Steering MLA Members to Professional Success! The Education Strategic Goal Status Update

As Kevin Baliozian promised in a July MLA News article, here is an update on the Education Strategic Goal. Since the MLA Board created a new strategic goal for education in February of 2015, MLA has accomplished several essential tasks:

• We have revised the MLA [Link removed (Competencies for Lifelong Learning and Professional Success)]
• Our new learning management system, MEDLIB-ED, was launched in May. Since then, over 5,000 visitors have made over 30,000 page views.
• The MLA Board approved a new education committee structure. There are four active education committees: the Education Steering Committee, the Leadership Curriculum Committee, the Research and Evidence-Based Practice Committee, and the Education Annual Programming Committee (formerly the Continuing Education Committee).

The Education Steering Committee is the oversight education committee. Our core charge is to develop the vision for MLA educational programming and create a curriculum plan to serve the educational needs of health information professionals around the world. Our initial focus is creating a curriculum plan that will guide the creation of online courses and other offerings by the curriculum committees.

The data from the Competencies Self-Assessment, insights and knowledge from the curriculum committees and the MLA Education Department, and opinions and input from representatives of all MLA sections and special interest groups (SIGs) will help the committee formulate this new curriculum plan. Starting in September, the committee will be contacting every MLA section and SIG to learn their members’ views on the training and education needs of MLA members and health information professionals in general.

Over the next year, we will propose to the board the creation of new committees tied to the six competencies and special groups of professionals, such as health sciences librarians new to the profession. Our plan will be refined and updated as needed to reflect the changes and new ideas in the profession.

The new strategic plan aims for MLA to be the go-to education resource for health information professionals. The committee is excited to be overseeing the creation of rich, high-quality learning activities that will help MLA members and other health information professionals achieve their goals of professional success. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact me at elizabeth.laera@bhsala.com.