Bridging a gap between MLIS students at UBC and health librarians: a case report from 2006-2010 Purpose Setting In June 2006, a group of students in the MLIS programme at SLAIS asked a professional health librarian to help them form a student interest group of CHLA/ABSC Short and long term goals and objectives were identified, and a list of priorities was developed to establish our presence at UBC A strategic planning approach was adopted by the Executive to meet our larger goals To our knowledge, no student interest groups had existed in the thirty year history of CHLA/ABSC back to 1976 This poster reports on the formation of a student interest group (SIG) of CHLA/ABSC at UBC's School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS) in Vancouver, BC from 2006 to 2009 Selected references Agee J, Lillard L. A global view of library associations for students and new librarians. New Library World 2005; 106(11/12), 541-555. CHLA/ABSC. Taking a leadership role in CHLA/ABSC and its chapters. [powerpoint] http://www.chla-absc.ca/documents/CHLA-ABSC_Taking_a_Leadership_Role.pps Crawford D. CHLA/ABSC 25 years on. Bibliotheca Medica Canadiana Winter 2000; 22(2). Isenburg MV, Kipnis DG, Pernell R. Changing with the times? Library associations and new librarians. [poster] Duke University Medical Center Library. Medical Library Association (MLA) Conference, June 2007. http://www.mlanet.org/am/am2007/e-present/20070522_20_von_isenburg.pdf SLAIS Student Interest Group (SIG) of CHLA/ABSC website: http://www.slais.ubc.ca/PEOPLE/students/student-groups/CHLA/ UBC Health Library wiki. SLAIS CHLA/ABSC Student Interest Group. May 25 th , 2009. http://hlwiki.slais.ubc.ca Watson E. Subject knowledge in the health sciences library: an online survey of Canadian academic health sciences librarians. 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10388/48 Results As of May 2009, we have 25 student & alumni members ~ see website ~ We have formally met monthly, and have archive back to 2006 Organized ~ 10 or more library tours, workshops & speakers Assisted ~ 15 students get placements in health libraries Provided a network of support and access to health librarians throughout Lower Mainland and British Columbia Maintain current listserv, website and wiki Official status was granted in 2007 by CHLA/ABSC Board Discussion Methods By September 2006, the MLIS students had held their first official meeting, formed an Executive committee and assigned duties accordingly As an ex-officio advisor, a mentor librarian attended meetings; the Executive recruited members during 2006-2007 term Searches of LIS literature and Google scholar found very little about MLIS students collaborating with library associations (but cites are stored on wiki) UBC Health Library wiki and e-mail listserv were set up for communication and information-sharing A presentation was made to several classes at SLAIS, and official status was sought in 2007 from the UBC Alma Mater Society From 2006-2009, our goals were to accomplish the following : To build on our ‘mission statement’ and receive official status Build good relationships with Health Libraries Association of BC (HLABC) Learn more about health libraries and digital library cultures Schedule training, library tours and social events Create practicum, mentoring and professional experiences Help our members obtain part-time work & volunteer positions Conclusions Beyond 2009, we will 'bridge the gap' with other innovative approaches to networking with health librarians To prepare for a career in health librarianship, SLAIS students now enjoy an important source of academic and peer support Based on this model, other CHLA/ABSC chapters are encouraged to form their own student interest groups The new executive plans to do more outreach and create a new scholarship in health librarianship by 2010 This ‘case report‘ ( with plans beyond 2010 ) will be submitted as a paper in late 2009 to JCHLA/JABSC “ Bridging the gap between students and working professionals in health librarianship.“ SLAIS Student Interest Group, CHLA/ABSC website http:// www.slais.ubc.ca /PEOPLE/students/student-groups/CHLA / THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Dean Giustini 1 and Daniel Hooker, Xuemei Li and Sue Bradley 2 1 UBC Biomedical Branch Librarian; 2 MLIS Candidates, School of Library, Archival & Information Studies http:// hlwiki.slais.ubc.ca

In June 2006, a group of students in the MLIS programme at SLAIS asked a professional health librarian to help them form a student interest group of CHLA/ABSC

Short and long term goals and objectives were identified, and a list of priorities was developed to establish our presence at UBC

A strategic planning approach was adopted by the Executive to meet our larger goals

To our knowledge, no student interest groups had existed in the thirty year history of CHLA/ABSC back to 1976

Agee J, Lillard L. A global view of library associations for students and new librarians. New Library World 2005; 106(11/12), 541-555.

CHLA/ABSC. Taking a leadership role in CHLA/ABSC and its chapters. [powerpoint] http://www.chla-absc.ca/documents/CHLA-ABSC_Taking_a_Leadership_Role.pps

Crawford D. CHLA/ABSC 25 years on. Bibliotheca Medica Canadiana Winter 2000; 22(2).

Isenburg MV, Kipnis DG, Pernell R. Changing with the times? Library associations and new librarians. [poster] Duke University Medical Center Library.

Medical Library Association (MLA) Conference, June 2007. http://www.mlanet.org/am/am2007/e-present/20070522_20_von_isenburg.pdf

SLAIS Student Interest Group (SIG) of CHLA/ABSC website: http://www.slais.ubc.ca/PEOPLE/students/student-groups/CHLA/

UBC Health Library wiki. SLAIS CHLA/ABSC Student Interest Group. May 25 th , 2009. http://hlwiki.slais.ubc.ca

Watson E. Subject knowledge in the health sciences library: an online survey of Canadian academic health sciences librarians. 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10388/48

As of May 2009, we have 25 student & alumni members ~ see website ~

We have formally met monthly, and have archive back to 2006

Organized ~ 10 or more library tours, workshops & speakers

Assisted ~ 15 students get placements in health libraries

Provided a network of support and access to health librarians

throughout Lower Mainland and British Columbia

Maintain current listserv, website and wiki

Official status was granted in 2007 by CHLA/ABSC Board

By September 2006, the MLIS students had held their first official meeting, formed an Executive committee and assigned duties accordingly

As an ex-officio advisor, a mentor librarian attended meetings; the Executive recruited members during 2006-2007 term

Searches of LIS literature and Google scholar found very little about MLIS students collaborating with library associations (but cites are stored on wiki)

UBC Health Library wiki and e-mail listserv were set up for communication and information-sharing

A presentation was made to several classes at SLAIS, and official status was sought in 2007 from the UBC Alma Mater Society

From 2006-2009, our goals were to accomplish the following :

To build on our ‘mission statement’ and receive official status

Build good relationships with Health Libraries Association of BC (HLABC)

Learn more about health libraries and digital library cultures

Schedule training, library tours and social events

Create practicum, mentoring and professional experiences

Help our members obtain part-time work & volunteer positions

Beyond 2009, we will 'bridge the gap' with other innovative approaches to networking with health librarians

To prepare for a career in health librarianship, SLAIS students now enjoy an important source of academic and peer support

Based on this model, other CHLA/ABSC chapters are encouraged to form their own student interest groups

The new executive plans to do more outreach and create a new scholarship in health librarianship by 2010

This ‘case report‘ ( with plans beyond 2010 ) will be submitted as a paper in late 2009 to JCHLA/JABSC