NAHSL Executive Board Meeting
Regional Medical Library
Shrewsbury MA
September 10, 2004
Present: Kathy Brunjes, Happy Copley, Janet Cowen, Ed Donnald, Maureen Dunn, Andy Dzaugis, Penny Glassman, Shirley Gronholm, Barbara Ingrassia, Patty Kahn, Len Levin, Evelyn Breck Morgen, Joan Yanicke
Len called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m.
Len welcomed Maureen Dunn from Concord Hospital as the representative from NH-VT. He asked everyone to introduce themselves. .
Len wanted to thank Becky Zenaro of the RML for an excellent job arranging all of the food orders for these meetings over the last year.
We will be submitting an application for the Majors Chapter Award, this time for our ongoing and consistent use of a conference planner, Donna Wikstrand of Conference Hotels New England. Len will be writing up the report for the Executive Board to review at October board meeting.
Kathy told Len that we would need the annual committee reports for the conference packet by September 21. Len asked that we email reports to Kathy, and email a copy to him as well.
Discussion: Shirley asked that we remove the reference to MLANet in the Chapter Council section of the June minutes, as she could not recall what that was concerning.
Action: Minutes of the Board Meeting were accepted as amended.
Discussion: Fran could not attend but faxed over a report. The checking account currently has $21,523.20, and the Money Market fund has $86,536.14. The treasury is looking flush at the moment because we are currently taking in cash for the conference. This will change after the conference when we have to pay bills associated with conference. Kathy pointed out that we have taken in more than Fran shows for conference income.
Action: The report was accepted as presented, with the knowledge that there is some discrepancy between Kathy and Fran about conference income, which will be resolved by the next meeting.
Archives
Discussion: Carole was not able to attend. The e-Archives have been updated to include the MLA Awards we gave in the spring and the Hospital Librarians’ Section Scroll of Exemplary Service. Happy will mail two copies of the pre-registration packets for Conference 2004 to Carole for the Archives.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Patty mentioned that Joan was supposed to get in touch about language for Policies and Procedures under the section for Executive Board:
2.1. Composition changed to: “and other appointed representatives as needed.”
2.2 Appointment methods changed to: “and other appointed representatives such as the Credentialing Liaison and RML representative.”
2.3 Term: “Term of office varies with position…will add “and representatives.”
Action: These changes were approved as proposed.
Discussion: Shirley had sent email to the Executive Board about MLA proposing to set up a system where libraries would cooperate if disasters arose. MLA will create a place on MLAnet where libraries can voluntarily partner up in the event of a disaster.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Chapter Council requests input from chapters on the concept of providing a free Chapter Sharing Roundtable attendance for a first-time attendee from each chapter. Chapter Council suggested that chapters offer this as a drawing for their members. The Board felt that the logistics involved in such a small award would not be worth the effort, since NAHSL offers a Professional Development Fund Award for full conference registration to the MLA Conference.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Kathy announced that as of this week, we have 126 full conference registrations, 9 Monday only, and this does not count vendors. We have 21 vendors paid and three on waiting list. Sebasco Harbor Resort is full, and the Holiday Inn in Bath already has 15 bookings. Holiday Inn will have a shuttle to Sebasco Harbor Resort for $5 a day. We have taken in $19,000 income from exhibitors and sponsors. Have committee reports to Kathy by September 21 so they can go into the conference packets.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Janet Crager was not in attendance. Kathy said that she had been contacted last week by a conference calendar company. She gave them the Rhode Island location and will call them back with the date, which is September 25-27, 2005.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Joan has made changes to the Professional Development page on the Website. Joan asks what should we be adding to this section to reach library school students? It was suggested we make a link about the very reduced rate we offer students to attend the NAHSL conference. We need a contact person at both library schools. David Ginn teaches medical librarianship at Simmons and Charles Greenberg teaches at Southern Connecticut State. One of the other regional chapters offers free membership to students.
Action: Joan and Penny will discuss options for recruiting and retaining students and report at December Board meeting.
Discussion: AHIP information is now on the Website.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Andy reported that we are sponsoring the MLA teleconference on licensing electronic products at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and at Togus VA in Augusta, Maine on September 22.
Action: For informational purposes.
Discussion: Lida could not attend. Ed has agreed to serve as Electronic Communications chair. He will be recruiting committee members to help him with various updates to the Website.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Len mentioned that Ed and his committee will be looking at energizing the News section of the website.
Discussion: Fran will be holding a Finance Committee meeting on Monday, October 4 at the NAHSL Conference.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Barb reported that Representative Bernie Sanders of VT introduced an amendment known as the Freedom to Read Amendment. It did not pass the House. Legislation has been introduced to increase open access to federally-funded research. NIH is collecting comments on this controversial topic.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Jill was not able to attend and did not send a report. Marketing committee is sponsoring a CE class and will have a swap table at the Conference.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Penny reported that we have 206 members, still down about 30 members from last year and the year before. Penny contacted the MLA membership committee liaison and she is researching to see if other regions are seeing similar trends. The Executive Board discussed reasons why this might be true: cuts in budgets, closing of hospital libraries, lack of time to attend meetings, electronic renewals instead of a mailed reminders.
Action: Penny will follow up with her research on other regions’ trends at the next meeting so the Board can decide if any action is needed to combat this trend.
Discussion: Ed reported that Janene Batten, Clinical Librarian at Bridgeport Hospital, will be Conference Chair for 2006. Janice Swiatak-Kelley (her boss) will co-chair the conference with Janene to help out with continuity. (Janene will then serve as NAHSL Chair in 2007). Ed had not yet found an MLA Nominating Committee Candidate. After a Board discussion, Janet Cowen volunteered to serve as this nominee.
Action: These two names will be on the Slate of Officers that will be voted on during the Annual Business Meeting.
Discussion: Ed received one nomination for NAHSL Achievement Award: Mary Ann Slocomb.
Action: After a very short discussion the Board approved this nomination by acclamation.
Discussion: Happy reported that we awarded 15 grants for the NAHSL 2004 Conference, for a total of $2400. This is a decided increase from 2003.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: The Professional Development Fund Committee met in Exeter NH on August 19, 2004. The Committee asked the Board if we could offer one or two awards to MLA in San Antonio; these would be for full early-bird, member rate registration.
Action: The Board was in favor of this if we have the funds to do it.
Discussion The Committee also recommends that in awarding grants we give precedence to new members or first-time conference attendees; those who have not had awards in the last 2 years; and finally everyone else. If there are more applicants than funds, we will make the final choices by lottery.
Action: The Board approved this method of offering awards.
Discussion: The Committee would like to market NAHSL awards more robustly, by mentioning them more frequently on the NAHSL list and by coordinating with the state liaisons to have NAHSL awards mentioned at State meetings (perhaps by the NAHSL Chair, who would be attending these meetings when possible). The Committee asked for other ideas from the Board.
Action: The Board suggested that the Professional Development Fund chair discuss marketing ideas with the Marketing Chair.
Discussion: The Board discussed the possibility of giving an award for a conference such as ASIS, SLA, or Computers in Libraries. We would need to offer only a flat amount for specialty conferences, not full conference registration.
Action: The Board gave tentative approval of this concept, but only if we had the funds to do so.
Discussion: Janet reported that the program is all set. Martha Fishel, Deputy Director for Public Services, is coming from NLM. Joanne Marshall and Carla Funk are both coming from MLA.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Penny reported that there are 2 Outreach subcontract RFPs that are out for bid, one for consumer health, and one for public health, due October 15. Projects would begin in January 2005 and run to March 2006. Several awards were made last spring. Other awards for electronic document delivery and internet connectivity still have some funds left. The RML is sponsoring New Models of Medicine in the Electronic Age on September 22 at MAHSLIN meeting. Staff is getting ready for NAHSL and other conferences.
Action: For informational purposes only.
Discussion: Kathy asked if someone could exhibit on Sunday, November 7, at the Healthy Lifestyles Community Health Fair at the Auburn Mall in Auburn, Maine.
Action: Penny said that she would check on staff schedules.
ARIHSL Janet Crager could not attend. They are having their first meeting of the year next Wednesday and Len will attend as NAHSL Chair.
CAHSL Evelyn reported that CAHSL’s first meeting is at Hartford Hospital on September 22, will also show MLA teleconference. CAHSL will now offer FREE membership to students as part of outreach to students. Their October meeting at Connecticut Hospital Association will be a presentation on RSS and Blogging.
NH/VT Maureen reported that Fall 2004 meeting will be November 19 at White River Junction, VT. Donna Berryman will offer class on Pubmed Expert Searching. Catholic Medical Center in Manchester recently received a grant from the RML to purchase a digital microfiche scanner system, which will be used for electronic document delivery. They hope eventually to be a central depository of microfiche for hospital libraries. Linda Ford reports that the NorthCountry Consortium will be meeting in Littleton on September 16. The Southern NH consortium is meeting September 28, and has been meeting frequently.
HSLIC Janet Cowen reported that our fall meeting will be end of October or early November. The Ariel grant has been approved for Year 2; Janet will present a poster about the Ariel effort at the NAHSL Conference and the Maine Libraries Conference in mid-October. Togus VA will be sponsoring the MLA teleconference on September 22 Maine has 3 Library Districts, Northern, Central, and Southern. HSLIC will be setting up exhibits at Portland Public Library (Southern District), Maine State Library (Central District), and Bangor Public Library (Northern District) on the topic of Health Literacy for October in honor of Medical Librarians Month. Maine Medical Center has been chosen as September Library of the Month on the Southern Maine Library District’s website.
Benchmarking – Janet mentioned that MLA benchmarking project took in 327 libraries’ stats. NAHSL tied for top number with the Midwest, 49 institutions participated.
Group Purchasing – Evelyn asked CAHSL folks, whether CHA is willing to negotiate for places not in Connecticut. Robin Hassig said that Diane Mase at CHA had said she would be interested in providing support, (in the past—we will have to check). There is a Massachusetts hospital (Bay State) who participates in the LWW deal, which CHA coordinates. Joan checked with NELINET, who are very excited about the possibility of helping NAHSL do this, but it requires them to set up a new model. Possibly NAHSL can join NELINET as a consortium. They have 2 different services: one can buy in to their existing services at a discount, or a new service in the pilot stage, a licensing service, where they do the search, the licensing, the negotiating, based on products we want. Joan asked the Executive Board for ideas on which products would interest members: NEJM, AMA journals, or a product such as MDCONSULT. Joan asked Board members who are members of NELINET to email her with any other products in which they have interest. Evelyn and Joan will report on this again in December.
State Associations Assisting with NAHSL Membership Renewals – Len suggested that state reps promote NAHSL renewals – the membership chair would coordinate with state reps to ask them to send out personalized invitations to join NAHSL.
Time and Place of Meetings Next Year – Kathy would really like to change the meeting day of the week, possibly to Wednesdays, starting in March 2005. Board members did not object when polled.
Next Meeting: October
4, 2004 at Sebasco Harbor Resort in the Clipper Room, 7:30 am. Breakfast will be provided.
Meeting was adjourned at 1:40 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Happy Copley
NAHSL Secretary