The Universe of Medical Librarianship

Colleague Connections (Friday)

At the MLA Reception on Friday (I know, it’s already Monday) I was greeted by Rachel Gyore, Reference Librarian (Outreach Services), from the University of Arkansas. The “Colleague Connection” program pairs up a veteran MLA member with a new member to help mentor and guide them through the meeting. What I was most grateful for is that Rachel took the time to introduce me to people. I met several former MLA Presidents and many wonderful people. She helped whittle down the scope and size of the organization by just being friendly and assisting me with making those connections of who’s who. To new members I say, definitely sign up for any types of “mentor” programs. It makes a difference. To MLA I say, please continue to do this in the future, and how long does it take before I’m considered no longer new? 5 years perhaps? I’m going to at least need that amount time to even begin to grasp the vastness of medical librarianship! 

New Member Breakfast (Sunday)

Many of the veteran attendees have told me how lucky the new members are. They didn’t have nice “hold your hand” activities when they first started. Let me just say thanks to those coordinating all of these “new member” events. We really appreciate it! These meetings provided an opportunity to network with similar individuals as well as learn the lingo of the MLA. At the breakfast they presented several of the sections of the MLA, chapters, special interest groups (SIG), and items of interest to new members. Fellow blogger A’Llyn Ettien was at my table and it was nice to put a name to a face and talk about library school, job hunting, and conference experiences so far. The highlight of this event was former MLA President, Lecretia McClure (1990-1991) summarizing what really matters in this industry, “People Count.” Indeed. Connecting, socializing, making friends, listening, and sharing are what really matters. 

Weber Grill New Member Dinner (Sunday)

This wasn’t really a big event, but a nice informal gathering of about 6 new members and 2 veterans leading the way. I would like to thank Ely Whitaker, Reference Librarian/Online Search Services and Outreach Coordinator, from Rush University Medical Center, for coordinating this event. 4 of the new members live in the Chicago area so it was nice to get some local hints. Suggested places to visit were the Shedd Aquarium, Millennium Park, and for Thai food, “Star of Siam.” I’ll have to check that out, time permitting… While enjoying my awesome burger and fries we discussed our conference experiences, jobs, previous lives prior to medical librarianship, and Oprah. She always manages to come into conversations! I guess her studio is somewhere in this city. Once again, it is nice to have these “new member” events that extend a warm welcome and make you feel like you belong. The MLA conference is just more reassurance that I made the right career choice. The profession has a helpful network, you truly are helping people save lives (directly or indirectly), and you feel appreciated.