Experiences of the Jocelyn Rankin Memorial Scholarship Winner

Kay Hogan Smith, MLS, MPH, was awarded SC/MLA’s Jocelyn Rankin Memorial Scholarship, which provided funds for her to attend a research-related workshop. Here, she describes the workshop and its impact. 

As the Southern Chapter MLA recipient of the 2016 Jocelyn Rankin Memorial Scholarship, I received support for travel costs for a trip to the University of Minnesota October 10th and 11th to attend the two-day training session for librarians participating as investigators in the Ithaka S+R research support services study focusing on public health. Ithaka S+R is a not-for-profit service focused on helping academia “navigate economic and technological change.” Part of this mission is focused on libraries and scholarly communication, and the organization has produced a number of research reports and issue briefs dealing with current challenges in the field. (See issue brief, "Finding the Public Domain: The Copyright Review Management System"). This current research study is the first to deal with the support needed by health researchers, particularly those in public health. I was joined at this training seminar by 12 other public health librarians from around the country, the only one from the Southeastern region. Danielle Cooper, a trained ethnographer and analyst for Ithaka, provided us with excellent guidance as our instructor for the seminar (and coordinator for the project.)

Students: Apply for the MLA Scholarship!

A scholarship of up to $5,000 will be granted to a student entering an ALA-accredited library school or with at least one-half of the requirements of the program to finish when the scholarship is awarded in February. The award will be given to a student who shows excellence in scholarship and potential for accomplishment in health sciences librarianship. The scholarship is announced at the annual meeting of the association, where the recipient will also receive a one-year student membership in MLA and free inclusive student registration at the association’s annual meeting.

The application deadline is December 1. Visit the MLA website for more information.

Apply for Lois Ann Colaianni Award!

The deadline for the Lois Ann Colaianni Award is quickly approaching! If you know someone that deserves to be recognized for their outstanding service in hospital librarianship, then consider nominating them for MLA's Lois Ann Colaianni Award for Excellence and Achievement in Hospital Librarianship. This award is given to a member who has made significant contributions to the profession through overall distinction or leadership. Self nominations are welcome.

Nominations are due by November 1. For more information, please see MLA's website.

Apply for the MLA Research, Development, and Demonstration Project Grant

If you are interested in research or are working on a research project that contributes to excellence in the field of health sciences librarianship and information sciences, please consider applying for the next MLA Research, Development, and Demonstration Project Grant. A full description of the grant is available is available on the MLA website.

This award is appropriate for early and mid-career librarians with an interest in research. The grant ranges from $100-$1000 and the application deadline is December 1, 2016.  Application information can be found here.