NNLM Professional Development Awardee, Noreen Mulcahy attends Pure Information, the 2017 Midwest Chapter/MLA Conference

Posted by hspielbauer on October 30th, 2017 Posted in: Data Science, Funding, Success Stories

---

The NNLM Professional Development Award made it possible for me to attend Pure Information, the 2017 Midwest Chapter/MLA Conference in Ypsilanti, MI.  The event was held from Saturday, October 14-Monday, October 16 at the Marriott at Eagle Crest.

As part of the award, I had the opportunity to take the class Data Management for Librarians, presented by Caitlin Bakker, Research Services Liaison, University of Minnesota Twin Cities.  She discussed how librarians can incorporate research data services to clients.  Some hands-on exercises gave participants the opportunity to develop data management plans as well as assess research projects.  Her in-depth insight and knowledge of these topics provided me with a better understanding of research and data management.

The contributed paper sessions had something for everyone.  Stevo Roksandic, director of the Mount Carmel Health Sciences Library (MCHSL – where I work) and our former co-worker Allison Erlinger presented  “Rethink, Redo, Repurpose”: Transforming Library Space to Meet Clients’ Needs.  They outlined how MCHSL met the needs of our diverse users, focusing mainly on millennials.  Changes in physical spaces and updating terminology on the Library website are some examples of these transformations.

Marilia Y. Antúnez and Kathy Schupp from the University of Akron discussed how they developed a journal club for undergraduate students in nutrition and dietetics.  The program demonstrated how a journal club can teach students how to critically appraise scientific literature.  In the same vein, Jenny Taylor from the University of Illinois talked about how tracking student citations and interviews gave her an overview of literacy skills of first year medical students.

It was the first conference for me since receiving credentialing from the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP), Senior Level.  While visiting the MLA booth, Tomi Gunn regaled my badge with an AHIP ribbon and sticker.  It was a proud moment.

I want to personally thank the Greater Midwest Region of the NNLM for this Professional Development Award.  Besides all the learning opportunities it provided, the most beneficial part of the conference was networking.  Catching up with long-time friends like Jennifer Herron from Indiana and meeting new people like Anna Liss Jacobsen from Miami University/Ohio gave me energy and an affirmation that I chose the right line of work!

Posted on behalf of Noreen Mulcahy, MLIS, AHIP, Lead Health Sciences Librarian – Technical Services, Mount Carmel Health Sciences Library, Columbus, OH