Article of Interest: Limitations of Open Evidence (by PAIJE!)

Congratulations to Paije Wilson and her four colleagues from UW–Madison on their recent publication in the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy!

Their article tackles the critical topic of AI accuracy in healthcare, providing a thorough review of current literature on OpenEvidence. By running specific pharmacotherapeutic queries, the team effectively demonstrated inaccuracies in how the tool generates responses and summarizes its sources. Crucially, the authors delve into source summarization inaccuracies—a nuance in AI performance that has largely been overlooked in current research.

Link to study: https://accpjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jac5.70237

Nominate Someone for WHSLA's Librarian of the Year Award!

 

 Nominate one of your colleagues for WHSLA's Librarian of the Year Award! The deadline for nominations is October 31st, 2025.

This career award is bestowed upon a professional (MLS or equivalent) librarian in recognition of outstanding leadership, achievement and commitment to the library profession. The librarian shall be currently employed in a Wisconsin health sciences library and must be an active member of WHSLA.

Criteria for the award include (but are not limited to):

1. Distinguished service to the profession; outstanding participation in activities of professional associations; and notable 
2. publications, presentations and projects.
3. Dedicated leadership and vision in health sciences libraries including automation technology, management, networking,
4. education or service.
5. Active support of and participation in WHSLA.
6. Enhancement, expansion and interpretation of library service to the community and/or strengthening of the library's role and position in the community.
7. Development of innovative programs that have benefited WHSLA members. 

Nominate a colleague via WHSLA's Librarian of the Year nomination form. 

Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone is having a great fall! 

 

Spring Board Meeting Announcement News!

Last Friday's WHSLA Board Meeting included two milestone announcements from members in the Madison and Fox Valley areas. 

Congratulations,  Michele Matucheski on 25 years at Ascension NE Wisconsin- Mercy Campus Medical Library on April 4^th!

Long time WHSLA member and Treasurer, Robert Koehler, announced he is planning his retirement for this year.  No date set as yet.  In August, Robert will celebrate 39 years at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Medical Library. 

Please join us in congratulating them on these anniversaries.

An overview of the 2024 WHSLA budget

The 2024 WHSLA budget has been approved. Projected expenses include usual business costs like our Google Sites hosting, State of WI tax exempt fees, Librarian and Library of the Year awards. 

An increase in continuing education funding was proposed and accepted due to NNLM Region 6 no longer funding MLA webinars. WHSLA will also continue to offer two, $500 professional development/AHIP awards. 

Watch your email for more information regarding WHSLA-sponsored CE, professional education, and development opportunities. 

Call for Nominations for WHSLA Board 2024-2025

 Hello Members,

 We are now accepting nominations for the upcoming Wisconsin Health Sciences Library Association Board openings for 2024. All members are eligible for board positions. If you have not recently been a part of the WHSLA Board, please consider serving.

 Positions on the ballot:

•  President-Elect 2024-President 2025 The president-elect shall function in the absence of the president, assist the president as needed, and succeed to the presidency after one year. If the office of president is vacated, the president-elect shall assume all the duties and responsibilities of the president. The president shall call meetings, prepare agenda, preside at meetings, appoint or approve committee members, and represent the association in all official capacities. The president shall serve as an ex-officio member of all committees.

• Secretary 2024-2025 The secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings, submit copies of the minutes to the executive board, and be responsible for meeting notices and correspondence. The secretary shall serve for two years. The term for secretary begins in even numbered years.

 Terms can be counted towards AHIP credentialing when tallying your Professional Accomplishment Points. For a multi-year term, you may claim points after each full year of service.

 Please reach out if you have any questions or if you would like to be listed as a candidate for one of the open roles on the ballot.

 The Election will take place by Online Ballot on December 1^st, 2023.

 Thank you,

 Liz Witkowski

WHSLA President 2024

WHSLA website redesign progressing

The WHSLA website redesign is coming along and we wanted to keep you in the loop about how things are progressing. 

The Jan/Feb 2023 survey we sent out asking how you use the WHSLA website, helped inform the work we are doing. Just a reminder that the top responses about what you use the website for included membership lists, blog, and bylaws. 

Structure of website: This spring, the committee spent time looking at other health science library association sites, including Midwest Chapter MLA, HSLI, and MHSLA. There were some commonalities with the structure that we liked and are hoping to implement on the new WHSLA site. In addition, we found ways to make things clearer, like officer and committee lists that deliniate voting and non-voting roles. 

Feedback on new structure: To give WHSLA members a chance to give feedback on the new structure, we will be sending out a survey before July 1. 

Updating logo: Stay tuned for more on the WHSLA logo. It could be a simple addition of color or broader redesign. 

 

Meet 2023 WHSLA President Liz Witkowski

This blog post is the third in a series featuring members of the 2023 WHSLA Executive Board. 

In this post, get to know WHSLA 2023 President, Liz Witkowski. 

Where is the coolest place you traveled? 

I recently went abroad with my husband to Italy. Our first there time for both of us! I think it is fascinating to experience culture from a place that has existed for thousands of years in the same space. The coolest thing we did on our trip was a tour of the Trevi Fountain. Obviously, the fountain itself is very beautiful and historically significant, but our tour included something a bit more interesting to me. We went under the fountain to the oldest known working Roman aqueduct. It was a “recent” archeological discovery from the 1990’s and wasn’t opened to the public until the mid 2000s. Seeing the construction up close and having a private guide (an enthusiastic teacher who did tours in her free time, she was a delight!) explain to us in detail the important features to look at as well as the other areas of interest including layers of medieval living spaces built on top of old roman homes. It was remarkable and easily the coolest thing I have experienced.

What is one thing that instantly makes your day better and aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without? 

I am combining these two questions with one very simple answer: Coffee! I always enjoy a good cup of coffee, it makes my morning so much better, and I can’t imagine willingly forgoing it. Luckily, I am kept well in supply of good beans. Both my father-in-law and my mother’s partner are also coffee enthusiasts and love sending me new coffees to try. It’s special to be able to share something with both of them, and makes for good conversations.

What is something that always makes you smile?

I love seeing kids playing. It truly always makes me smile. They can be rowdy or quiet, in groups or alone, and it just makes me happy! It I visited the “Beyond Monet” exhibit this past fall, and one of the highlights was the projections of the lilypads onto the floors and ceilings. There were two small kiddos there who started hopping on them and ribbiting. So adorable! This is one of the reasons I sought to put up a little free library in front of my home, happy kids! (LFL currently on my front porch, in the works for warmer weather!)

What are you most looking forward to?

Right now, I am most looking forward to the Spring. I don’t love the short cold days, so Spring is always on my mind. Longer days, green grass, flowers, and sunshine. Yes please!! Only a few more months…

Meet 2023 WHSLA Board Member Claudia Noonan

This blog post is the second in a series featuring members of the 2023 WHSLA Executive Board. 

Claudia Noonan, Reference Librarian at the George E. Magnin Medical Library at Marshfield Clinic Library, will be serving as a Member-At-Large for a two-year term. 

Brenda asked me to share a bit about myself as I will be a member-at-large in 2023, and I am newer to medical librarianship. I started my librarian career later than most. I had two young children by the time I pursued my Masters. Ask me sometime to tell the story of when my child got lost in the closed (and moving) stacks at the UWM Golda Meir library! I was a public librarian for the beginning of my career in a small suburban library and wore many hats that involved programming for children and adults. As Covid affected how we interacted with our patrons, I found that what I loved most about librarianship was the “helping people find the information they need or suggesting their next best reading choice.” That meant a career change that led to medical librarianship where I can assist in researching timely information for our doctors and nurses.

What inspires me at work? I love finding the right information that helps a doctor or nurse treat a patient, do a presentation, or support their research.

What is a challenge at work? A perpetual challenge in any librarian role is being visible to the wider organization. Promoting the library and our important role in support is a challenge.

What are my hobbies? I am learning how to create stained glass pieces. I have learned the mosaic and copper foil methods. I also love to read, of course!

What is one this that instantly makes your day better? That’s easy—Chocolate!

Throwback Thursday: WHSLA 2004 Conference - The Art of Librarianship

While looking through some old files recently, I ran across documents related to the 2004 WHSLA Conference, held in Milwaukee. I wasn't a medical librarian at the time, but recognize many familiar names in the schedule below. 

In addition to a keynote, roundtable discussions, and CE, there was a social event at the Milwaukee Art Museum that featured kaleideoscope mania. Anyone remember this?

Meet 2023 WHSLA Board Member Hayley Severson

This blog post is the first in a series featuring members of the 2023 WHSLA Executive Board. 

First off, let's get to know Hayley Severson, Clinical Services Librarian at MCW and Children's Wisconsin. Hayley will be serving as a Member-At-Large for a two-year term.  

 

My name is Hayley Severson, I am the Clinical Services Librarian for the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin – a position I have only held since December 15th! Before now, I was a Reference Librarian with MCW since December 2021 and I was an academic librarian the UW System previous to that. I am from La Crosse originally and have bounced from Minneapolis to Madison where I went to school, and now I live on the East Side of Milwaukee with my boyfriend Isaac where we go for runs on the Oak Leaf trail and make unwise dessert purchases from Peter Sciortino’s.

What are your hobbies? I enjoy going for long walks, short runs, trying new recipes, and waiting (in agony) for the Packers to win a Super Bowl.

What are you passionate about? Pretty lame, but I really love my job! I come from a liberal arts background, but my mom is a cancer registrar for Mayo Clinic La Crosse and I have spent years talking about cancer with her prior to even knowing medical librarianship was a thing. I get so excited to learn about new things in medicine, assist students and professionals with their own research, and ultimately in my new job I get to support clinicians with their patient care decision making. It’s insanely cool, and I love that I know words like “myxofibrosarcoma.”

 What skill would you most like to learn? Not necessarily a skill, but I’m always looking for opportunities to permanently place more factoids in my brain for Jeopardy! or trivia purposes. Did you know that the clavicle is the last bone in the body to complete its growth, and only seals at around age 25? #noknowledge #onlyfactoids
 
What is something that always makes you smile? Airplanes flying overhead, funky fruited sour beers, walking past a curious dog, colorful lights, approaching a city skyline, and that first day in March that cracks 40 degrees.

Call for volunteers: 2023 WHSLA website project

It was great to see so many of you at last week’s WHSLA 2022 Business Meeting. At the meeting one of the New Business items was a discussion on the WHSLA website. After a mandatory Google update earlier in 2022, the website lost some functionality that also showed the older architecture and page structure of the website. Members recommended exploring migrating the WHSLA website in 2023.

 The WHSLA Communications committee, which the website falls under, is looking for volunteers to help with this endeavor. We’re especially looking for people with web design experience and/or experience with platforms like WordPress, Squarespace, or another out of the box tool. Please consider volunteering to help make the WHSLA website more user friendly and accessible for our members.

 Draft timeline:

• Website group meets regularly starting in early 2023
• Makes recommendation to WHSLA Board at Spring 2023 Board Meeting
• Moves forward with website migration and completes by Fall 2023
• Timeline is fluid and may change with schedule of 2023 WHSLA Virtual Conference

 If you have web design experience or are interested in helping, please respond to brenda dot fay by Friday, January 13, 2023.

Long-time WI health science librarian to retire after 44 years!

Congratulations to Marcy Lisiecki, Librarian Senior, who will soon be celebrating her 44th anniversary with Advocate Aurora. Just a few days later, February 25, 2022, she will start enjoying her well-earned retirement after a long and successful career in the Medical Library at St. Luke’s.

Marcy started at St. Luke’s Hospital Library in 1978 while earning her bachelor’s degree from Alverno College. Back then the library was open 7 am-midnight and Marcy worked second shift. During those late-night hours, Marcy helped countless residents, fellows, nurses, and many others find literature and evidence to support their learning, patient care, research, and pursuit for additional degrees.

Over her years as a librarian, Marcy has worked on many projects to support making resources available for library users. She has made thousands of print books, online books, and other resources accessible for use in the library or, more often now, online from anywhere. She mentored many library interns as they assisted with projects and went on to earn their master’s degrees.

Marcy has seen many changes at the department and institution level including St. Luke’s Hospital’s merger with Sinai Samaritan to form the seed of Aurora Health Care in 1987 and the merger to Advocate Aurora Health over 30 years later. She has many fond memories of St. Luke’s leaders including Ed Howe, Nick Turkal, Marie Golanowski, and more. At the department level she moved offices many times, saw the advent of computers and technology in libraries, and facilitated the transition from print materials to online tools that can be used 24/7 from anywhere in the world.

In addition to all that, she is a friend to animals and even rescued stray cats at St. Luke’s. After a mother cat and her three kittens spent the summer living outside the St. Luke’s Library patio, Marcy started feeding and taking care of them. Before the weather got too cold, Marcy took the mother cat and all three kittens home. Mittens, the longest-lived of the bunch, turned out to be a friendly house cat who never lost her mousing instincts and liked to catch chipmunks in the backyard.

The Advocate Aurora Library team is so grateful to Marcy for all her hard work over the years, but more importantly for her kindness, smiles, and one-of-a-kind laugh that always kept us in good spirits. We will miss you, Marcy!

A heartfelt congratulations on your retirement.

Marcy celebrating her 40th anniversary in 2018.

Save the Date: WHSLA Wisdom Chat February 11, 2022

Save the date: WHSLA Wisdom Chat, Friday, February 11^th at 1:00 PM.  Rita Mitchell, Advocate Aurora Health Librarian,  will present on her interactive approach to teaching critical thinking to medical residents.  

This webinar is only available to paid up WHSLA members, so pay your dues today and expect and an online invitation on February 1^st from Barb Ruggeri.   

It’s easy to renew: Visit http://www.whsla.org/join-whsla and renew by check or with PayPal.

Time to renew your WHSLA membership for 2022!

Greetings WHSLA!

It's time to renew your WHSLA for 2022. Visit this link to fill out the membership form and send in your payment (PayPal or check). Dues are just $20 per year.

What are we planning for 2022?

• Awarding two Professional Development scholarships (worth up to $500 each)
• Free access to select MLA webinars
• Networking with fellow WHSLA members
• WHSLA Wisdom Chats

Thank you WHSLA 2021 Executive Board, Committees, and Volunteers

We would be remiss if we didn't put out a blog post thanking the WHSLA 2021 Executive Board, Committees, and Volunteers for all their work to keep WHSLA going and strong in 2021. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

As you know, professional associations like our state health science association run solely on volunteers. Thank you to everyone who volunteered for WHSLA in any capacity in 2021. Please consider volunteering in 2022. Watch your email for more information. 

Here's what we accomplished together this year...

Kathy Koch, Librarian Senior at Aurora Medical Center-Grafton, will be assuming the WHSLA Presidency in January 2022. 

Kathy Koch

See you in 2022!

Webinars for WHSLA Members

Online deals don't get much better than FREE webinars for WHSLA members!  

Act now!  Supplies are limited and going fast!

Thanks to WHSLA Professional Development Coordinator Dora Davis for this cheeky flyer and reminder to contact her at Dora dot Davis at phci dot org for your code!  

 

Winner winner chicken dinner! WHSLA Bingo winners

A big thank you to Dora Davis, WHSLA Professional Development Coordinator and Bingo Caller for running the WHSLA Bingo game at last week's Annual Business Meeting. I think we can safely say this was the most fun Business Meeting ever! 

Congratulations to the WHSLA Bingo winners: Trisha Adamus, Brenda Fay, and Ashley Zeidler. 

https://pixabay.com/vectors/bingo-gambling-games-148903/

Get those bingo cards ready! WHSLA Bingo is one week from today

We’re bringing the Bingo hall to your computer at this year’s annual WHSLA business meeting! Instead of numbers on your cards you will see fun facts about our current WHSLA members.  Three gift cards will be awarded as prizes, so click on the link below to enter your fun facts and then come to the business meeting to play and win! The form will be open until Monday 11/15 at noon, so act quickly! We’ve had great turnout so far but we can’t wait to learn more about YOU!

•  WHSLA Bingo Entry Form

 Here’s the fine print:

WHSLA Bingo is open to all current WHSLA members who attend the annual business meeting.  Winners must have submitted fun facts and must be present to win.  Three winners will be awarded an Amazon gift card.  Not a current WHSLA member? No problem, for just $20 you can join now and enjoy all of the benefits of being a member. 

WHSLA member accepted into MLA RTI

Congratulations to WHSLA Member Xou Lee Va Vang, Research Help and Instruction Librarian, from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. 

Xou Lee has been accepted into the MLA Research Training Institute for 2021-2022 and will begin this summer.

WHSLA - Looking ahead to 2021: new board, virtual conference

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to 2020 coming to a close. While things won't get back to "normal" for many months, 2021 is looking better and better. 

2021 will be an exciting year for WHSLA as well. A new Board, led by 2021 WHSLA President Ashley Zeidler, a new Secretary, and two Members-At-Large will begin their terms. More on the 2021 WHSLA Board coming in January. 

2021 will also see the next WHSLA conference. The planning team, made up of Brenda Fay, Deb Knippel, Kathy Koch, Michele Matucheski, Jennifer Schram, and Ashley Zeidler, have been busy brainstorming and collecting your opinions. Stay tuned for more on the conference, but in the meantime here are some things you can expect:

• Virtual 2021 conference
• Free to WHSLA members in good standing
• Keynote, CE, and networking/sharing sessions

Now is a great time to renew your membership for 2021. At $20 per year, membership in WHSLA is a great deal. Benefits to joining WHSLA?

• Free registration for 2021 conference
• Eligibility for Professional Development stipends (two at $500 each)
• Networking with other Wisconsin health science librarians (priceless!)
• Selected MLA webinars free of charge