Medical Library Association Highlights 2026
Posted: June 23, 2026
This past May, most of our library team traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Medical Library Association (MLA) Annual Conference. As the flagship event for health sciences information professionals, MLA offered an exceptional platform for our staff to engage with peers and thought leaders from medical libraries nationwide.
Beyond the robust professional development, the conference provided a vital opportunity for an in-person “staff retreat”— a rare and meaningful gathering for our ATSU library team, whose members span three different states. Enhancing this collaborative experience, the team toured the Medical College of Wisconsin Medical Library to exchange insights with local colleagues, and enjoyed a cultural outing together at the historic Pabst Mansion.
Our librarians were also active drivers of the conference’s educational mission, sharing their expertise through dynamic immersion sessions, paper presentations, and poster sessions.
Immersion Sessions
Our staff took on leadership and organizational roles to facilitate deep-dive collaborative sessions:
- Laura Barkema moderated a panel for the immersion session “Got Curriculum? Scaffolded Instruction to Support Student Learning and Growth,” exploring strategic ways to map library instruction to evolving student milestones.
- Maud Mundava co-organized two major sessions:
- “It’s Not Just Paperwork: Reimagining Evaluations as Collaborative Conversations,” which provided practical frameworks for modernizing performance evaluations, self-assessments, and professional growth.
- “Oh, the Places You’ll Go: Career Pathways in Health Sciences Librarianship,” a vital career development program connecting attendees with librarians representing diverse professional trajectories.
Paper Presentations
Sharing formal research and data-driven insights, our team presented two compelling papers:
- Mohammad Aslam presented “Designing Effective Interfaces to Optimize User Experience in Academic Libraries,” highlighting and evaluating modern design principles that streamline how patrons interact with library technology.
- Leslie Golamb and Hal Bright shared their research, “Medical Librarianship in the 21st Century: A Bibliometric Analysis of Four Core Journals,” mapping trends and shifts in the profession’s academic literature.
Poster Presentations
A huge congratulations to Dot Winslow, Laura Barkema, and Hal Bright on their below poster winning 1st Place in the MLA 2026 Annual Meeting Research Awards:
- Dot Winslow, Laura Barkema, and Hal Bright presented “Beyond the Desk: Using a Targeted Email Campaign to Boost Student Engagement and Success in PA Clinical Rotations,” demonstrating how proactive outreach directly impacts student outcomes during critical clinical phases.
Building Community & Welcoming New Professionals
ATSU staff also dedicated time to fostering professional community and supporting peers:
- Dot Winslow co-facilitated MLA’s Storytelling Roundtable. This session created a supportive space for library personnel to share workplace challenges, exchange resources, and build collective resilience and camaraderie.
- Maud Mundava served as an official host for the invitation-only New Member and First-Time Attendees Program & Breakfast, welcoming newcomers and providing essential guidance and networking support to the next generation of medical librarians.
Looking Ahead
The extensive engagement and contributions of our library staff at MLA underscore ATSU’s ongoing commitment to professional development, institutional excellence, and staying at the absolute forefront of medical librarianship. We are incredibly proud of their achievements, the collaborative spirit they demonstrated in Milwaukee, and the positive impact they continue to make on our university and the broader profession.