- Email: [email protected]
The information frontier: 1996 Medical Library Association annual meeting
do the job? How will the users feel? Will they meet the expectations of their clients? He also feels that there is quite a variety of options available to professionals who are excited by the new technology. Outsourcing permits them to slip into what they perceive as more valuable roles. Randy Marcinko linked outsourcing issues to the struggle librarians have had over the years with their self-image. In his opinion, contracting out certain services will allow librarians to rise to the top and improve that image. Barbara Quint pointed out that the library profession should not be equated with library buildings. With or without buildings, librarians’ skills will still be needed. Professionals know where to find information, and usually at a considerably lower price than vendors. Institutions should consider this before choosing vendors over in-house librarians. In closing, Ms. Quint suggested that librarians treat each day on the job as a challenge, an opportunity to learn and grow professionally. On a practical note, she also advised us to keep our resumes and our skills up-to-date. The message of the day was clear. The term outsourcing may be new, but not the concept, and it is here to stay. Professional librarians are smart to feel threatened by outsourcing, but it is up to us to counteract this threat by expanding our professional skills and promoting these skills to our employers. All libraries and library professionals will be forced to look at outsourcing at one time or another, either for reasons of econHopefully, attendance at omy or efficiency. information seminars such as this one will help us make intelligent decisions when it comes to this often emotional topic. Harrison is Coordinator, Original Cataloging, California State University, Fullerton University.
THE INFORMATIONFRONTIER:~~~~MEDICAL
LIBRARYASSOCIATIONANNUALMEETING
Nancy F. Stimson The 96th Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association was held in Kansas City, Missouri, June 1-5, 1996. Over 1,650 people attended the conference and were greeted with Kansas City hospitality and warm weather (although one night a tornado warning surprised some conference-goers visiting the southern part of the city!).
-SERIALSSPOKEN HERE-
The theme of this year’s meeting was “The Information Frontier.” Jana Bradley, MLA President, was unable to attend the conference, so Naomi Broering, Director of Dahlgren Memorial Library at Georgetown University Medical Center, presided over the meeting, while Bradley’s previously videotaped remarks allowed her to be “virtually” present! At the welcome session Broering, Program Committee Chair Jacqueline Doyle, and Carla Funk, MLA Executive Director, used the metaphor of pioneers heading west during the last century to express the excitement, uncertainty and progress being made on today’s information frontier. Funk mentioned some of the challenges that face the profession-the effects of downsizing, laws and standards, and the need for broader access to health information-as well as obstacles such as the public perception of the profession, technological opening of the field to “everyone,” lack of cause and effect research, and education and training needs. The four plenary sessions were carefully selected to address different aspects of this theme. The lead plenary speaker, Clifford Stoll, a writer and computer security expert, urged the audience to be skeptical about the Internet and computing in general. Using an energetic speaking style and prompted by notes written on the palm of his hand, Stoll voiced concern about the social and monetary costs of these technologies, and the quality of the electronic information provided. Robert M. Braude from Cornell Medical Library, the second plenary speaker, spoke “On the Origin of a Species: Evolution of Health Sciences Librarianship.” He compared medical librarians’ adaptation over time to the evolution of the Galapagos Islands finches, and suggested that learning is the means by which librarians adapt to forces in their environment. Braude reminded the audience that they are in the information business, not the container business, that technology just provides a new set of tools to use. He also advised medical librarians not to try to resemble other professionals or risk becoming indistinguishable from them. The third plenary session, “High Noon in Cyberspace: Showdown at the Copyright Corral,” led by Laura Gasaway, Director of the Law Library and Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Robert Oakley, Director of the Law Library and Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center; and Clifford Lynch, Director of Library Automation of the University of California’s Office of the President, addressed how copyright issues will be handled in the “Digital Age.” Topics covered
F~~~1996
135
during this session included the implications of the proposed term limit extension; guidelines for electronic reserves, distance learning, and multimedia; and emerging technologies that will provide electronic information rightsholders with absolute control over the use of their material. The fourth and final plenary session was a demonstration of and discussion about the evolving role of the “Virtual Hospital” World Wide Web site led by its creators, Michael D’Allessandro, M.D. and Jeffrey R. Galvin, M.D. from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. Thirty-four continuing education classes covering a wide range of topics were offered during the week, as well as two all-day conference symposia, one on collection development in health science libraries and the other on telemedicine. Over 106 papers were presented as part of section and special interest group programming. In addition, two “Late-Breaking Sessions” were added to the program. “Late-Breaking Sessions” were an experiment this year to try to assemble programs on “cutting-edge” topics relatively late in the conference planning process. “Information Technology Developments of the Next Five Years and Their Potential Impact on Libraries,” was presented by Clifford Lynch, Director of Library Automation of the University of California’s Office of the President; Brian Wailing, Manager, Digital Library Operations, University of California at San Francisco; and Dalia Kleinmuntz, Webster Library, Evanston Hospital. The other session, “Benchmarking: Collecting and Analyzing Data Effectively” included Holly Shipp Buchanan, Associate Professor and Director of Libraries, Greenblatt Library, Medical College of Georgia; Valerie Florance, Director, Edward G. Miner Library, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; Sandra I. Martin, Assistant Director, Shiffman Medical Library, Wayne State University; Robin M. Rand, Director, Maine Medical Center Library; and Marion N. Sabella, Director, Parks Library Resource Center, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in Long Beach, California. About 635 exhibitors representing 101 vendors displayed, demonstrated, and discussed their products. In addition, over sixty “Show Me!” print posters and twelve electronic demonstrations were on display in the exhibit hall. Other services in the exhibit hall included the Internet Center placed in the middle of the exhibits, and a “Relaxation Station” which provided neckrubs and other services for weary conference-goers.
136 SERIALSREVIEW
Social and entertainment opportunities were als plentiful. The welcome reception and opening of th exhibits was quite festive, and included an exuberar performance by The Cougars, a local drill team an drum corps group. The Friends of the National Librar of Medicine hosted a reception at the Kansas Cit, Museum one evening. The next night, another Kansa City museum, the Arabia Steamship Museum, was th site of a barbecue and jazz party. Many conference goers hopped on the Kansas City Trolley for a guide1 tour of the city, or just used it as transportation to visi the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, Country Club Plaza, or othe exciting destinations! Conference publicity and communication befon and during the conference were excellent. The Frontie Express, the daily newspaper for the conference, pro vided conference-goers with daily updates about pro gram changes, services and social opportunities, ant other news. A new edition of this paper was available every day both in print and on the MLA 1996 Web site The MLA 1996 Web site, located at http:/ www.kumc.edu/MLA/MLA96/, provided up-to-date information as it became available. Preliminary infor mation about the next MLA conference, which will bc held in Seattle next year, is already available at http:/ www.kumc.edufMLAfMLA97l. The various programs offered at this year’s confer ence were relevant and challenging. Conference-goer: returned home tired but fortified with ideas they car use to survive and even thrive on the Information Fron tier.
Stimson is Reference/Instruction Sciences Library, State University Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.
Librarian, Healtl of New York a
CANADIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION~ERIALS INTEREST GROUPPROGRAM,
JUNE1996
Wayne Jones The 51st annual conference of the Canadian Library Association was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 5-9,1996, with “Sail Into Our Future” as its theme. The CLA’s Serials Interest Group organized a session called “Wiring the Dory” on the topic of providing access tc and preserving online electronic serials. About forty-
- SUSAN DAVIS -
THE INFORMATIONFRONTIER:~~~~MEDICAL
LIBRARYASSOCIATIONANNUALMEETING
Nancy F. Stimson The 96th Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association was held in Kansas City, Missouri, June 1-5, 1996. Over 1,650 people attended the conference and were greeted with Kansas City hospitality and warm weather (although one night a tornado warning surprised some conference-goers visiting the southern part of the city!).
-SERIALSSPOKEN HERE-
The theme of this year’s meeting was “The Information Frontier.” Jana Bradley, MLA President, was unable to attend the conference, so Naomi Broering, Director of Dahlgren Memorial Library at Georgetown University Medical Center, presided over the meeting, while Bradley’s previously videotaped remarks allowed her to be “virtually” present! At the welcome session Broering, Program Committee Chair Jacqueline Doyle, and Carla Funk, MLA Executive Director, used the metaphor of pioneers heading west during the last century to express the excitement, uncertainty and progress being made on today’s information frontier. Funk mentioned some of the challenges that face the profession-the effects of downsizing, laws and standards, and the need for broader access to health information-as well as obstacles such as the public perception of the profession, technological opening of the field to “everyone,” lack of cause and effect research, and education and training needs. The four plenary sessions were carefully selected to address different aspects of this theme. The lead plenary speaker, Clifford Stoll, a writer and computer security expert, urged the audience to be skeptical about the Internet and computing in general. Using an energetic speaking style and prompted by notes written on the palm of his hand, Stoll voiced concern about the social and monetary costs of these technologies, and the quality of the electronic information provided. Robert M. Braude from Cornell Medical Library, the second plenary speaker, spoke “On the Origin of a Species: Evolution of Health Sciences Librarianship.” He compared medical librarians’ adaptation over time to the evolution of the Galapagos Islands finches, and suggested that learning is the means by which librarians adapt to forces in their environment. Braude reminded the audience that they are in the information business, not the container business, that technology just provides a new set of tools to use. He also advised medical librarians not to try to resemble other professionals or risk becoming indistinguishable from them. The third plenary session, “High Noon in Cyberspace: Showdown at the Copyright Corral,” led by Laura Gasaway, Director of the Law Library and Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Robert Oakley, Director of the Law Library and Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center; and Clifford Lynch, Director of Library Automation of the University of California’s Office of the President, addressed how copyright issues will be handled in the “Digital Age.” Topics covered
F~~~1996
135
during this session included the implications of the proposed term limit extension; guidelines for electronic reserves, distance learning, and multimedia; and emerging technologies that will provide electronic information rightsholders with absolute control over the use of their material. The fourth and final plenary session was a demonstration of and discussion about the evolving role of the “Virtual Hospital” World Wide Web site led by its creators, Michael D’Allessandro, M.D. and Jeffrey R. Galvin, M.D. from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. Thirty-four continuing education classes covering a wide range of topics were offered during the week, as well as two all-day conference symposia, one on collection development in health science libraries and the other on telemedicine. Over 106 papers were presented as part of section and special interest group programming. In addition, two “Late-Breaking Sessions” were added to the program. “Late-Breaking Sessions” were an experiment this year to try to assemble programs on “cutting-edge” topics relatively late in the conference planning process. “Information Technology Developments of the Next Five Years and Their Potential Impact on Libraries,” was presented by Clifford Lynch, Director of Library Automation of the University of California’s Office of the President; Brian Wailing, Manager, Digital Library Operations, University of California at San Francisco; and Dalia Kleinmuntz, Webster Library, Evanston Hospital. The other session, “Benchmarking: Collecting and Analyzing Data Effectively” included Holly Shipp Buchanan, Associate Professor and Director of Libraries, Greenblatt Library, Medical College of Georgia; Valerie Florance, Director, Edward G. Miner Library, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; Sandra I. Martin, Assistant Director, Shiffman Medical Library, Wayne State University; Robin M. Rand, Director, Maine Medical Center Library; and Marion N. Sabella, Director, Parks Library Resource Center, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in Long Beach, California. About 635 exhibitors representing 101 vendors displayed, demonstrated, and discussed their products. In addition, over sixty “Show Me!” print posters and twelve electronic demonstrations were on display in the exhibit hall. Other services in the exhibit hall included the Internet Center placed in the middle of the exhibits, and a “Relaxation Station” which provided neckrubs and other services for weary conference-goers.
136 SERIALSREVIEW
Social and entertainment opportunities were als plentiful. The welcome reception and opening of th exhibits was quite festive, and included an exuberar performance by The Cougars, a local drill team an drum corps group. The Friends of the National Librar of Medicine hosted a reception at the Kansas Cit, Museum one evening. The next night, another Kansa City museum, the Arabia Steamship Museum, was th site of a barbecue and jazz party. Many conference goers hopped on the Kansas City Trolley for a guide1 tour of the city, or just used it as transportation to visi the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, Country Club Plaza, or othe exciting destinations! Conference publicity and communication befon and during the conference were excellent. The Frontie Express, the daily newspaper for the conference, pro vided conference-goers with daily updates about pro gram changes, services and social opportunities, ant other news. A new edition of this paper was available every day both in print and on the MLA 1996 Web site The MLA 1996 Web site, located at http:/ www.kumc.edu/MLA/MLA96/, provided up-to-date information as it became available. Preliminary infor mation about the next MLA conference, which will bc held in Seattle next year, is already available at http:/ www.kumc.edufMLAfMLA97l. The various programs offered at this year’s confer ence were relevant and challenging. Conference-goer: returned home tired but fortified with ideas they car use to survive and even thrive on the Information Fron tier.
Stimson is Reference/Instruction Sciences Library, State University Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.
Librarian, Healtl of New York a
CANADIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION~ERIALS INTEREST GROUPPROGRAM,
JUNE1996
Wayne Jones The 51st annual conference of the Canadian Library Association was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 5-9,1996, with “Sail Into Our Future” as its theme. The CLA’s Serials Interest Group organized a session called “Wiring the Dory” on the topic of providing access tc and preserving online electronic serials. About forty-
- SUSAN DAVIS -