Elaine Martin, Director, NN/LM, New England Region, gave an RML update and recognized grant recipients. Congratulations to the many libraries and individuals who will benefit from RML grant support.

Ed Donnald brought the MAHSLIN membership up-to-date with NAHSL activities. In the works is a conference scheduled close to home, in Sturbridge, Mass. More details to follow.

Once the business meeting adjourned, presenters enlightened participants on several issues facing librarians today.

Mark Funk, MA, AHIP, Head of Collection Development at Joan and Sanford I Weill Medical College, Cornell University, discussed Collection Development: Budget, Statistics, or Intuition? Funk gave a light-hearted but succinct lecture about methodologies surrounding collection development aspects of librarianship, things everyone does, but few discuss. He offered practical tips and suggestions for evaluating books and materials for inclusion or weeding, including several spreadsheet ideas that could be put to immediate use in most medical libraries.

One of the ideas Funk suggested was to conduct regional or statewide comparison surveys of collection budgets. Figures garnered from such surveys could be used as leverage with administrators for increasing the size of operating budgets. In tight economic times, Funk’s ideas are well worth looking into. Perhaps more study of the issue by the MAHSLIN membership is called for.

In his closing remarks, Funk, with somber aplomb, told the story of St. Egad, the patron saint of librarians, and his nemesis the dreaded El Severe. Nary a dry eye remained in the house—for a time the meeting came to a standstill as members, convulsed with laughter, wiped away tears of mirth.

Donna Beales of Lowell General Hospital followed Funk’s uproarious performance with So You’ve Created a Digital Library—Now What? Beales modified the Wong-Baker Pain Scale to create an interactive session around six statements having to do with formulation of digital libraries. Statements included such things as "If I create a digital library, it will save me money," and "If I create a digital library, my in-house reference statistics will not go down." The audience was able to respond to her statements using cards with smiles, frowns, and question marks, giving an immediate ‘temperature read’ of how they were reacting to the statements.

Beales likened administrators and librarians to the Dr. Seuss story of "Horton Hears a Who." The Whos, a tiny race, live on a clover Horton the elephant carries around in his trunk. Horton doesn’t realize they exist. The Whos band together and make enough noise so that they finally are heard by Horton. Beales stated that librarians are like the Whos, and administrative personnel are the Horton’s who too often don’t realize that libraries and librarians exist or have meaning. She elaborated that digital libraries can put librarians on the map with administrators and staff. By sharing the positive benefits of her experience with a well-received Internet library, she encouraged fellow medical librarians to enter into the digital library arena.

The session concluded with Providing Consumer Health Services: Examples and Models. Three speakers shared the roster on the topic, Anne Fladger, MLS, of Salem Hospital, Len Levin, MS(LS) of the Paul E Woodward Health Sciences Library, New England Baptist Hospital, and Lynne Sette, MLS, Senior Reference Librarian, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale University.

Fladger related her Consumer Health Library experiences, emphasizing the role of the consumer health library in outreach programs. She discussed a few of the projects she had initiated, such as consumer health series for the general public through involvement with the public library system. The session concluded with Providing Consumer Health Services: Examples and Models. Three speakers shared the roster on the topic, Anne Fladger, MLS, of Salem Hospital, Len Levin, MS(LS) of the Paul E Woodward Health Sciences Library, New England Baptist Hospital, and Lynne Sette, MLS, Senior Reference Librarian, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale University.

Levin is facing the difficult task of library renovation. He expounded on the merits and pitfalls of operating during such a stressful time. " If you choose to offer a consumer health service at your institution, it CAN be done," says Levin. If you are committed to the idea, you can always find room for it in your library by weeding your collection, taking a new approach to the layout of your library, etc. Also, while I feel that it is important to have the ,main function of the program in or very near the library (especially if you are responsible for running it), remember that electronic resources managed by you can be placed on single function workstations throughout the institution with directions of where to go to find more. 2) Be PATIENT!"

Sette discussed her work with the New Haven Public Library, where she is in the process of collaborating on a Consumer Health area within the public library itself. She noted that a significant portion of 11,000 health and science titles already present were too old to be of real value to the consumer. She is in the process of updating older titles, and continues to apply her expertise in the medical realm to strengthen health information within her community.

Lynne Sette

The MAHSLIN conference concluded with a snack for the road-- and perhaps it raised as many new questions as those which were answered during the sessions. Participants were left with much food for thought beyond exit muffins and granola bars, fuel that will sustain them until the next MAHSLIN meeting.

To MAHSLIN members who plan to attend MLA in Dallas, a reminder that new standards around staffing for Medical Libraries are being proposed. Please take the time on Sunday from 7 -–9 AM to cast your vote on this important issue. We hope MAHSLIN members will be a presence in Texas this year.

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