Welcome to the Liberty Chapter Newsletter, a quarterly blog post that will highlight chapter initiatives, committee activities and the achievements of our members.
Annual Meeting of the Liberty Chapter!
The Programming Committee is pleased to announce the 5th Annual Meeting of the Liberty Chapter will be held on Thursday, October 9, 2025, from 9:30am-4:00pm at The Heldrich Hotel (10 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901). The meeting will be held in-person and virtually.
The programming committee is actively meeting to create an engaging program for all our attendees. The theme for this year's meeting is “Keep Calm and Power On: Moving from Planning into Action.”
Please see the Annual Meeting Website for more information. This page will continue to grow and will be updated. The call for Lightning Talks and Posters is now open! Registration will open in August.
Chapter Event Highlights
AI implementation in Health Sciences Librarianship: A Panel Discussion
Nearly 100 members attended, “AI implementation in Health Sciences Librarianship: A Panel Discussion,” on April 8. Featuring presentations by Liberty Chapter members, Gloria Willson, MLIS, MPH (Director of Education & Research Services, Levy Library, Icahn School of Medicine), Irma Qavolli, MSLIS (Information Services Librarian, Scott Memorial Library, Thomas Jefferson University), Fred LaPolla, MLS (Head Data Services, NYU Health Sciences Library, NYU Langone Health) and Amanda Adams, MLS (Evidence-Based Practice Librarian, CMSRU Library, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University/Cooper University Hospital), the panel was led by Allison Piazza and Jaclyn Morales. Presentation slides can be viewed HERE.
Empowering Libraries to Navigate Uncertainty: Liberty Chapter EDI Seminar Recap
By Diana Delgado, Associate Director, Information, Education and Clinical Services, Samuel J. Wood Library, Weill Cornell Medicine
On May 14th, the Liberty Chapter Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Committee hosted a dynamic one-hour seminar titled, “Empowering Libraries to Navigate Uncertainty: Discussing Global Challenges, Thriving Together, and Supporting Well-being.” The session brought together members from across the region to reflect on the evolving global landscape and its impact on libraries, particularly in health care and academic settings. Through small group breakout discussions, participants shared how shifting political climates, funding uncertainties, and institutional changes are influencing staffing, programming, and DEI initiatives.
Despite these challenges, attendees highlighted innovative ways libraries are adapting and supporting their communities. From grassroot networks, advocating for inclusive resources and preserving access to critical information, to expanding roles in professional development and institutional advocacy, libraries are finding creative paths forward. The session served as a powerful reminder of the resilience and resourcefulness of librarians in times of uncertainty.
MLA Liberty Chapter and SLA NY Community Collaboration
By Jo Polanco, MSLIS, SLA NY Community Past-President, 2023
Last month, the Special Libraries Association NY Community and the MLA Liberty Chapter held an online event titled "Health Sciences Librarianship: Beyond the Basics". The talk, led by Kristine Alpi, MLA Past-President, focused on areas of practice for health sciences librarians, career development and networking. The presentation was a follow up to The Basics of Health Sciences Librarianship, where Kris introduced SLA members to health information professional work.
The collaboration between MLA and SLA came about in 2023 while I was president of the SLA NY Community. Consistent feedback from our members highlighted the interest in professional and skills development. We wanted to offer learning opportunities for librarians at all stages of their careers and sought to develop a program with broad appeal.
We developed a “Basics of” concept where practitioners would present an overview of their field including education, job roles, and career paths. We launched the series with law librarianship and settled on medical librarianship for the next topic.
The joint MLA/SLA conference in Detroit that year provided the stage for our cross-association collaboration! Kris and I were introduced at the conference and later reconnected to discuss the project and potential formats. Kris graciously agreed to present the first session and reached out to the Liberty Chapter board about co-branding the event. The event was shared on the Liberty Chapter’s listserv and website. The enlightening talk presented SLA members with a broad view of health sciences librarianship and set up the second session to go deeper and beyond the basics.
The sessions were well attended by members of both organizations and bridged communities that may not naturally interact despite overlapping interests. We are grateful to Kris and MLA for their continued enthusiastic support of SLA and its mission.
As SLA embarks on its next chapter, this collaboration illustrates the cross-organizational cooperation and support which will guide the path forward.
The presentation, Health Sciences Librarianship: Beyond the Basics by Kris Alpi, is recorded and available to view for the Liberty Chapter Members. Please access it from here (Log in required).
Upcoming Chapter Events
CAIFL: Critical Appraisal Institute for Librarians - Sign up for Pre-Registration Reminder Now
By Marie Ascher, The Lillian Hetrick Huber Endowed Director of the Phillip Capozzi, M.D., Library, New York Medical College
Do you want to improve your ability to critically appraise the health sciences literature? Do you feel like you can only go so far with teaching EBM? Are you great at asking questions and acquiring the literature but feel you need help reading, understanding, and appraising? Do you want to know how to interpret the numbers presented in the results and how to read various charts of data?
If so, this is the course for you!
CAIFL: the Critical Appraisal Institute for Librarians is a professional development course specifically for librarians who want to engage more deeply with the literature. We've been offering the course since 2019 and have taught over 270 librarians. Participants who complete the course are eligible for 40 MLA CE credits. The course takes place over 8 weeks with one break week and consists of: five modules, two plenary sessions, participant journal club presentations, and peer presentations. The course is a lot of work and takes a commitment. The cost is $525.
CAIFL 2026 will officially open for registration during September 2025. For more complete information and to sign up to be reminded see: https://guides.library.nymc.edu/CAIFL. If you have any questions, please email CAIFL course director, Marie Ascher at marie_ascher@nymc.edu
We hope to see you there!
Membership Renewal Update
By Trina Keith, Membership Committee Chair
Many thanks to Chapter members who have renewed their 2025 membership! There are still a few members whose Chapter membership has lapsed, so please take a moment to check if your membership is up to date.
Members whose renewal is severely overdue will receive a final email reminder in early July and will be removed from the Chapter listserv if membership is not renewed by Friday, August 1, 2025.
Click here for more information on renewing your membership or becoming a new member. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Trina Keith, the Chair of the Membership Committee, or e-mail us at support@libertymla.org.
Thank you for your continued support of the Liberty Chapter!
Advocacy Section 
By Jordan D. Correia
Executive orders issued this year have caused significant changes to NIH grants, including putting existing and in-progress research in jeopardy of halting or being terminated. Similarly, prospective grant seekers have had to abandon plans to seek grant funding from federal sources as their projects do not meet requirements, such as including or focusing on so-called “DEI” topics or terminology.
As librarians, part of our jobs may include assisting researchers find grants, guiding them in the grant writing process, or helping them understand the policies attached to them. While there is no one-stop shop for finding grants, there are several ways to help researchers find grants:
- Your institution may have Pivot-RP, a global database of funding opportunities.
- States provide funding for projects centered on certain topics, such as agriculture, or outcomes. Check your state’s website for funding opportunities, especially for projects related to helping communities.
- If they have compiled prior literature related to the topic, check the funding statements that the authors have declared.
- National, regional, and local associations related to medicine and specialties often offer grants, particularly to support newer researchers. Check what prominent organizations are related to your patrons’ specialty and what they offer.
As we continue to navigate rapid changes in our government, global affairs, and in our daily lives, it’s more important than ever to stay connected and form community. One of the most notable ways to get help with just about any medical library-related question, is to ask our community. Throw your questions in a forum or stop by a meeting and ask for help.
As we continue to try and support medical librarians, we want to hear from you! Please fill out THIS FORM or use the QR code below to discuss issues you have faced, resources you would like to hear, or anything else you feel the advocacy section should address. 
Membership Spotlight
Introducing Candace Hernandez
By Rie Goto, Communications Committee Chair
Candace is a User Engagement Librarian at New York Medical College.
What project are you working on now?
“I am currently working on a small photo project for our library’s Art Meets Science Exhibit. Initially planning to provide content for a blog post alone, I photographed various flowering plants around campus and did research on 8 of them to determine their species and to provide brief descriptions for each, including possible uses in medicine and current scientific research on their application in human or animal health. This is the first time any photos that I have taken will be displayed publicly so it’s quite exciting!”
What do you think is so special about the field of Health Sciences / Medical /Hospital / STEM Librarianship compared to other librarianships?
“Health sciences/medical librarianship allows for such a dynamic practice of our skills - it is interdisciplinary and highly specialized in the services that we provide researchers and healthcare professionals. We are constantly learning and evolving to meet their needs and keep up with trends in health, science, and technology. It is an exciting place to be in this field.”
What’s your hobby outside of work/school?
“I enjoy studying Japanese and recently started learning Korean. Otherwise, I can always be found reading and listening to music (and going to see live performances).”
What/who is your favorite Librarian character in popular culture (movies, TV shows, songs, etc..) and why?
“My favorite librarian character is Evelyn from The Mummy. It’s such a fun movie and one of my favorite scenes in it is her speech where she proudly declares that she is a librarian (I have it printed on a mug, on my desk!).”
Check out Candace’s flower photos and description of them on the blog of New York Medical School Library here!!
If you want to be featured or know someone you want to introduce, please fill out this form.
Kudos for Chapter Members
Congratulations to fellow Chapter Members!
With this issue we have so much to celebrate! So much so that we went over the capacity to publish in one blog post. Please see the full Kudos from here!
