Medical Library Association | About MLA : MLA Disclosure Policy

About the Medical Library Association

MLA Disclosure Policy

Disclosure policies, standard practice in associations and in academic environments, help ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in decision making.

The Medical Library Association Board of Directors in September 2004 adopted a disclosure policy for MLA, which asks that

members of the Board of Directors
committee chairs and chair-designates
liaisons to other organizations
authors who write for MLA publications
instructors
presenters at MLA-sponsored events and activities

disclose any significant financial or other relationships they have with organizations or companies that wish to do or are doing business with MLA or which offer products or services related to the interests of MLA or its members.

The full disclosure policy and disclosure statement form is available for download (PDF, 36KB); members can submit the statement form to headquarters.

MLA requests that everyone in the groups mentioned above comply with the policy and self-report any relationships. Disclosure statements will be kept on file at MLA headquarters and the information only released to affected parties. In the case of instructors and authors, for example, relevant business relationships will be published in the Preliminary Program or in the author's publications. Instructors and authors will have the opportunity to approve the wording of the published statements.

Background

MLA is a small association and most members are well known to each other. The issue of disclosure has not been of great concern in the past (for example, board members who have had potential conflicts of interest in some decisions by the board have routinely recused themselves from the decision making process.) In some instances, however, nonmembers' and some members' relationships have not been known.

At MLA '03 in San Diego, the Continuing Educaiton (CE) Committee began to discuss developing a disclosure statement for CE instructors or presenters. The board decided to expand this policy more broadly to cover other areas of association activity.

The intent of the policy is not to prevent members with significant financial or other relationship from serving in official capacities, writing, teaching, or presenting. The goal is to provide decision makers and program participants with the information to form their own judgments in regard to exposition or conclusions reached in board deliberations, presentations, courses, and publications.

For further information or questions about this policy, please contact Carla J. Funk, CAE, 312.419.9094 x14.