HSLANJ had its beginnings as the New Jersey Hospital Library Association (NJHLA). The organizational meeting took place on March 15, 1972. Bylaws were written and adopted.

dreamstimemedium_35314401 webThe first NJHLA Board was:

  • Elizabeth McMullen, President
  • Jane McCarthy, President-Elect
  • Marie Thompson, Secretary
  • Calvin Zamarelli, Treasurer
  • Sister Paschal, Director
  • Bernice Donini, Director
  • Victoria Gonzalez, Director

The officers worked together to accomplish the following objectives:

  • Encourage utilization of health information
  • Develop usefulness and efficacy of hospital and nursing school libraries
  • Promote research in information science
  • Provide members with channels of communication
  • Help members in professional development and advancement

Chronology of Achievements

1972

  • Organization
  • Membership recruitment
  • Active participation in Regional Medical Library Program, including National Library of Medicine (NLM) grant applications
  • Nursing resources coordination encouraged. Union List for Nursing Resources

1974-1976

  • Standards for Hospital Libraries of NJ published
  • Survey of Hospital Libraries (1975) preparatory to grant application to NLM for the Association. Resource grant to help Hospital Libraries conform to the new standards
  • Support of association for state interlibrary loan code
  • Support for New Jersey State Dept. of Health rate review law
  • Support for concept of photocopying for personal use re the Copyright law

1976-1978

  • Affiliation with the New Jersey Hospital Association
  • NJHSLA becomes the Health Sciences Library Association of New Jersey (HSLANJ)
  • Membership expands to recruit other health sciences libraries in addition to hospital libraries.
  • Programs at meetings given by library school faculty.

1978-1979

  • HSLANJ participates in the Mid-Atlantic Health Congress, as health sciences librarians give professional programs.

1979-1980

  • Consumer Education Committee sends List of Medical Books to public libraries
  • Interlibrary Loan/Networking Committee established
  • Legislative Committee writes to Musto Commission requesting HSLANJ participate in development of new state network
  • Finance Committee established
  • HRET liaison committee selects titles and donates $1,000 for administrative journals to be made available to HSLANJ members

1980

  • Finance Committee established
  • Obtained appointment of Liaison from NJ State Library to HSLANJ
  • Support for NJ Committee for Better Libraries
  • New Health Sciences Network organized
  • Bylaws revision. Standing Committees added

1981-1982

  • Archives Committee activated
  • Long Range Planning Committee established

1982-1983

  • Special Interest Group for Nursing
  • Nursing Libraries Resources Section

1983-1984

  • HSLANJ becomes Allied Member of the New Jersey Hospital Association
  • Exhibit of HSLANJ info at New Jersey Library Association Annual Meeting
  • Interlibrary Loan Network solidified, AV program developed to explain
  • Consortia more involved in HSLANJ elections, structure
  • HSLANJ/HRET Survey
  • 1st HSLANJ sponsored Medical Library Association CE course

1984-1985

  • Continued expansion of Network
  • Participation at North Atlantic Hospital Library Association to describe network and to expand it to Basic Health Science Libraries outside New Jersey
  • HSLANJ meetings put on cost recovery basis
  • Initiated one day Retreat for Board Members
  • Special Interest Groups: Online Users

1986-1987

  • BHSL (Basic Health Sciences Library) network began with 133 members
  • Tax exempt status granted by IRS
  • First HSLANJ achievement award given to Jack Conway, librarian at Jersey City Medical Center
  • 7.2 MLA CE Contact Hours offered

HSLANJ Remembers - 15th Anniversary Booklet1987-1988

  • HSLANJ members participate in the formation of the six NJ Regional Library Cooperatives
  • HSLANJ purchases a computer for committee work
  • Member’s journal holdings information from UCMP is input into the NJ Union List of Serials for resource sharing purposes
  • 15th Anniversary celebration held at Scanticon in March (Click for commemorative booklet, right)
  • 6.6 MLA CE Contact Hours offered

1988-1989

  • New Jersey Medical society asks HSLANJ for input on standards for health sciences libraries to be used in the accreditation process for continuing medical education activities in hospitals
  • HSLANJ responded to the NJ State Library Final Report to Develop a Library Automation Blueprint for New Jersey
  • 9.6 MLA CE Contact Hours offered

1989-1990

  • Survey tool to measure the value of library services developed by Long Range Planning Committee. This tool subsequently included in an MLA DocKit
  • NY-NJ MLA Chapter and HSLANJ hold a joint Fall meeting in Princeton. 8 CEUs offered at this meeting
  • Free interlibrary loans shared between BHSL members save over $600,000 in ILL charges
  • 3 MLA CE Contact Hours offered in addition to those at Fall meeting

1990-1991

  • Institutional membership defined and required for participation in the NJHSN, which also allows access to the growing BHSL network
  • NJLA/HSLANJ Aids Task Force founded
  • Certificates of Recognition given to active members of the association
  • 9 MLA CE Contact Hours offered

1991-1992

  • 20th Anniversary Celebration is held in March, HSLANJ past presidents are honored
  • White House Conference on Library and Information Services is held in July, HSLANJ members Kathy Moeller, Joan Fierberg, and Michelle Volesko attend
  • BHSL members number 320. 226,415 free loans are made, saving $1.8 million.
  • 7 MLA CE Contact Hours offered

1992-1993

  • HSLANJ purchases laptop computer, membership database is created
  • HSLANJ banner purchased
  • AIDS Task Force distributes a pamphlet collection on AIDS topics to members and public libraries with funding provided by HSLANJ
  • 12.75 MLA CE Contact Hours offered

1993-1994

  • Carla Tobias and the newly formed Hospitality Committee produce HSLANJ Membership Manual
  • Awards Committee is created. First Health Sciences Librarian and Hospital Administrator awards given
  • AIDS Task Force produces pamphlet AIDS Answers, and gives programs in all RLC regions
  • 3 NJ Link training sessions sponsored
  • HSLANJ archives reorganized
  • 9.75 MLA CE Contact Hours offered
  • Librarian of the year: Philip Rosenstein (given posthumously)

1994-1995

  • HSLANJ develops 5 year strategic plan with the help of a facilitator from the Support Center of New Jersey
  • HSLANJ benefits from $53,000 retrospective conversion grant offered by the New Jersey State Library. 27 member libraries take part, and 25,087 records are converted to machine readable format
  • 9 MLA CE Contact Hours offered
  • Librarian of the year: Michelle Volesko

1995-1996

  • Strategic plan is implemented. Committee structure is reorganized, several new permanent committes added
  • 475 BHSL members provide 493,218 free loans
  • HSLANJ Listserv begins
  • 10 MLA CE Contact Hours offered
  • Librarian of the year: Patricia Regenberg

HSLANJ Remembers 25th1996-1997

  • HSLANJ celebrates 25th anniversary at the Shadowbrook Inn (Click for commemorative booklet, right)
  • Information Technology committee offers QuickDoc meeting
  • HSLANJ Web site debuts thanks to Barbara Reich and Kathy Moeller.
  • 13.1 MLA CE Contact Hours offered
  • Librarian of the year: Mary Scanlon

1997-1998

  • Aids Task Force updates poster and AIDS Answers
  • HSLANJ gets a toll free number – (888) 4 HSLANJ
  • Governor Whitman proclaims March 23rd to March 30th New Jersey Health Sciences Library Week
  • HSLANJ distributes full color poster designed by Louise Yorke to all member libraries – Health Science Librarians Put the Pieces Together
  • Librarian of the year: Duressa Pujat

1998-1999

  • Board approves motion to move all HSLANJ resources and communications to Internet and web-based formats by January 1, 2001
  • AIDS Task Force co-sponsors reception and book signing by River Huston (AIDS Activist, poet, journalist)
  • Librarian of the year: JoAnne Searle (given posthumously)

1999-2000

  • First PULSE newsletter published in electronic as well as printed format
  • CE Classes Sponsored: Career Management, Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Librarian of the year: Cathy Weglarz

2000-2001

  • PDA SIG (special interest group) holds first meeting
  • First ePULSE newsletter is published exclusively in electronic format
  • CE Classes Sponsored: Benchmarking, Finding the Best Resources to Answer Nursing Questions
  • Librarian of the year: Cathy Hilman

2001-2002

  • HSLANJ celebrates 30th Anniversary at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ. Guest speakers included Dina Matos McGreevey (First Lady of New Jersey) and Norma E. Blake (New Jersey State Librarian) – Click here to see an official 2001 state proclamation
  • HSLANJ Web Committee obtained new address for website: www.hslanj.org
  • HSLANJ classes sponsored: Copyright Law in the Digital Age, Government Resources in Consumer Health, Thinking the Unthinkable – Biochemical Terrorism
  • Librarian of the year: Cathy Boss

2002-2003

  • Group Licensing Task Force was formed
  • The Listserv was moved to Yahoo groups
  • COMET closed for business
  • The HSLANJ Board passed a resolution that 90% of document delivery between members should be digital by end of 2004
  • CE classes sponsored: Management Techniques for Solo Librarians, Multicultural Palette, Technology in Small Bytes, What’s Up Doc? – Clinical Trends
  • Librarian of the year: Kathy Moeller

2003-2004

  • HSLANJ was a sponsor of the “Super Librarian” statewide marketing campaign
  • HSLANJ Listserv moved to hslc.org
  • The first group license (Ovid) was offered to the membership. A final total of 17 libraries took advantage of this offer
  • CE classes sponsored: Health Information Literacy, Information Behaviors of Health Professionals, Patient Safety
  • Special Recognition for Professional Achievement (first time awarded) – Electronic Document Delivery Task Force (Barbara Reich, Elaine Goldman, Robb Mackes, Pat Regenberg, Michelle Volesko) – “Instrumental in putting the Health Sciences Librarians of New Jersey on the path to total electronic document delivery”
  • Click here for an official 2004 state proclamation
  • Librarian of the year: Judy S. Cohn

2004-2005

  • HSLANJ exhibited at the NJLA meeting in Long Branch, NJ
  • New HSLANJ banner and life preserver debuted at NJLA meeting
  • HSLANJ brochures and bookmarks mailed to member libraries and distributed at Regional Library Cooperative meetings
  • Electronic Document Delivery Task Force presents paper at Annual MLA meeting in Washington, DC
  • Group licensing offer expanded to include EBSCO databases
  • Consumer Health Committee surveys Public Librarians on consumer health needs
  • CE classes sponsored: Face to Face: Strategies for Effective Consumer Health Communication; Medical School Experience; Running with the Squirrels
  • Librarian of the Year: Patricia May

2005-2006

  • HSLANJ Board voted to join NJLA
  • Old Government Relations Committee resurrected and renamed the Legislative Committee. This committee will be chaired by the NJHA librarian
  • Joint Group Licensing Task Force becomes a standing committee
  • Marketing Task Force becomes a standing committee
  • Position of Treasurer is changed to a three year term with the first year served as Assistant Treasurer
  • CE classes sponsored: Number, Number, Who’s Got the Number?; Searching for Drug and Pharmaceutical Information Online; Technopolooza: Getting in Sync with Expert Googling, Clinical Portals, Open URLs, Blogging and More!
  • Librarian of the Year: Barbara S. Reich
2006 HSLANJ Proclamation

2006 HSLANJ Proclamation (Click on image to open)

2006-2007

  • 35th AnniversaryHSLANJ members attended the NAHSL/NY-NY MLA Joint Conference in Hartford, CT
  • HSLANJ sponsored a table at the NJLA conference
  • HSLANJ celebrated its 35th anniversary at the Battleground Country Club in Manalapan, NJ. Speakers included Lucretia W. McClure and M.J. Tooey (Click on image, right, for a PDF version of the 35th Anniversary PowerPoint)
  • Click here for an official 2007 state proclamation
  • CE classes sponsored: Caring for the Mind: Providing Reference Services for Mental Health Information; Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM): Information Resources for Choices in Healing; Ethnic Awareness and Health Information Resources; Survival of the Fittest: Strategies to Prove Your Library’s Value (Webcast)
  • Librarian of the Year: Kerry O’Rourke

2007-2008

  • HSLANJ sponsored the only display table at the ONE/NJ conference at NJHA. Over 100 nurse executives from around the state attended the conference
  • HSLANJ sponsored a table at the NJLA conference
  • HSLANJ sponsored a CE course for our members as well as ONE/NJ members.
  • CE classes sponsored: Finding the Evidence: Evidence Based Practice in Nursing; It’s About Time, It’s About Space: Time and File Management; PDAs and the Medical Librarian
  • Librarian of the Year: Robb Mackes

2008-2009

  • HSLANJ sponsored a display table at the ONE/NJ conference at NJHA
  • HSLANJ sponsored a table at the NJLA conference
  • 40 medical libraries participated in “Snapshot: One Day in the Life of New Jersey Libraries” on February 19, 2009
  • CE classes sponsored: ABCs of DNA: Unraveling the Mystery of Genetics Information for Consumers; Locating Cancer Information for Your Clinicians and Patients; Government Resources in Consumer Health; Patient Safety Resource Seminar: Librarians on the Front Lines
  • Librarian of the Year: Reina Reisler

2009-2010

  • The New Jersey Hospital Association closes their library
  • HSLANJ sponsored a display table at the ONE/NJ conference at the New Jersey Hospital Association
  • CE classes sponsored: Copyright: The Basics and Beyond; It’s More Than Just the Standards

2010-2011

  • The staff of the former New Jersey Hospital Association’s library (Annemarie Edinger, Angela Harris-Scriven and Michelle Volesko Brewer) was honored for their work at a dinner in April, 2010 at the Princeton Marriott Hotel & Conference Center at Forrestal

2011-2012

  • HSLANJ sponsored the CE classes, and HSLANJ was awarded a Professional Development Grant from the NNLM/MAR. The grant covered registration and travel stipend for seven HSLANJ members to attend the New Jersey Health Literacy Coalition Health Literacy Summer (NJHLC), entitled “Advanced Health Literacy Solutions: the Power in Community Partnerships”
  • HSLANJ celebrated its 40th Anniversary at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, New Jersey. The guest speaker was Dr. Lisa Sanders, clinician educator in the Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program at Yale School of Medicine. She writes the Diagnosis column for The New York Times Magazine and the Think Like a Doctor column featured in The New York Times‘ blog, The Well. Her column was the inspiration for the Fox television program House, MD (2004-2012). a copy of her book, Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis, was distributed to each attendee. See the link to this anniversary program, below.
  • CE classes sponsored: A (Anorexia) to Z (Zits) Health for Teens; Healthy Aging in Your Library

HSLANJ Celebrates 40th Anniversary

2012-2013

  • Robert T. Mackes is hired to serve as HSLANJ’s first Executive Director, effective April 1, 2013
  • For the first time, the Group Licensing Initiative (GLI) made a second (fall) offering of resources