Advocate for Medical Libraries with MLA! Professional Advocacy for Health Sciences Librarians

Monday, August 10, 2020

10:15 AM – 11:30 AM CT

Primary Presenter/Session Organizer(s)

Margaret Ansell, AHIP

Associate Chair
Health Science Center Libraries
Gainesville, Florida

Slides Handouts

Presenter(s)

Sandra L. Bandy, AHIP

Assistant Director for Content Management
Augusta University
Georgia Regents University
Evans, Georgia
Mary M. Langman

Director, Information Issues & Policy
Medical Library Association
Chicago
Teresa Zayas Caban

Chief Scientist
US Department of Health and Human Services
Rebecca Goodwin

Policy Analyst and Open Science Specialist
NLM

The live session took place on Monday, August 10. You can access the recording of the session by selecting the "Access recording" button and using password: &i$1#i03

Session Format: This session will begin with a 15 minute presentation of MLA’s legislative priorities, followed by a panel discussion, Q&A, and two breakout sessions where members will begin addressing strategies for preparing for MLA’s 2021 Capitol Hill Day.

Description: Have you been interested in advocating for access to quality health information with your elected officials, but don’t know where to start? Join this immersion session to learn about MLA’s Advocacy Program and the work it does, and participate in small group facilitated discussions about how to engage with your local, state, and national representatives about issues related to medical librarianship and health information.

Methods: The session will open with a presentation highlighting how public policy impacts health sciences libraries and issues and policies you will want to know more about to become a strong advocate. Issues that impact health sciences libraries including funding for the National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, and public access to government-funded health information will be discussed. This will be followed by a panel discussion led by members of the Governmental Relations Committee and Joint MLA/AAHSL Legislation Committee. The panel will describe their experiences preparing for and meeting with Congressional representatives. Techniques for having successful meetings will be discussed and links provided to suggested reading materials for keeping informed about both legislative issues and the impact of medical libraries on constituents.
Participant Engagement: Participants will be invited to enter breakout rooms to ask questions and engage presenters and each other on topics of interest after the presentation of legislative priorities and throughout the panel and Q&A. Questions and comments will be invited both in person and through the conference mobile app.
Sponsors: Governmental Relations Committee and Joint MLA/AAHSL Legislation Committee

Learning Objectives:

Participants will understand MLA’s legislative priorities and recognize how legislation impacts the health sciences library community.
Participants will be able to articulate how librarians and library services support the health information needs of the public in their local communities.
Participants will know how to track the progress of relevant legislation in the year leading up to 2021 Capitol Hill Day.
Participants will learn techniques for grassroots advocacy, particularly developing connections with their congressional representatives; and will be introduced to strategies for scheduling and conducting meetings with their congressional representatives.