Tooey and Shipman to be Honored by MLA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ¬ April 2009
For more information, please contact
Lisa C. Fried at 312.419.9094 x28; mlapd2@mlahq.org
MLA to Induct MLA Past President M.J. Tooey, AHIP, as Fellow of the Association
The Medical Library Association (MLA) chooses its Fellows based on their commitment to furthering the association’s goals and for their contributions to the health sciences information profession. MLA is proud to honor one of its most dedicated and accomplished members, MLA Past President Mary Joan (M. J.) Tooey, AHIP, with MLA Fellow status. She will officially become an MLA Fellow at the MLA ‘09 Awards Ceremony and Luncheon in May in Honolulu, HI.
About Tooey, MLA member Sheldon Kotzin, FMLA, stated, ” I have known and respected M.J. for nearly twenty years. During that time, I have seen her excel at every challenge that she has chosen to pursue. Ever approachable, it appears that she has never declined an opportunity to get involved, take a leadership role, and make a difference.”
Many have benefited from Tooey’s accomplishments and commitment to the health sciences information profession. Director, Health Sciences and Human Services Library, University of Maryland-Baltimore, Tooey served as MLA president in 2005-2006 and on the MLA Board of Directors from 1998-2001 during which time she served as Chapter Council chair. During her presidency, Tooey established and chaired the Task Force on Vital Pathways for Hospital Librarians, which focused on the current state, future roles, and challenges of hospital libraries and librarians.
A proven leader in the association and profession, Tooey also chaired the 2007 MLA Nominating Committee, the MLA/Pew Credible Information Task Force, which resulted in the highly-referenced MLA’s User’s Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web, and the MLA 2004 National Program Committee, as well as MLA’s Public Services Section and Mid-Atlantic Chapter (MAC). She also lent her talent and expertise to MLA’s Scholarly Publishing Task Force and the Librarians Without Borders® Task Force. In addition, Tooey serves on the editorial board of Medical Reference Services Quarterly.
Because of her many contributions as a health sciences librarianship professional, Tooey has earned numerous honors throughout her career including Distinguished-level membership in the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP), the 1997 MLA Estelle Brodman Award for the Academic Medical Librarian of the Year and the Mid-AtlanticChapter/MLA 1996 Librarian of the Year Awards.
She is known as a mentor and advocate for many health information science librarians and students, as well as many allied health professionals. Tooey helped to develop two popular MLA continuing education courses, “The Past and Future of the Medical Librarian” and “So, You Want to be a Library Director”. She has also built a strong scholarly record and has presented several posters and presentations at local and international meetings.
MLA Past President Jean P. Shipman, AHIP, to Become MLA Fellow
The Medical Library Association (MLA) is pleased to announce that MLA Past President Jean Pugh Shipman, AHIP, director, Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah-Salt Lake City, will be inducted as an MLA Fellow at the MLA ‘09 Awards Ceremony and Luncheon in Honolulu, HI, in May. A Distinguished Member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP), Shipman has long served the association as one of its most revered and valued leaders and has had an impact on many key MLA initiatives, including health information literacy. She has made major contributions in this area, most recently as coprincipal investigator for the MLA Health Information Literacy Research Project, under a contract with the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The project researched hospital-based administrators’ and health care providers’ awareness and understanding of health literacy and its value in support of patient care. The project’s research resulted in the development of a health information literacy curriculum that will not only increase health care providers’ knowledge of health literacy issues, but also to increase patient and provider use of NLM resources and tools.
Prior to serving as MLA president (2006/07), Shipman was elected to the 1999-2002 Board of Directors, during which time she served as board secretary. She has also served as chair of numerous MLA committees and task forces, including MLA’s Informationist Conference Task Force, MLA’s 2001 National Program Committee, MLA’s Ida and George Eliot Prize Jury (1992/93) and most recently, the 2007/08 MLA Nominating Committee. She has also been an active member of MLA’s Mid-Atlantic Chapter having served as 1993 chair-elect and in 1991/92 as secretary.
A sought-after presenter, Shipman has taught many continuing education courses and has given more than fifty presentations locally as well as internationally, covering topics such as consumer health and the informationist role in document delivery. She has also authored fifteen peer-reviewed publications and over thirty refereed scientific posters.
About Shipman’s contributions to the profession, MLA member, Sherrilynne Fuller, FMLA, co-director, Center for Public Health Information, University of Washington-Seattle, stated, “As a member of the MLA Board of Directors and as president, Jean brought new life to the image of medical librarians and enhanced the visibility of the profession. She is a tireless advocate for the importance of health sciences librarians to improving the health of the public and has served as an enthusiastic mentor, role model, and advisor throughout her career.”
MLA, a nonprofit, educational organization, comprises health sciences information professionals with more than 4,000 members worldwide. Through its programs and services, MLA provides lifelong educational opportunities, supports a knowledgebase of health information research, and works with a global network of partners to promote the importance of quality information for improved health to the health care community and the public.
