MiALA 2026 Annual Conference

Librarians at Central Michigan University (CMU) Libraries and CMU’s Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine collaborated to summarize, categorize, and publicize the evidence synthesis and systematic review services available to CMU students, faculty, residents and medical education partners, resulting in the creation of a 3-tier service model and accompanying LibGuide. In addition to informing patrons, this formalization allows librarians to proactively set clear boundaries around a growing service to help prevent current and future burnout.

Learning Objective(s): ​​​​1) Evaluate 3-tier model for evidence synthesis support, including request form for advanced support; 2) Learn how librarians with little/no systematic review experience/in non-health areas can still support constituents? evidence synthesis efforts; 3) Understand how formalizations of services can help librarians manage expectations, minimize stress, and prevent burnout; and 4) Apply a similar model of evidence synthesis support at attendees’ home institutions.

In an effort to fully represent the research output of our faculty in all departments equally we examined how they are currently being represented within various bibliometric data reporting systems. In this session we will explain why we chose to do this project, how we outlined this work, what challenges we encountered and how we overcame them. We will also talk about what we learned from the experience and our plans for continuing this work.

Learning Objective(s): 1) Attendees will gain an understanding of the reporting capabilities of various scholarly output reporting systems; and 2) Attendees will learn about one way to organize and implement an assessment program to examine the way their faculty output is being reported. .

As early adopters of SpringShare’s LibGuides, Central Michigan University librarians have been creating guides for nearly two decades. To combat the resulting unwieldy collection of over 400 guides, four librarians formed an ad hoc committee to administer the Streamlining LibGuides Project. While the project made significant headway, it also encountered notable resistance and delays. Presenters will highlight project phases and pitfalls as well as best practices and practical recommendations for others considering similar LibGuides projects.

Learning Objective(s): ​​​​1) Learn how one university attempted to streamline their LibGuides collection while managing tension between UX and academic freedom; 2) Discover potential pitfalls of a LibGuides streamlining project; 3) Evaluate a non-prescriptive best practice guide for streamlining LibGuides; and 4) Consider practical recommendations for undertaking a similar LibGuides project.

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in library tools and research support, librarians face growing tension between ethical concerns, environmental impact, and student needs. This panel brings together four librarians with varying relationships to AI, examining how “AI fatigue” shapes daily practice and institutional decision making. Panelists will explore ethical lenses, societal pressures, and approaches to engagement, inviting participants into reflective discussion about their own “True North” in teaching and supporting critical AI use.

Learning Objective(s): ​​​​1) Articulate how AI fatigue manifests in library work, including emotional, ethical, environmental and labor related dimensions; 2) Analyze how institutional, economic, and societal pressures shape librarians’ expectations to adapt, resist, or mediate AI technologies; and 3) Reflect on their own positionality and values when supporting student AI use within higher ed and library contexts.