Author Archive for Administrator

From the Chair

Andrea Kenyon

Andrea Kenyon

I am delighted to tell you about some exciting opportunities for Chapter member involvement and professional growth. Participating in Chapter activities give members the chance to develop and hone library and leadership skills in a supportive environment.

Committee participation is an excellent way to get involved. We would like to engage more members in helping our new Website Chair, Ene Belleh, enhance the Chapter’s webpages. Have ideas for Chapter programs or continuing education? Do you enjoy planning and organizing events? The Program and Continuing Education Committee Chairs would welcome your assistance. Fundraising and membership cultivation are other areas of Chapter involvement that would benefit the Chapter and provide you with valuable development experience. These are just a few examples of rewarding ways to benefit from Chapter membership.

Another way to get involved is through conference planning. I am pleased to announce that our Chapter will be participating in a joint library health information conference with three other MLA chapters to be held in Baltimore, Maryland in the fall of 2012. Conference participation offers our Chapter members a chance to gain experience submitting posters, serving as presenters and moderators and networking with a larger group of health information professionals. Priscilla Stephenson, Chief of Library Service at the VA, has agreed to serve as the Philadelphia Regional Chapter’s representative to the conference planning team. This is a huge undertaking and many volunteers are needed to help plan and implement the conference. With your help we have every expectation that this conference will be a valuable opportunity for networking, collaboration and professional education. Please contact Priscilla and let her know how you might help with the conference.

I want to personally invite each of you to attend the Philadelphia Regional Chapter’s 60th Annual Meeting and Reception on April 6 at Pennsylvania Hospital, starting at 4 p.m. Program Chair Gary Kaplan has invited a speaker to describe The Public Health Management Corporation’s Community Health Database. The Public Health Management Corporation is a leading nonprofit provider of public health resources. The evening promises to be a very special one in a beautiful, historic setting.

In the last Chronicle, I sought your feedback about the Chapter–what you value as a member and the direction you feel the Chapter needs to go in order to help you on your career path. Questions include: How can we engage you in Chapter activities? How can we engage members outside of Philadelphia? Should we merge with another Chapter? I was hoping to initiate a dialogue. So far I have not been overwhelmed with responses. Please take a moment to reflect on what the Chapter means to you and send me an email at alkenyon@verizon.net

Wishing you a productive and happy spring!

Andrea

Dress for Success Clothing Drive Underway

By Andrea Kenyon

The Chapter is soliciting gently used professional clothing and accessories for Dress for Success Philadelphia, which helps disadvantaged women in the Philadelphia region gain employment by providing professional attire. In addition, the organization offers a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has a job interview and can return for a second suit or separates when she finds work. Dress for Success Philadelphia opened its doors on July 1, 2008, and in a very short time has become the second largest suiting program in the world, suiting more than 6,000 low income women who are trying to emerge from poverty.

In this tough economy finding a job can be a very tedious, time consuming process. Even dressing your best for job interview can be expensive, but that’s where Dress for Success comes in. Just by cleaning out your closet, you can help someone land their dream job. Clothing includes interview and work-appropriate separates, including blazers, jackets, shirts, pants and skirts. Professional shoes, jewelry, scarves, handbags, and briefcases are also needed. Please bring your clothing to the Annual Meeting on April 6. A clothing drop-off will be set up near the registration table. If you have questions, please contact Andrea Kenyon, who is coordinating the clothing drive, at alkenyon@verizon.net. To learn more about Dress for Success visit http://www.dressforsuccess.org/affiliate.aspx?pageid=1&sisid=169.

Chapter Council Presents Sharing Roundtables

photo of Anne Seymour

Anne Seymour

As the MLA-Phil representative to Chapter Council, I’d like to encourage all MLA ’11 attendees to sign up for the Roundtables event, to be held Sunday, May 15 from noon til 2 p.m. It is one of the best networking and information sharing opportunities at MLA. I’ve participated almost every year I’ve attended the Annual Conference and each time I learn something new and meet new colleagues. There are lots of topics to chose from (see the list below) – if anything, it’s difficult to choose just one! Read more» » »

Value of Libraries Survey Launch

Due to the generosity of twelve different regional and national library groups, including the Philadelphia Regional Chapter, the launch of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region (MAR/NNLM) Value of Libraries study (“The Value of Library and Information Services in Patient Care “) is ready to launch. The goal of the study is to measure the value and impact of library and information resources on clinical decision making by physicians, residents, and nurses. The study has been in the planning stages since November 2006, when the Regional Advisory Committee of the MAR/NNLM determined that the influential and highly cited Rochester study needed to be updated to reflect the current, technologically complex library environment. [See: “Measuring the value and impact of health sciences libraries: planning an update and replication of the Rochester Study.” J Med Libr Assoc. 2009 Oct; 97(4):308-12. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2759150/?tool=pubmed] The Value of Libraries study includes an online survey of physicians, residents and nurses; interviews with respondents at selected institutions; and librarian focus groups. Read more» » »

Anatomy as a Science/Anatomy as Art at PAFA

by Calvin Wang

Calvin Wang

Calvin Wang

MLA-Phil librarians experienced a unique look into a unique exhibit now on view at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). Anatomy/Academy is a look at the collaboration between Philadelphia’s medical and art communities in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. <http://www.pafa.org/Museum/Exhibitions/Currently-On-View/Anatomy-Academy/679/ Read more» » »