All:
It’s hard to believe another year has already flown by! As we enter Fall, it’s time to register for our annual conference, which will be held virtually from September 29 to October 1. The theme is “Preserving the past, inspiring the present: Librarians advancing health science.” Registration is now open!
As always, if you haven’t yet renewed your HSLI membership, please consider doing so. This is also a great opportunity to reflect on what you hope to gain from your membership in the year ahead. If there are topics you’d like to explore or learn more about, I’d love to hear your suggestions.
After two successful presentations (“What I Wish I Had Known: Evidence Synthesis Edition,” on Monday, February 23, 2026, and “Reviews in Flux: Navigating the Evidence Synthesis Landscape,” on Monday, March 23), we had a third ad hoc presentation “Scaling Strategies for Digital Accessibility” on Monday, April 27. A special thank you to our guest speaker, Cathy Lantz, University of Illinois Chicago. If you would like to request or host an additional ad hoc presentation, please feel free to reach out to me.
If you are searching for a stronger community connection, please consider attending the informal “Coffee and Conversation” gatherings that Secretary Frances Drone-Silver (Frances.drone-silvers @ carle.com) graciously hosts. There is no agenda, and these networking opportunities are not recorded. She invites you to bring your wins, losses, and challenges to share.
If you are interested in volunteering to support HSLI, please reach out to me. Thank you to Jonna Petterson for her extraordinary support of HSLI as Treasurer (2022-2026). The position of Treasurer will be open this summer, and I anticipate an additional opportunity as well. Thank you to Megan Hoppe for volunteering to co-chair the Newsletter committee with me and to Frances Drone-Silvers and Lesley Wolfgang for volunteering to serve as the new co-chairs the Bylaws committee. I also extend my sincere appreciation to Eric Edwards and Joyce Pallinger, who served as co-chairs of the Newsletter committee, and Deborah Lauseng for her service as chair of the Bylaws committee. Thank you for your outstanding service, dedication, and contributions! Next year, we will be holding elections for Secretary and President-Elect. The strength of HSLI depends on dedicated members like you, and we truly appreciate your willingness to contribute.
Finally, I would like to thank Holly Hudson for her willingness to serve as President. As you are all aware, Holly has been highly involved in HSLI, including serving on the Helen Knoll Jira Scholarship Endowment Committee and the Conference Planning Committee. I have no doubt that she will continue to provide the organization with strong leadership during her term as President, and I hope you give her the same level of support you have given me.
If you have any questions, ideas, comments, or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact me at esterner (at) niu (dot) edu.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Sterner
2024-2026 HSLI President