Hello colleagues,
Please submit your proposal for a lightning talk (5 slides in 5 minutes) for the second Annual Meeting of the MLA Liberty Chapter to be held Nov. 1, 2022 using this form:
https://jefferson.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ctHHfrFvJctVU46
Send comments and questions to Helen-Ann Brown Epstein at habepstein@gmail.com , Allison Piazza at allison.piazza@shu.edu and Gary Kaplan at Gary.Kaplan@jefferson.edu.
Pat’s husband Steve has gifted the Chapter with a square that Pat knitted. We will be using this square as the middle square of a blanket which will be donated to an organization we think can use it the most. We ask any interested chapter members to knit or crochet a square to add to the blanket. We will be collecting squares at the end of September 2022. Squares will be sent to Helen-Ann Brown Epstein, who will connect the squares to create a blanket. If you are working on a square, email Helen-Ann or Abby Adamczyk and we will let you know where to send it.
Choose any pattern that you want to try. Squares can be as simple or complicated as you would like. We have included a few simple patterns below. If you are new to knitting, that’s great! This is a perfect project to get started! Check out the tutorials linked at the end of this post. Maybe you’ll make more than one!
Pattern Ideas (create an account to download the patterns for free)
https://www.knitpicks.com/star-baby-cloth/p/56018
https://www.knitpicks.com/citrine-washcloth-pattern/p/55562
https://www.purlsoho.com/create/category/knit/knit-tutorials/knit-tutorials-basics/
Purl Soho is a craft store based in NYC. They have some great knitting basics tutorials that include both written and video instructions.
Registration is free. Zoom meeting info will be sent to registered members one day before the session. (Register on our Events webpage)
Facilitator: Helen-Ann Brown Epstein Article: Miller JM, Ford SF, Yang A. Elevation through reflection: closing the circle to improve librarianship. J Med Libr Assoc. 2020 Jul 1;108(3):353-363. doi: 10.5195/jmla.2020.938. PMID: 32843867; PMCID: PMC7441907. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32843867/
Abstract: Reflective practice is a strategy promoted as a way to improve professional performance and to develop expertise. Intentional reflection on work situations can lead to improved understanding of a specific situation, identify strategies for similar situations in the future, and uncover assumptions that hinder service to patrons. Research has identified lack of knowledge to be a barrier to health sciences librarians engaging in reflective practice. This article introduces the use of intentional reflection at work: what it is, how it helps, and how it can be applied in librarianship. It also provides practical advice on how to choose a format, how to use a model to guide reflection, and how to incorporate it into work. This event is open exclusively to current members of the Liberty Chapter. If you have any problems logging into your chapter account to register, please email Abby Adamczyk at Abby.L.Adamczyk at gmail.com.
Dear Chapter Members,
I would like to share a great and touching tribute written by Dr. Peter Wyer from the New York Academy of Medicine to honor Pat for her contributions to NYAM. Thanks, --Yingting
Patricia E Gallagher In Memoriam
On behalf of the New York Academy of Medicine, Section on Evidence-Based Health Care, as well as her colleagues at the National Library of Medicine who knew her best, such as Stephen Greenberg, we would like to extend our condolences to the family of Pat Gallagher. Pat was an amazing colleague and friend to us and our Section, and we miss her already.
A special tribute from Peter Wyer
I knew and collaborated with Pat Gallagher over a 25-year period beginning in 1996. At that time she was a prominent member of the library staff of the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) and the leading proponent at the Academy of the emerging field of evidence based medicine (EBM) and clinical practice. I was a NYAM Fellow at that time and had met her as a result of establishing ties with several New York medical academics who were teaching at the annual McMaster EBM Workshop. They were preparing to launch a parallel effort in New York City which would be based at the Academy. A pilot workshop in 1996 led to the securing of a three-year grant from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) which supported a series of workshops beginning in 1998 and the development of an electronic EBM Resource Center. The NYAM library served as the home of this project and Pat’s presence at NYAM made the whole thing possible. These efforts constituted the first organized teaching and dissemination of EBM skills in the New York region.
The NYAM and McMaster workshops spawned a second generation effort and workshop series at the Academy beginning in 2001 after the initial NLM funding expired. Pat became a member of a core group made up of myself and several other emergency physicians. She had spearheaded the incorporation of librarian facilitators into the small group learning workshop format and we adopted the same approach, which was eventually followed at the McMaster Workshop as well. Pat maintained a wide network of contacts within the New York librarian community, as well as nationally, as a result of her active role in the Medical Librarian Association. She organized and coordinated this aspect of our workshop series, a role that continued with the advent of the third generation of EBM related workshops at NYAM, called “Teaching Evidence Assimilation for Collaborative Healthcare (TEACH)” in 2009. She also played a key role in securing charitable access to electronic resources and databases for our workshop participants and faculty during the events.
I had the privilege of collaborating with Pat on projects beyond the NYAM workshop efforts. She co-authored, and helped design, a four-part series of articles aimed at emergency physicians on the use of electronic resources. These were published in Annals of Emergency Medicine, the leading peer reviewed journal in this specialty, between 2002 and 2003. She also spearheaded the development of a librarian reviewer pool for the journal during the same period. Librarians having skills and experience in the area of systematic reviews became part of a specialist reviewer panel and were available to editors such as myself to review structured searches submitted as part of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. This capability was unique among emergency medicine journals and way ahead of its time within peer reviewed medical journalism in general.
Pat Gallagher was one of the most generous and selfless individuals I have ever known and worked with. Throughout some 20 years of active collaboration as summarized above, she never asked anything for herself. Indeed, I and others had to virtually cajole her into allowing us to nominate her for NYAM Fellowship and she only agreed to apply after the establishment of our Section on Evidence Based Health Care at the Academy in 2008. Her application was, of course, immediately accepted. I can say without hesitation that, without the groundwork laid by Pat’s early teaching efforts at NYAM, as well as her ongoing encouragement, support and multiple areas of facilitation, the formation of our Section would not likely have come to pass. She will be sorely missed.
P Wyer, Co-chair NYAM Section on Evidence Based Health Care and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, December 2021 and Section Member Barnet (Barney) Eskin, Arlene Smaldone, Sharron Close, Judy Honig, Pat Quinlan, Ed Suh, fellow “library conspirator” Dorice Vieira, and the many members who have participated in EBHC on whom you have left an everlasting impression.
Dear Liberty Chapter Members,
Happy New Year! We hope you all had a pleasant and relaxing holiday season!
Looking back, 2021 was very memorable for our Chapter. Merging from the former NY-NJ Chapter and the Philadelphia Regional Chapter of MLA, the Liberty Chapter was formed in April 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the times filled with uncertainties and challenges, we health sciences librarians remained persistent and resilient. We have never been busier, providing health information and research services in any possible way. Whether it is online via various web meeting tools, live chat services, in-person, or via phone, we always strive to provide high quality services to our users.
The chapter provides a great platform for all the members to learn from each other and to share own experiences. In October, the chapter held its inaugural annual meeting attended by over 100 participants. Thank you all for the feedback, which was very positive and encouraging. Your input helps us plan and develop better programs for the future meetings.
Looking forward, 2022 presents many opportunities for our new chapter to grow. While we continue coping with the pandemic, the chapter will have several areas to focus on: 1) amending the bylaws to make them be more pertinent to the new chapter; 2) adopting the new and unified listerv. Please check often your Junk Folder to avoid missing any important information posted to the listserv; 3) completing the legal process of the merger; 4) planning to phase out the two legacy chapters’ listservs and websites; 5) initiating the new DEI committee; 6) recruiting members for the committees and carrying out their charges; 7) planning and programming for the 2022 annual meeting.
Let’s work together to make our chapter great and successful!
Sincerely,
Gary and Yingting
Hello everyone. The Liberty Chapter recently held two Town Hall meetings because we wanted to open discussion for those who missed the merger update from the first Annual Chapter meeting. The recordings for each session are available at the bottom if you would like to hear to the full scoop.
After introductions, the first item of discussion was to open the floor up to questions and answers about the merger. The Board has been arranged to have equal state representation, but there are still plenty of volunteer positions that need to be filled. As the WWII Uncle Sam posters say, “We Want You!”
Over the course of the merger, we have kept a timeline of the major milestones accomplished and those that have yet to happen. One of the milestones we are currently hurdling is the legal aspect, such as the change of chapter names and the possible liquidation of certain assets. Financials were reviewed, and we did very well with the Annual Meeting. We had wonderful vendor support, which is beneficial for our current legal fees. Items that are also currently being hashed out include a new listserv host, implementation of the new Bylaws, and ideas for the Liberty Chapter Archives and Blog. We encourage everyone who has an idea for archival management, networking, outreach, and online social interaction to contact us. Every idea is welcome.
Board’s To-Do List:
Again, we need volunteers! Some of the Board members are wearing multiple hats until the positions are filled. So, if you have an interest please join the team!
November 10th Town Hall Meeting
November 15th Town Hall Meeting
Congratulations to our members who won awards at the Inaugural Chapter Annual Meeting, held virtually via Zoom on October 18-19, 2021!
Awarded to active Chapter members for their contributions to the Chapter upon retirement or leaving the profession.
Patricia E. Gallagher – Retired June 2021
Most recent Chapter role: Chair, Membership Committee
Micki McIntyre – Retired August 2021
Most recent Chapter role: Co-chair, Chapter Merger Joint Steering Committee, 2018-2021
For Outgoing Chapter Chairs in recognition of their service.
Sarah Jewell
Amanda Adams
Chapter Co-chairs
For outstanding service and/or contribution by an active Chapter member who’s held a membership for 5 or more years.
We gave three awards. All contributions were noted as being critical in the merger of the two chapters.
Abby Adamczyk for her work:
Treasurer of the Philadelphia Regional Chapter
Lead role with Wild Apricot - the membership and communication system
Oversight of the membership migration in the system
Training NY-NJ and Philadelphia members on system functionality
Helped build the beginnings of a Liberty Chapter website with functionality to be able to accept meeting registration and vendor payments
Work with the Merger Steering Committee
Work with the Annual Meeting Planning Committee
Barbara S. Reich for her work with the Bylaws Committee. Her attention to detail was critical in ensuring that Chapter bylaws were precise and correct.
Vicki Sciuk for her work with the Web Team. Vicki continuously updated the web site which was especially important in program planning for the Annual Meeting.
The Liberty Chapter Research Grant was awarded in the amount of $1,000.00 to:
Stacy Posillico, Northwell Health Libraries; Jaclyn Vialet, North Shore University Hospital; and Saori Wendy Herman, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Title: Consolidating and Delivering Comprehensive Library Services Following a Healthcare System Merger or Acquisition: Protocol for a Delphi Study
Please click on the links below for information about our Nominating Committee Report and Board Officers and Committee Chairs:
Nominating Committee Report 2021_Final11.4.2021.pdf
2021-22 LibertyChapter-BoardOfficers-CommitteeChairs-20211109.docx
Great news!
The bylaws for Liberty Chapter have been updated. Click the link below to review our chapter's new bylaws:
Liberty Chapter 2021 Bylaws amendments.pdf
A special thank you to everyone who voted.
Note (11/10/2022): The above bylaws have been superseded by the bylaws revised 10/27/2022.
Correction: To update and change the bylaws for the new Liberty Chapter, we need 2/3 of the votes to be for the change. If you haven't already, we invite you to vote in the 2021 Liberty Chapter bylaw amendment voting and elections! You should have received the link to the ballot already (9/16), but it can also be accessed here: https://mlaphil.wildapricot.org/Sys/Poll/28186**
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**Please note that you will have to sign in via Wild Apricot in order to vote, which can be done here: https://libertymla.org/Sys/Login **
If this is their first time signing into their MLA-Liberty Chapter account they will need to reset their passwords. There is a “forgot password” option on the login page that can also be accessed via: https://libertymla.org/Sys/ResetPasswordRequest
If you are unable to login, you can reset your password. Make sure that you are using the email address at which you received this notification. You should receive a password reset link shortly after. If you run into any issues, please email Abby Adamczyk.
Questions 1-4 are specific to bylaws. To view the bylaws document that includes the original language and amendments please see https://libertymla.org/Bylaw-Amendments/
Following the bylaw amendment voting, please find the ballot for the 2021 Fall elections. Candidate bios can be read here: https://libertymla.org/Blog/11088242
Thank you for voting!
The Liberty Chapter Nominating Committee & Liberty Chapter Leadership
