Page 2 -
Advocacy Section: Having Your Voice Be Heard
Member Spotlight: Nicole Williams
Kudos to Members
Advocacy Section 
By Jordan D Correia
Having Your Voice Be Heard
There are numerous ways to have your voice be heard when it comes to how you are represented and the changes you want to see in your community.
1. Contact your representatives
You can find your member of Congress using this website, the House of Representatives website, or the US Senate website.
When you contact your representatives’ offices, be concise and clear in your message. For example, you can state your name, where you live, the issue you are calling about, why you are concerned, and what you would like the representative to do (such as vote against or for a measure). You may also consider tagging them in social media posts about the issue or urge other people to contact them.
You can also use 5calls to contact their office. After setting your location, topics specific to your area and nationwide will appear on the left side. When you click on an issue, it will give you information about it as well as links for how to learn more. It will also list legislators, their contact information, and a script that you can use.
2. Join your local town hall meeting
You can find a schedule of your Mayor/Town Council meetings on your town or city’s website. Rules for town meetings may also be posted on the website, such as time limits and how to address the council.
There might also be specific commission meetings that might be more beneficial for you to attend to gain more perspective and answers. For example, my town has environmental commission meetings.
3. Federal Regulation Comments
You can make comments on proposed federal regulations as well. Find what you are looking for at Regulations.gov. This is also an effective way to stay up to date on what is changing at the federal level when it comes to healthcare, the environment, and more!
You can find a guide on how to submit comments here and here. Johns Hopkins also has a video on how to submit effective public comments.
Some important tips that might help when submitting comments:
- Be specific on your feedback. Point out exactly which requirement you disagree or agree with and why.
- Gather evidence and facts to support your comment. For example, if a similar proposal has been enacted in the past and has not worked, provide documentation and data that shows this.
- Anonymity can help and also hinder. If you are an expert in the field a regulation will affect, you may want to state your expertise rather than remain anonymous.
Member Spotlight: Introducing Nicole Williams!
by Rie Goto, Communications Committee Chair
Nicole (she/her/hers) is a Medical Librarian for Electronic Resources/Assistant Professor at CUNY School of Medicine in New York City, NY.
What is your role at CUNY School of Medicine?
“CUNY School of Medicine offers an accelerated bachelor’s degree to MD program and a PA program. The needs of the students, faculty, and staff at the school can vary widely depending on a person’s academic/professional path, and I always strive to ensure that community members have the tools necessary to achieve their goals; I’m happy to be called on for help, but I always want to empower people to be in the best position for success. To this end, I do several things that I think of as typical academic librarian duties, including providing reference interviews that are as long or short as the people I’m working with prefer; working on systematic reviews; teaching information literacy courses; and leading online workshops. As our school’s electronic resources librarian, I tend to be one who assesses issues that people have with our subscription databases. I am also the point person with vendors when it comes to subscriptions and renewals. Additionally, I participate in professional organizations at every level from LACUNY, CUNY’s library association, to MLA National.”
Why did you become a librarian?
“I was a big fan of libraries growing up, but it never occurred to me that I could be a librarian until I graduated from college and realized I wasn't interested in going further in the disciplines I'd majored in (French and Psychology). I saw the ALA study from the early aughts that said that there would soon be a deficit of librarians and saw an opportunity to work in a field I already knew I liked. I've been a librarian for 20 years now, and while this field is quite different than it was when I graduated from library school, I still think this field is a great fit for me.”
What project are you working on now?
“I'm a co-PI on a project that looks at the use of generative AI in the searching phase of systematic reviews. I would still not be sad if AI fell off the face of the earth today and never returned, but I have come to see a way to integrate AI into my systematic review searching process, which I would never have believed before this.”
What has been the most interesting project you have worked on?
“I'm a huge fan of open educational resources. I led an OER initiative at my previous institution that developed an entire zero textbook cost degree. Watching colleagues from different disciplines find a way to make high quality OER for their students was one of the most meaningful things I've been a part of as a librarian.”
What do you think is so special about the field of Health Sciences / Medical /Hospital / STEM Librarianship compared to other library specialties?
“I think that working in this field is so special because it can have immediate, real-world effects on the lives of not only the community that we’re working with directly, but by extension the people and patients with whom they are working. It feels like a weighty responsibility to help the people who will be looking at and producing medical literature for the next several decades learn how to engage with that literature. For those who are already working medical professionals, it feels good to be able to bring to their attention advances in resources that may have changed since the last time they used them. Also, as a person who loves to learn new things, I think it's great that I get to learn about so many different health-related matters from everyone I work with. The students are often especially happy to share what they’re learning and working on, and I appreciate being able to collaborate with them in a way where knowledge flows in both directions.”
What are your hobbies outside of work?
“I love to travel, so I take everything from weekend trips down the East Coast to larger trips to parts of the world I've always wanted to see. I'm also a major fan of music, and I try to take advantage of all the great live music venues we have in the area. I'm a big crafter; I like to knit and sew my own clothing.”
What is something you have on your 'bucket list'?
“I'd like to visit all the currently operating MLB stadiums. A few of the parks I've already visited have given way to newer stadiums, so I still have 14 to go.”
What/who is your favorite librarian character in popular culture (movies, TV shows, songs, etc..) and why?
“Mary from Party Girl is probably my favorite pop culture librarian. She was a hot mess, but she had great taste in clothes, food, and music.”
Tell us something about where you live or work, something about your neighborhood, your town, your city, or your state, etc.
“I live in northern New Jersey. The food culture alone is enough to make me weep with joy, but I really appreciate how diverse and interesting my community is.”
For those of you who are interested in learning more about the OER initiative that Nicole led, here are some resources; a LibGuide and a digital repository of classes! Thank you for sharing helpful resources, Nicole!
Kudos for Chapter Members
Join us in celebrating our MLA Liberty Chapter members for a job well done on their personal and professional accomplishments!
By Monifa Carter and Sarah Gabrielle Bauman, Membership Committee
Brittany Haliani, MLS, MBA, AHIP-D, CHIS II, RWJBarnabas Health
Congratulations to Brittany Haliani, who completed her MBA in June 2026!
Mina Ghajar, Rutgers University and Maria Deptula, Rutgers University
On July 16, Mina Ghajar and Maria Deptula presented their research at the International Congress of Medical Librarianship (ICML) in Glasgow, Scotland.
The topic of the presentation was: Evidence-Based Practice in Action: Evaluating Open Access and Transformative Agreements to Inform Library Strategy at Rutgers Health.
Congratulations on an excellent presentation, Mina and Maria!
Hsinliang (Oliver) Chen, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Oliver Chen recently co-authored the following publication:
Muellenbach, J., Robinson, K., Chen, H., Bright, H. S., & Fitterling, L. (2026). Board exam preparation resource trends in academic health sciences libraries serving colleges of osteopathic medicine programs. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 114(3). https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2026.2320
Congratulations on your new publication!
Jeanne Strausman, New York Institute of Technology/College of Osteopathic Medicine
Jeanne Strausman has retired from New York Institute of Technology/College of Osteopathic Medicine after 27 years of service at NYIT/COM.
Congratulations, Jeanne!
John Mokonyama, MS, MBA, MSLS, AHIP-D, University of Pennsylvania (UPHS), Chester County Hospital John Mokonyama and Adela Justice presented a poster at the 2026 Medical Library Association Conference in Milwaukee, WI.
- Lifelong Collaboration: Mentoring in Health Science Librarianship.
Congratulations on your wonderful presentation!
