Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and TransgenderedHealth Science Librarians
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and Transgendered
Editor: Tom Flemming
McMaster University Health Sciences Library
CONTENTS
Beginning Business
1. A word from Sally -- our female co-chair
2. Jerry writes a letter -- hoping you will, too
3. Denis reports -- on plans for our program
4. Tom sticks his oar in (enough said)
Middle Matter
5. Karen looks for books -- she's done it again
6. Jerry's putting up posters -- how about you?
End (period)
7. Bill makes us laugh (oops! that's not a title)
****************************************************************
1. A WORD FROM SALLY -- our female co-chair
In looking forward to another Medical Library Association meeting, we have reviewed some of the history of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Special Interest Group (MLA LGB SIG). We're sure many of you remember those tense moments at the San Antonio meeting in 1994 leading up to the vote in Section Council which recognized our existence officially as an MLA SIG. We had geared ourselves up to counter the arguments circulating in the Association against recognizing us, ranging from: "MLA is becoming too fragmented" to "They are really just a social group; they don't need to be formally recognized as a SIG." We were all pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the vote. The positive vote was due, in many respects, to hard work by our MLA friends and by members of the SIG in promoting our "cause."
During our first year of official existence, many of us threw our energies into various projects, including the development of a Position Statement and a program for the next annual meeting in Washington, in 1995. And what a meeting it turned out to be! We presented a program that was professional, relevant and very well attended, entitled: "The Health Effects of Discrimination." Our business meeting generated new ideas and new leadership for the SIG. We also collected money and established a treasury. We met and welcomed many new members, and many new people have joined the listserv since. Our social evening was, likewise, very well attended. We met new faces and reacquainted ourselves with others. It was an exciting time!
Eight months have passed since that meeting in Washington, and once again, our members have been hard at work on various projects. A poster promoting our SIG was created, presented in at least one regional meeting and has been submitted to the MLA conference. Program planning is in full swing, a web site for the SIG is being developed and the conference site selection issue is being addressed. A social committee is hard at work ensuring the social events for MLA in Kansas City are fabulous!
We do need some marketing items and/or ideas for the upcoming conference. Some suggestions thus far:
-- a flyer which explains the SIG, giving contact info
-- flyers advertising our business meeting, program and socials
-- publishing of our events in the "daily" they publish at the conference
-- rainbow stickers for our name tags, again ...
-- anyone got other ideas?
PRELIMINARY AGENDA FOR THE BUSINESS MEETING IN KANSAS CITY:
-- Welcoming comments by co-chair(s)
-- Reports from officers (treasurer, newsletter editor, any
others?)
-- Letter writing campaign for conference site selection issue
-- Homepage ideas and volunteers
-- Oral tradition project report
-- Co-chair report
And on to the future...
-- Programming for next MLA?
-- Future leadership?
Please contact either Bill Karnoscak (our male co-chair) or me, Sally Harvey, if you have ideas or are interested in helping to develop any of the above. Bill Karnoscak's e-mail address is: btk@lib.rpslmc.edu
*****
You may contact the author of the article above as follows:
Sally Harvey
UT Southwestern Medical Center Library
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75235-9049
Telephone: 214/648-2112
E-mail: harvey@medcat.library.swmed.edu
********************************************************
2. JERRY WRITES A LETTER -- HOPING YOU WILL, TOO
Update - Chapters and MLA's Meeting Site Policy
Some time back I asked SIG members to participate in a letter-writing campaign to ask Chapter leaders to follow the Association's lead and comply with the policy of MLA Board that meetings not be held in locations where discriminatory policies were sanctioned. I promised to post to our listserv a sample letter that SIG members could adapt and send to their Chapter leaders.
In the listserv discussion surrounding this issue, several SIG members posted messages regarding their not-so-successful experiences with Chapter leaders in seeking compliance with the policy. I think we still need to pursue this issue!
The following is the long-ago promised sample letter. Please consider sending one like it to your Chapter Chair or President, to your Chapter's Newsletter Editor (if your Chapter has one) for publication, and to any other Chapter officers you see fit. These leaders are listed in the annual MLA Directory. Be prepared to be questioned about why you are pursuing this, and why it is important to you. If you need help with your arguments, feel free to call on your peers in the SIG, by posting a message to our listserv, or calling any of the SIG leaders;
Sally Harvey 214/648-2112
Bill Karnoscak 312/942-6832
Kate Benning 602/301-7355
Tom Flemming 905/525-9140 x22321
or me, Jerry Perry. 312/942-2280
We'll be happy to help out!
SAMPLE LETTER:
*Date* *YOUR NAME* *Position in Chapter* *Chapter* *Your Address* Dear *NAME of addressee*: I am writing as a member of the [name of Chapter] to request that leaders of this Chapter consider following the Medical Library Association's "Social Responsibilities" policy regarding meeting site selection when planning future Chapter conference locations. This policy was published in the MLA News, No. 267 August, 1994, p.9. According to this policy, the "MLA will enter into conference-site contracts only with organizations and legal bodies in cities and counties that do not by law discriminate against individuals due to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation." It is important that our Chapter send a strong message of welcome and support to all current and potential members by adhering to this fair and well-considered policy. Thank you in advance for your attention to this concern. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Yours truly, *Your signature*
*****
You may contact the author of the article above as follows:
Gerald (Jerry) Perry
Library of Rush University
600 S. Paulina St.
Chicago, IL 60612
Telephone: 312/942-2280
E-mail: perry@lib.rpslmc.edu
********************************************************
3. DENIS REPORTS -- ON PLANS FOR OUR PROGRAM
Kansas City SIG Program Coming into Focus
Jean Sullivant and I have been putting our heads together and after an afternoon meeting about two months ago, we came up with the general outline/shape of the program. As you know, the program theme: is "Out at Work" and we felt it might be best to call on the experiences of our own SIG members in this area, instead of going outside for speakers.
We plan on having three speakers (allowed a maximum of 15 minutes each); we have a total of only 90 minutes for the whole session and want to leave adequate time for discussion and the sharing of experiences. We're looking for speakers in these three areas:
Karen Zundel has volunteered to work on a bibliography of the above subjects, especially in the health care setting. We could hand that out at the session. (Thanks again, Karen). I thought I might try my hand at a guide to related computer resources.
We've thought of some possibilities for speakers, but are still eager to have more suggestions, comments, etc., from anybody reading this article.
See you in Kansas City!
*****
You may contact the author of the article above as follows:
Denis Gaffney
S.U.N.Y. Health Science Center at Brooklyn
Library - Technical Services
450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 14
Brooklyn, NY 11203
E-mail: gaffney@medlib.hscbklyn.edu
Telephone:718/270-7426
********************************************************
4. TOM STICKS HIS OAR IN
For those of you who don't yet have the full picture, this issue of the newsletter is devoted to planning for our participation in the Medical Library Association annual meeting in 1996, which will be held in Kansas City, MO, from 31 May to 5 June. I received my copy of the _Preliminary Program_ in the postal delivery this past week. The MLA LGBHSL SIG appears twice in this preliminary program:
Read on below, and see what is being planned to make your annual meeting experience ever richer. Be sure to catch what Bill Fleming has to say at the end. (We always have to let him have the last word in this newsletter. You'll see why ...)
*****
You may contact the editor of this newsletter as follows:
Tom Flemming
Health Sciences Library
McMaster University
1200 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5
Telephone: 905/525-9140 x22321
E-mail: tomflem@fhs.mcmaster.ca
********************************************************
5. KAREN LOOKS FOR BOOKS -- SHE'S DONE IT AGAIN !
Our favourite straight (but not narrow) bibliographer, Karen Zundel, has focussed her attention on the program theme for our Kansas City meeting and offers the following list of titles to help you prepare for that experience. Get ready, there may be a test!
HOMOSEXUALITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
Gay issues in the workplace / Brian McNaught. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995. ISBN:0312117981 Homosexual issues in the workplace / edited by Louis Diamant. Washington, D.C.: Taylor & Francis, 1993. ISBN: 1560320389 A manager's guide to sexual orientation in the workplace / Bob Powers and Alan Ellis. New York: Routledge, 1995. ISBN:0415912776 Straight talk about gays in the workplace: creating an inclusive, productive environment for everyone in your organization / Liz Winfeld and Susan Spielman. New York: American Management Association, 1995. ISBN: 0814403050 Out in the workplace: the pleasures and perils of coming out on the job / Richard A. Rasi and Lourdes Rodriguez-Nogues. Los Angeles: Alyson Publications, 1995. ISBN: 1555832512 Straight jobs, gay lives: gay and lesbian professionals, the Harvard Business School and the American workplace / Annette Friskopp and Sharon Silverstein. New York: Scribner, 1995. ISBN: 0684804247 The 100 best companies for gay men and lesbians / Ed Mickens. New York: Pocket Books, 1994. ISBN: 0671874799 The gay males' odyssey in the corporate world: from disempowerment to empowerment / Gerald V. Miller. New York: Haworth Press, 1995. ISBN: 1560249420 The corporate closet: the professional lives of gay men in America / James D. Woods with Jay H. Lucas. New York: The Free Press, 1993. ISBN: 0029356032 Cultural diversity in the workplace: issues and strategies / George Henderson. Westport, Connecticut: Quorum Books, 1994. ISBN: 0899308880 The ASTD trainer's sourcebook: diversity / Tina Rasmussen and the American Society for Training and Development. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996. ISBN: 0070534381 Implementing diversity / Marilyn Loden. Chicago: Irwin Professional, 1996. ISBN: 078630460X The American mosaic: an in-depth report on the future of diversity at work / Anthony Patrick Carnevale and Susan Carol Stone. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995. ISBN: 0070113777 Competitive advantage through diversity: organizational learning from difference / Peter Herriot and Carole Pemberton. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1995. ISBN: 0803988842 Diversity in organizations: new perspectives for a changing workplace / Martin M. Chemers, Stuart Oskamp and Mark A. Costanzo, editors. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1995. ISBN: 0803955480 A practical guide to working with diversity: the process, the tools, the resources / Joy Leach with Bette George et al. New York: Amacom, 1995. ISBN: 0814402445 Gender and diversity in the workplace: learning activities and exercises / Gary N. Powell. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1994. ISBN:0803944861 The questions of diversity: assessment tools for organizations and individuals / George F. Simons and Bob Abrams, editors. Amherst, MA: ODT Incorporated, 1994, 6th edition. Sexual orientation in the workplace: gays, lesbians, bisexuals and heterosexuals working together / Amy J. Zuckerman and George F. Simons. Santa Cruz, CA: International Partners Press, 1994. ISBN: 0932895069 Voices of diversity: real people talk about real problems and solutions in a workplace where everyone is not alike / Renee Blank and Sandra Slipp. New York: Amacom, 1994. ISBN: 0814402178 Gay and lesbian library service / Cal Gough and Ellen Greenblatt, editors, with a forward by Sanford Berman. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1990. ISBN: 089950535X Cracking the corporate closet: the 200 best (and worst) companies to work for, buy from, and invest in if you're gay or lesbian -- and even if you're not / Daniel B. Baker, Sean O'Brien Strub, and Bill Henning, in association with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. New York: HarperBusiness, 1995. ISBN: 0887306918
*****
You may contact the compiler of the bibliography above as follows:
Karen M. Zundel
Health Services Library
McKeesport Hospital
1500 Fifth Avenue
McKeesport, PA 15132
Telephone: 412/664-2363
E-mail: mckmedlib@hslc.org
********************************************************
6. JERRY'S PUTTING UP POSTERS -- HOW ABOUT YOU ?
Poster Has It's Day (and Then Some!)
Our SIG's poster debuted at the Midwestern Chapter/MLA Meeting this past October in Ft. Wayne, IN. Bill Karnoscak has previously reported on that success (in our October newsletter). Since then, Sally Harvey submitted the poster to the Relevant Issues Section's call for posters for their programming at the 1996 MLA Annual Meeting, to be held in Kansas City. With luck, the poster will be accepted!
Meanwhile, any SIG member interested in presenting the poster at a regional Chapter's annual meeting, can do so very easily. Just let Sally Harvey, Bill Karnoscak or Jerry Perry know and we will be glad to help.
*****
You may contact the author of the article above as follows:
Gerald (Jerry) Perry
Library of Rush University
600 S. Paulina St.
Chicago, IL 60612
Telephone: 312/942-2280
E-mail: perry@lib.rpslmc.edu
********************************************************
7. BILL MAKES US LAUGH -- (THAT'S WHY HE'S ALWAYS AT THE END)
Eat, Sleep, and be Mary!
Last year at the MLA annual conference in Washington, many MLALGB'ers and their friends participated in combined dining, lodging, and social activities (by lodging "activities" I mean that we stayed in the same B&B...; I can hear some of you snickering right at this very moment)! It was such a huge success that I volunteered to spearhead the effort to do the same at this year's conference in Kansas City.
I assembled some of the best minds around (they were the ones who answered my request for volunteers) to help secure us the best available lodging. You probably have already noticed my attempts on our listserv to gather information about the number of members who will be attending the conference. This will help us to determine which locations to pursue (some of the places about which I have already received information may be too small).
When we have come up with a place to stay, I will alert all to start making arrangements directly. This should happen in the next couple of weeks. Once this is completed, the committee will begin work on social activities. We are eager to put together a wide range of activities that will excite one and all. Already, I have information on the local piano bar's open mike night, and Jerry Perry has agreed to sing "Honey" (originally made famous by the legendary Bobby Goldsboro) and I agreed to sit in a corner and drink heavily while he does so. Eating, dancing, talking, cruising..., these are all activities which take place at MLA, and they will NOT be overlooked! Be on the lookout for more information on upcoming events.
If you have any suggestions, feel free to contact me or one of my committee:
Fred Pond (Frederick.C.Pond@Dartmouth.edu)
Brian Smith (bsmith@lakenet.org)
Steve Grove (lorain%taonode@vmcms.csuohio.edu)
or become a part of the committee yourself! Let your voice be heard! (Jerry, you can stop singing now....)
I'm looking forward to seeing all of you again in Kansas City. Isn't that where George Brett used to play baseball? I had such a crush on him in high school. But, I digress...
*****
You may contact the author of the article above as follows:
Bill Fleming
Learning Resource Center
Rush University
600 S. Paulina St.
Chicago, IL 60612-3832
Telephone:312/942-2568
E-mail: bfleming@lib.rpslmc.edu
********************************************************
INCLUDE YOURSELF!
Got news to share with your colleagues in the SIG? Send it to Tom Flemming by using the contact points which appear after article #4 in the newsletter so that it can appear in the next newsletter. This newsletter appears three times a year: in October, in February and May, if there is enough news to distribute ...
INCLUDE YOUR FRIENDS!
Do you have friends who want to join us on the SIG's listserv? Have them send a request to join us to Ann Farrell at the following e-mail address: farrell@mayo.edu
Remember, though, when you want to have a message distributed on the list for everyone to read, it should go to: mlalgb@mayo.edu
1 February 1996
..................................................................... Tom Flemming Internet: tomflem@fhs.csu.McMaster.ca Health Sciences Library Ariel: 130.113.181.186 McMaster University Voice: (905) 525-9140 x22321 1200 Main Street West Fax: (905) 528-3733 Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5 Visit the _Health Care Information Resources_ page URL http://www-hsl.mcmaster.ca/tomflem/top.html .......................................................................
MLALGBT Home
This page was last updated on September 15, 2004. Credits