I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for sponsoring my attendance to the 2017 Health Science Librarians of Illinois conference: The Times are Changing. Attending the conference is generally my one opportunity for health science continuing education where I can interact with those presenting as well as other attendees. I find it hard to express the value that I have received through the HSLI conferences over the years. I hope that I have been able to express that through my work on the planning committee to assist with the organizing so others can benefit as I have through the years.

I found a number of interesting technologies that Gabe Rios discussed in his session on Emerging Technologies for the Busy Librarian. The afternoon session Infographics: Communicating Information Visually introduced the concept of infographics. I personally find pictures to often assist in trying to teach and understand a concept. “A picture is worth a thousand words” comes to mind as an accurate portrayal of why we should include infographics in our presentations or displays. While totally not related to the instruction we did an exercise: Genie stretch which I have shared many, many times among colleagues, friends and family. While we provide access to information to any that request it I think anytime we can also provide information to assist the person holistically we should.

Nancy’s reception is my busy time with being involved with the vendors/exhibiting, food and entertainment as part of my responsibilities with the planning committee. I believe that the reception and all events including the silent auction were well received among the attendees. The addition of Marg Jones and her wit and science were not only entertaining but informative as well.

Friday morning was filled with information. I missed part of the keynote speaker as I was busy networking in the breakfast room and lost track of time. I thoroughly enjoy the updates from RAILS, Illinois Heartland Library System, GMR, Illinois State Library and ICRL. It is good to know what is new and reminded of services that they provide that sometimes we forget about in our busy professional lives. It is also uplifting to see how many organizations there are that continue to assist us as librarians and in general the population of Illinois and beyond.

Thank you again for the financial assistance that assisted me in attending so I could not only have the opportunity learn new skills, network with colleagues but to also oversee my conference responsibilities.

I had the honor of being selected as a Syed Maghrabi Conference Scholarship recipient to the 2017 HSLI Annual Conference. As an MSLIS student at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, I am relatively new to the field of health science librarianship. This conference not only marked my first health science conference, but also, it was my first-ever library conference.

One requirement in the Scholarship” application was to explain why I am interested in receiving the scholarship. I wrote about my desire to build connections in regional health science librarianship to support a health outreach program in the Vermillion County public libraries and to be shown what and who I need to know to further my studies and future career. The connections I made created more opportunities than I imagined possible.

With degrees in music performance, I approach librarianship as a change in career. I could easily try to follow my education into music librarianship, but I prefer a career where my work can make more significant difference in people’s lives. As a student, I am still constantly learning about aspects of librarianship, but the conference session on emerging technologies showed me new resources for health education and clinician usage, such as virtual reality technology, that I never have the opportunity to experience in the classroom.

In the session on infographics, I was able to create a basic design for a health information poster with more flair than anything I have experienced in my coursework. In school, I am learning the broad strokes of what librarianship is. The HSLI conference showed me how to apply those concepts and how librarianship works in the real world.

I feel confident that I can create an infographic to effectively describe information to use in an outreach program. I also am more aware of the tools available to users, both as health professionals and the public. But most of all, I saw the breadth of knowledge of individuals across medical and academic libraries. I made connections for future job opportunities and for research and practicum work while I am still in school. I learned about career options and about how fulfilling working to support doctors and students with disabilities can be. I even learned that hospitals have interlibrary loan systems! I admit that realization may be due to my own naivete, but the passion and years of study from the librarians I met inspired me.

I now have the basic skills to create educational marketing materials and to present them effectively to an audience. I also know who to contact when I need more help, and ultimately, knowing where and how to get more information is the hallmark of a successful librarian. Thank you to the scholarship committee for the opportunity to attend the conference and to all the attendees for welcoming me and showing me the way to my future. I hope to see you all again in 2018!

Thank you to the Syed Maghrabi Conference Scholarship Committee for selecting me to receive a full scholarship to the 2017 HSLI Conference “The Times are Changing.” As a new health sciences librarian, I attended my first HSLI conference excited with the prospect learning more about health science librarianship and meeting peers from around the state (as a solo librarian, I needed to develop a network). Both of these expectations were met and exceeded.

Gabe Rios presented on several new and developing technologies in the “Emerging Technologies for the Busy Librarian” session. I was not aware of all the library and non-library apps available for health and how to select and evaluate them. This session really opened my eyes to the possibilities apps (and technology in general) have to enhance learning and research in the health sciences. I have already downloaded several NLM apps and will be promoting the HIV/AIDS related apps when the Methodist College Library hosts the NLM traveling exhibit “Surviving and Thriving” in 2018. I also made a note to actively seek an IT staff member to join the library advisory committee (once I have a library advisory committee).

I thoroughly enjoyed the poster sessions as I had the opportunity to speak to several librarians about their research and what they were doing at their institutions. From this experience, I am now planning to pilot a journal club. Before the HSLI conference I had never heard of journal clubs. My hope is that this pilot is successful and the college can produce and sustain several journal clubs. The resources I received about journal clubs will also help me collaborate with nursing faculty members to redesign a journal analyzing assignment which many of the students struggle with.

My biggest take away from this conference is that I am not alone, even as a solo librarian. I shared my struggles and successes with many attendees and they exchanged insights and ideas. My first HSLI conference was a very valuable experience and I am looking forward to participating in the next conference.

Are you planning to attend Nancy’s Reception at this year’s Health Science Librarians of Illinois Annual Conference. In addition to eating great food, browsing poster sessions, and watching a chemistry “magic show”, you will have the opportunity to speak with vendors from five library-related organizations and companies. More information about each one is below. (Click on the bold name of the vendor to access its website.) Representatives from some vendors may also be available to answer questions between 8:00 and 10:00 AM on Friday.

American Academy of Pediatrics–professional organization offering certification and professional development opportunities in pediatrics-related fields, in addition to acting as a legislative advocate

EBSCO–commercial vendor specializing in journal databases covering a range of topics related to the health sciences, including nursing and public health

Greater Midwest Region–a division of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, the GMR serves a 10-state region (including Illinois) and offers numerous continuing-education webinars and meetings in conjunction with the Medical Library Association

Reaching Across Illinois Library System–serving approximately 1,300 libraries of all types in northern and west-central Illinois, RAILS offers interlibrary loan delivery, cooperative purchasing, catalog support, and continuing education

Wolters Kluwer–commercial vendor specializing in productivity tools and integrated solutions for health care professionals and students, especially those working or studying in a clinical setting

The HSLI Conference Planning Committee would like to thank all of the vendors for their time and generosity in assisting with this year’s Conference.

If you are planning to attend the Health Science Librarians of Illinois Annual Conference in Bloomington this week, remember that two sessions will take place the afternoon of Thursday, October 26. More information is below.

From 1:00 to 2:45 PM, first watch a recording of the National Library of Medicine’s webinar “Infographics: Communicating Information Visually” (the recording will last one hour), and then participate in a live discussion. The presenter in the recording is Rose Turner, Research & Instruction Librarian, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System. In the webinar, learn to make your raw data more appealing and consumable with infographics. You will discover what infographics are and how they can make data easier to understand and share. Finally, Ms. Turner will wrap up by demonstrating an online resource (Piktochart), so you’ll be ready to create your own infographics. (A photo of Ms. Turner is below.)

Sarah Isaacs from the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse will facilitate a discussion of infographics after the webinar viewing. This course does not carry CE credit from the Medical Library Association.

From 3:00 to 5:00 PM, Merinda Kaye Hensley, Associate Professor and Digital Scholarship Liaison and Instruction Librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will give the presentation “Designing Instructional Materials”. With the approval of the ACRL Framework, everyone is talking about learning theory. This session will be practical and hands-on, breaking down the instructional design process in order to apply our understanding for how people learn, and also how to prove it (or not!).

Hensley is part of the team in the Scholarly Commons, a digital scholarship center that serves the emerging research and technology needs of scholars in data services, digital humanities, digitization, and scholarly communication. She teaches, coordinates and provides leadership for the Savvy Researcher, an open workshop series addressing advanced research and information management needs of graduate students and faculty. Hensley has taught for the School of Information Sciences at Illinois, LIS 590AE: Information Literacy and Instruction and Practice. She is active in ACRL, currently serving as Vice Chair of the Instruction Section. Hensley presents nationally and internationally on her research, incorporating scholarly communication into information literacy instruction and improving teaching skills of new librarians.

This course will not offer MLA CE credit, but participants can add it as an “External Training”to their transcript for the new Medlib-Ed portal if they choose. Therefore, it will still be part of their record and will count toward AHIP.

Each year at HSLI annual conferences, Nancy’s Receptions are unique in their own special way and also include traditional events that continue from year to year. The receptions feature the conference poster session, a brief entertaining program, an opportunity to network, and enjoy a good meal. Last but not least, attendees each year look forward to the silent auction. The 2017 HSLI conference silent auction will take place at Nancy’s Reception on Thurs, Oct. 26, 2017. There is something for everyone. Items include those with library themes or featuring items liked by many librarians.

This year’s silent auction features a book, a souvenir cup, pottery, t-shirts and leggings, a wearable Fitbit for fitness monitoring, gift baskets, a hotel stay, and a scanner… Check out the images below to see some of the auction items:

All items in the auction were donated by HSLI members and supporters. Starting bids will range from $5 – $100. Nancy’s Reception attendees are invited to participate in this year’s silent auction (cash or check only). Proceeds go to a good cause, the HSLI Scholarship Fund. We thank all, donors and participants, for your generosity!

For more information about the HSLI 2017, visit the conference website or contact Emily Johnson, chair of the conference publicity committee

(via Emily Johnson, University of Illinois at Chicago Library of the Health Sciences – Peoria)

The early-registration and hotel reservation period for the Annual Conference of the Health Science Librarians of Illinois will end Tuesday, October 10. After that date, there will be a $25 late fee assessed to registration, and your hotel reservation will not be part of the HSLI hotel block. Please follow this link for online conference registration using PayPal or you may download the PDF form to mail in with a check payable to HSLI. You will be able to sign up for your conference CE’s, the mentor/mentee program, food choices, and dietary restrictions.

To book your hotel stay at The Chateau Hotel and Conference Center, you must call (309) 662-2020 to make your reservation. By mentioning that you are part of the Health Science Librarians of Illinois group, you will receive the lodging rate of $79 per night plus taxes and fees, and you will be part of the HSLI official block of hotel rooms. The Chateau Hotel is located at 1621 Jumer Dr, Bloomington, IL 61704.

Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Emily Johnson, Chair of the HSLI Annual Conference Publicity Committee, or visit the HSLI Conference Website.

The 2017 Annual Conference of the Health Science Librarians of Illinois will offer two days of professional activities, but if you need a break, consider taking advantage of the places and spaces of host cities Bloomington and Normal. The Conference hotel, The Chateau, is an ideal location, with easy and convenient access to places around both communities.

Either Wednesday evening or Friday afternoon would an ideal time to go out and try one or more of the following activities:

• touring the Beer Nuts factory
• walking the Constitution Trail
• cruising into the Route 66 Visitors Center
• visiting Illinois State University’s Campus
• tasting artisan cheeses from Ropp Jersey Cheese Farm
• shopping in the area’s many boutique

The Bloomington-Normal Visitors Bureau website has many other listings and coupon dealsto plan your own venture. We hope you will take advantage of what Bloomington-Normal has to offer.

For any questions about the HSLI Annual Conference, please contact Emily Johnson, Publicity Chair for the HSLI Conference Planning Committee, at emj11@uic.edu, or visit the Conference website.

Health Science Librarians of Illinois (HSLI) Annual Conference receptions provide a wonderful opportunity for Conference attendees, presenters, exhibitors, and guests to relax, network, and enjoy good food. Now a tradition at the Conferences, the annual Reception honors Nancy Stump, a longtime, fun-loving, active HSLI member who served as HSLI President from 1990 to 1993. Each year, Nancy’s Reception is unique in its own special way. This year’s Nancy’s Reception will take place on Thursday evening, October 26, in the congenial ambiance of The Chateau, the Conference hotel.

What can attendees expect to do at the 2017 Conference reception? They can examine 10 professional posters and discuss them with their peers, the presenters. They will have an opportunity to watch a presentation by Illinois State University chemistry professor Dr. Marjorie Jones, called “Magic Show: Is it Science or Magic?”, and chat with the “magician professor” afterwards. They can bid on items donated by vendors and their colleagues in the Silent Auction, which benefits the HSLI scholarship fund. Last, but not least, they can enjoy a good meal at the end of a busy Conference day.

Plan on joining HSLI colleagues and guests at this year’s HSLI Annual Conference and Nancy’s Reception in Bloomington, IL, from October 25 to October 27. For more information, visit the Conference website.