A Community Focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Medical Library Association’s 2021 vConference & Exhibits

CHICAGO, IL, May 18, 2021—Thousands of health information professionals, members of the Chicago-based Medical Library Association (MLA), are set to engage in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion-focused immersion experiences during MLA’s 121^st Annual Meeting and Exhibition, “MLA ’21 vConference & Exhibits,” running from Monday, May 10, 2021 through Thursday, May 27, 2021.

This month-long annual conference typically draws over 1,500 participants (including 40+ exhibitors) features 200+ hours of programming and welcomes Medical Librarians, Informationists, Collection Development Librarians, Consumer Health Librarians, Reference Librarians, Hospital Librarians, Entry-Level Librarians, Library Directors, International Librarians, Solo Librarians, and other experts in the profession.

The MLA 2021 National Program Committee, led by MLA members Neville Prendergast (Co-Chair) and Tara Douglas-Williams, AHIP (Co-chair), 2020-21 MLA President Lisa Traditi, AHIP, and MLA’s Executive Director Kevin Baliozian, CAE, kept diversity, equity and inclusion in the forefront throughout the extensive MLA ’21 vConference & Exhibits planning process.

“Our members are resilient, lifelong learners, regardless of unforeseen circumstances, including the continued shift this year from an in-person meeting in Washington, DC to virtual,” noted Lisa Traditi, AHIP. “Regardless of location, our goal is to present meaningful, actionable member-centric content in an environment conducive to open dialogue, differing perspectives and supportive collaboration. That content includes discussion topics within MLA member caucuses, committees and domain hubs.”

This year’s meaningful and memorable content is shared throughout several “Exploration Weeks,” for meeting participants including: 53 lightning talks; three keynote addresses; 100 posters (with voice recordings), 18 immersion sessions and 100+ papers (voice synced with slides). Extended access to MLA’s online Continuing Education (CE) courses is available through December 31, 2021 to those individuals and institutions participating in MLA’s CE Passport Program—30+ conference registrants and institutional registration representing 130+ registrants to date. This content includes access to live and prerecorded webinars (including all upcoming 2021 webinars) and self-paced courses (including all upcoming 2021 self-paced published courses).

The MLA ’21 Keynote sessions scheduled during “Live Action Week,” will provide thought-provoking topics, insights, and conversation-starters. Damon Tweedy, MD, author of Black Man in a White Coat, a New York Times bestseller, will deliver the John P. McGovern lecture on Monday, May 24, 2021. On Tuesday, May 25, 2021, MLA ’21 participants will have the opportunity to hear this year’s Joseph Leiter NLM/MLA Lecturer Mitzi D. Baum, MS, deliver her address, “The Culture of Public Health and Food Safety.” On Wednesday, May 26, 2021, the Janet Doe Lecturer, Sandra G. Franklin, AHIP, FMLA will present “Diversity that Defines Us: The View Through a Crystal Lens.”

“We anticipate a truly immersive, engaging and fulfilling experience for those registered for this year’s meeting,” noted MLA’s Executive Director Kevin Baliozian, CAE. “Numerous MLA members were extremely interested in registering for MLA ’21, however the ongoing pandemic created unanticipated financial challenges. To ensure our colleagues could experience MLA ’21 in its entirety, we were pleased to offer “no-charge” registration options.” 

For this years’ service project, the MLA ’21 Local Assistance Committee identified Community of Hope, a Washington-DC based organization focused on addressing health, housing, and literacy concerns by caring for low-income families. Community of Hope is the only nonprofit in DC to provide all services along the homelessness continuum. Donations are being collected throughout the conference.Visit https://www.mlanet.org/mla21 for more about MLA ’21 vConference & Exhibits.

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About MLA

The Medical Library Association (MLA) is a global, nonprofit educational organization, with a membership of more than 400 institutions and 3,000 professionals in the health information field. Since 1898, MLA has fostered excellence in the professional practice and leadership of health sciences library and information professionals to enhance health care, education, and research throughout the world. MLA educates health information professionals, supports health information research, promotes access to the world’s health sciences information, and works to ensure that the best health information is available to all. For more information about MLA, visit MLANET.org.