Abstract
Objective:In 2019, the Medical Library Association (MLA) adopted a new model of community governance and participation, referred to as the MLA Communities Transition. The Communities Transition was the culmination of long-ranging plans by MLA to support two of its strategic goals: diversity and inclusion, and communities. The reorganization aimed to strengthen MLA member communities, better support programming, reduce administrative overhead, and attract new members. The 2019–2020 MLA Rising Stars cohort was tasked to study the Communities Transition and identify lessons that might be applicable to any major future change proposed for the organization.Methods:A qualitative study was designed and conducted to investigate MLA member and leader perceptions of the change process, using John Kotter's eight steps for organizational change model as a framework. A set of fifteen open-ended questions was developed based on Kotter's model, and seventeen semistructured interviews were conducted to gather perceptions and feedback. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to explore and identify several themes across all discussions.Results:Four major themes were identified: communication between leadership and membership, leadership during the change process, membership investment in change, and instituting change and future recommendations. The study revealed strengths in the overall implementation and execution of the transition, but it also highlighted several perceived issues with communication and information sharing.Conclusions:Study findings were used to develop recommendations for improved communication strategies and for handling large-scale changes within the organization in the future.
Highlights
The Medical Library Association (MLA) is the professional home for more than 3,000 librarians and information professionals working in health sciences, hospital, and medical settings
In 2019, MLA adopted a new model of community governance and participation, the MLA Communities Transition
Through a qualitative study using thematic analysis of a series of semistructured interviews, we developed quality improvement recommendations for MLA executive and board leadership, primarily around communication during organizational change
Summary
The Medical Library Association (MLA) is the professional home for more than 3,000 librarians and information professionals working in health sciences, hospital, and medical settings. It is a member-driven association that aims to represent the voices of a diverse group of information professionals. MLA has provided professional development, education, and support to librarians for over one-hundred years, in exchange for annual membership dues. In 2019, MLA adopted a new model of community governance and participation, the MLA Communities Transition. Prior to the Transition, the organization had a two-level membership model, where members could pay additional yearly dues to belong to sections representing their work environments or fields of focus.
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