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
The Chapter Nominating Committee is delighted to announce this year’s candidates for Chapter offices. The link to vote is HERE.
Gary M. Childs, MS is the Engineering (STEM-H) Librarian at West Chester University. Alongside his subject area responsibilities, he is a member of faculty senate and the University Libraries’ electronic resources committee. He has been a member of the Philadelphia Regional Chapter of the Medical Library Association since 2000, where he served as Membership Chair from 2002-2007, Treasurer from 2012-2016, and Program Chair/Chair Elect 2020-2021. Gary also participated in the 2020 Annual Planning Committee. He is currently Co-Chairing the 2021 Annual Planning Committee for the inaugural Annual Meeting of the MLA Liberty Chapter and a member of the transition team helping to shape our emerging chapter. Gary obtained his master’s degree in library science from Drexel University in 2000 and he’s currently enrolled in the non-profit track of the public administration master’s program at West Chester University.
Abby L. Adamczyk, MLIS, AHIP is the Graduate Medical Education Librarian at Thomas Jefferson University's Scott Memorial Library in Philadelphia. As the GME Librarian, she provides education and research support to residents and fellows.
Abby has been the Treasurer of the Philadelphia Regional Chapter of MLA since 2016 and continues to manage the Philadelphia Regional Chapter finances through our merger into the Liberty Chapter. She participated in the Merger Steering Committee as a non-voting member to advise on financial aspects of the merger, is currently on the 2021 Liberty Chapter Annual Meeting planning committee, and worked on the planning committee for the 2020 Philadelphia Regional Chapter Annual Meeting. Abby also serves as Chair of the Research Caucus of the Medical Library Association and is a member of the Credentialing Committee.
Amanda Adams, MLS is honored to be a candidate for the Medical Libraries Association Regional Liberty Chapter inaugural board. As previous Chair of the Philadelphia Chapter, she has been very active in working on the merger process. You have probably received one or two announcements from her! She is really looking forward to our new Liberty Chapter, especially the many new connections and professional development opportunities. Prior to her role as Chair and Program Chair (2019-2020), she served as Continuing Education Committee (CE) Chair, during which she planned CE courses and events. Since 2016, she has held the position of Reference & Instruction Librarian at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in Camden, New Jersey. Prior, she was active in the Special Libraries Association when she worked for a pharmaceutical library. The start of the Liberty Chapter is a very exciting time, and she will continue to strengthen the formation of the chapter, including building up new relationships. Amanda holds a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Muhlenberg College.
Betsy Judge, MSLS, AHIP is the Medical Librarian at Tower Health Reading Hospital. At Reading Hospital, she leads outreach initiatives and information literacy education with the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences, cultivates relationships with faculty and program directors, advocates for information and copyright literacy, and assists in the management of library operations.
Betsy graduated with her Master of Science in Library Science in 2012 from Catholic the University of America. Since then, she was the solo librarian for a law firm for five years and has been a medical librarian at Tower Health Reading Hospital for the past five years. She is a member of AHIP and has served as Secretary of the Special Library Association Maryland Chapter from 2014-2015.
Daniel Verbit, AHIP is the Scholarly Communications and Digital Initiatives Librarian at the Paul J. Gutman Library at Thomas Jefferson University. He serves as librarian liaison to the Applied Research program, the East Falls College of Rehabilitation Sciences, and Jefferson Health Design Lab. Daniel obtained his Master's degree from The University of Alabama. He has been a member of MLA since 2014. He served as the 2017-2018 program chair of the Philadelphia Chapter, 2018-2019 chapter chairperson, and was on the nomination committee from 2019 until the formation of the Liberty Chapter.
Natalie Tagge, MLIS is the Head, Podiatry Library at Temple University. She has a Master’s Degree in Library & Information Science from the University of Illinois and a Master of Public Health from Temple. She previously worked at the Claremont Colleges Library where she was part of a team that won the ACRL Innovation in Instruction Award. She recently co-led an NNLM funded virtual mentoring program for LIS students and early-career librarians interested in health sciences librarianship. Her favorite things are dogs, making people laugh and traveling to new places.
Larissa Gordon, MS, MEd, MA currently works as the Scholarly Communications Librarian at Thomas Jefferson University. She became a medical librarian two years ago, having transitioned to this position from a much smaller liberal arts school. After adjusting to her new role, she is looking to get more involved with her local professional development organization.
Larissa has served as a member and officer in many professional development groups over the years, including the American Library Association (ALA), the local and national branches of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACLR), the Tri-State College Library Cooperative (TCLC), and the College & Research Division of the Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA-CRD), where she notably served as Chair of the group in 2015. Other notable positions include her work as the chair of the Coalition Building Committee for ALA's Intellectual Freedom Roundtable, her role as coordinator of the mentoring program for the Delaware Valley Chapter of ACRL, and her time as co-chair of the Reference Services Interest Group for TCLC. She has also worked as an editor on PaLA-CRD's online journal, Pennsylvania Libraries Research & Practice, and as editor of the It's Academic Column of the PaLA Bulletin.
Benjamin Hoover, MLIS is the Associate Director, Coordinator for Innovative Technology Services at Harrell Health Sciences Library: Research and Learning Commons. He holds a masters in Library Information Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh and has been a librarian for 6 years. His background includes American studies, Cultural and Public History, archives and as a librarian he has focused on access services, instruction and emerging technologies in the library. Ben’s research focus is the intersections between culture and technology in the academy. His hobbies include hiking, brewing beer and 3d printing.
Keydi Boss O'Hagan, MLS, AHIP has been medical librarian for just under 20 years. She began her librarianship at Holy Name Medical Center until her position was eliminated. She then joined Jersey College and have been there for 4 years on the Teterboro, NJ Campus. Most do not know about Jersey College. Jersey College is a nursing school with students enrolled in LPN, RN, LPN-to-RN Bridge, and Nurse Residency programs. Jersey College has 7 campuses and is growing. Her 20-year experience as a professional librarian has given her experience in helping nursing students become nurses, medical students become physicians, nurses who have not been in school for many years become successful students, physicians get the information they need to make a proper and evidence-based diagnosis. she has been involved in HSLANJ, NY/NJ MLA, and MLA as well as several caucuses (sections) since getting her degree. She is currently on the Credentialing Committee and has been the chair for the committee. As a librarian, she believes we are the unsung support for the professional heroes.
Helen-Ann Brown Epstein, MLS MS AHIP FMLA has been a member of MLA before some of our Liberty Chapter members have been born! She has served on the nominating committee before and has advanced names of candidates from our area and throughout MLA that have been nominated and elected! Also, as you know she has been active in MLA at the national level as a MLA Fellow, member of the MLA Futures Task Force, and holding domain hub, caucus and committee memberships and at times leading responsibilities. For our chapter, she has been the Chair twice, and currently serves on committees and Task Forces. Helen-Ann is the Informationist for Virtua Health, a 5 hospital community health system in southern New Jersey. She is honored by your consideration for her to represent the Chapter on the MLA Nominating Committee.
Bridget Jivanelli, MLIS is the Medical Librarian at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. She received her MLIS from Queens College, City University of New York, a graduate certificate in Digital Asset Management from Rutgers University, and her BA in history from Loyola University Maryland. She has been working in health care for 10 years and in medical libraries for 7 years. As a solo hospital librarian, she is able to be involved in many aspects of medical librarianship. Bridget is a column editor for Journal of Hospital Librarianship and Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet. She has been a member of MLA and the NY/NJ Chapter since 2015, is the Information Services Domain Hub Delegate for the Complementary and Integrative Health Caucus, and earned a Consumer Health Specialization Level II. She has presented posters & lightning talks at MLA at both regional and national levels, and is excited to represent the new Liberty Chapter.
Robert T Mackes, MLS is the Executive Director of the Health Sciences Library Association of New Jersey, and has been project manager for the HSLANJ Group Licensing Initiative since 2010. Robb holds a Masters Degree in Library Science from Kutztown University, Pennsylvania, is a distinguished member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals, and has been a medical librarian in New Jersey and Delaware for over 25 years. Prior to managing the HSLANJ GLI, he was project manager for the Delaware Medical Information Resources Alliance, an initiative of the Delaware Academy of Medicine, and managed several health sciences libraries in hospitals in New Jersey. Robb has been involved in HSLANJ, MLA, Hospital Libraries Section, the Relevant Issues Section, the LGBTQ SIG, and the NYNJ and Philadelphia Chapters for many years. Among Robb’s achievements are the Medical Library Association’s Thomson Reuters Frank Bradway Rogers Information Advancement Award, the Health Sciences Library Association of New Jersey Librarian of the Year, and the Hospital Libraries Section Leadership Award. Most recently, he served as co-chair of the New York/New Jersey and Philadelphia Chapter Merger Steering Committee and the 2022 MLA National Program Committee.
Jaclyn Vialet, MLS, AHIP has been a medical librarian for over 10 years and is currently the senior librarian at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY, part of the Northwell Health System. She is responsible for collaborating with various programs and departments to develop and execute educational programs that meet its strategic goals and initiatives. She also provides research support services to residents, researchers, and administration in the form of literature searching, bibliographic management, and scholarly activities. As part of the Northwell librarians’ team, she assists with technical questions regarding mobile applications and access to the electronic resources and chairs their Marketing and Outreach committee. Jaclyn is an active contributor on several systematic reviews and is currently a collaborator on a Delphi study exploring the best practices to successfully integrate library services during a hospital merger or acquisition, of which was presented at MLA’21. Jaclyn is a member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals and is an active member of Medical Library Association. Jaclyn was recognized as a Rising Star by the Hospital Librarians Caucus in 2019 and completed a three-year term as a member, chair, and past chair of the Professional Recruitment & Retention Committee in 2021. She is also an active member of the NY/NJ Chapter of MLA, now known as the Liberty chapter, where she has served as the co-chair of the Programing Committee in 2019, and is actively on the Continuing Education, Website, and Annual Meeting Planning Committees.
Elaine Wells, MLIS has been the Director of the Harold Kohn Vision Science Library at the SUNY College of Optometry since 2000. Within the overall context of management, her professional priorities have included promoting access to state of the art health information, developing innovative methods of pro-active information delivery, and envisioning and creating a library that is a welcoming physical space while providing 24/7 remote access. Prior to being a member of the Liberty Chapter of MLA, she was active for over 20 years in the MLA NY-NJ Chapter, holding various offices including chair and treasurer for two separate terms, and receiving the Outstanding Contribution by a New Member Award in 2000. She has also served on the Annual Meeting Planning Committee and as chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. In 2018, she received the Outstanding Contribution by a Member Award for work on the Finance and Program Committee. She was also named SUNY Distinguished Librarian in 2019.
She is honored to be considered for a position on the MLA Nominating Committee, and would be happy to serve the newly created Liberty Chapter of MLA and get to know her new colleagues.
The link to vote is HERE.
