by Rob Penfold | Feb 26, 2026 | News
Many health librarians in Australia are well aware of Cheryl’s contributions over many years
She has won a number of awards including the ALIA Fellowship 2013 & the HCL Anderson Award 2020 and published quite extensively
She has decided to hang up her (Dockers) boots and swap Libkey Nomad for Grey Nomad
(in the image, Cheryl is on the left with an unknown art gallery attendant on the right)
Her most ardent parting wish is that anyone who hasn’t yet completed the HLA 2026 Survey takes the time to do so
As many librarians are frustrated authors, perhaps the best send off is a Cheryl Poem (by a health librarian who obviously has too much time on his hands …)
An ode to Cheryl, on her retirement (HCL Anderson redux)
There once was a health librarian named Cheryl,
Whose name was not amenable to limerick writing,
Unless she had colleagues named Beryl, or Meryl,
And they co-authored papers, and were diligent in citing.
Still, even if the rhymes elude a limerick,
The HCL Anderson award is worthy of something poetic.
A sonnet in MeSH, perhaps, announced with a gong,
Or NLM classification reworked as the Dockers theme song.
I know. A Haiku!
It’s True, I do know haiku.
See, told you I do.
But back to Cheryl, and all that she does,
For WA, and HLA, and NLA, and ALIA;
For committees and sub-committees and all their paraphernalia;
And, well, frankly, for all of us.
(Sidenote – ALIA is not the Australian Liquor Industry Association…
although that would explain some MARC records I’ve seen – boom-tish!)
But back to Cheryl, and all that she does,
In collecting and parsing and sharing,
And building and joining and supporting,
And setting an example for all of us.
There cannot be a PubMed search string she has not run,
An interdisciplinary comment thread she has not begun,
A publisher price she has not negotiated down,
Or an uppity rep she has not run out of town.
So all hail Cheryl, a paragon of the profession,
Even if she would be appalled by this digression.
Fare thee well in your deserved retirement,
As you pen your memoirs on digital parchment.
No more battling the traffic on Canning Highway.
No more worrying if your job can be done by AI.
No more union claims frustrated at every turn.
No more desire to watch the (publishing) world burn.
No more finding all the full-text… except one!
No more search updates to be redone.
No more fighting mildew in the basement stacks.
No more downtime after more cyber attacks.
Just a new hip to go with the other one
And a new caravan to chase the sun.
Plenty of reading and a Europe trip or two,
A Dockers flag to pine for and some Weagles to boo.
The money is the same but the hours are better.
As one road ends another will lead wherever.
Dream a new dream and say goodbye to tension,
Set a new goal and say hello to your pension.
All hail Cheryl, a paragon of the profession,
The legacy she leaves is a lasting impression.
Health and libraries are richer for her contribution,
And all of us blessed by her friendship and dedication.
by Rob Penfold | Jan 16, 2026 | Events
📝 Event Description
This hands-on workshop will show you how to use Canva to create engaging and professional videos for library promotion and education resources. This session covers:
• Editing a Canva video template
• Image and text editing, animations and effects
• Using Canva record and screen capture
By the end of this training, you will have created your own short video ready to share for library promotion or educational purposes.
People who have prior experience with Canva will get the most out of this session. There will be hands-on activities. Participants will need access to a Canva account prior to the webinar.
👉 Numbers restricted to 40 participants – get in quick
🧑🏫 Trainers
• Eunice Ang – Medical Librarian, Northern Health
• Keren Moskal – Clinical Librarian and Education Lead – Monash Health
✅ ALIA HLA Competencies
C4: Leadership and management
C6: Health literacy and teaching
View HLA Competencies
🧗♀️ Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Worth 1 hour towards the Health Professional Development Scheme
🕐 When
Tuesday, 5 May 2026 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm AEST (75 minutes)
🌏 Where
Online Zoom webinar – a link will be sent the day prior.
💸 Cost
ALIA Members – $40 (savings of $35 if you were an HLA Member)
Non-Members – $75
✍️ Register
Register / More information
by Rob Penfold | Jan 16, 2026 | News
I am working on a research project about health librarians’ knowledge and use of topic & methodological search filters in Australia and New Zealand. This research project was one of the winners of the HLA Anne Harrison Award in 2024.
The aim of the survey is to gather information on whether health librarians are aware of topic & methodological search filters, whether librarians use them and where librarians are getting these filters from.
Take the survey here (Takes 5-10 minutes)
I am using “health librarian” loosely. Basically if:
- You have previously worked or are currently working in a health/medical library setting, and
- You have heard of topic or methodological search filters,
you are eligible to take part in the survey 😊
It doesn’t matter if your job title isn’t strictly “librarian”, or if you have never used topic or methodological search filters. I still want to hear from you if you fulfil the two criteria above.
Your participation will be greatly appreciated! Please feel free to 👉 forward this survey on to your colleagues as well.
If you have any questions, please email me at eunice.ang@nh.org.au
by Rob Penfold | Jan 6, 2026 | Events
📝 Event Description
Join us for an engaging lunchtime session exploring the vital role health libraries play in safeguarding organisational history.
Discover practical strategies for building and caring for historical collections, and learn how to access National Library of Australia Community Heritage Grants to support preservation and digitisation projects.
Whether you’re starting a collection or planning a heritage initiative, this session will provide actionable tips and inspiration to keep your health service’s story alive.
🗣️ Presenters
Pat Stott – Eastern Health
Michelle Pitman – Grampians Health
Tania Barry – Northern Health
Cherish Mcdonald – Hunter New England Local Health District
Pat graduated as a Library Technician and worked extensively in primary schools. Joined Eastern Health in about 2008 as a Technician. Completed a Librarian Degree in 2017 with an interest in archives. Gained a Masters Degree in Data Management. Loves learning new stuff, loves discarding and weeding stuff, doesn’t want to specialise, and has a paint and art supply addiction.
Michelle qualified as a late-in-life librarian from Curtin University in 2019 and has worked at the Horsham campus of Grampians Health since November that year. This role has her straddling the vicissitudes of being, simultaneously, a “solo” librarian, while also being part of the library team at the Ballarat campus. She’s however, very grateful for this support or it would get very challenging very quickly! Her professional interests are library marketing, health history and generative artificial intelligence in health and scholarly communications. Her personal interests are her cat ‘Lola’, sourdough bread making, reading Sci-Fi & epic fantasy novels and watching endless YouTube chateau renovation channels!
Tania is an experienced information and knowledge professional with over 20 years’ experience across academic, local government and health sectors. Her work focuses on strategic leadership, workforce development and building high-performing teams that deliver inclusive, community-focused services. In her current role at Northern Health, she leads library and information literacy services, ensuring staff, students and community members can access and apply evidence-based information to support health outcomes.
Cherish a wearer of multiple hats, she can wax an eyebrow (was a beauty therapist in a past life) while doing a literature review (poorly, area of PD) and whip up a smart-looking CANVA graphic to market library services. Cherish is passionate about equity of access to health information and library services, a good espresso, the collection and maintenance of organisational history, and library marketing. She recently completed a Master of Library & Information Science at CSU, and is on the organising committee for the Hospital Librarians COP. Most importantly, she has an honorary PhD in snack collection for her two chaotic children and French bulldogs, in the words of Em Rusciano, a “maximalist power queen” and very tired.
✅ ALIA HLA Competencies
CA3: Resources
View HLA Competencies
🕐 When
Tuesday, 28 April 2026
1-2pm (Vic/NSW/TAS/ACT/QLD);
12:30-1:30pm (SA/NT);
11am-12pm (WA);
3-4pm (NZ)
🗺️ Where
Online webinar Zoom – a link will be sent the day prior.
This event will be recorded and sent to attendees following the event.
💵 Cost
ALIA Members – Free (One of 14 reasons to consider HLA Membership)
Non-Members – $30
✍️ Register
Register / Additional Information
🧗♀️ Professional Development
One CPD hour towards Health Professional Development Scheme
