From the Chair

From the Past Chair

From the Editors

Take the Lead

MLA 2003 Wrap-up

Awards Information

New Mentor Database

CE265

Harvard Macy Institute Program

Chapter Challenge Grant

Program Committee Highlights

Survey Says

Business Meeting Minutes

Financial Report

Book Reviews

Section Member News

Election Reminder

2003-2004 Officials

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Leadership has many facets. There are many characteristics that can be used to describe a leader. The most fundamental basis for leadership, to me, is knowledge. The strongest leaders I know have deep knowledge that goes beyond the boundaries of librarianship. To do all that is required of a leader, an individual must be secure in his/her knowledge, but never satisfied. Lifelong learning, a passion for learning, is a necessary part of a leader’s life.

Learning is the business of librarianship. Our job is to facilitate learning in as many ways as possible through interaction with users and staff, through formal classes and informal teaching moments, through work on committees and organizations, and with our administrations. We know in this ever-changing environment that we must keep learning and take advantage of every opportunity to do so. We can learn from our students; we learn from the expertise of our staff members; we learn from our colleagues. Any librarian who does not want or enjoy this learning is in the wrong profession. Knowledge and learning drive the leader.

As is my habit, I looked at the term leadership in the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) book. The word is listed in the Tree Structure under personality. The other words in the tree include assertiveness, character, creativeness, empathy, individuality, and intelligence. An individual with all these characteristics would be well positioned to become a leader. In addition to knowledge, there are three other characteristics that I would rank next:

• Character/Integrity. This is an essential qualification for leadership. Unfortunately, leadership does not always represent the good for we know that cruelty, evil, and brutality exist in our world. Such leaders demonstrate some of the leadership characteristics, but lack integrity or the character that we associate with goodness. There are people in our profession whom we trust without question, whose character is an inspiration. Janet Doe was a librarian whose knowledge was greatly admired. Honor and dignity are two words I would use to describe her.
   

• Risk Taking. Where would we be if our colleagues of the past had not dared to try something new; had not been willing to risk failure in order to change or follow a dream? Visionaries do not always get it right, but looking into the future and forging ahead is the way of a leader. Think of the scientists who dared to build an artificial heart or try a new drug. They were not strangers to failure. To take risks, a leader must trust colleagues and have the trust of an institution or organization. Dr. Brad Rogers had the daring idea to automate the Index Medicus. What a monumental failure that could have been, but he did not falter for a minute.

As you remember, Leadership and Management sponsored 4 contributed paper sessions in San Diego, 2 for Building Castles and 2 for Extreme Librarian, a total of 20 papers. The Building Castles sections were dedicated to AAHSL in celebration of its 25th anniversary. We heard about successful partnerships and alliances like that of AAHSL and ARL to examine outcome assessment through LibQual+ and RMLs and NLM and the Tribal Connections Steering Committee. We heard about librarians being on the leading edge of wireless networking, digital video broadcasting and establishing a national virtual knowledge service. I moderated the Building Castles sections. Thanks to Jane Blumenthal, AHIP, and Laurie Thompson, AHIP, for moderating the Extreme Librarian sessions. Our sessions were well-attended. At our Business Meeting we brainstormed program ideas for MLA2004. Faith Meakin, AHIP, our Chair-elect and Program Chair, took our ideas to the NPC2004 Section Planning Meetings. Standby for exciting programs in Washington, D.C.!

Submitted by
helen-ann brown, Chair
2003 Program Committee
habrown@med.cornell.edu

Nominate yourself or an outstanding colleague for one of the MLA Awards mentioned below.

Lois Ann Colaianni Award for Excellence and Achievement in Hospital Librarianship
This award is given to a member of the association who has made significant contributions to the profession in the area of overall distinction or leadership in hospital library administration or service, production of a definitive publication related to hospital librarianship, teaching, research, advocacy, or the development or application of innovative technology to hospital librarianship. The recipient receives a cash award of $500 and a certificate.

Estelle Brodman Award for Academic Medical Librarian of the Year
The award recognizes an academic medical librarian, who at mid-career demonstrates significant achievement, the potential for leadership, and continuing excellence. The Award was established in 1986 with a gift from Irwin H. Pizer. The recipient receives a certificate and a cash award of $500 at the Association’s Annual Meeting.

Majors/MLA Chapter Project of the Year Award
This is a general award for excellence, innovation and contribution to the profession of health sciences librarianship. These attributes must be shown through special projects beyond the normal operational programming of the chapter. The recipient receives a certificate and a cash award of $500.

Janet Doe Lectureship
The Janet Doe Lecturer is an individual chosen annually by the Medical Library Association for his/her unique perspective on the history or philosophy of medical librarianship. The selected lecture is presented at the Association’s Annual Meeting, and is subsequently published in the Journal of the Medical Library Association. The Lecturer receives a $250 honorarium, travel expenses to the site of the Annual Meeting, hotel expenses for 1 night, per diem for 1 day and a certificate.

Ida and George Eliot Prize
The prize is presented annually for a work published in the preceding calendar year, which has been judged most effective in furthering medical librarianship. The award was first presented in 1962. The recipient receives a cash award of $200 and a certificate.

Rittenhouse Award
The award is presented annually for the best unpublished paper (bibliographical, issue or topic based, or report of research results) or web-based project on medical librarianship or medical informatics written by a student in an ALA-accredited school of library and information studies or a trainee in an internship in health sciences librarianship or medical informatics. The Rittenhouse Medical Bookstore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania established the award in 1967. The author of the winning essay receives a cash award of $500 and a certificate.

Thomson ISI/Frank Bradway Rogers Information Advancement Award
The award is presented annually in recognition of outstanding contributions for the application of technology to the delivery of health science information, to the science of information, or to the facilitation of the delivery of health science information. The Award has been sponsored by the Institute for Scientific Information since 1973. The recipient receives a cash award of $500 and a certificate.

Louise Darling Medal for Distinguished Achievement in Collection Development in the Health Sciences
The medal is presented annually in recognition of distinguished achievement in collection development in the health sciences. Ballen Booksellers International, Inc established the Medal in 1987. Blackwell North North America, Inc currently supports it. The recipient receives an engraved medal, a certificate and a $1,000 cash award.

Murray Gottlieb Prize
The prize is awarded annually for the best unpublished essay on the history of medicine and allied sciences written by a health sciences librarian. The Prize was established in 1956 by Ralph and Jo Grimes of the Old Hickory Bookshop, Brinklow, MD, in order to recognize and stimulate the health science librarian’s interest in the history of medicine. The author of the winning essay receives a cash award of $100 and a certificate.

Lucretia W. McClure Excellence in Education Award
The award honors an outstanding practicing librarian or library educator in the field of health sciences librarianship and informatics who demonstrates skills in one or more of the following areas: teaching, curriculum development, mentoring, research, or leadership in education at local, regional, or national levels. The recipient receives a cash award of $500 and a framed certificate.

Marcia C. Noyes Award
The Noyes Award is the highest professional distinction of the Medical Library Association. The award was established in 1947 and recognizes a career, which has resulted in lasting, outstanding contributions to medical librarianship. The recipient receives an engraved sterling silver Revere bowl at the Association’s Annual Meeting.

Fellows and Honorary Members
Fellowship is conferred on Regular MLA members in recognition of outstanding and sustained contributions to the advancement of the purposes of the association. Fellows receive a certificate at the association’s Annual Meeting and lifetime Regular Member benefits at no charge.

Honorary Membership is conferred on individuals, not formally MLA members, who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the purposes of the association. Honorary members receive a certificate at the Association’s Annual Meeting and lifetime Regular Member benefits except voting privileges at no charge.

Nomination deadlines for all awards are November 1. More information and applications are available at http://www.mlanet.org/awards, or contact
Lisa C. Fried
Professional Development
Medical Library Association
312-419-9094 ext. 28, mlapd2@mlahq.org.

MLA announces newly created mentor Web pages that are part of the career section of MLANET.

• Sign up online to serve as a mentor to your peers, as a provisional mentor, or as a mentor to students interested in learning about the profession.

• Search the database to find a mentor.

• Link to mentor tip sheets and guidelines.

• Access Web resources to help you in your mentoring role.

The success of the mentor database depends on the number of members who sign up. Go to www.mlanet.org/mentor/ to explore the possibilities.

While listed as CE 265 - Library Leadership: Knowledge, Skills and Career Paths, the original title was, “So You Want to be a Library Director?” For the last two years, the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries has been focusing time and resources on identifying and preparing the next generation of library directors. A task force led by Pat Mickelson was appointed to develop strategies and programs addressing this challenge for the association.

Encouraging talented librarians to consider Library Director positions was identified by the Task Force as a major priority. Equally important was the fact that too many library directors learn too much of their job in the school of hard knocks. The position of library director is in many ways unique in a library and there are few formal training opportunities. With these issues in mind, a proposal was developed for a half-day MLA CE course that would act as a recruiting device and provide a variety of perspectives on the work of a library director. The result, CE 265, is truly a collaborative course taught by four library directors from diverse public and private institutions:

Wayne Peay, FMLA, Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah
Rick Forsman, AHIP, FMLA, Denison Memorial Library, University of Colorado
Judy Messerle, AHIP, FMLA, Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard University
Jim Shedlock, AHIP, Galter Health Sciences Library, Northwestern University

The course begins with an overview of what is involved in constructing a career path that will lead to becoming a director of an academic health sciences library. The primary resource for this presentation (that was also a result of the work of the Task Force) is Recruiting and Selecting Academic Health Sciences Library Directors – A Guide (http://www.aahsl.org/recruitguide/ AAHSLrecruitguide.html). The second presentation explores administration and management. This presentation is followed by an examination of funding and finance which includes creative budget strategies and the mysteries of fundraising. The last presentation, “Politics is not a four-letter word,” provides insights in developing the political skills that are involved in not only representing the library but assuring its success. The workshop concludes with small break-out groups for the participants to discuss becoming a director and strategies for success.

The CE class has been presented at the last two MLA meetings. It has been a full house both times. There are a couple of outcomes that are worth noting. First, if the registrants for the class are any measure, there is terrific talent in the pipeline. We were impressed with their interest and enthusiasm for one of the most satisfying jobs in the profession. The comments in the evaluations also suggest opportunities for the Leadership and Management Section. The participants were very interested in follow-up instruction in general management issues like budget/finance and strategic planning.

The course will be offered by the current instructors for the last time at next year’s MLA in Washington--sort of our farewell tour. Following the course in Washington, the AAHSL Leadership Task Force will evaluate continuing the course with a new team of directors. It has been fun for the instructors and certainly provided a great excuse for dinner.

Submitted by
Wayne Peay, FMLA
wayne@lib.med.utah.edu
with Rick Forsman,
Judy Messerle,
and Jim Shedlock

The bad news is that very few responses (9) were received. The good news is that the few we did receive were positive. We are interpreting this to mean that The Leading Edge is providing what you need; otherwise, you would have taken the opportunity to express your dissatisfaction! We appreciate Faith Meakin drumming up a few more responses at the LMS business meeting in San Diego. Our small group of respondents indicated that the majority reads most of the content in each issue, that three issues a year is just right, and that the format is fine. The only suggestion was to run a feature about the CE course for aspiring directors, and we have acted on that suggestion in this very issue. Don’t wait for another survey; if you have comments for the improvement of the newsletter, send them to us at any time. In the meantime, detailed results of the Spring 2003 reader survey are posted here.

Submitted by
Co-Editors
Walter W. Morton, AHIP
wmorton@rowland.umsmed.edu

Dixie Jones, AHIP
djones@lsuhsc.edu

The Program for Leaders in Medical Education is one of two programs offered by the Harvard Macy Institute. Both programs are designed to facilitate changes in medical education by empowering educators to lead change at their home institutions and by building an international community of scholars interested in promoting and sustaining such innovation. While the Program for Medical Educators (formerly the Program for Physician Educators) targets medical faculty who are interested in implementing changes in specific courses, the Program for Leaders in Medical Education is designed for those with responsibility for or significant roles in reshaping the curriculum at their institution. Medical Schools are encouraged to send teams of participants rather than individuals, but single participants are accepted.
The programs are conducted by the Harvard Medical School in conjunction with the Harvard Business School, and in collaboration with Harvard Medical International. Original funding for the programs came from the Josiah Macy Foundation. Since their inception in 1995, the programs have involved more than 900 educators from the United States and throughout the world. The majority of the participants have been deans, senior associate deans, curriculum committee chairs, or curriculum task force leaders at medical schools, but over the years nurses, social scientists, and other health science educators have participated. (I was the first, but hopefully not the last, librarian participant.)

The program lasts a week, and takes place at the Harvard Medical School. Each class is limited to no more than 50 participants. The classes meet daily in the Medical School’s case study room, patterned after similar rooms in the business school. Each day is a mixture of presentations, case studies, and small group work. There are background readings as well as the cases themselves to be prepared--in advance or as homework during the week. The program assumes the participants come with a thorough understanding of medical education in the United States–structure, content, laws, regulations, social and political environment–as well as knowledge of current issues and trends, and have been involved in discussions about the curriculum at their schools.

The case study method is patterned after the teaching method used in the Business School, and has many similarities to the problem-based learning methodology used in many medical schools. Each case presents a scenario, not necessarily from the world of education or medicine. The group as a whole, facilitated by the instructors, discusses the case, analyzes the underlying issues, shares relevant experiences, addresses specific questions, and extrapolates lessons learned to the world of medical education. The information extracted from the cases, combined with the readings and presentations, are the raw materials for the small group work each day.

While some of our cases presented specific experiences from health care or medical education, others were from manufacturing, engineering, government, and other fields. The Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis were case studies for decision making. Steel mills taught us disruptive technology and automobile manufacturing demonstrated the concept of “rules in use.” We studied the lessons of the space shuttle program when we discussed patient safety and quality improvement issues as drivers of curricular innovations. We also looked at cases around the current curriculum in medical schools from the student’s perspective and at cases specifically related to and illustrating management of curriculum change at medical schools.

The psychological and political aspects of change management were addressed as well. We had practical lessons in leading a task force, implementing pilot projects, developing faculty, and evaluating programs. We discussed building joint programs with business partners, and learned about individual and institutional assumptions that inhibit change and how to address them.

We had at least an hour each day for our small groups and individual work. A key component of the curriculum, the small groups of 8-10 students and two facilitators (themselves alumni of previous Institutes) met to discuss the effect of disruptive innovations, the current curricula at our schools, and possible alternative pathways for educating physicians. The small groups also provided feedback and support as we worked on our personal action plans for facilitating innovation. My small group included a medical school dean from Denmark and a curriculum dean from India who brought an outside perspective to many of the issues we were debating. In addition, lunches and a daily walk to class constituted informal small groups and the opportunity to discuss further and explore still other points of view.

I would recommend this course to others at academic medical libraries. It is an intense, demanding, and rewarding experience. Many of the lessons learned will be applicable to a wide range of issues, not just curriculum reform. If you are involved in evaluating or restructuring the curriculum at your school, or think you should be, this program will provide valuable information, insights, and experience.

Information about the Harvard Macy Institute and the Program for Leaders in Medical Education can be found on the Institute’s website at http://www.hms.harvard.edu/hmi/cme/index.html.

Submitted by
Jane Blumenthal, AHIP
blumentj@georgetown.edu

At the 2003 annual meeting, the Leadership and Management Section voted to establish the Leadership and Management Section/MLA Leadership Education Chapter Challenge Grant. The purpose of the grant is to promote lifelong learning in leadership and management by supporting leadership education at the MLA chapter level. The section will award up to two thirds the cost of a chapter-sponsored continuing education program on a topic in leadership or management, up to a maximum of $2,500 each year, to a chapter or group of chapters working together.

Any MLA chapter or a group of MLA chapters working together can apply for the grant. The first award will be presented to the chapter chair(s) at MLA’s annual meeting in Washington, DC, next May.

A task force chaired by Jane Blumenthal and including members helen-ann brown, Susan Craft, Elizabeth Irish, Laurie Thompson, Lora Thompson, and M. J. Tooey are working to define the procedures for administering the award and the criteria for evaluating applications. The task force will also serve as the award jury for the first round of applications.

Submitted by
Jane Blumenthal, AHIP, Chair
Task Force on Chapter-Level Programming
blumentj@georgetown.edu

The theme of the 2004 MLA Annual Meeting in Washington is “Seize the power” and the Leadership and Management members certainly did that during our business meeting in San Diego. Helen-ann brown did her usual dynamic turn as our facilitator. Even though it was early in the morning there were so many ideas around this theme that it was hard to choose which ones to promote in the section program planners meeting and on the listserv. But with a looming deadline we finally agreed to sponsor or co-sponsor the following programs.

Paths to Power : Part 1
Empowerment by the Numbers: Using Your Data to Negotiate with Administrators
Primary Sponsor: Corporate Information Services Section
Co-Sponsors: Assessment and Benchmarking SIG;
Leadership and Management Section
Format: Panel (invited?)- -town meeting with panelists

Today libraries, whether in the corporate, hospital, or academic world, are often compared to other departments in their own organizations and to libraries in similar institutions. Librarians must have the tools and skills to measure performance, benchmark, and assess outcomes, and know how to apply them when negotiating for budget and resources. A panel will present and discuss these issues and suggest ideas on how to have the greatest impact on your administrators.

Paths to Power : Part 2
Negotiation and Advocacy
Primary Sponsor : Leadership and Management Section
Co-Sponsors : Public Services Section; Corporate Information Services Section; Assessment and Benchmarking SIG
Format: Contributed papers session

In order to achieve the goals of the library and the parent organization, librarians have become skillful negotiators and advocates. To create the future or transform an organization, they develop a shared vision by thinking strategically, making strategic inquiries and embarking on strategic initiatives. Come hear how your colleagues have engaged and transformed their organizations as they have succeeded in demonstrating their value to themselves and to others.

Thunder Claps and Lightning Bolts
Primary Sponsor : Hospital Libraries Section
Co-Sponsor : Leadership and Management Section
Format: Invited speakers

Changes in health care institutions, personnel and vendors often occur with lightning speed and have a dramatic impact. Managing disruptions, upheavals, and staying positive can present great opportunities as well as challenges. Two or three invited speakers will discuss what happened when a sudden change occurred, and how they managed it.

Program Committee members include: Faith Meakin, Chair, Lora Thompson, Jane Blumenthal,
Charles Greenberg and Amy Lyons.

Submitted by
Faith Meakin, AHIP, Chair-elect
Chair, Program Committee
Faith@library.health.ufl.edu

I enjoyed seeing many of you at MLA in San Diego and look forward to serving you this year. Due to the efforts of helen-ann brown and the Program Committee, Leadership and Management Section (LMS) members presented 20 papers this year--see helen-ann brown's wrap-up of MLA 2003! In addition, the Section sponsored four units of section programming. Faith Meakin, in her role as Chair-Elect, will head the Program Committee this year and plans are underway. In this issue you will find the Business Meeting Minutes, a roster of 2003/2004 Officials, 2004 Program Committee Highlights, a report from our Task Force on Chapter Leadership and Management Programming, and our annual financial report. Let me extend my thanks to the volunteers, including the elected Officers, who fill a variety of critical roles for the Section.

MLA President Pat Thibodeau has identified five goals as part of her presidential theme “Seizing the Power of our Value.” At the MLA Executive and Business meetings many exciting ideas took shape which we hope to put into action this year. Let me take a minute to outline our section’s specific objectives as they align with MLA’s goals for the coming year.

Goal 1: Recruitment, Membership & Leadership in the Profession

1. Investigate the need for recruitment & education of librarians for middle management positions.

2. Explore issues on quality staff retention possibly through surveys, programming or listserv discussion.

3. Create a public relations campaign aimed at recruiting members of the Hospital Libraries Section into LMS.

Goal 2: Lifelong Learning

1. Provide Section Programming at the local or Chapter level through a grant process that provides matching funds.

2. Sponsor or co-sponsor at least two Section programs on leadership & management topics at MLA 2004.

Goal 3: Advocacy

1. Continue to develop collaborative relationships with other MLA sections by looking at creative ways of promoting membership in our section and offering joint programming.

2. Continue to develop collaborative relationships with other organizations.

3. Investigate the possibility of a joint session with the Hospital Libraries Section at MLA 2004.

Goal 4: Creating & Communicating our Knowledge

1. Continue to publish a quality newsletter.

2. Update our web page with a new site by January 2004.

3. Manage the Section’s listserv from MLA headquarters.

Goal 5: Building a Network of Partners

Covered by the above goals and objectives.

I welcome your feedback and ideas. Watch for the LMS Column appearing in the MLA News this September. Lastly, thanks to Lucretia McClure for the (always) thought-provoking essay on leadership included in this issue. I found her last paragraph especially insightful as she so wisely notes that "leadership is not contagious. You cannot catch it from someone else." Let us continue our mission, as the Leadership and Management Section, to pursue and embody these leadership characteristics that will carry us into the future.

Submitted by
Kay Cimpl Wagner
Chair
kcwagner@usd.edu

FROM THE PAST CHAIR

It has been an honor and a privilege to have had the opportunity to chair the Leadership and Management Section. It’s hard to believe that it was only three short years ago that we started to re-think and refocus the section’s purpose and goals more broadly to encompass all aspects of leadership and management and not those just related to medical school libraries. The result was not just a name change but the creation of a vibrant and energetic section within MLA filled with members from all types of libraries. Our programming, newsletter, listserv, strategic planning process, symposium activities and business meetings are amongst the best MLA has to offer. As I pass the gavel to Kay, I am confident that under her leadership our new Executive Committee will continue to deliver on its promises in the year ahead. It has been a pleasure working with all of you. Together we have accomplished so much.

Submitted by
Elaine Martin
Past-Chair
Elaine.Martin@umassmed.edu

FROM
YOUR EDITORS

This issue is one of interconnectedness. Many of the articles and news items link to one another with some even having multiple connections. The only connection lacking is one to Kevin Bacon!

MLA fellow, Lucretia McClure, AHIP, offers her insight on leadership qualities required in our profession while one of the book reviews vividly describes the leadership characteristics of a past U.S. president. The other book review is on fundraising, an issue touched upon by another MLA fellow, Wayne Peay along with his teaching team, in their overview of the CE course directed toward those taking the career path to directorships. A description of this course was requested in a response to the newsletter survey whose results are also published in this issue. By the way, on their survey responses three members volunteered to write reviews. Of those three, one is writing a book review for this issue, and the other two are writing reviews for the December issue. Thank you, Judy Rieke, Nancy Clemmons, AHIP, and Elizabeth Irish, AHIP!

The section’s immediate past is viewed through the minutes, the past chair’s column, the financial report, and the recap of 2003 programming while the future is highlighted by the section chair and the program chair, as well as in the minutes. The minutes carry suggestions from Wayne Peay’s co-instructors about the role that LMS can play in preparing middle managers for positions as directors, as noted in their article about the course for aspiring directors. Additional educational offerings at the chapter level will be supported by LMS, as described in the article on the section’s new MLA Leadership Education Chapter Challenge Grant. Opportunities for nurturing future leaders on a one-to-one basis are available through MLA’s mentoring program which is also briefly described in this issue. The report on the Harvard Macy Institute demonstrates how those already in leadership positions in academic health sciences libraries can participate in the direction of their institutions’ curriculum programs. LMS members who have received awards are noted in this issue (as well as the past issue), while information about nominations for future awards is also provided.

We encourage you to read this entire issue, and make a mental note of each connection you find between one article and another. This interconnectedness speaks well of the section’s unified effort to prepare, motivate, and encourage present and future leaders and managers in all types of health sciences libraries.

Dixie Jones, AHIP
djones@lsuhsc.edu

Walter W. Morton, AHIP
wmorton@rowland.umsmed.edu