We are happy to announce that Dalhousie’s School of Information Management will be home to the first Student Member Special Interest Group (SIG) for the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL). The new SIG was just approved by the executive this past November. Great appreciation goes out to Cyndi Murphy, President of CALL, as well as all the association members who signed the petition to get the SIG created.

Dalhousie will be one of potentially many Canadian Universities to have a satellite student-run group for the Canadian Association of Law Libraries Student Member SIG. These individual groups will have a flexible membership policy so that students will not necessarily have to already be members of CALL in order to take part in group events.

The creation of a Student Member SIG will increase student involvement within the Canadian Association of Law Libraries as well as inform future MLIS graduates about the many career opportunities in legal information management. This SIG will also attract established Law Librarians who are interested in promoting the law librarian profession to students.

CALL’s Annual General Meeting will be in Montreal this May and the Student Member SIG will be given an hour for their first official business meeting! It would be wonderful if we could have as many CALL members from Dalhousie as possible attend this meeting.

Posted on behalf of Michelle Helliwell (MLIS2003)

Another year on the calendar has passed and on behalf of the MHLA exec I wanted to wish you a happy and prosperous new year.  The exec is busy planning the Spring meeting in Moncton (will be here before we all know it), and continuing the work on the Scope of Practice, including the competencies list you provided us at the Fall Meeting in Halifax.

Some highlights of initiatives we are building on are:

• MHLA’s strategic plan – we are currently focusing on Scope of Practice, which includes looking at our constitution, working on shared initiatives with other associations and revamping our website.
• Bringing forward  a new mission statement:  “Supporting Knowledge Through Health” at our Spring meeting in Moncton this upcoming April.
• Offering CE programs that are useful to our members (if you have some ideas, please forward them anytime to our VP, Amanda Horsman.)
• Finding new and innovative ways to help you with marketing in your own organizations.

Not a member? Join us!

MHLA is an association of health library specialists committed to the provision of high quality information services for the health care community in the Maritime Provinces. Our work settings and specialties are diverse and dynamic, and there is always room for new members, including students! Whether you work (or would like to work) in an academic setting supporting nursing, a hospital library, a research setting, a non-profit health association or a public library serving the public (100% of the public have health issues!), you have a place with MHLA. To find out more, visit our website or contact me, Michelle Helliwell.

Membership is only $25, and for LIS/LIT students it’s freeJ

http://www.chla-absc.ca/mhla/membership/membership.htm Membership forms are at this link and there is a paypal option available.

If you are paying by cheque – here is where to send it:
Robin Parker, MHLA Treasurer c/o
W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library
Dalhousie University
Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building
5850 College St.
PO Box 15000
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2