Newsletter Editors
Jon Crossno
UT Southwestern Medical Center Library
David Midyette
Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
So another year of newsletter responsibility comes to an end as we prepare to embark to the Arizona desert for the MLA 2006 Annual Meeting. And your faithful newsletter co-editors are proud to present this masterpiece: the pre-meeting issue of the MLA LGBT SIG newsletter!
We've got comments from our co-conveners, updated information regarding our SIG hotel, and a preview of the three programs we've co-sponsored this year with a wide variety of other sections and/or SIGs. Also, you'll be pleased to see another edition of the annual meeting guide, with the standard "'Unofficial' Guide to Who's Where and When" as well as information about the SIG's business meeting, dinner & after-dinner activities, and a day-by-day listing of SIG-related events.
And as usual, we close out this issue with more of our "11 Questions" feature. But this time, we — your lovable newsletter co-editors — offer a little twist. Since "11 Questions" was our attempt to help us all get to know each other a little better and this is our last issue as your faithful co-editors, we first present a brief history of the feature and finish it out with the last five respondents.
We have enjoyed our stint as newsletter co-editors. (And who knows? We might decide to take this task on again in the future.) But we do feel it's time to step down and let someone else have a turn. It's been fun! It's been wild!
But let's get some new blood in here!
Your Newsletter Co-Editors, Jon & David
MLA will be upon us in no time, and, as usual, your co-conveners find themselves startled that an entire year has passed by and that we haven't even taken our notes from last year's MLA "gimmee" bag. For this reason, we can never tell you how appreciative we are that we are surrounded by more time-conscious people; however, because we thanked many of those people in the last newsletter, we won't belabor the point here lest we appear needy and too entirely ineffectual. Moreover, leadership is mostly about taking credit for the efforts of others, a principle that we shall embrace for the remainder of this message.
We could, of course, go on for pages and pages about ourselves and how our leadership method is all about enabling others to do work rather than actually doing work ourselves, but time and space won't allow, and, besides, we think there may be a book deal in it if only we can convince someone to write it for us. Additionally, while we know each of you would buy a copy of such a book, you've probably come here in regard to more immediate concerns, such as "what's the SIG up to this year at MLA?" So here's the rundown.
The SIG is sponsoring three programs this year (please note that we stole this line directly from Tom Flemming, but corrected his misspelling of "programs"):
While we have included location information for each of these interesting programs, please be sure to check your MLA Program for definitive information.
Our SIG business meeting will occur on Sunday, May 21, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Convention Center, Yuma 35. We hope that this late in the day, hearty sleepers have stumbled from bed and hangovers have been weathered, so we anticipate good attendance. If you have issues (and who doesn't?) that need to be brought before the SIG, please let one of your co-conveners (Dale or Sheila) know before the end of April to insure inclusion on the agenda.
Richard Klein has, once again, fixed us up with a quality hotel, the Hotel San Carlos, where you can stay in the Mae West Suite and dazzle everyone with your brilliance when you say, "Why don't you come up and see me some time?" Join us there, and we promise to laugh every time you say this. The hotel is two blocks away from the convention center and has complimentary wireless Internet access.
Our annual group dinner will be Monday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Cheuvront's, located at 1326 N. Central Ave. After dinner, we will adjourn to the rooftop area of the San Carlos for cocktails. Bring a swimsuit for the latter if you are brave and enjoy providing entertainment (there is a pool.)
Sheila Snow-Croft, Co-Convener (2004-2006)
J. Dale Prince, Co-Convener (2005-2007)
Our selected SIG hotel for MLA 2006 in Phoenix is the Hotel San Carlos (http://www.hotelsancarlos.com), located at 202 N. Central Ave. The hotel is just two blocks from the Hyatt Hotel and one block from the Wyndham, which are the MLA headquarters hotels, and a similar distance from the Phoenix Civic Plaza.
Our reserved block opened up on April 17 so we no longer have guaranteed space. However, the hotel will attempt to be provide space at the SIG group rate of $106 per night (single or double occupancy) — plus 12% tax (at present) — to anyone who still requires a reservation, if space is available.
To make reservations, just call 866-253-4121, and be sure to mention the "Special Interest Group". Accommodation types consist of double, two doubles, or queen bedded rooms. Continental breakfast is included.
About the Hotel San Carlos
Established in 1928 and family-owned, the Hotel San Carlos is a registered historical property and reflects historic central Phoenix and its renaissance. When it opened, it was advertised as "one of the most modern hotels in the Southwest."
According to the history on the official Web site, "[celebrities] such as Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Carole Lombard, Del Webb, and others" frequented the hotel. To commemorate these visitors, the hotel established the "San Carlos Hollywood Star Walk" in 1993 (in honor of the hotel's 65th anniversary) on both the Central and Monroe sidewalks in front of the hotel. The walk displays the names of the many famous movie stars and band leaders who have stayed in the hotel over the years, and each floor and suite was named in honor of the famous visitors as well.
More information about the hotel and how to register may be found on the SIG Web site at http://lgbt.mlanet.org/2006housing.html.
The MLA LGBT SIG is co-sponsoring three programs at MLA 2006: one on Sunday, May 21, and the other two on Tuesday, May 23. The time for all programs is the same: 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Your 2005-2006 Program Chair has done some creative, "virtual" program planning, and I think we've gotten attached to some great programs. So, without further delay, add these to your calendar, PDA, microchip, etc.
On Sunday, May 21, the History of Health Sciences and Pharmacy and the Drug Information sections and the LBGT and the Mental Health SIGs are sponsoring "Between 'Madness' and Mental Health: Changing Perceptions and Treatment." This program will be held in the Phoenix Convention Center, Room Yuma 23/24.
As the official program description reads, "Perceptions and treatment of the mentally ill (formerly termed mad or insane) have changed. Papers, skits, or posters may cover topics, persons, or institutions involved with these transformations including pharmacotherapy; stigma; medicolegal information (insanity defense, imprisonment); deinstitutionalization; definitions (e.g., homosexuality was previously considered a psychiatric disorder); or preserving unique or historic library collections about these topics."
Five papers will be presented on the following topics: anorexia nervosa, the case of Winnie Ruth Judd, deinstitutionalization, schizophrenia, and the Retreat at York. All should be quite interesting.
On Tuesday, May 23 - yes, you get a break on Monday from SIG-sponsored programs! - the Leadership and Management, Corporate Information Services, Health Association Libraries, and Technical Services sections and the LGBT SIG are co-sponsoring "Managing Change." This program will be held in the Phoenix Convention Center, Room Tucson 42/43.
As libraries evolve, library staff must evolve. This program's focuses on our evolving profession, creation of preemptive change, our role as change agents, and the influence of societal change on our work. Further, this program will focus on achieving necessary changes while maintaining stability and continuity in our organizations and the profession.
This one is definitely the overachieving program. Eight papers are being presented, including one co-presented by our very own Jon Crossno. This is certainly a must-go.
(I'm totally sad I can't get to this one as it has a plethora of great topics. [**Sigh**])
Also on Tuesday, May 23, the Relevant Issues Section and the LGBT SIG are co-sponsoring "Transformation Begins with a Single Step...," which provides real-world examples of taking a stand on a library concern, an ethics problem, a medical issue, a breaking news story, or a world event. This program will be held in the Phoenix Convention Center, Room Tucson 40.
Again, this is another fine program, and I'll put a plug in for Mary Jo Dorsey's program about LGBT health information missing from the Internet at your local hospital. Another must-go!
So you have now filled your Sunday and Tuesday mid-afternoons. Please, please attend any and/or all of our co-sponsored programs. I'm pleased with how they've turned out and wish again this year that I could attend. But alas, I can't.
I also want to put in a plug for someone to step up and say "YES" to the SIG and be the 2006-2007 Program Chair. It is very important that someone from the SIG attend the MLA Section Planning meetings that are held during this year's conference as we have a much better chance of rallying support for great LGBT-related programs for MLA. Please contact Sheila Snow-Croft or Dale Prince if you're interested.
Michael Scott, 2005-2006 Program Chair
Greetings from your local SIG member!
Arizona is a fabulous state. Please do your best to ignore our decidedly right-wing, conservative reputation. While that element exists, there's a whole lot more to this wonderful state, such as the following, many of which are within a two- to three-hour drive:
The hiking can't be beat either, and some good links for hiking may be found here:
Other attractions in the area:
I have been hearing lately that Jerome, AZ, is becoming quite the gay mecca. It is an old copper mining town turned artist community and is located within about 1.5 hour drive from Phoenix.
Plus, I've put together a brief GLBT guide to Phoenix, which you can view on the Local Arrangements Committee Blog.
This is truly just a sampling of things to do and see. Plan to stay a few extra days and take in some of this great state. Just remember to drink plenty of water and bring your emollients!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me, Sally Harvey or Jerry Perry, who spent a number of years in this state as well.
Sally Harvey
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
|
Who?
|
Arrive?
|
Hotel?
|
Depart?
|
Dinner? |
Other Notes
|
| Sally Harvey | -- | -- | -- | Yes | Car |
| Anne Seymour |
17th
|
San Carlos |
24th
|
Yes | |
| J Dale Prince |
18th
|
San Carlos |
25th
|
Yes | |
| Jon Crossno |
18th
|
San Carlos |
25th
|
Yes | Car?; Rooming w/ RMackes |
| Robb Mackes |
18th
|
San Carlos |
25th
|
Yes | Car; Rooming w/ JCrossno |
| Sheila Snow-Croft |
18th
|
San Carlos |
25th
|
Yes | Has suite |
| Bryan Vogh | 18th | San Carlos | 26th | Maybe | |
| Howard Fuller | 19th | Wyndham | 24th | ||
| Jerry Perry | 19th | San Carlos | 24th/25th | Yes | Car?; Rooming w/ TFlemming |
| Tom Flemming | 19th | San Carlos | 25th | Yes | Rooming w/ JPerry |
| Bill Fleming | 20th | San Carlos | 24th | Yes | Car? |
| Chris Shaffer | 20th | San Carlos | 24th | Yes | |
| David Keddle | 20th | San Carlos | 24th | Yes | |
| Jeff Huber | 20th | San Carlos | 24th | Yes | |
| John Siegel | 20th | Ramada | 24th | Yes | 1st MLA conference |
| Paul Blobaum | 20th | San Carlos | 24th | ||
| Richard Barry | 20th | San Carlos | 27th | Yes | Car |
Sunday, May 21
Phoenix Convention Center
Room: Yuma 35
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
If you have agenda items to discuss, please be sure to notify one or both of our co-conveners — Sheila Snow-Croft & J. Dale Prince— as soon as possible.
After much consternation — and I'm sure Sally Harvey, our Social Chair, would be willing to share how much (with only minimal arm-twisting) — the dinner will held Monday, May 22, at Cheuvront's, which is located at 1326 N. Central Ave., just across from the architectural award-winning public library.
Dinner will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will cost approximately $35 per person, not including alcohol. The menu is as follows:
Wine choices have also been suggested by the restaurant: Joseph Drouhin Laforet Pinot Noir and Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuissé. As our very own co-convener, J. Dale Prince, said, "Both like food and can be served with any of the dishes."
A suggestion has been made that interested parties could begin gathering in the lobby of the Hotel San Carlos around 7 p.m. to be chauffered to the restaurant. Sally herself has volunteered to "schlep" people, and she also wondered if others who have cars would be willing to help. If so, please let her know. According to Sally, "One nice thing about having [the dinner] at Cheuvront's, it is closer and a very easy drive, except of course for the light rail construction!"
But when dinner is over, please rest assured that the evening's festivities are not over. Our co-conveners (Dale & Sheila) have arranged for an after-dinner gathering on the rooftop pool and sundeck area of the Hotel San Carlos. We have been assured that hotel waitstaff will regularly visit us on the rooftop to take our drink orders and keep us "hydrated" from the hotel bar.
Here is a brief summary of SIG-related events during this year's meeting. The information presented here was either supplied by SIG members or obtained by searching the MLA's Itinerary Builder/Program Viewer for names from the SIG's membership roster.
Links to paper or poster abstracts have been supplied when available. Please note: Not everyone may be attending the meeting, but even if someone is not attending, the work will be there. So come on out and show your support.
Confirmed attendees are denoted by an asterisk [*]. "CC" refers to the Phoenix Convention Center.
| 4 - 5 p.m. [Hyatt: Sundance] | Section and Chapter Leadership Meeting: Section Program Planners |
| 5:30-7:30 p.m. [CC: Exhibit Hall DE] | Welcome Reception & Opening of Hall of Exhibits |
| 2 - 3:30 p.m. [CC: Yuma 23/24] | Between
"Madness" and Mental Health: Changing Perceptions and Treatment Sponsors: History of the Health Sciences and Pharmacy and Drug Information sections, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Health Sciences Librarians and Mental Health SIGs |
| 2 - 3:30 p.m. [CC: Tucson 38] |
Get Magnetized: Magnet Recognition, Libraries, and Excellence *Richard Barry: "History of Magnet Hospitals" [View Abstract] *Sally Harvey: "Magnet Recognition in the Real World: A Panel Discussion" [View Abstract] |
| 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. [CC: Yuma 35] | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered
Health Sciences Librarians SIG Business Meeting |
| 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. [CC: Exhibit Hall DE] |
Poster Presentation - Odd Numbers *Anne Seymour: "19. From LoST to FindIt!: One Library’s Journey to a Federated Search Tool" [View Abstract] *Sally Harvey: "117. Pathways to Patient Education in the Electronic Medical Record" [View Abstract] |
| 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. [CC: Exhibit Hall DE] |
Poster Presentation - Even Numbers Gail Persily: "44. Managing Digital Multimedia at the Campus Level: The HEAL Local Project" [View Abstract] Patricia F. Anderson: "104. Library Contributions to Cultural Competency: Greater than the Sum of the Parts" [View Abstract] Gail Persily: "112. Expert Searchers’ Contributions to Evidence-based Health Policy Making" [View Abstract] *Sally Harvey: "186. Implementing a Networked Scanner/Photocopier in a Hospital Setting: Does It Improve Workflow and Service Delivery?" [View Abstract] Richard Faraino: "196. Modeling the Phoenix: From Disasters Past Toward a Future Prepared" [View Abstract] |
|
7:30 - ? [Cheuvront's] |
SIG Social: Dinner Perhaps folks could gather in the lobby at the San Carlos beginning about 7 p.m. to be chauffered to the restaurant? |
| After Dinner (time approximate) [Hotel San Carlos] |
SIG Social: After-Dinner The rooftop space at our SIG hotel has been reserved, and we have been promised regular visits from waitstaff for drinks from the hotel bar. |
| 2 - 3:30 p.m. [CC: Tucson 42/43] |
Managing
Change *Jon Crossno: "Transformational Skills in a Perpetually Changing Information Landscape" [View Abstract] |
| 2 - 3:30 p.m. [CC: Tucson 40] | Transformation
Begins With A Single Step... Sponsors: Relevant Issues Section and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Health Sciences Librarians SIG |
| 4:30 - 6 p.m. [CC: Tucson 40] | Relevant Issues Section Business Meeting |
| 7 - 10 p.m. [Hyatt: 2nd Floor Atrium] | Transformations A-Z Party |
| 7 - 9 a.m. [Hyatt: Curtis] | Section and Chapter Leadership Meeting: Section Program Planners Meeting |
When David and I, your illustrious newsletter co-editors, took on the (somewhat onerous) task of doing the SIG newsletter following the 2002 MLA Annual Meeting in Dallas, we wanted to put our own personal stamp on the newsletter. We had many bold ideas and plans, but alas, the only one we really invested any time in was ... "11 Questions."
These sometimes thought-provoking and frequently revealing questions were pulled together to provide all SIG members — whether they could attend a meeting or not — a chance to get know each other a little better. And maybe we would even learn a little something about ourselves in the process.
When it came time to pull this issue together, I realized that a fair number of people still needed to be contacted and offered the chance. And since we, your co-editors, are hanging up our editorial hats, I thought I should finish out the run so that whoever follows us can come up with their own unique spin: their gimmick, as it were. So this is why you are being treated to five — count them, five! — answers.
Counting these respondents, we are proud to say that a total of 28 members have willingly answered the questions as truthfully as they could during our two consecutive terms (i.e., four years!) as newsletter editors. That converts to approximately 50% of the membership roster (as it appears on the SIG Web site).
And many of these brave souls were not SIG officers, who were required to participate because they held office. Instead, they were just regular members-at-large so we think their bravery should be commended! Thanks!!
So, with that in mind, we hereby present the last answers to "11 Questions"! Enjoy!
Jon Crossno & David Midyette
| When is your birthday? | December 7, 1958. |
| Where are you located geographically? | Far south suburbs of Chicago, and that's in Illinois. |
| Where did you get your MLS? | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. |
| What was the worst part of library school? | Sweating it out in un-air-conditioned classrooms in Central Illinois during the summer months; borrowing $7 from my grandfather to fax my resume to a potential employer because I didn't have money to pay for it myself. |
| How do you really feel about cataloging? | You know it was the best class I had in library school, Kathryn Luther Henderson was a top notch cataloging professor. It should be required of every library school student. I respect catalogers, they are important to the success of the library. |
| What would your mother say was your most embarrassing moment? | I was "Noah" in "Two By Two" in a community theater production, and I fell off the stage just before I was supposed to sing the theme song because I didn't have my glasses on and couldn't afford contacts. I wasn't hurt, the orchestra kept vamping, and I climbed back on stage without missing a beat. It was all adrenaline. |
| What would you say was your mother's most embarrassing moment? | Being thrown a "surprise" birthday party and the laundry was still on the clothes line ... |
| How did you come to medical librarianship? | God works in mysterious ways. This time an erased answering machine message reappeared a week later after a power outage ... which led to an interview and job offer. I really wanted to be a music librarian ... |
| An informationist is... | not what I would call myself! |
| What is your fondest SIG/MLA memory? | Ahem. Attention K-Mart Shoppers. It took me 10 years to actually have the nerve to ATTEND a SIG event... Oh, I remember getting up for BRS and CD PLUS sunrise seminars ... and getting excited when CD-PLUS started up with Full Text articles... |
| What is the most trivial fact you have rattling around your head? | Honey is really bee cud. |
| When is your birthday? | May 19. |
| Where are you located geographically? | San Francisco and Irish Beach (CA). |
| Where did you get your MLS? | University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. |
| What was the worst part of library school? | I quit my fulltime job just prior to the last year of library school and lost my health insurance. |
| How do you really feel about cataloging? | Sometimes I love it as it allows me to put on headphones and escape. |
| What would your mother say was your most embarrassing moment? | As a 16 year old, getting caught by the police after curfew, making out with a male classmate on the beach (the City of Milwaukee had an 11 pm curfew for minors under 18). The good news, we were in trouble only for being out after curfew. |
| What would you say was your mother's most embarrassing moment? | Having the police deliver me to the house in a squad car from the above incident. |
| How did you come to medical librarianship? | I was a health educator prior to and during library school. It was a comfortable fit upon graduation. |
| An informationist is... | Something discussed and implemented decades ago by Gertrude Lamb. |
| What is your fondest SIG/MLA memory? | I am not active in the SIG and therefore don't have any sustained memories of it. |
| What is the most trivial fact you have rattling around your head? | There are 140 muscles in the back aligned in bilateral symmetry. (from an undergrad course in kinesiology 25 years ago). |
| When is your birthday? | April 1950 [quickly working towards 60]. |
| Where are you located geographically? | Live in Massachusetts; Work in New York State [yes, the two states are close together]. |
| Where did you get your MLS? | State University of New York at Albany [now called University at Albany]. |
| What was the worst part of library school? | Being tired from working fulltime and doing school fulltime. |
| How do you really feel about cataloging? | I love cataloging — these days it's a lost art. |
| What would your mother say was your most embarrassing moment? | Odd but of all the stories she ever told, I don't recall an "embarrassing" one. |
| What would you say was your mother's most embarrassing moment? | We camped in New Hampshire often and my mother would brush her dentures in the raging brook. Once, she dropped them and ran screaming downstream to catch them. Fortunately for her, a stranger caught them. |
| How did you come to medical librarianship? | It was a long trip and not anticipated. I got drafted into the Army and served in the medical corps. After leaving I went to nursing school where I also took a part-time library job and loved the work. I left nursing school and went to library school. I started my current job part-time while in library school. |
| An informationist is... | Me, on a good day; not me, on a bad day. |
| What is your fondest SIG/MLA memory? | When the group started to organize: memories of a sense of belonging. |
| What is the most trivial fact you have rattling around your head? | The small city in which I live is reputed to have the only Catholic church in the United States that has no stairs to enter it [Source: Ripley's Believe It or Not]. |
| When is your birthday? | July 27, 1976. I turn the "big 3-0" this summer. |
| Where are you located geographically? | Baltimore-Washington, DC area. About 45 minutes away from Baltimore, to be precise. |
| Where did you get your MLS? | I'm currently pursuing my MLS at the University of Maryland — College Park. This is my second semester in the program. |
| What was the worst part of library school? | Theory, theory, theory. |
| How do you really feel about cataloging? | Ask me at the end of this semester... <*gulp*> |
| What would your mother say was your most embarrassing moment? | Er, too many to list here. |
| What would you say was your mother's most embarrassing moment? | Just one?! There are also too many to list here. |
| How did you come to medical librarianship? | I've always been interested in health-related topics and love doing research. Need I say more?! |
| An informationist is... | a librarian-extraordinaire. |
| What is your fondest SIG/MLA memory? | I'm a SIG/MLA newbie, so none as of yet. |
| What is the most trivial fact you have rattling around your head? | Geez, I can't even think of one. Too much school on the brain... |
| When is your birthday? | November 7, 1954 (that makes me old). |
| Where are you located geographically? | Manhattan. |
| Where did you get your MLS? | Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. |
| What was the worst part of library school? | Toss up: * The 2 hour ride on the subway to get there * Cataloging. |
| How do you really feel about cataloging? | See above answer. |
| What would your mother say was your most embarrassing moment? | Well, seeing as she is dead, I don't think she would say actually say anything. |
| What would you say was your mother's most embarrassing moment? | When my father discovered she lied about her age when the first met. He was really dating a 16-year-old, not an 18-year-old. |
| How did you come to medical librarianship? | Serendipity. I dropped out of another graduate degree program in Toronto and took the first job I could when I came back to New York — a clerk's job at the New York Academy of Medicine. And I discovered the field of medical librarianship was interesting. The rest, as they say, is history. |
| An informationist is... | Someone who belongs to the subversive "Information Party"? |
| What is your fondest SIG/MLA memory? | First meeting of the group, way back when. Jerry Perry introduces himself: "Hi, I'm Jerry Perry. I'm a fairy and I work in a Library." Then I knew this group was for me. |
| What is the most trivial fact you have rattling around your head? | That's a hard one ... there are so many rattling around up there. The most recent has to do letter-writing formats in the ancient world ... (I really have to get a life.) |
This page was last updated on April 24, 2006. Credits