Conference Recordings and Reports

Keynote Panel Report

Keynote Panel: Learning from History: Sharing Wisdom from Lifetime PNC Members

Panelists: Connie Schardt, Susan Schweinsberg Long, Dolores Judkins, Kathy Murray, and Patrice O'Donovan

This session brought together four distinguished medical librarians to reflect on their professional journeys and the evolution of medical librarianship. The panel explored career milestones, the impact of technology, and the enduring importance of collaboration, mentorship, and adaptability in the field. 

Some key takeaways from the panel:

• The Power of Relationships 

Building strong professional relationships was cited as the cornerstone of career growth and institutional success. 

We heard from panelists how important informal mentoring networks—the “invisible college”—and engagement with professional organizations such as MLA, PNC, and RML were to their career success.  

• Adapting to Change 

From Index Medicus and fax machines to PubMed, Internet resources, and AI, each generation of librarians faced transformative technologies, reviewing the changes that the panelists have worked through, the panel agreed that the librarian’s mission—to guide, evaluate, and teach information literacy—has remained constant. 

AI was discussed as both a disruptive and promising tool, reinforcing the need for librarians to remain central to evaluating digital information sources. 

• Teaching, Mentorship, and Service 

Teaching was identified as both a professional responsibility and a personal passion - something that has carried our panelists through the changes in information resources throughout their careers.

We heard about how Connie’s team at Duke co-taught EBM and critical appraisal workshops for medical students and librarians, some of which still operate today. Dolores described developing and teaching early Medline and Internet courses, while Kathy and Susan highlighted the value of teaching beyond the classroom - specifically the value and impact of mentoring new professionals and participating in continuing education through MLA and regional chapters. 

“Giving back” through teaching, committee work, and outreach was seen as vital to sustaining the profession. 

 

Highlighted Reflections from the Panelists:

“Relationships matter—the more things change, the more they stay the same.” – Connie 

“Find your power base and use your influence wisely.” – Susan 

“Networking and sharing knowledge make our profession stronger.” – Dolores 

“From teletype to the cloud—adaptability defines our success.” – Kathy  

 
Our overall takeaway? 

“Technology will change, but our purpose stays the same—helping people find, understand, and evaluate information.” 

Another big thank you to our panelists, not only for their valued reflections on change and resiliance, but also for all the mentorship and service they have given to the profession, and to our chapter throughout their impressive careers!