SC/MLA 2018: Experience the Magic: Libraries of Tomorrow

From the SC/MLA Program Committee:

The SC/MLA Annual Meeting will be held October 25 – October 28, 2018 at the Wyndham in sunny Lake Buena Vista, FL., right in the middle of Disney Springs.  Our theme this year is “Experience the Magic: Libraries of Tomorrow.”  The 2018 Program Committee wants to emphasize the fun of our meeting location, but also seriously talk about where libraries are headed and where librarians, of all stripes, fit in.  Registration will be up soon, but hotel reservations are already available by calling 800-624-4109 or at: https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/groups/hr/southern-chapter-med-library-assoc .  The conference rate of $149 will apply three days before and after the conference, provided the hotel has rooms available.

Our featured speakers include Julie M. Esparza, Comegys Endowed Professor in Medical Library Science at LSU Health Shreveport and now MLA President-Elect, to discuss what hospital and academic librarians can look forward to in their libraries.  Our second featured speaker will be Shirley Zhao, MSLIS, MS, Data Science Librarian at the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library in Utah who will be speaking on what data science means to libraries and how librarians can become involved.

Continuing Education offerings will stick with a half day (4hr) format that has been popular with members.  So far we have Julie Esparza teaching a course on clinical communication; Ayaba Logan teaching a course on qualitative data analysis; and Skye Bickett and Christine Willis teaching a class on marketing and needs assessment. 

Program-Chair Lindsay Blake along with the committee members are planning an engaging meeting focusing on data management, libraries of the future, and health. Thank you to Rose Bland and Nadine Dexter and their local arrangements team for agreeing to host this meeting. They are busy handling all the details to make the meeting run smoothly and gathering together a listing of the highlights and events you don’t want to miss while you are in Orlando! So book your flight and leave extra time for a trip to Disney World, Universal, and/or Harry Potter World!