OSTP Public Access Forum Request for Comment Response
AAHSL has responded to the request for comment by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) regarding the development of policies to deliver public access to the published results of taxpayer-funded research. The AAHSL response was submitted to the OSTP blog and encourages expanding the NIH Public Access Policy to include other sciences and technology governmental agencies that fund research awards with tax-generated revenue.
NIH Consumer Health Information RFI Response
AAHSL has responded to the National Institutes of Health request for information on Consumer Health Information Interests and Behaviors for Seeking and Using Health Information. AAHSL's response highlights the role played by academic health sciences libraries in distributing useful NIH consumer related information and urges the full use of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine to disseminate information broadly. Health sciences librarians are a key component of health information access and literacy education.
New Directors Symposium 2009-2010
AAHSL is pleased to announce that the following directors have been selected to participate in the 2009-2010 AAHSL New Directors Symposium and that these experienced directors have agreed to serve as faculty for the program. Other leaders of partner organizations will be invited to present to the symposium in later program components.
The goal of the symposium is to introduce new directors to a professional community that will contribute to their success at their own institutions and as members of AAHSL. The symposium will take place over the period of November 2009 to May 2010, with virtual meetings combined with in-person meetings held in conjunction with AAHSL and MLA annual meetings. The keynote session will be November 7 in Boston.
New Directors
Ellis B. Beteck
Interim Director, Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library
Howard University
Washington, DC
Mary Blanchard
Library Director, Alumni Medical Library
Boston University Medical Center
Boston, MA
Pamela S. Bradigan
Assistant Vice President, Health Sciences
Director, Prior Health Sciences Library
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Nancy Bulgarelli
Director, William Beaumont School of Medicine Library
Oakland University
Rochester, MI
Brian P. Bunnett
Director, Library and Education Services
Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
Barbara B. Cavanaugh
Director, Biomedical Library, and
Associate Director, Health Sciences Libraries
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Nadine Dexter
Director, Harriet F. Ginsburg Health Sciences Library
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Orlando, FL
Donna Gibson
Director of Library Services
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY
Deborah Halsted
Interim Executive Director
Houston Academy of Medicine–Texas Medical Center Library
Interim Director, National Network of Libraries of Medicine South Central Region
Houston, TX
Terry Henner
Library Director, Savitt Medical Library
University of Nevada School of Medicine
Reno, NV
Melissa L. Just
Director, Biomedical Library
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA
Neville D. Prendergast
Director, Rudolph Matas Library of the Health Sciences
Tulane University
New Orleans, LA
Natalie K. Reed
Director of Library Services
Midwestern University
Downers Grove, IL
Cynthia K. Robinson
Director, George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library
Penn State Hershey College of Medicine
Hershey, PA
Leslie C. Schick
Associate Dean of Library Services and
Director, Health Sciences Library
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
Christopher J. Shaffer
University Librarian
Oregon Health and Science University
Portland, OR
Rajia C. Tobia
Executive Director of Libraries
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
Linda J. Walton
Associate University Librarian and Director
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Faculty
Barbara A. Epstein
Director, Health Sciences Library System
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
Sandra Franklin
Director, Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Cynthia L. Henderson
Director, Morehouse School of Medicine Library
Atlanta, GA
Carol G. Jenkins
Director, Health Sciences Library
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
Brett Kirkpatrick
Associate Vice President for Academic Resources and
Director of Libraries
University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, TX
Elaine R. Martin
Director of Library S ervices, Lamar Soutter Library
University of Massachusetts Medical Center
Worcester, MA
Lynn Kasner Morgan
Vice President for Information Technology
Associate Dean for Information Resources and Systems
Director, Gustave L. and Janet W. Levy Library
Mount Sinai Medical Center
Maureen Sullivan
Organization Development Consultant
Annapolis, MD
Carolyn E. Lipscomb
Program Manager, AAHSL Future Leadership Committee
Atlanta, GA
2009-2010 NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Announced
The Future Leadership Committee is pleased to announce the members of the 2009-2010 class of the NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program. The quality of the fellow applicants was extremely high, and, even with the challenging economic conditions, the program attracted a strong number of applications. Selection is recognition of a substantial record of accomplishment and demonstrable potential for a director position.
The committee thanks the directors who were willing to be in a preliminary mentor pool in case of a potential match with a fellow. Four new mentors and one experienced mentor were paired. The mentors are the key to the program's success.
The 2009-2010 class will meet for the first time November 6 in Boston. We invite you to meet the fellows during the AAMC/AAHSL meetings and to congratulate them on their selection.
The 2008-2009 class concludes its program year with the Capstone and graduation in Washington, DC, October 19-21. Congratulations to them as well.
The NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program to prepare emerging leaders for director positions in academic health sciences libraries is jointly funded by NLM and AAHSL. Thirteen fellows have assumed director positions to date. The program is beginning its eighth year.
Heidi M. Nickisch Duggan
Associate Director
Galter Health Sciences Library
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University
Mentor: Dorothy A. Spencer
Associate Vice Chancellor,
Communications & Information Resources
Director, Laupus Library
Division of Health Sciences
East Carolina University
Irma Quiñones
Interim Library Director
University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus
Mentor: Judith S. Cohn
Associate Vice President for Scholarly Information/
University Librarian
University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey - University Libraries
Bart Ragon
Associate Director for Library Technology Services and Development
Claude Moore Health Sciences Library
University of Virginia
Mentor: Elaine Russo Martin
Director of Library Services and Director, National
Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region
Lamar Soutter Library
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Debra C. Rand
Director, Health Sciences Library
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System
Mentor: Laurie L. Thompson
Assistant Vice President for Library Services
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Keir Reavie
Head, Biological/Agricultural Sciences and Map Services Department
Shields Library
University of California, Davis
Mentor: Eric D. Albright
Library Director
Hirsh Health Sciences Library
Tufts University
Annual Meeting Events Posted
Plan your trip to the AAHSL/AAMC Annual Meeting today!
Register for the AAHSL Educational Seminar
Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Knowledge-Based Information: State-of-the-Art and Roles for Libraries in Health Information Technology, A Pre-Conference Seminar/Workshop at the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries Annual Meeting.
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA - Room 309
Health Sciences Librarians and Health Care Reform
“Providing quality information for improved health”
Quality health information underpins all aspects of health care. The Medical Library Association (MLA) and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) believe that authoritative information is mission-critical to every health care enterprise. It is the foundation of all health care processes, including clinical care, biomedical research and the science of health care delivery, transformative health education, and the development of informed healthcare consumers. Health sciences librarians provide authoritative information in support of informed decision making to lower costs and reduce waste, improve health care quality and reduce medical errors, and enhance consumer choice.
NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program
The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) is pleased to announce the 2009-2010 year of the leadership program jointly sponsored by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and AAHSL. In response to the confirmed need for future leadership, the NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program is focused on preparing emerging leaders for the position of library director in academic health sciences libraries. Fellows will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills in a variety of learning settings, including exposure to leadership in another environment. They will be paired with mentors who are academic health sciences library directors. In addition to the individual relationship with their mentors, fellows benefit from working collaboratively with other fellows and mentors. Experienced Program faculty and mentors will provide content and facilitation for the cohort. The Program takes advantage of flexible scheduling and an online learning community to minimize disruption to professional and personal schedules. The sponsors will provide financial support for up to five fellows and will underwrite travel and meeting expenses.
2009 AAHSL Cornerstone Award presented to Tony Mazzaschi
I want to announce the recipient of the 2009 AAHSL Cornerstone Award, given by the association for notable contributions that have assisted AAHSL in achieving its mission or have had significant impact on the profession of academic health sciences librarianship.
The AAHSL Board of Directors is pleased to present the AAHSL Cornerstone Award to Tony Mazzaschi, Senior Associate Vice President for Biomedical and Health Sciences Research at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The following have been noted among Tony’s many contributions:
- As AAMC liaison for CAS, Tony ensures that AAHSL issues are brought to the attention of Council of Academic Societies (CAS) membership.
- Tony served as the driving force behind the development of the CAS Scholarship Dissemination Project, providing widespread understanding of the significant changes taking place in medical and biological sciences as scholarly communications move from print to digital. The work of this panel informed AAMC’s policy deliberations on publishing issues.
- For a number of years Tony was instrumental in securing a presence for AAHSL on the program of the AAMC Annual Meeting.
- Tony has presented information on AAMC to NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows and new directors.
- As a founding member of the Chicago Collaborative, Tony has helped facilitate conversations and learning on the grand challenges of scientific communication in the digital age.
Tony is also the person who puts together that email that Logan regularly sends us via the AAHSL listserv – “CAS Mail: Items of Potential Interest.” I know I find it useful to keep up with the news items listed there.
The AAHSL Cornerstone Award will be presented at the AAHSL/GIR Reception held during the AAMC Annual Meeting in Boston on Monday, November 9, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. We hope to see you all there.
Congratulations to our friend and colleague, Tony Mazzaschi!
Julia Sollenberger
AAHSL New Directors Symposium 2009-2010
The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries is pleased to invite applications to its New Directors Symposium to take place from November 2009 through May 2010. The application deadline has been extended to July 13, 2009.
MLA and AAHSL Issue Statement on Journal Publishing Ethics
June 2009
In view of recent news reports regarding the publication of an industry-sponsored journal primarily for marketing purposes by the affiliate of a major medical publisher without disclosure of commercial support or publication purpose, the Medical Library Association (MLA) and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) jointly endorse the need for transparency with regard to publication source and funding. MLA and AAHSL want to emphasize the importance of journal publishers’ adherence to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME) policy that all participants in the peer-review and publication process must disclose all relationships that could be viewed as potential conflicts of interest. Notably, the National Library of Medicine has a relevant policy regarding supplements that requires full disclosure of outside sponsorship in order for publications to be indexed in MEDLINE.
We expect publishers to remain vigilant about revealing sponsorship relationships to uphold and support integrity and honesty in research and the scientific dissemination process.
MLA and AAHSL Issue Statement to Scholarly Publishers and Vendors
May 2009
The Medical Library Association (MLA) and Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) have issued the “Statement on the Global Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Health Sciences Library Collections.”
The statement draws on the principles and issues addressed in a recent statement by the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) and provides a framework for discussions between the health sciences library community and scholarly publishers about viable options for maintaining robust scientific, technical, and medical (STM) collections and services in the current economic climate.
Data from a 2009 AAHSL survey found that academic libraries have had mid-year budget reductions in the current fiscal year and that nearly 70% are expecting budget cuts for the coming year. Community hospitals are also closing libraries due to budget pressures, severely decreasing or eliminating access to vital health information and resources. These circumstances coupled with disproportionate increases in STM journal prices over the last several years have eroded the purchasing power and flexibility of libraries to build diverse collections suited to institutional needs.
The associations maintain that following the principles established by ICOLC in license and purchasing negotiations will benefit both the library and publishing communities by avoiding temporary and possibly permanent cancellations of valuable information resources.
MLA, a nonprofit, educational organization, comprises health sciences information professionals with more than 4,000 members worldwide. Through its programs and services, MLA provides lifelong educational opportunities, supports a knowledgebase of health information research, and works with a global network of partners to promote the importance of quality information for improved health to the health care community and the public.
AAHSL is composed of the directors of 116 libraries of accredited US and Canadian medical schools, as well as 28 associate members. AAHSL’s goals are to promote excellence in academic health sciences libraries and to ensure that the next generation of health practitioners is trained in information-seeking skills that enhance the quality of health care delivery.
2009 AAHSL Committee Meeting Schedule at MLA
Leadership Fellows Program Leadership Reception
Saturday, May 16
6:00 – 8:00pm
Hilton Hawaiian Village Rainbow Suite
Teaching/Learning Oversight Committee
Sunday, May 17
2:30-3:30pm
Convention Center Room 326A
Scholarly Communications Committee
Sunday, May 17
2:30 – 3:30pm
Convention Center Room 326B
Education Research Task Force
Monday, May 18
2:00 – 3:00pm
Convention Center Room 326B
Leadership Fellows Program Leadership Institute
Wednesday, May 20
12:00 – 4:30pm
Hilton Hawaiian Village Honolulu Suite 2 & 3
Chicago Collaborative: Addressing the Grand Challenges & Opportunities of Scholarly Scientific Communication
March 19, 2009
The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) is pleased to support a new, unique initiative called the Chicago Collaborative. The Chicago Collaborative is a working group established in 2008 to promote open communication and education among some of the primary stakeholders in the scholarly scientific communication area. Its membership includes representatives from AAHSL and from national and international scientific/technical/medical (STM) publishing and editing associations. AAHSL hosted the first planning meeting and continues to serve as the sponsoring organization until a sustainable infrastructure is established.
"AAHSL has been immersed in the scholarly communication issues facing our institutions and sees the Chicago Collaborative as a unique opportunity to begin an ongoing and open dialog with other associations representing STM publishers and editors." -- Julia Sollenberger, AAHSL President, 2008-2009
The name of the new working group reflects the founding meeting location and the spirit of the new group, which emphasizes the importance of collaboration, trust, and open communication in addressing the grand challenges and opportunities of scholarly scientific communication. Chicago Collaborative representatives are selected by their professional associations and represent their sponsoring associations in the work of the Collaborative rather than a specific publisher or library employer.
The Chicago Collaborative brings together a diverse group of representatives to discuss challenging issues, educational efforts, and recommendations which are focused on very broad issues of scientific communication, making it unique among other efforts including publisher library advisory boards and meetings in which buyer and seller roles are emphasized.
Associations participating in the Chicago Collaborative include the following:
- Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL)
- Association of American Medical Colleges, Council of Academic Societies (AAMC/CAS)
- Association of American Publishers, Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division (AAP/PSP)
- Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP)
- Council of Science Editors (CSE)
- Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology/DC Principles (FASEB/DCP)
- International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers (IASTMP)
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
- Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP)
Annual Statistics Published
March 31, 2009
The 31st Edition of the Annual Statistics of Medical School Libraries in the United States and Canada has just been published by the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL). The 162-page volume, with detailed comparative statistics from over 120 reporting libraries serving allopathic and osteopathic medical schools and other health profession training programs, is available for purchase from AAHSL Headquarters in Seattle, WA for $500 for non-members.
This edition of the Annual Statistics covering FY 2007-2008 includes detailed comparative data for these major health sciences resource libraries including:
- The size and scope of their print and electronic collections and databases;
- Total library recurring expenditures for personnel, collection development, access to external information resources, computing and network systems, other operating expenses as well as capital improvements and grant-supported projects;
- Special expenditure subtotals for revenues from the sale of library services, support provided by affiliated teaching hospitals, gifts and endowments, and electronic resources;
- The size and composition of library personnel by employee type; and
- The use made of library resources and services, including physical study facilities, the library’s Website, the collections, document delivery services, as well as reference, education and outreach services.
The 31st Edition of the Annual Statistics also includes comparative professional salary data for the current 2008-2009 fiscal year, based on a separate annual Salary Survey. These tables show national salary rankings by professional position as well as comparative data by public vs. private institution, library type, years of professional experience, as well as gender and race.
The introductory sections of the Annual Statistics include mean (average) and median data from key statistics, including professional salaries, describing a Composite Academic Health Sciences Library in FY 2007-2008. Additional pie chart and bar chart figures show the composition of the Composite Library’s collections, expenditures, staffing, collection use, and user education services. This section also includes ten bar chart figures showing key trends in these statistics over the past five years (FY 2003-04 to 2007-08).
