Very interesting library/librarian advocacy article. Please share this article and its accompanying report with current, future medical librarians, and library students of all types - our profession is still vital to health care and the world in general, folks. While you are sending messages out to fellow librarians and librarians-to-be, add policy makers to your Send list - those that hold the keys to resources should read this, too:

Librarians set to be NHS cure: Librarians have been put at the heart of an evidence-based NHS
by Laura Smith
http://www.whatpc.co.uk/information-world-review/features/2227780/librarians-set-nhs-cure-4246209

This is the link to the March report the article above refers to:
http://www.library.nhs.uk/rss/newsAndRssArticle.aspx?uri=http%3a%2f%2fwww.library.nhs.uk%2fresources%2f%3fid%3d281336

I sent both links to Carla Funk, Executive Director of the Medical Library Association, who quickly responded with the following good news about all of the advocacy efforts conducted by the Association (reprinted here with permission):

" MLA is working on advocacy for our members and their roles, most notably right now through the Vital Pathways Project http://www.mlanet.org/resources/vital/. I think I just received information about Sir Muir Gray who's cited in the paper from the group yesterday and his work in bringing NHS library services to their current position. There are certainly comparisons that can be made between UK and US medical librarians, particularly in the dedication to supporting evidence-based medicine, the importance of lifelong learning, and the importance of being part of the health care team. MLA has had several initiatives in this regard including the informationist, supporting research on the value of the medical librarian, and disseminating a variety of advocacy tools to help librarians promote their value. We continue to work closely with NLM on projects, included our current project of exploring and promoting the librarians' role in health information literacy.
I am going to pass these documents on to the Vital Pathways group as additional resource documents for their work. Thanks again.

Carla J. Funk, MLS, MBA, CAE
Executive Director
Medical Library Association"

Many thanks to Ms. Funk and all of the medical librarian professionals who are working hard to remind and inform others about the worth of librarians and libraries!