All:
Hope everyone is staying safe, particularly in the hot weather. In some ways, temperatures near triple digits are not a positive sign. What would be a positive sign for HSLI, however, would be for membership numbers to return to the triple digits.
To that end, Membership Committee Chair Jonna Peterson is holding an online meeting next week Thursday, July 25, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM. You all should have received an invitation in your e-mail, and please watch for a reminder. I will not be able to attend the meeting, due to a conflict, but incoming President Betsy Sterner will be there. Please come prepared to share your ideas on how HSLI can make itself more marketable to librarians, including those in medicine and the health sciences, who may have an interest in professional development within health sciences and medical librarianship but are not fully aware of the opportunities HSLI currently provides, and could provide, moving forward.
While this meeting is restricted to current HSLI members, several other upcoming events are not. One is the webinar “‘The World is Full of Genies’: Writing Proposals that Win Grants” on Thursday, August 22, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Please consider inviting any of your non-HSLI colleagues who would be interested in learning more about writing successful grant applications, including for awards from the National Library of Medicine and Region 6. The webinar will include a half-hour for attendees to ask questions.
And, of course, we have the Annual Conference, which will take place virtually from Wednesday, October 23, to Friday, October 25. This year’s keynote speech and CE sessions reflect the theme of “Grow Where You are Planted: Growing Stronger Together”, which is relevant to librarians across the profession. Again, please consider encouraging any of your non-HSLI colleagues who might be interested to attend. Registration opens Wednesday, September 4. Please watch the Conference website for more details closer to then.
As you are all aware, my term as President comes to a close in a few months, so I just wanted to reiterate what an honor and a pleasure it is to have the opportunity to lead this organization. I will have a final “President’s Message” in October, just before Betsy Sterner takes over as President. In the meantime, if you have any ideas, comments, or concerns, please e-mail those to president@hsli.org or eedwards@ilsos.gov.
Eric Edwards
2022-2024 HSLI President