The Pacific Northwest Chapter/Medical Library Association will be a dynamic force in the professional development of health science librarians in the region by providing outstanding conferences, learning opportunities, and communication among members resulting in librarians who provide superior library services.

• Providing educational, research, and publication opportunities
• Fostering rapid and accurate information delivery in support of healthcare decision making and research
• Representing the interests of PNC/MLA members in the region
• Promoting the professional role and expertise of members
• Continually improving the operations, services and governance of PNC/MLA.

Objective 1.A: Provide quality continuing education courses and programs to the membership.

Measurement Indicators

• Offer at least three educational courses at each Annual Meeting.
• In years without an Annual Meeting in the region, at least one CE event will be held.
• Publicize educational opportunities in HLIB-NW and on the website.
• Survey members each year for educational needs and publish results on the website.
• Have representatives from each state and province in PNC on the PNC/MLA Professional Development Committee.
• The Professional Development Committee will keep their portion of the PNC/MLA web site up to date.
• By 2010, foster development of one new online course.
• Budget for and publicize the professional development and scholarship funds annually.
• Augment the Lending Library annually.

Objective 1.B: Collaborate with other associations or organizations for professional development.

Strategies

1.B.1	Maintain the relationship with the MLA Continuing Education program.
1.B.2	Co-sponsor educational programs with other groups.
1.B.3	Facilitate early exchange of information for educational programming among local, state, provincial and other organizations.

Measurement Indicators

• Maintain regular communication between PNC/MLA and MLA Education Committees.
• Co-sponsor at least one educational program with another group annually.
• By 2010 explore the potential for partnerships with non-library-related health organizations for education.
• In 2007, evaluate the success of multi-chapter meetings.

Objective 1.C: Share new ideas, research, and practical applications in health sciences librarianship. Strategies

Strategies

1.C.1	Encourage regular communication among members.
1.C.2	Identify sources of funding for projects and research.
1.C.3	Identify forums for sharing the results of projects, educational opportunities and research.

Measurement Indicators

• By 2008, develop a section on the website around funding opportunities.
• By 2008, provide a WIKI or BLOG thread for sharing projects, research, and educational activities linked through the website.
• By 2008, recognize members who have communicated their projects, educational presentations and research by sending a letter to their supervisor.
• By 2007, invite at least one PNC member to present at a PNC/MLA Annual Meeting.
• By 2009, develop at least one award recognizing an achievement/contribution by a PNC/MLA member.

goal 1 updated April 7, 2006 and May 22, 2006 (Board)

Objective 2.A: Promote technological innovation in libraries.

Measurement Indicators

• By 2009, use a new technology to deliver information to members.
• By 2008, establish a technology thread on the blog.
• By 2010, offer at least three classes or formal sessions on evolving technologies.

Objective 2.B: Encourage the advancement of scholarly communication.

Measurement Indicators

• By 2008, develop a tool to educate members and/or researchers on evolving scholarly communication.
• By 2007, point members to links about open access and scholarly communication from the website.
• By 2008, host an event to increase the knowledge regarding scholarly communication.
• Promote SPARC initiatives that relate to health sciences libraries.

goal 2 updated April 7, 2006 (Board)

Objective 3.A: Improve librarians' ability to work collaboratively with vendors.

Strategies

3.A.1	Provide information to members on vendors or products.
3.A.2	Explore members' needs for consortial purchases.

Measurement Indicators

• Provide a forum for vendor products and information at each Annual Meeting.
• Biannually, the group purchase committee will survey members regarding their needs for collective vendor contracts.
• Investigate the most effective mechanism for managing group purchasing.
• Share group purchase information and resources on the website.
• Collaborate with vendors to increase member participation in user group meetings and training.
• By 2008, offer a program on negotiating vendor contracts.

Objective 3.B: Advocate for the Health Sciences Librarian Profession.

Strategies

3.B.1	Provide tools for members to be effective advocates for their services and their profession.
3.B.2	Educate other health professionals about the role of health information specialist/librarian.

Measurement Indicators

• By 2007, profile member teaching and exhibiting activities on the website.
• By 2008, develop a letter for administrators identifying the benefits of attending the Annual Meeting.
• By 2007, develop a webpage listing library internship, co-op, and practicum programs and participating libraries.
• By 2009, the board will investigate member interest in forming a librarian advocacy committee.
• Encourage members to seek opportunities to teach or exhibit at conferences.
• When possible, PNC member will attend library student functions, to promote health sciences librarianship.
• Maintain an MLA Benchmarking Liaison position.

Objective 3.C: Provide information on legislative issues and support lobbying efforts where appropriate.

Strategies

3.C.1	Maintain formal link with MLA Governmental Relations committee and other library organizations
3.C.2	Alert membership to relevant legislative issues.
3.C.3	When appropriate, support lobbying efforts for critical issues.

Measurement Indicators

• Governmental Relations Chair will annually subscribe to the electronic version of ALA Washington Newsletter (ALAWON) and will disseminate relevant issues to PNC/MLA membership via HLIB-NW.
• Governmental Relations committee will inform membership about relevant issues via HLIB-NW, the blog, or other appropriate means. Maintain a governmental relations webpage with links to appropriate information.

Objective 3.D: Promote and increase membership.

Strategies

3.D.1	Recruit health science information professionals within the region.
3.D.2	Promote PNC/MLA to graduate library and information science students in the region.

Measurement Indicators

• Maintain the membership database and membership list on the website.
• Annually award one free PNC/MLA student membership to the University of Alberta, the University of British Columbia, Emporia State University, and the University of Washington.
• Grant one student scholarship for each PNC/MLA meeting.
• Encourage library school representatives and students to present at PNC meetings.
• By 2008, (the membership committee will) survey health information professionals who are not current members of PNC/MLA regarding their reasons for not joining.

goal 3 updated April 7, 2006 (Board)

Objective 4.A: Ensure the continuity of governance of PNC/MLA

Strategies

4.A.1	Continue to develop an organized process for transferring responsibility and documents from past to incoming officers and committee chairs.
4.A.2	Publish all core documentation, including the Bylaws, Responsibility Manual, Procedure Manual, Chapter MAP, and Conference Planning Manual, on the PNC/MLA Web site.
4.A.3	Improve exchange of information between Board and Committee Chairs.

Measurement Indicators

• Continue to make all core documentation available on the chapter web site.
• Hold an orientation meeting of current and incoming officers and committee chairs at the PNC/MLA Annual Meeting each year.
• In 2010, have a 2-day retreat for board members to revise the PNC MAP.
• Prior to each Board Meeting, invite all committee chairs to attend Board meetings (at no additional cost except lunch).

Objective 4.B: Facilitate chapter meeting planning.

Strategies

4.B.1	Annually update the Annual Meeting Planning Manual.
4.B.2	Investigate purchasing Annual Meeting registration software.
4.B.3	Encourage use of SurveyMonkey to facilitate planning of annual meeting.

Measurement Indicators

• Maintain the Annual Meeting Planning Manual on the PNC/MLA web site.
• By 2010, a Program Planning Committee will test an annual meeting registration software.
• By 2007, the Chapter Council representative will prepare a report on the use of meeting registration software by other chapters.
• Two monkeys will be surveyed every year! - pre and post conference.

Objective 4.C: Foster excellence and leadership through communication.

Strategies

4.C.1	Create and maintain a members only blog.
4.C.2	Encourage members to provide ideas for the Annual Meetings.
4.C.3	Share meeting plans with other chapters and groups.
4.C.4	Arrange for joint meetings or programs with other MLA chapters or associations.
4.C.5	Promote participation in the blog.

Measurement Indicators

• Name the blog.
• Rotate the Annual Meeting between Vancouver, BC, Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR, with program planning distributed throughout the Chapter. Meeting can be held in other locations when a strong bid is offered.
• Send preliminary information about the PNC/MLA Annual Meeting(s) to MLA News, other chapter newsletters and other relevant groups annually.
• PNC/MLA Chair will contribute a regular entry in the blog.
• By 2006, hold a joint meeting with another chapter or association.
• By 2007, committee chairs will develop relevant content for the web site, such as annual goals, committee membership, and annual reports.

goal 4 revised April 7, 2006 (Board)

1988
Debbie Ketchell, Edean Berglund, Susan Long, Patricia Lysyk, Cathy Jordon, Patrice O'Donovan, Jim Morgan, Kathy Murray

1990
Kathy Murray, Jeri Van Den Top, Edean Berglund, Jim Henderson, Leilani St. Anna, Patrice O'Donovan, Mary Campbell, Sylvia Macwilliams

1997
Marcy Horner, Maryanne Blake, Leilani St. Anna, Janice Bacino, Natalie Norcross, Pamela Spickelmier, Nancy Press, Bonnie Chadbourne

2002
Bob Pringle, Kathy Murray, Janice Bacino, Dolores Judkins, Patrice O'Donovan, Kathy Martin, Peggy Baldwin

2006
Lea Starr, Kathy Martin, Cheryl Goodwin, Nanette Welton, Liisa Rogers, Anne Girling, Dolores Judkins, Kathy Murray