Design & Deliver: Crafting Dynamic Posters and Engaging Lightning Talks
By Jackie Morales
This interactive course, led by Stacy Posillico, focused on practical writing strategies for creating effective posters and lightning talks. Participants explored the Problem-Gap-Hook Writing Technique, which emphasizes identifying the gap in existing research, clearly defining the problem being addressed, and establishing a relevant hook that personally connects with the audience. This framework provides a strong foundation for conveying key messages in both poster and presentation formats.
Through an interactive exercise, attendees applied this technique to their own projects, concisely summarizing their work into these three core elements. The session also covered various poster templates, effective data visualization methods for highlighting key takeaways, and an introduction to relevant AI tools. The session wrapped up with an open Q&A where participants could discuss their projects and challenges directly with the speaker.
2025 Vision Board Workshop
The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee hosted the 2025 Vision Board Workshop, led by Allison Piazza. The Vision Board Workshop provided participants with a structured approach to identifying areas for personal growth and balance. Utilizing the Wheel of Life framework, attendees assessed their current satisfaction across various life domains, such as family and spiritual well-being.
Based on their self-assessments, participants selected a digital tool, such as Canva or PowerPoint, to create a visual representation of their focus areas for 2025. Through the incorporation of stock imagery, personal photographs, and inspirational quotes, participants articulated their goals, which included increased engagement in personal hobbies, career growth, and dedicated time for family and friends.
Membership Renewal Update
By Trina Keith
The call for Membership Renewal went out in January. Membership dues were due on February 1.
Please click HERE for more information on renewing your membership or becoming a new member.
Members whose renewal is overdue should have received an email reminder. The deadline to renew your membership without being removed from the Chapter listserv is Monday June 2, 2025.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Trina Keith, the Chair of the Membership Committee, or e-mail us at support@libertymla.org.
Thank you for your continued support of the Liberty Chapter!
Advocacy Section
By Jordan D. Correia
The current presidential administration has come with a quickly changing research landscape. One of the issues that researchers and librarians have faced because of this is difficulty in accessing pre-existing datasets, particularly as the CDC changes or removes pages from their website in accordance with executive orders. In an effort to uphold continuing research, evidence-backed science and data, and diverse initiatives, several websites and organizations have worked hard to capture data prior to the current administration as well as present data. Below is a list of websites containing pertinent information that researchers may find benefit from and for librarians to refer their patrons to.
Medical Librarians are encouraged to share any resources they find with us or MLA headquarters.
As we continue to try and support medical librarians, we want to hear from you! Please fill out THIS FORM with issues you have faced, would like to hear resources about, or anything else you feel the advocacy section should address.
The 125th Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from April 29th to May 2nd, 2025. This year’s theme is Bridging Tradition and Innovation, honoring the City of Bridges!
Registration is now open! Early Bird registration ends on Thursday, April 3rd ($114 savings for In-person attendance for MLA members!!). If you haven’t registered already, please register soon. MLA offers a $75 discount for presenters and Bulk Registration Rates for MLA Institutional Members! Rates and discount information are available online.
On the MLA’25 website, you will find Hotel and Travel information, Program information, Schedule at a Glance(PDF), CE Courses and descriptions, Presenter Tool Kit, and more!
One thing I wanted to remind everyone is that MLA has various Membership Activities planned for the meeting including Colleague Connection (paring first-time attendees with experienced MLA members), MLA Career Center with Resume Clinic (30 minutes with an experienced colleague to review your cover letter, and Resume or CV, or chat about your job search) and Job Placement Center (submit your resume or job opportunity ahead of time and meet with your potential candidate/employer at MLA!) Please contact Tomi Gunn at MLA Headquarters for details.
Enjoy the MLA ’25, In-person or virtually!!
Membership Spotlight
Member Spotlight: Introducing Emmett Booth (he/him/his)!
By Rie Goto, Communications Committee Chair
Emmett is a Clinical Librarian at Thomas Jefferson University. He provides core reference services to students, residents, and staff at Einstein and Abington Hospitals. His role includes Initiating and supporting library outreach efforts Einstein and Abington Hospitals, contributing to content development and maintenance of appropriate LibGuides and learning objects in Canvas, assisting library users with the evaluation of information resources, providing in-depth consulting services on the effective use of information resources and bibliographic management software, teaching sessions on library resources and information literacy in the context of evidence-based medicine, and participating in conducting orientation sessions.
Why are you interested in becoming a librarian?
“I love helping people solve information problems, and I believe in the cause of preserving and disseminating knowledge, especially when that knowledge can help people with medical issues.”
What project are you working on now?
“A scoping review about the effect of climate change on vector-borne diseases in pregnancy.”
What’s your hobby outside of work/school?
"I host a podcast, the NotACast podcast, going through A Song of Ice and Fire (the books adapted into Game of Thrones)”
What/who is your favorite Librarian character in popular culture (movies, TV shows, songs, etc..) and why?
“Mike Hanlon in Stephen King's IT; he has the courage to dig deep into his hometown's violent history, and to stay there to confront it while the rest of his friends leave town and forget all about it.”
Game of Thrones fans or anyone curious about his podcast, take a listen to Emmett’s podcast here!
If you want to be featured or know someone you want to introduce, please fill out this form!
Kudos for Members
Congratulations to fellow Chapter Members!
Maria Deptula, MLIS, George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences, Rutgers University
Maria has written an article that was published in January 2025.
Deptula, M. (2025). To Weed or to Keep: A Renovation-Driven Weeding Project of the Health Sciences Library Reference Collection with a Focus on the Last Institutional Copies - A Case Study. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2025.2453718
John Carey, MA, MLS, AHIP & Ajatshatru (A.J.) Pathak, MA, MLS, MPH, Health Professions Library, Hunter College - Brookdale Campus
John and A.J. co-authored an article that will be available online mid-March. The article is based on a lightning talk that they did back at the Liberty annual meeting in October 2024.
Carey, J., & Pathak, A.J. (2025). Library research skills for pre-health students: Partnering with the Pre-Health Advising Office. Hypothesis: Research Journal for Health Information Professionals, 37(1). Doi:10.18060/28649
Sunny Chung, MLIS, AHIP, Stony Brook University
Sunny has 2 paper sessions that were accepted for the 2025 MLA Annual Meeting:
For our Spring 2025 programming, we invite you to share any initiatives your libraries have undertaken or plan to undertake to support justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (JEDI-B). If you’ve implemented JEDI-B programming or training, conducted research, or performed a diversity audit of your collection, we’d love to hear about your experiences.
Presentations can be done with or without slides, and you’ll have 5-8 minutes to share. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 14th at 12pm EST via Zoom.
Please complete the MLA Liberty EDI Spring Lightning Talks survey to submit your proposal by Wednesday, April 16th. Feel free to reach out to Diana Delgado [did2005@med.cornell.edu] and Marlowe Bogino [marlowe.bogino@christianacare.org] with any questions.
We believe this will be a valuable experience for all involved.
When: March 11, 2025, 1:00pm-2:00pm EST. Where: Zoom
Register Today: Registration Link
This interactive course explores the art of transforming a concise research abstract or program description into a dynamic and visually compelling poster presentation or lightning talk. Participants will learn strategies for translating complex information into accessible and engaging presentations, helping you find your story and tell it well in your own unique voice. Techniques such as persuasive writing approaches, authentic and purposeful messaging, effective layout design, impactful use of color and typography, and information visualization styles will guide you as you create a shared experience with your audience that will jumpstart the conversation you both want to have. Various tools will also be explored to streamline your workflow, all just in time for the MLA and the Liberty Chapter Annual meeting.
AI implementation in Health Sciences Librarianship: A Panel Discussion
When: April 8, 2025, 12:00pm – 1:30pm EST
Where: Zoom
This panel discussion will give members the opportunity to discover ways to get started with AI implementation at their institutions. It will also support librarians who are already actively implementing AI with idea development, help in navigating conversations around AI use in education and research, and showcase how the librarian is well suited to support constituents in its ethical uses.
Speakers:
We are looking for speakers for a professional development session on the role of librarians in assisting clinicians/educators/administrators/faculty and students with the assessment, implementation, and usage of AI tools, within the academic and hospital setting. We want to hear about your involvement in AI workshops/classes, awareness campaigns, task forces, policy committees, etc. We are hoping to present this session in April 2025 via zoom.
Please reach out to Allison Piazza (allisonpiazza.nyc@gmail.com) and Jackie Morales (jmorales31@northwell.edu) if you are interested in presenting.
The EDI Committee of the Chapter has been working hard to organize a program for our members to present lightning talks to share any initiatives your libraries have undertaken or plan to support justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (JEDI-B) in your institutions. Please save the date for Wednesday, May 14th , 12pm – 1pm and mark your calendar for this exciting session, which will take place via Zoom. Participant registrations will open in March. More information will follow.
Are you feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders? Are your joints crying out for relief? Longing for a moment of tranquility amidst the whirlwind of your day?
We invite you to an uplifting experience of Chair Yoga, guided by the talented Helen-Ann Brown Epstein! Join us on Thursday, February 13, 2025, from 12:30 PM to 1 PM, and let us embark together on a journey of rejuvenation.
Using your chair, we will explore the transformative power of seated and balancing poses, awakening your body and spirit.
Join us, and let’s breathe, stretch, and flow into a brighter moment together!
Register now!
Welcome to the Liberty Chapter Newsletter, a quarterly blog post that will highlight chapter initiatives, committee activities and the achievements of our members.
Be on the lookout in your email in late January for your membership renewal reminder for 2025. Membership dues are due on February 1, 2025. To become a new member, please click here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Trina Keith, the Chair of the Membership Committee, or e-mail us at support@libertymla.org
Marlowe Bogino, EDI Committee Chair
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion subcommittee was formed in 2022 by members Diana Delgado, Michael Wood, Will Dean, Yingting Zhang, and led by our previous chair Sarah Jewell. Our focus was to bring together Liberty Chapter members on common ground in learning Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion principles through training, education, and shared experiences.
We discussed the importance of creating an environment of acceptance and of the inherent value of each individual viewpoint of all members. This understanding helped us have open discussions during our meetings as we tackled tough conversations such as inequality, racism, injustices, and bias within our society, communities and within our libraries. These conversations helped us create our defining statements, mission statements, and goals.
Proudly, the committee was able to conduct an engagement survey which garnered a 34% response rate, helping lead our efforts to provide training on health equity. From this survey we learned of other areas of interest of our members such as living land acknowledgments, neurodivergence basics, diversity audits, LGBTQIA inclusion, and social determinants of health. Last year we were able, with the support of the Liberty Chapter board, to offer our members training focused on health equity given by the Health Resources in Action training group.
We also discovered that some of our members felt they had reached a point of educational training burnout and needed “a break.” This prompted discussions surrounding wellness as well.
Creating a safe environment where all individuals feel a sense of acceptance and individual value is another aspect of equity, diversity, and inclusion and is known as a sense of belonging within a workspace or working group1.
Today we continue with our belief in diversity, recognizing social injustices currently exist, we continue with our belief in the importance of diversity initiatives and welcome continued discussion and feedback from our all members, partners, and interested parties. The committee is actively planning events for our Liberty Chapter members slated for winter and spring 2025. We look forward to everyone’s participation and our subcommittee’s continued growth.
Defining statements
We believe in diversity in the broadest sense including differences in race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, ability, religious practices, socioeconomic class, citizenship, life experiences, and other important aspects of human life.
We recognize the present social injustices and racism that exist within our nation and embrace the rich perspectives and experiences that arise from our differences.
We welcome discussion and feedback on EDI issues. It is all our responsibility to engage in open and collegial discussions and lean into our discomfort.
We encourage our members to reach out to the EDI Committee Chair, Marlowe Bogino or contact us at support@libertymla.org
The mission
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion mission statement of the Liberty Chapter of the Medical Library Association is meant to foster a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment for both our members and the communities we serve where differences and similarities are valued and respected.
Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander. “Practical Diversity: Absolutely Necessary for Peace”. Samyukta: A Journal of Gender and Culture, vol. 6, no. 2, July 2021, doi:10.53007/SJGC.2021.V6.I2.24.
Please join us for the EDI Wellness Program on Tuesday, January 21, 2025!
Jaclyn Morales, Chair
The MLA Research Training Institute (RTI) is a comprehensive, year-long advanced research training and support program, tailored for health sciences librarians. It is currently the only research fellowship offered in our field nationwide.
The Liberty Chapter is one of many chapters of MLA who contributes funds towards RTI scholarships. Chapter contributed funds are first allocated to chapter members who are selected to participate in a cohort, and then dispersed to other participants in need. In recent years, with the support from the MLA chapters, every single participant who could not afford full tuition has been awarded a scholarship!
That’s why we are encouraging our members to highly consider this opportunity. Applicationsfor the 2025-26 RTI cohort are now open and are due February 18, 2025. Need help filling out the application? Sign up for open office hours on January 15, 2025 or February 11, 2025.
In addition, the MLA Board recently approved the RTI Research Fellowship, a high-level recognition for RTI alumni. This fellowship allows RTI graduates who have published their research to use the post-nominal letters “RTIF” following their names. At the next MLA Awards Ceremony, 30 RTI Research Fellows will be honored with this distinction, some of which are our very own chapter members!
The RTI has a transformative impact on participants' research skills, confidence, and professional success. To explore its impact, you may find the RTI Assessment Findings and this JMLA article insightful.
Allison Piazza, Chair-Elect
The following information was provided by Jessica Kilham of NNLM Region 7.
Rie Goto, Communications Committee Chair
Welcome to Andrea, the newest member of the Liberty Chapter! She is a first-year student in Pratt's School of Information, pursuing a MLIS.
“I love reading, research, and teaching. I believe that making medical education accessible can help save lives, and I want to share my passion for medicine with others”
What has been the most interesting project you have worked on?
“I wrote my doctoral dissertation on the Nurses' Health Study, which is an amazing study making invaluable contributions to women's health.”
"I love reading, knitting, and Pilates."
Tell us something about where you live or work, something about your neighborhood, your town, your city, or your state etc.
"I live in Brooklyn with my husband and my cat, Harvey."
Welcome to the Liberty Chapter, Andrea!
Gary M. Childs, MS, MPA University Libraries West Chester University
Gary Childs was granted tenure at West Chester University on December 23, 2024. He began this process in January 2020. He continues to serve on a variety of departmental, college, and university level committees, including being elected as an at-large member of the executive board of Faculty Senate in 2024.
Sarah Jewell, MLIS Weill Cornell Medicine
The day after she attended the Liberty Chapter Annual Meeting, Sarah Jewell, former Chair of the NY-NJ Chapter of MLA and current member of the Liberty Chapter EDI committee, got married to Lucas Hanft at City Hall in New York City on October 17, 2024. In 2018, they met at a writer’s conference where she won the poetry award, and he won the fiction award.
Matt Bridgeman, MLS, MA Robert Wood Johnson Library of the Health SciencesRutgers University
Congratulations to Matt on the birth of his new daughter, Eloise Olivia Bridgeman, born on April 15, 2024.
Promotions and New Appointments
Lorin Jackson, MA, MI University of Pennsylvania Libraries
Lorin Jackson, MA, MI started September 2024 as Assistant Director of the Holman Biotech Commons, University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
Helen-Ann Brown Epstein, MLS, MS, AHIP-D, FMLA Virtua Health Sciences Library
Helen-Ann Brown Epstein has been accepted as a reviewer of abstracts for the upcoming ANCC Magnet meeting.
Lisa Price, MSLIS Hope Brings Strength Health Sciences Library Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
Lisa Price, Research Support Librarian at the Hope Brings Strength Health Sciences Library at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, presented a lightning talk at the 2024 Digital Commons International Conference in Berkeley, CA. In her talk, “Serving a Dual Purpose: How We Adapted the DC Software to Improve Workflow”, she described her collaboration with a staff member from the Department of Research to adapt existing submission software to Rowan’s institutional repository, Rowan Digital Works, to double as a registration form for the annual Rowan-Virtua SOM Research Day. Several conference attendees requested further information, including an Elsevier VP who expressed interest in sharing this model with other clients.
Janice Lester, MLS Long Island Jewish Medical Center
Congratulations to Janice, who, in addition to being promoted to Senior Librarian, has co-authored a total of 10 Systematic reviews and meta-analyses, 4 Practice guidelines, 7 Systematic reviews and 2 scoping reviews. Janice also expressed how fortunate she is to work with the most brilliant, wonderful inspiring team of librarians at Northwell Health.
2025 MLA Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA - Papers/Presentations
Sunny Chung, MLIS, AHIP Stony Brook University
Sunny has 2 paper sessions that were accepted for the 2025 MLA Annual Meeting
Data Dilemma: Evolving Roles and Skills for Medical Librarians Sunny Chung, Nina Exner, Mimi Byun
and a paper with co-author
John Mokonyama, MS, MBA, MSLS, AHIP-D Penn Medicine
Modern Time Capsule: Shaping the Future and Building a Better Tomorrow Sunny Chung, Kay Strahan, Angela Murrell, and John Mokonyama
Bridget Jivanelli, MLIS, AHIP Kim Barrett Memorial Library, Hospital for Special Services
Bridget’s 2025 MLA Immersion Session was accepted
Bridging the Gap for Caregivers: Supporting Those Who Care for Others Elizabeth Hinton, Bridget Jivanelli, Stephanie Roth
Mina Ghajar, MLS Maria Deptula, MLS, MA, AAPC Rutgers University
Mina and Maria co-authored a paper that was accepted for the 2025 MLA Annual Meeting
Connecting the Dots: The Library as a Pathway from Traditional to Innovative Practices in Academic Publishing
Publications
Sunny Chung, MLIS, AHIP Jessica Koos, MLS, MSEd, AHIP Stony Brook University
Sunny and Jessica co-authored an article that was published in December 2024
Chung, S., Koos, J., (2024) Evaluating Large Language Models’ Accuracy and Reliability in Addressing Consumer Health Queries. Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, https://doi.org/10.1080/15398285.2024.2418777
Travis Nace, MSLIS Ginsburg Health Sciences Library Temple University
Travis co-authored a paper that was published in November 2024
Pfeiffer CF, Magee WL, Fülöp R, Nace TC, Castro C, Iturri A, Franceschi J, Echauri G, Gassull L, Russo MJ. Exploring Music-Based Interventions for Executive Functioning and Emotional Well-Being in Stroke Rehabilitation: A Scoping Review. NeuroSci. 2024; 5(4):565-599. https://doi.org/10.3390/neurosci5040041
Ryan Norman, MI, AHIP Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
Ryan has written an article that was recently published
Norman, R. (2024). What Happens After the Loss? Review of Early Pregnancy Loss Information and Support Resources from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Women’s Health. Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, 28(4), 374–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/15398285.2024.2418775
Elaine Wells, MA, MLS, AHIP(D) SUNY College of Optometry
Elaine has written an article that was published in November 2024
Wells, E. (2024). Helping our graduate students SOAR: Promoting scholarship and populating our institutional repository. Journal of Graduate Librarianship, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.59942/2995-9063.1015
Hello Liberty Chapter!
On behalf of the EDI Committee, please join Liberty Chapter members, Allison Piazza and Sarah Jewell, for a 2025 Vision Board Workshop! Manifest your 2025 goals while chatting with other Liberty Chapter members via zoom on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 7pm!
Register Today!
Supplies needed: the customary supplies of glue/tape, scissors, pictures/magazines, and a piece of paper, poster board, or card stock OR you can do a digital collage using PowerPoint, Canva, Milanote, or another platform.
Sincerely,
Marlowe Bogino, Chair, EDI Committee
On October 15, 2024, the annual business meeting was held via Zoom, showcasing the unwavering commitment of the chapter board members to foster a financially sound organization that supports its members' professional endeavors and actively preserves its rich history.
A highlight of the meeting was the introduction of Travis Nace as the new chair of the Archives Committee, reflecting the committee’s dedication to preserving the organization's history, as well as the chapter’s active exploration of investment opportunities to enhance its financial stability.
New ways for members to engage with the organization were discussed and opportunities to join specific task forces focused on committees, knowledge management, and policies and procedures were shared.
For those who missed it, a recording of the meeting and committee-specific annual reports are available here.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement!
On October 16, 2024, over 100-chapter members in-person at Rockefeller University and online gathered in New York City for the 2024 Annual Meeting, themed "Delivering Information that Makes an Impact." This year's focus emphasized the critical role of health sciences librarians in strategically aligning with their organizations’ goals to foster collaboration and showcase library strengths.
The event commenced with a warm welcome from our chair, Jaclyn Morales and Rockefeller University's, University Librarian, Matthew Covey. This was followed by an engaging keynote address from Stephanie Fendrick, Executive Vice President, and Chief Strategy Officer at Virtua Health, where attendees actively participated in building a strategic plan alongside their peers.
Stephanie Fendrick
Members then showcased their work during lightning talks, highlighting various librarian-led research and programming initiatives. New to this year’s meeting, was poster presentations with nine submissions, further showcasing the remarkable activities of our chapter members. The posters and lightning talks can be accessed here.
The afternoon session included a thought-provoking case study with Miriam Hoffman, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, and Chris Duffy, Associate Dean, VP Medical Library Services at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. Moderated by the Program Chair Allison Piazza, they discussed the vital role of librarians embedded in undergraduate medical education curriculum and the importance of library champions in fostering these key collaborations.
Chris Duffy & Miriam Hoffman
The meeting concluded with the Liberty Chapter's award ceremony, followed by a post-reception sponsored by VisualDx in the Rockefeller University Library.
To relive the event, check out the pictures here. Thank you to everyone who made this year’s meeting a success!
2024 Awards and Grants
Congratulations to the 2024 Chapter Award and Grant Recipients:
Chair’s Award Travis Nace Stacy Posillico
Outstanding Contribution by a Member Patricia Regenberg Lara Lasner-Frater
Outstanding Contribution by a New Member Elizabeth Blake
Linda Katz Award for first time AHIP application Laurel Scheinfeld
Liberty Chapter Research Grant Daniel Verbit Oliver Chang
Lifetime Achievement Award Barbara Reich
Welcome to the Board
The Chapter would like to Welcome the following new members to the Liberty Chapter Board:
Any Liberty Chapter members are welcome to have local events and get-togethers under the Liberty Chapter (we are calling these events Ad-Hoc Local Events).
If the event is being co-sponsored with another organization, it will be sent to the board for approval. It must not conflict with our 501c3 status as a non-profit organization and should align with the chapter’s values/mission statement. Board approval can be obtained asynchronously.
Guidelines and Policies are as follows:
· Events need to be submitted via the form at least six weeks in advance.
· Events must be marketed/promoted to the entire chapter at least four weeks before the event date. However, events are not required to have a virtual component.
· Events are cost neutral.
· The Liberty Chapter will not cover up-front costs for the event.
· If funds need to be collected, they will only be distributed to the event organizer in a reimbursement capacity after the event is completed. Reimbursement will be organized with the treasurer.
· A budget (Word document, PDF, Excel sheet) needs to be submitted when you propose the event.
· The chapter website can be used for registration of attendees and collection of any event funds. Event set up on the chapter website will be coordinated by the immediate past chair of the Liberty Chapter.
· The primary contact/organizer of the event must be an active Liberty Chapter member.
· Event participants do not need to be restricted to Liberty Chapter members. The organizer can choose to open registration to the public.
· Any leftover funds from the event will remain in the Liberty Chapter account.
· The Liberty Chapter will not reimburse more than the total amount collected for the event.
· Provide summary of the event to the immediate past chair of the Liberty Chapter within 4 weeks after the event date.
Please fill out this form to let us know about the event, so that the Liberty Chapter can assist you with planning and logistics.
