2026-06-03 –, Room #2 Language: English
Many library professionals that work alone, can sometimes feel like they work in a bubble. It’s often difficult to readily source peer support and feedback. Additionally, it’s difficult not having access to fresh perspectives, particularly when trying to build and maintain professional skills and competencies. Professional associations such as CHLA-ABSC do offer opportunities for support, community, and development, but often these fora can be quite formal, and are not necessarily appropriate places for members to speak frankly, and with a sense of psychological safety. This highlights the need for informal connections to fill in those gaps. By reaching out informally to peers in external organizations, Information professionals can provide neutral, judgement-free support that might not otherwise be available.
In 2024, librarians from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Oak Valley Health (Markham Stouffville Hospital), and the Sault Area Hospital, connected to create an informal virtual space, to obtain peer support for common issues, resolving tricky literature searches, PRESS reviewers if needed, and a safe place to vent. It’s called the "Not-So-Solo-Librarians" (NSSL) group. It's an informal network of solo medical librarians that have harnessed the power of informal peer support; allowing for flexibility, psychological safety, and a reliable sounding board. These opportunities can also enable "career reflections", allowing members to explore how to make the most of their own career paths. We encourage other similarly situated health information professionals, to form their own informal networks, to enable collegial and mutually beneficial relationships.
Jessie Cunningham is an experienced health and medical library professional, with over 18 years of experience as an Information Specialist, and Librarian. She holds an MISt degree from the University of Toronto, and has worked in a wide variety of non-profit, hospital, and governmental libraries. She has a lso been a long-standing member of CHLA-ABSC, and has previously held several executive positions in both the OVHLA and THLA. Currently she is the Reference Librarian in the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. Her professional interests include promoting health literacy and combating health misinformation, training new researchers, as well as exploring the role of AI in evidence syntheses.;
Lisa is the Librarian at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa, Ontario. She was met with the exciting task of building a virtual library from scratch in 2023, and continues to manage the library, maintain the collection as well as provide education sessions . She studied English Literature at Bishop’s University, and completed her bilingual Masters of Information Studies (MIS) at the University of Ottawa. She was also a pharmacy technician, a role she began when she was 16 years old and still maintains casually in Arnprior. With careers in pharmacy practice, pharmacy insurance and pharmacy standards and policy writing, Lisa has found her dream role as a Medical Librarian, combining her love of research and healthcare.
When Lisa isn’t conducting research or counting pills, she often is indulging in the latest fantasy book or true crime podcast, while crocheting alongside her kitten, Simba. She spends her weekends at the ski hill with family and friends, or working on one of her many creative house projects.