellergirl.com/.

Leslie Schick

***

M.J. Tooey, Executive Director of the Health Sciences and Human Services Library at the University of Maryland-Baltimore and former MLA President was the plenary speaker on Monday October 20. Her presentation, “Vital Signs, Bottom Lines: Remaining Relevant in Interesting Times” stressed the importance of libraries remaining vibrant in today’s uncertain times.

M.J. began her address by talking about the bottom line; “what’s left over after everything is done.” She spoke about author Jim Collins’ (Good to Great and the Social Sectors) perspective that, in the world of non-profits, we must reject the idea that greatness is to become like a business. One has to differentiate between businesses and the social sector because libraries are not motivated by profit. Members from the audience shouted out what they value in a library and the conclusion was that library values do not make money. Money is only an input; it is not a measure of greatness. The essence of the bottom line, according to Tooey, is to one, attract believers, time, and money; two, build strength and a great organization; three, demonstrate results through mission success; and finally, build a brand and reputation. People should love libraries because they are valuable. Tooey urged us to “toot our own horns.”

Tooey then went on to talk about three Chinese curses: may you live in interesting times, may you come to the attention of those in authority and may you find what you are looking for.

Curse one, may you live in interesting times, touched on the points of change (such as access/print/electronic subscriptions), new roles (patient safety, outreach, health literacy), external and internal influences (economy), and opportunity/risk.

For curse two, may you come to the attention of those in authority; Tooey spoke about knowing and meeting the leaders in our organizations. Librarians must learn about the issues and interests of our organization’s leaders, talk their talk and be good listeners. She urged the audience to prepare an elevator speech in case the opportunity arises to share the library’s message on the spot. Tooey stressed that we cannot be invisible to the leaders in our organization, because our cost centers are not invisible.

Finally, during the discussion of the third curse, may you find what you are looking for. Tooey noted that it is indeed a curse if what we are looking for is to remain the same. It is a curse if what we are looking for is someone to save us.

Tying her presentation to the theme of the conference (Vital Signs: Keeping you and your library vibrant and healthy), M.J. declared these vital signs for medical libraries: agility, flexibility, innovate thinking, openness, fearlessness, and being proud.

The parting words of advice for medical libraries and librarians from M.J. Tooey were: invest in your future, learn new things, get ideas from colleagues, do research and collect evidence, rediscover our passion in why we chose the field, have outside interests, work to live don’t live to work, and belong to communities of likeminded people. Be the change you want to see in the world. Be the kind of friend you would like to have. Survive and thrive!

Meredith Orlowski

***

Presenting with a Passion. Professor. Corinne Stavish, Director, Technical and Professional Communication, Lawrence Technological University, Southfield,Michigan

Certain phrases can stop us in our tracks. In general, no one ever wants to hear “IRS audit.” I always thought that the phrase librarians never wanted to hear included “journal price increase,” “banned book, or “Patriot Act.” But I learned an important new lesson at the Midwest Chapter meeting when I attended Professor Corinne Stavish’s concurrent session “Presenting with a Passion.” Stavish, Director, Technical and Professional Communication, Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan could have titled her presentation, to paraphrase former first lady, Nancy Reagan, “Just say no to PowerPoint!”

It is difficult to comprehend that a professor whose specialties are communication and literature, with a strong interest in Biblical literature and storytelling, could turn an audience into the stereotypic scene from the Frankenstein film of the towns folk with torches, pitchforks and pointed sticks storming the castle door wanting to stop the mad scientist from continuing in his evil plan to change humanity. Apparently Stavish’s rejection of the cult of PowerPoint presentations in academia is just the poke in the eye that some need to pull out their pitchforks from the closet.

It was my perception of the session that Stavish wanted the audience to consider that a PowerPoint presentation should not be considered “the talk.” For many when using PowerPoint, the default is to merely read what has been condensed into the few bullet points on the screen. Stavish made the argument, I thought, that often the PowerPoint presentation becomes a barrier to discourse and education. It is sometimes convenient to organize one’s thoughts with a PowerPoint, but the presentation format can give the audience, especially an undergraduate student, the impression that “this is all there is” to the topic. According to Stavish, instructors stand behind the technology instead of getting into the mix of the classroom and instigating discussion and discourse.

A startling statement Stavish made is that 30 million PowerPoints are presented each day – not each year, but daily! She challenged the audience to “not be complicit with technology” at the expense of stifling critical thinking. She gave the example of so many of today’s academic institutions that require faculty to provide PowerPoints of their lectures for the students who cannot attend the lecture, thus, encouraging students to not attend the lecture! If you can post a PowerPoint why do you need the lecturer or the classroom?

In our uncritical adoption of this technology for all of our classes, lectures or presentations, we have relinquished our responsibility to engage, challenge, and communicate with the audience. We deny the audience the opportunity to think outside of the box, if seemingly, all of the information is contained on the slide in front of them (i.e. the little box). When we rely totally on this one method of instructing, according to Stavish, we are no longer using technology as a tool to supplement the presentation.

In conclusion, Dr. Stavish offered these three maxims to consider when using visual support: Because it can be done, does not mean this should be done! Because it is popular does not mean that it is good. If it is not an asset, do not create a liability. Stavish brought out a great deal of passionate thought from the audience through this powerful lecture thereby brilliantly achieving her stated goal.

Lisa McCormick

CAHSLA Executive Board Transition Meeting Minutes

Wednesday August 27, 2008, Pratt Library, 4:00 – 5:15 PM

Attendees: Cathy Constance, Regina Hartman, Barbarie Hill, Lisa McCormick, Meredith Orlowski and Val Purvis

· Life Membership certificates for Carol Mayor and Don Smith were signed by Val

· Confirmed that all Board members have copies of the newest Bylaws/Procedures. No update of these documents is required for this year.

· Any important files were passed on

· Regina reported the future meeting plans:

o First (Membership) meeting will be at UC’s new HSL on September 18. We want to increase our membership this year so members are encouraged to bring guests!

o SWON is having a (first time) meeting for health sciences libraries on September 15

o December is our Holiday party – does anyone have ideas for a venue?

o January/February – a possible meeting at the Lloyd Library. Lloyd was recently renovated and it is supposed to be quite nice

o Late March/April a business meeting

o June – our end of year picnic

o Carol Baker is interested in bringing back COCLS meetings – maybe we can have them at St. Elizabeth’s? The first one could be around late October or early November (not to conflict with MidWest Chapter MLA on 10/17)

· If anyone has any ideas for new meeting venues, pass them onto Regina

· Cathy reported our budget: $3,604

· Jane Thompson handed over 6 boxes of Archives to Val because Jane no longer has room to store them. We need to consider finding the Archives a permanent home somewhere and ask Jane if she wants to continue to be the Archivist for CAHSLA.

Submitted by Meredith Orlowski

Center for the History of the Health Professions

The Center for the History of the Health Professions in the Health Sciences Library is now open. We all remember the old location in Wherry Hall, which flourished under the leadership of Billie Broaddus who retired a few years ago. This past August, we moved (at least partially) into the new Medical Sciences Building. So far we have completed Phase I: the construction of the Stanley J. Lucas Boardroom, a foyer, two office areas and displays. The Boardroom features the Cantagalli Jars displayed in our original cases that were beautifully refinished. Currently in our display space we are featuring former Professor of Dermatology, Dr. Leon Goldman’s Collection of Medicine in Art. Additionally we have on exhibit the Mascagni Anatomy Book, said to be the largest medical book in the world. We also have a display on Daniel Drake. The Boardroom is a perfect space for small meetings and lectures.

Phase II will begin in the months ahead. Eventually we will be able to bring all of the archives, books and objects out of storage from Wherry Hall and build more extensive display and research space.

We would love for you to pay us a visit. For a tour, please call Doris Haag (558-5123) or Steph Bricking (558-2275) to schedule a time.

CAHSLA Colleagues

Misc.

Calling all ethnic librarians and library staff!

Submitted by Rosalyn Smith (Jewish HSL):

Cincinnati Ethnic Librarians & Staff (CELS) is an informal group that is open to librarians and library staff from underrepresented ethnic groups that are employed in all library settings. The meetings are free and are usually held on the second or third Thursday each month from 6-7:30pm. For more information, please visit http://www.swonlibraries.org/cels

***

On October 17^th, the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library was dedicated with a ceremony, library tours and reception in the soaring atrium of the recently opened Center for Academic and Research Excellence (CARE)/Crawley Building. Dr. Harrison was UC senior vice president and provost for health affairs from 1986 to 2002. A highlight of the dedication included the exhibit of paintings and sculptures by Wolfgang Ritschel, MD, PhD, professor emeritus of pharmacokinetics and professor emeritus of pharmacology at UC, “Learned in Science, Explored in Art: An Exhibit of Paintings and Sculpture.” Victoria Montavon, PhD, dean and university librarian and Leslie Schick, director of the DCH-HSL were on hand to welcome dignitaries and guests. “The new library will extend 45,000 square feet over multiple floors and will include a computer lab, electronic classroom and study space.” For more details, see UC Names Health Sciences Library After Local Physician http://healthnews.uc.edu/news/?/6682/ and Festivities Mark Official Opening of CARE/Crawley Building http://healthnews.uc.edu/news/?/7433/

Kudos

Peggy Frondorf (Tri-Health) and Barbarie Hill (CCHMC) joined chief nursing officer Julie Holt of West Chester Medical Center on a panel presentation titled, Voices of the Experts: Advancing Patient Care and Nursing Knowledge through Information Technology and Knowledge Management. The panel was an opportunity for students in computers in health care class at Galen College of Nursing to learn first-hand the importance of evidence-based knowledge in nursing, as well as, the importance of information literacy skills for the beginning nurse. Lisa McCormick (Jewish) developed the syllabus and curriculum for the class and has been an adjunct faculty member at Galen since December 2007.

Travels

Barbarie Hill (Children's) and her husband went to Queens, NYC this month to join with many friends and family members in witnessing and celebrating her son Jason's wedding. Barbarie's second son Duncan was best man and 3-year-old granddaughter was flower girl, though a bit of stage fright appeared at the crucial moment. The reception was notable for the enthusiastic samba and meringue dancing reflecting the bride's South American origins.

***

Submitted by Dorothy Gilroy (retired):

Maury and I spent the month of June in England. We used BritRail and local buses and traveled the periphery of the country. Visited many museums and libraries; learned more about royalty, WW II, Churchill, Cadbury candy and other exciting things! Went to Hadrian's Wall, the northern extent of the Roman Empire in AD 122. While there a guide told us he knew Americans thought they had invented recycling but it wasn't true. Hadrian's Wall was originally 16 to 20 feet tall but is now only 3 or 4 feet. The guide explained that the majority of the wall had simply been recycled and pointed to the nearby stone cottages and "fences"! Lots of fun and good memories.

From the Literature and the 'Net

From: Medical Libraries Discussion List on behalf of Judith Siess, Information Bridges Intl
Subject: A future without libraries? A radical new idea
This is only my opinion and has been posted to many lists for feedback. (Sorry about any duplicate posts you may receive). I can envision a future without libraries. Yes, without libraries...but with more librarians. Why?
1. More and more resources are online. Even ones formerly available only in print are now also online. And many are available only online.
2. Users increasingly want resources only if they are online. They don't want to have to go tot the library to answer their questions.
3. Is it fiscally responsible to require users to spend their valuable time to come to the library?
4. Is it fiscally responsible to allow users to spend their valuable time looking for information online when they a) do not know where to search, b) do not know how to search (effectively), and c) probably do not know how to determine if the information they find is correct or reliable?

So, I can see a future without physical libraries but with librarians embedded within the units of the organization. These librarians would be professionally trained (degreed) not only in librarianship, with an emphasis on customer service, but also in the subject matter of the users.

This would be a reasonable scenario for corporate, medical, law, and non-profit organizational libraries. It could also work in school libraries with classroom collections and a librarian that visits each classroom on a frequent schedule (or as requested) to teach and answer questions and help with research projects. This system could
even work with academic institutions, with the distribution of the main library (which often serves as a sort of archives where 98 percent of the books never leave the shelves) to departmental collections and librarians in each department.

I know that this is a radical departure from current practice. However, I am at a point in my career (almost retired) where I am free to look back and forward at the same time, leading to this type of thinking.

What do YOU think of my idea? In order to not clog up the lists, please direct all replies to me offlist (jsiess@ibi-opl.com) and I will definitely summarize them for the list later. (I will also post this to other lists for their ideas.)

***

From: MEDLIB-L on behalf of Dina McKelvey MCKELD1@MMC.ORG

Hi all - I actually had a book vanish and months later got a call from a PA in Florida who had just received it as a gift from a drug rep. The rep had bought it from Amazon from a used bookseller in Tennessee. How it got there from Biddeford, Maine, I'll never know!

***

The Krafty Librarian, Thursday, July 31, 2008
Journals and Cell Phones
... The communication industry and the publishing industry might be secretly run by the same people ...

Similar to Rollover Minutes, Fav 5, and Nights and Weekend plans, there is tiered pricing, institutional pricing, FTE pricing, number of beds pricing, etc. Both industries offer a dizzying variety of bundles and packages to try and get you to buy more. Trying to hook it all up to provide online access on campus as well as off campus not only requires some finesse but also requires you to read the fine print in the license agreements. According the fine print, Company A defines nights on the Nights and Weekend plan to start at 9:00pm while Company B defines nights starting 8:00pm unless you pay extra for nights to start at 7:00. Journal Publisher A defines a single location as one building, buildings next door are separate locations and more money. Journal Publish B defines a single location as any building within the same city limits as long as it does not have an independent administration. Like cell phone coverage, access to electronic journals varies with the publisher and can be unpredictable and spotty. Can it be accessible off campus? If so, via proxy, Athens, or password? Can you view all electronic content or is just some available? What about accessing epub ahead of print, back issues, videos, slides, podcasts, and meeting abstracts? God forbid if you have problems and need tech support or have a question about subscriptions. Just like the cable and phone company, journal customer support is less than stellar and their contact information is a mystery to find. If you do happen to reach a live person you better have your customer or account number ready because for some reason they don’t know what it is, can't find it, and won’t call up your information to help you. Usually problems are chalked up to user error, networking error, or failure to pay your bill (even though you did). Do they ever read the notes they type on their computers from your 60 help desk calls, or are the keyboard sounds you hear the result of them sending an email to a friend? Mergers, acquisitions, bankruptcy rear their ugly in head in both industries. AT&T bought Cingular but good luck trying to get their two systems and departments to talk and work together at all, let alone seamlessly. I have yet to figure out why on AT&T’s site I can log in and view my account under home phone and see my wireless account (originally Cingular) but I can’t log in to "view your wireless account" and view my wireless bill on the same AT&T site. LWW recently published three new Circulation specialty journals, but it is unknown whether those journals will be in Ovid’s LWW Total Access Package because they are working with the publisher on the rights to do so. Uh, isn’t the publisher and Ovid within the same company? Wiley recently shook the hornet’s nest when they migrated recently acquired Blackwell Synergy to InterScience.

... Ok, there may be some of you that might say I am paranoid, but I know, "The Truth is Out There."

***

Wired Campus/Chronicle of Higher Education, August 4, 2008
The Best Academic Library Program in North America Is ...

Bragging rights for having the best library-science program in the United States and Canada — if a market-research-firm survey limited to 75 universities confers bragging rights — belongs to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Illinois’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science got the most votes in Research and Markets’ annual survey of academic libraries. The company, which is based in Ireland, asked survey participants to list the top five academic library-science programs in North America, on the basis of scholarly output and effectiveness in preparing professional librarians for practice. After the Illinois school, the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tied for second place.

How much do libraries spend to get online access to books, journals, and other content? The libraries in the survey averaged $456,238. Major research universities spent a lot more, however. They averaged nearly $3.5-million.—Josh Fischman

CAHSLA Calendar

December ?? CAHSLA Christmas party

January 22, 2009 SWON Health Care Group meeting. 3:00-5:00 p.m. at SWON office in Blue Ash

June 2008 No. 104

President's Page

It has been a busy and productive CAHSLA association year in my estimation. Can you believe we are already into the hot and humid Cincinnati summer? It seems just a short time ago that we were digging out of the freak late spring snow storm and looking forward to daffodils, tulips, and forsythia. Those of us who were able to attend the Medical Library Association Meeting in Chicago this year were treated to a "spring redux." The city of Chicago was still boasting their spring blooms for the annual international gathering of health sciences librarians. With the end of the association year it is my pleasure to recognize and thank all of those willing and able members who made our meetings informative and productive. To Val Purvis and the Program Committee - what an outstanding variety of gatherings and programs you arranged. Cathy Constance keeps us financially on track - a job she has done for us for so many years. Cathy also wears the hat of membership coordinator. Meredith Orlowski provided us with minutes recording and documenting our meetings and important discussions. Past president/Chair of Nominations Sharon Bressert Purtee provided invaluable leadership (and ingenuity!) when we most needed it. Barbarie Hill and Lisa McCormick continue to keep the membership informed with the production of the Chronicle. It is with mixed feelings that we witnessed the 'passing of the torch' as long-time member and leader Don Smith retired from St. Elizabeth Medical Center. We have relied upon his wisdom, knowledge and wit and charm for more years than we would like to admit. We wish Don, Gay and his family only the best. We also experienced the unexpected demise of the libraries at the Cincinnati area Mercy Health Partners hospitals. Diane Stone, Carol Mayor, Carissa Thatcher and all of the staff and volunteers at the Mercies worked tirelessly and diligently on meeting the information needs of their clients. We will miss these dear and valued colleagues in our day to day working life, but hope that all will stay in touch through CAHSLA. As we say good-bye to some, we say hello and welcome to others. Carole Baker, a familiar face to many CAHSLA members, has taken Don's place at St. Elizabeth, and we also welcome the recent membership of Brigid Almaguer from Cincinnati State. The elimination of the libraries at Mercy has also necessitated a temporary change in the leadership structure of CAHSLA, given that Carissa was to be our new Vice President/President Elect and Program Committee Chair for the upcoming year. We discussed our options at the final meeting of the year, and given the fact that I stepped into the president role without serving the year before as Vice President/Program Chair, I volunteered to head up the program committee for next year. You may recall that we had a similar situation a couple of years ago when we had difficulty getting someone to run for Vice President/President Elect. The program committee responsibilities were shared by 3 very capable members (Lisa McCormick, Edith Starbuck and Jane Thompson), and our organization continued to thrive. Sometime over the course of the coming year, we will need to revisit this issue, to determine who will step into the role of the president after Val's term. We want to encourage your continued participation and support of CAHSLA in the upcoming association year. Already in the works are programs and educational opportunities. We are working with SWON to flesh out some cooperative buying contracts with our primary vendors that will benefit CAHSLA members. We invite your active participation and contributions to this vibrant collegial organization. I am sure that our new CAHSLA leaders will continue giving our members a valuable forum for collaboration. Have a safe, happy summer, everyone! -- Regina Hartman

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CAHSLA Meeting Minutes

April 1, 2008
Submitted by Meredith Orlowski

At 5:30 pm on April 1, 2008 the CAHSLA spring meeting came to order at the Cincinnati/Hamilton County Public Library, downtown.
Attendees: Brigid Almaguer, Regina Hartman, Barbarie Hill, Emily Kean, Nonnie Klein, Amy Koshoffer, Margee Lewis, Meredith Orlowski, Valerie Purvis, Barb Slavinski, Don Smith, and Edith Starbuck

The first order of business was approval of the CAHSLA Bylaws. It was recently discovered that while the Bylaws had been updated in 2006, they hadn’t been formally presented to the membership for approval. The following sections contain revisions: Article IV Section B.2., Article IV Section D.1.c., Article IV Section D.1.e., Article IV Section D.2.d., Article IV Section D.2.e., Article IV Section D.5.c., Article V Section B.2.c., and Article V Section G.2. In addition to the suggested revisions, two other items came up during the discussion. Update Article VIII to reflect an earlier statement in the Bylaws that asserts the Bylaws will undergo review every five years, not two years. In addition, the Secretary and Treasurer will continue to submit their reports to the President; instead of sending them straight to The Chronicle (this procedure goes unchanged). The members unanimously approved all revisions.

Regina Hartman passed out copies of the financial report, as prepared by Cathy Constance. Our total assets are $3,849, not including roughly $3.00 in interest since Cathy prepared the report.

There was a very brief discussion about recruiting new members, retaining our current members, and increasing the level of participation among existing members. Regina will contact Cathy Constance to find out what kind of follow up is done when former members have not renewed their membership.
Val Purvis provided an update of the June end of year picnic. Plans are still in the works, with the Harvest Home Park as a front-runner for the location.

Don Smith announced his retirement after 38 years of medical librarianship. Barb Slavinski informed the group of her new position at Drake Hospital.

At 6:00 pm, after our business meeting, we had the privilege of a candid library tour provided by Tim Ferguson, one of the former science and technology reference librarians, now of the general reference librarian staff. We learned a lot about the new organization of the library (elimination of the subject departments) on our 45-minute tour. Following the tour was dinner at Buddakhan’s.
Adjourned: 6:45pm

***

June 12, 2008
Submitted by Meredith Orlowski
Attendees: Brigid Almaguer, Carole Baker, Billie Broaddus, Cathy Constance, Peggy Frondorff, Regina Hartman, Barbarie Hill, Emily Kean, Nonnie Klein, Amy Koshoffer, Lisa McCormick, Meredith Orlowski, Sharon Purtee, Valerie Purvis, Emily Rahe and Cecil Rahe. Guest: Martin Koshoffer
The annual CAHSLA summer picnic kicked off at the Harvest Home Park in Cheviot at 5:30 pm. It was a sunny, warm day, but we had a spacious shelter to protect us from the sun. We enjoyed each other’s company over Walt’s Barbeque.

The business portion of our picnic began at 7:00 pm.
Sharon Purtee announced that the CAHSLA election candidates were unopposed, so everyone on the ballot was elected for the new meeting year. However, Carissa Thatcher, who ran for the position of VicePresident/President elect, withdrew her name from the election. This past week, the Mercy Health System, closed their libraries, and staff were let go. Under the circumstances, with no job at Mercy, Carissa thought it best to withdraw her name. Regina Hartman asked if anyone was interested in taking on the open position. No one came forth so Regina agreed to become the Chair of the Program Committee, which is typically the VP’s duty. Regina never held this position, even though she was the President of CAHSLA for the 2007-2008 year. There was no opposition from CAHSLA members regarding this arrangement. In sum, the officers for next year are: Val Purvis (President), Meredith Orlowski (Secretary), Cathy Constance (Treasurer), and Regina Hartman (Chair of the Program Committee). Emily Kean and Amy Koshoffer will also stay on as members of the program committee.

Cathy Constance announced the CAHSLA membership as 34 full members and 6 life members. CAHSLA has $3,871 in the treasury.

We welcomed new member Brigid Almaguer (Cincinnati State) and welcomed back Carole Baker (St. Elizabeth’s) to CAHSLA.

Beautiful Gerber daisies were given to CAHSLA officers by President, Regina Hartman. Regina Hartman received thanks from Past President, Sharon Purtee.

Talks about next year’s meeting locations already began. There is a strong interest in going back to the Sign Museum.

Contact Regina Hartman if you are interested in consortium pricing for Ovid or CINAHL full text. Regina would like to get a group of libraries together, if possible, to work out an arrangement. Regina commented that the new EBSCO interface has several nice features.

Lisa announced that the Chronicle submission deadline is Friday June 20, 2008.
Adjourned: 7:15pm

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CAHSLA
Financial Report 2007-2008

Checking
Balance as of 7/30/2007 $ 829.23
Deposits
Dues - full member (34) $510.00
Donation $ 5.00
Total $ 515.00
Withdrawals
President’s gift - 2007 $ 50.00
American Sign Museum – Oct mtg $100.00
Oct meeting – food, beverages, supplies $177.63
Sympathy gift $ 31.79
Holiday party - supplies $ 10.78
Park shelter rental – Jun picnic $ 65.00
June picnic – food, supplies $155.00
President’s gift - 2008 $ 50.00
Total - $ 640.20
Balance as of 6/20/2008 $ 704.03

Saving
Balance as of 7/30/2007 $2822.16
Deposits
Interest (11 months) $ 28.55
Balance as of 6/20/2008 $2850.71


Cash on hand
Balance as of 7/30/2007 $ 46.26

Balance as of 6/20/2008 $ 46.26

Total Assets $3601.00

Current membership (paid, student, and life) 40

Submitted by: Cathy Constance, Treasurer 6/20/2008

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Medical Library Association May 2008, Chicago

An Inauspicious Beginning

The Megabus pulls up in front of Union Station. My cell phone jiggles in my pocket. What? How could that be happening? My plan calls for local coverage only and here I am 6 hours out of area.

Hello? I hold the phone to my ear, wondering who besides God has the power to contact me beyond the Greater Cincinnati Area. Should I become a believer? Nah, it’s my husband. He has an important message for me. I am standing up; so is everyone else. They are all grabbing their gear and shuffling off the bus, spewing out into a crowd of waiting future passengers like some random motion physics experiment. I join them then plow through the crowd looking for a place quiet enough to hear. Pushing through double glass doors, I turn my attention back to my phone call.

“You don't have a hotel to go to!” he shouts through the background noise. Disbelief and a sinking feeling form in the pit of my stomach. “Did the hotel get blown up or burned down?” I wonder. Barbarie had left a message for me. Her room was canceled; we'll be sharing a condo w/ Carole Baker. (A silent hooray.)

Before I can feel relief, out of the corner of my eye I see the Megabus pull away from the curb. “Gotta go!” are my parting words to my special someone, and I flip the cell closed and lunge out the doors. “STOP! WAIT!” die on my lips as the bus vanishes from view. “Are you Val?” a stranger's words. I search with a spark of hope in my eyes for the face that may know me. They were calling for you, she says and the spark dies.

I hate this! I am an idiot! My suitcase is still on that bus. Doom and gloom. Doom and gloom. I pull out my Megabus papers and call a number and then another and then, another. I don't know how many calls I have made nor how much my roaming fees are going to be. I start to sweat profusely. At last, a mild-mannered dispatcher at Megabus convinces me she will find my suitcase and call me back.

I schlep to the hotel and stow my overloaded briefcase with the porter. I find Barbarie on a respite with Lisa and Regina in their room upstairs. My phone rings and Voila! It's the Megabus lady. She has it! On her sage advice, I race to the street and hail a cab, making sure it accepts payment with a credit card. Guess not all cabs do.

The cab ride seems long, and I think I will end up in the suburbs. We arrive at the terminal where Megabuses sleep at night, and I keep the cab waiting. It makes me feel like I am in a movie. Inside there's my sweetie, my love, my suitcase. I thank the woman profusely and think perhaps I should tip her but she doesn't wait for the offer so wisely I keep my hand with my bill in my pocket.

The ride back is expensive but uneventful. At last I can relax. Let the conference begin!

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McGovern Lecture
Andrew Zolli, Head of Z+ Partners

Andrew Zolli has been futurist-in-residence for American Demographics, Popular Science, National Geographic, and National Public Radio's Marketplace. He defined innovation as the creation of new forms of value in anticipation of future demand. With that in mind, he spoke about how the world is changing and outlined some of the trends shaping our future.

Zolli highlighted demographic transitions that will impact all of us such as world populations moving from rural to urban; the cities that are currently largest are shrinking and cities in Asia and Africa are growing; the population of Europe and the U.S. is aging while Africa’s population is predominantly young; the age graph of the U.S. is moving to an hour-glass proportion with fewer workers in the middle ages to care for the old and the young. All of these demographic issues will impact health care worldwide and, in turn, the nature of the information and services we provide for the people providing that care.

Another trend that will become even more predominant in the future is thinking in network terms. Zolli emphasized that this is a political philosophy, not a technology, that empowers individuals and small groups at the expense of established powers. In this scenario, information spreads by communicating with nodes on the network where a crowd gathers around specific interests and topics that drive results. Trust then is a matter of mass appeal rather than a quality measure.

The final trend Zolli discussed was the issues of abundance, complexity and the rise of experience. We have a tyranny of choice, and a filter for our choices is an absolute necessity. More choices lead to greater satisfaction up to a point, then satisfaction falls quickly to dissatisfaction as we become overwhelmed. Design and technology together will create the kind of experience we have in handling this kind of abundance and complexity.

Finally, Zolli left us with these thoughts:
Personal trumps impersonal,
Tangible trumps intangible,
Present trumps past or future,
Desireable trumps responsible.

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Top Technology Trends

The Medical Library Association has found a sure-fire winner in its panel presentation on top technology trends. Launched in Philadelphia, Top Technology Trends I, was a standing-room only, audience participation, "Google jockey" extravaganza of opinions and predictions related to technology and libraries. The Philadelphia panel was so successful, the Medical Informatics Section decided to attempt a replay at the Chicago meeting with Technology Trends II Top Technology Trends: Bridge Today, Gone Tomorrow. By the size of the crowd, the replay met and for me, exceeded expectations.

Added to this year's panel were Michelle Kraft, Cleveland Clinic librarian and founder of the blog "The Krafty Librarian," and Gabriel Rios, Deputy Director, University of Alabama at Lister Hill. Gabriel and Michelle contributed excellent information on trends to watch and were a perfect complement to the highly opinionated group. Eric Schnell, Wallace McLendon and Bart Ragon were equally enlightening. For a complete list of panelists, please consult http://www.medinfo.mlanet.org/ARCH_MISPres/MisPres2008.php In order for you to get the most information on this session, please consult http://www.medinfo.mlanet.org/ARCH_MISPres/2008techtrends.php. This excellent summary includes web links to learn more about the trends the panelists discussed.

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Other highlights:
Mark Funk’s presidential address -- Explore, Dream, Discover -- was inspiring, using Mark Twain’s quote: “Throw off your bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.”

Lisa McCormick provided a memorable few minutes when she entertained an elevator packed with hotel guests on their ride to the lobby rejecting more passengers at every floor – you just had to be there.

Many good ideas for use of Web 2.0 tools for library projects and services. For example, a wiki for the library Policies and Procedures so that all staff can update and contribute; a “what’s New” blog for the library with invited comments so that users can give you feedback and suggestions; subject guides created and distributed using http://del.icio.us.

More tools to use in searching and analyzing search results: HubMed (www.hubmed.org), PubFocus (www.pubfocus.com) and GoPubMed (www.gopubmed.org)

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Report on Flooding in Southern Indiana

I attended a meeting in Columbus [Indiana] on Friday that outlined what happened at the hospital and what the timeline for repairs would be. Since it was for employees only and I have promised to keep you all updated on the status in Columbus, I am passing this on to you to post to the list since I still do not have access to my email account at work.

The hospital has sustained a tremendous amount of damage to both the lower level and the first floor. The lower level completely flooded and the overflow left a foot of water on the first floor. The basement is essentially in ruins and the first floor will need extensive aesthetic repairs to include all of the drywall, which was warped at the bottom foot of each panel. I have not seen the physical hospital yet - only pictures.

The timeline for repairs will be in the neighborhood of 3-4 months and first priority is to get our ED Dept. up and running for the community's needs. We are fortunate that we are being paid as employees during this time period. But, we are being asked to assist in any way possible. Thus, I may be the first medical librarian to wear a hardhat on the job (I doubt it though).

The general mood of the establishment was one of mixed humor and enthusiasm last Friday. One thing our CEO pointed out is that we might be able to use this as a positive experience to build something better than what we had before.

I have not been in to work yet, nor have I seen the library. I'm sure it is fine and I pointed out in my last communication that the library was not damaged. I will try to offer an update sometime when I report back into work and have a greater idea of just where we stand. I am somewhat positive that I will be back into work this week at some point.
As I still do not have email, I will copy my point of contact information below.

– Chris Kiess, Columbus Regional Hospital
clkiess@gmail.com

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Chronicle Blog

For the first time this issue of the Chronicle is coming to you in two formats – the print and mailed copy you’ve seen for many years and a new electronic blog format. The blog is still pretty rough, but your editor is learning something new so be patient as we learn how to refine it and add some bells and whistles. The blog format also invites online comments, so we expect to hear from you on what you think of our first attempt.

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CAHSLA COLLEAGUES

Kudos

Congratulations to Meredith Orlowski (UC Health Sciences) who received a 2008 EBSCO/MLA Annual Meeting Grant. This scholarship is sponsored by EBSCO Information Services and enables MLA members to attend the association's annual meeting. The award is for up to $1,000 for travel and conference-related expenses. Meredith was honored at the annual meeting awards luncheon.


CAHSLA Members at MLA

Babarie Hill and Val Purvis, Cincinnati Children's Hospital; Regina Hartman, The Christ Hospital; Carole Baker, St. Elizabeth Hospital; Leslie Schick and Meredith Orlowski, University of Cincinnati HSL; Lisa McCormick, Jewish Hospital; Barbara Slavinsky, The Drake Center; Michael Douglas, Good Samaritan Nursing College; Bette Sydelko, Wright State University.


Farewell and Best Wishes …

To our friends and colleagues at the Mercy Health System Libraries. We are very grateful for the tremendous contributions that they made to the health sciences community for so many years. We watched as Diane Stone, Carol Mayor, Carissa Thatcher, Sr. Judy and the other outstanding library staff and volunteers developed a first-rate library and information service for their far-flung clientele. Our thoughts are very much with each of you. Rose Zajac contributed the following:
“What a shock to lose Library Services with the Mercies. I have many fond memories of working with Diane and her staff. Several times I consulted Diane regarding Interlibrary loans, online database services, and general management. She is so strong to take the disparate libraries of the system and make them a functioning unit. Many times I have expressed to her that I didn't know how she did it. My colleague, Dr. Paul Sweeney, knew her as well since he lived near one of the hospitals and remarked on what a hard working individual she is. All the best to the Diane and her staff.” Rose Zajac (retired, Tri-Health Good Samaritan)


Welcome to ...

Carole Baker new manager of the St. Elizabeth Hospital medical library. Carole has been around the health sciences library community in Cincinnati for a few years.

Barbara Slavinsky new manager of The Drake Center library. Barbara has been active in CAHSLA for the past few years while she was attending library school.

Miscellaneous

The Pratt Library at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital has a new place on the organization chart. After a long history on the academic side in the Research Foundation and Department of Pediatrics, the library will “move” to the hospital’s Department of Education and Training as of July 1. The library will continue to serve the entire hospital with services designed to support all research, education and patient care activities, and the library budget will not be cut as severely as had originally been proposed.

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In the Literature and On the ‘Net

Unblocking IT - Tips and techniques
You may want to read this informative article by Mark Funk, immediate past president of the Medical Library Association and the head or resource management and collections at Weil Cornell Medical Library. Mark provides this background information: "After I introduced Web 2.0 tools as a major component of my presidential priorities, I quickly discovered that hospital libraries face a number of obstacles in using them. As it turns out, other associations have similar problems facing many of their members. I wrote an article for the American Society of Association Executives that tries to summarize various techniques one can use in attempting to unblock the blockages that IT sometimes put up. The article is aimed at association executives, but I hope some of the techniques will also be useful for hospital librarians. The article just became available online at http://www.asaecenter.org/PublicationsResources/ANowDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=34916

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Myths About Libraries and Library Research
by Darla Vornberger, Funderburg Library, Manchester College
Indiana Libraries 21(2):17-18, 2002

MYTH #1: THE MCLIBRARY
We live in a fast food society that wants everything to be quick, easy, and cheap. What a lot of students
don’t realize is that good research takes time. It takes patience. You don’t always find exactly what you want
on the first try, and sometimes you have to follow a winding path, picking up different clues from resources
along the way, before you finally reach your destination...

MYTH #2: “THERE’S NOTHING ON MY TOPIC!”
...The fastest way to dispel this second myth about libraries is to tell them about some simple research
strategies... learn to brainstorm for synonyms and phrases that apply to their topic... finding one good book or article and using the subject headings to expand their search...send students to encyclopedias and other reference sources in order to get an overview of their topic...

MYTH #3: “EVERYTHING I NEED IS ON THE INTERNET.”
...The internet, despite the efforts of commercial search engines, is essentially unorganized and unreliable. Roger Ebert described it best when he said that “Doing research on the Web is like using a library assembled piecemeal by packrats and vandalized nightly.” ... While print media is subjected to certain screening processes like editorial review and fact checking, anyone with a computer, an internet connection and a little bit of design knowledge can “publish” a web site...

MYTH #4: “LIBRARIANS ARE TOO BUSY TO HELP ME.”
... Even if we’re sitting at our desks absorbed in some task, it is also part of our job to help students. Perhaps they would be surprised to find out that we enjoy it!

MYTH #5: LIBRARIANS ARE THERE TO DO MY WORK FOR ME.”
... They want to bypass the research process and have what they need handed to them... in an educational setting, we need to know where to draw the line, and students need to be aware of exactly where that line is...

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Calendar

Oct 17-21	Midwest Chapter/MLA annual conference in Troy, MI at the Troy Detroit Troy Marriott
Oct 3-6, 2009	Midwest Chapter/MLA annual conference in Columbus, OH, Hyatt on Capitol Square