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Amy Blevins served as the Medical Library Association president from 2023-2024. In this presidential biography, authors outline a history of Blevins' recruitment to the career, career development, and impact on the association and the profession.

Objective: The goal of this survey by the Medical Library Association (MLA) Diversity and Inclusion Task Force was to have a better understanding of the demographics of the association as well as ascertain how the membership feels about MLA’s diversity efforts.Methods: A survey was created with the input of both task force members as well as MLA professional staff. It was administered via SurveyMonkey and distributed through email over the course of two weeks in October 2019.Results: The demographics portion of the survey—beyond asking the usual questions about race or ethnicity (72% white), age (65% between 30 and 59), and so on—also asked questions that were more specific to diversity including, but not limited to, gender representation (79% female), sexuality (67% heterosexual), military service (97% have never served), ability (26% have anxiety sometimes or in certain situations), and college financial aid (49% used federal student loans). Diversity-specific questions asked about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the association: 59% strongly agreed or agreed that MLA has a strong commitment to DEI; 54% felt that the amount of time that association was spending on DEI issues was just about right; and 56% were very satisfied or satisfied with the DEI environment at MLA. Members also reported feeling like they belonged in MLA (59%), they were treated with respect (77%), and they were valued by MLA (59%)Conclusion: The survey paints a picture of the membership that is much deeper than any previously conducted membership survey. It shows the diversity of membership, especially in terms of ability and religion. Generally, the membership feels that MLA is right on target with the level of focus that MLA is giving issues of diversity. This survey reinforces the diversity work that has been done and supports diversity work in MLA in the future.

In 2019 the Medical Library Association (MLA) transitioned to a community structure composed of caucuses. Four years after the transition, the 2023-2024 MLA Rising Stars cohort was asked to investigate how the caucuses were currently functioning and any challenges to their sustainability. This Special Paper will describe the study conducted by the Rising Stars cohort, and its research findings. Preliminary recommendations include greater standardization of annual reporting, additional guidance and discussion forums for caucus leadership, and an increase in events focused on professional development, networking, and information sharing such as those held during Experience MLA.

In our editorial in the January/April 2023 issue of JMLA, we spoke of the challenges we faced when we took on the co-lead editor roles. At the end of that editorial, we stated our intention to get the publishing schedule back on track and to finally tackle other projects. And while it took us some time to report it, we are pleased to share that, in the publication year of 2024, JMLA resumed its regular quarterly publishing schedule.

At the Medical Library Association (MLA) 2024 Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, the Janet Doe Lectureship Series plenary session featured a panel of past Doe lecturers from the last decade. Reflecting on their lectures they were challenged to imagine how the Association’s Core Values could guide and inform decision making in response to current and emerging challenges to the profession and in the environment. Panelists’ reflections included themes of inclusivity, collaboration, leadership, technology, space planning, and the role of medical librarians in addressing issues of mis- and disinformation, bias, equity, and open access, today and in the future. Common themes included the centrality of collaboration as a necessary component of health sciences librarianship, and the ongoing criticality of the profession’s commitment to ethical practices. The panelists shared insights on how MLA's Core Values can guide the profession and association through the challenges and opportunities of the evolving healthcare and information landscape, including the rise and the rapid evolution of advanced technologies.

On the occasion of the Medical Library Association’s 125th Anniversary, four librarian leaders with a combined 105 years of engagement in MLA collaborated to reflect on the changes in our profession and our association. We draw on an examination of the last 25 years of the MLA Janet Doe Lectures, our own personal histories, and scholarship we produced for MLA publications and presentations. We offer this compilation as an invitation for readers to reflect on their experiences of changes within the profession, inspiration to engage in the issues around our place in society, and a source for additional exploration into researching and learning from our collective history.

PurposeLibrary association policies and guidelines are important to study because they reflect consensus values of the profession. As such, they can shape the association, itself, and set the tone for the values of its individual members in their professional practice. From the titles alone, these documents proclaim themselves to be guides for the development of individual library policy. Additionally, as library and information science (LIS) graduate education programs are accredited by national associations, LIS schools pay attention to association policies and guidelines to help shape professional and continuing education. In these ways, they have a role in shaping professional ideology around a topic. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe services to persons with disabilities policies from three national-level LIS organizations were analyzed through a thematic analysis.FindingsThe guidelines speak to a shared understanding of disability and accessibility around the themes of library staff, library policies and library resources and services. While not surprising, additional themes around disability context and legislation show a shared understanding of accessibility that is much broader than what the legislation requires.Originality/valueAn analysis of guidelines on services to persons with disabilities from the American Library Association (ALA), Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA) is of interest because of the ways these organizations intersect. The ALA and ALIA have reciprocal agreements so that students in LIS education programs are recognized as equivalents. Second, the ALA accredits library education programs in Canada. Given these intersecting relationships, the guidelines-shared notions of accessibility become of high interest.

The Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) sincerely thanks the 214 peer reviewers in 2020 who helped vet and improve the quality of work published in our journal.

In this profile, Shannon D. Jones, MLS, MEd, AHIP, FMLA, Medical Library Association President, 2022-2023, is described as someone who “takes chances on people, valuing those others might not see as valuable\" -MJ Tooey. Jones embraces lifelong learning, and it shows up in her collegiate journey; she has been a student of leadership, a leader of institutions, especially within the Medical Library Association (MLA); and a leader in librarianship. She is a trailblazer, the second African American MLA president, and a champion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Jones has been Director of Libraries & Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for the past seven years and is also Director of Region 2 of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, National Library of Medicine.

Objective: Reflective practice is common in nursing and other professions. In the published literature, there is very little about librarians’ use of reflective practice and no studies of health librarians’ use of reflective practice. This study examined the use of reflective practice among health sciences librarians, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers to use.Methods: This cross-sectional study replicated the 2014 study by Greenall and Sen, using a version of their questionnaire. The research population in this study was health sciences librarians who were members of the MEDLIB-L email discussion list, Medical Library Association (MLA) chapter email discussion lists, and/or MLA section email discussion lists.Results: There were 106 librarians who completed the questionnaire, ranging from those new to the profession through midcareer to longtime librarians. While a high percentage of respondents considered themselves to be reflective practitioners (77%), a larger percentage (87%) reported that they consciously spent time reflecting. Respondents selected a wide variety of benefits of reflective practice, while barriers tended to center on lack of time, knowledge, skills, or experience.Conclusion: The diversity of benefits that respondents selected suggests that reflective practice can play an important positive role in librarians’ professional development. Reported barriers to reflective practice suggest that there is a need for educational opportunities to develop skills. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.