I am pleased to introduce this inaugural issue of The MAReport.  This newsletter will be published quarterly and will highlight MAR projects, activities and members.  In this issue, you can read about one of our award-winning members, Mary Jo Russell, and meet the MAR Executive Director, Renae Barger, and the four energetic MAR Coordinators:  Michelle Burda, Lydia Collins, Kate Flewelling, and Missy Harvey.  You’ll learn more about MAR outreach, exhibits, and training opportunities.

Member Spotlight

Mary Jo Russell, MLS, AHIP

Encouraged by my mentor-professor at Houghton College, I pursued a Master of Library Science degree from the University at Albany.  After graduating in 1989, I landed my first part-time job as a hospital librarian.  Soon thereafter I accepted a full-time position as Manager of Library Services at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, NY.  I’ve been actively involved in our regional Southeastern NY Library Resources Council (SENYLRC) and in the Upstate New York-Ontario Chapter (UNYOC) of MLA, serving on the Executive Committee and the Conference Planning Committee.

MAR Highlights

Renae Barger, Executive Director

One of the many exciting roles of a regional medical library is exhibiting at national, regional, state and local meetings and conferences.  Exhibiting offers the opportunity to demonstrate NLM products to health professionals, consumer groups and public, school and health sciences librarians.  It is also a great way to promote membership and services of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM).

Sharing & Caring

Michelle Burda, Network and Advocacy Coordinator

As Network and Advocacy Coordinator, I plan programs with an emphasis on advocacy and changing roles for the information professional.  I serve as the liaison to hospital librarians in MAR as well as manage the region’s membership and resource sharing programs.  As a member of the NN/LM MedlinePlus Connect task force, my role is to promote the use of MedlinePlus Connect which links health IT systems, patient portals and electronic health record (EHR) systems to relevant, authoritative patient health information from MedlinePlus.

Consumer Connections

Lydia Collins, Consumer Health Coordinator

As Consumer Health Coordinator, I have had the opportunity to travel to various places throughout our region to conduct training, exhibit at conferences, and provide presentations. These experiences have allowed me to meet talented members in our region, while gaining a better understanding of the consumer health training needs that exist.  One of our goals as a regional medical library is to foster relationships amongst member organizations with a mission to disseminate free, reputable health information to health professionals, researchers, and the general public.

Out and About

Kate Flewelling, Outreach Coordinator

As Outreach Coordinator, I have responsibility for MAR’s outreach to unaffiliated health professionals, the mental health workforce, minority health professionals and the public health workforce.  I am guided in this work by the Outreach to Health Professionals and the Public Health Workforce Special Advisory Group http://nnlm.gov/mar/about/outreach_members.html.  In this column, I will detail some of the ways MAR supports health professionals, using the public health workforce as an example.

CyberCast

Missy Harvey, Technology and Communication Coordinator

If your region has a hazardous material incident and emergency responders need immediate access to vital information—where do they access the information they need?  What happens if the network goes down that provides the data?

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has developed a fantastic app to help—the Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER).  WISER provides information on hazardous substances, including substance identification support, physical characteristics, human health information, and containment and suppression advice.

• Visit our Training website for updates and more details for these events:

Event:  Making PubMed Work for You (Course)
Presenter:  Kate Flewelling, Outreach Coordinator
Dates:  August 20 – September 14, 2012
Location:  Online

Event:  MARDelivery Training (Webinar)
Presenter:  Missy Harvey, Technology & Communication Coordinator
Date:  August 24, 2012
Location:  Online

Event:  NLM’s K-12 Resources (Lunch with the RML session)
Presenter:  Lydia Collins, Consumer Health Coordinator
Date:  August 30, 2012
Location:  Online