Convening a group of experts to address critical issues in health information research, medical librarianship, and clinical health practice innovations was the aim of the SC&I inaugural Mary Hay Glass Symposium titled "Health Information in a Time of Change."
Held on March 25, 2026 and attended by over 50 people, the symposium was sponsored by the Library and Information Science Department at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information and organized by Associate Professor Kaitlin Costello, Associate Professor Charles Senteio and Assistant Professor Alex Lu.
The Symposium was supported by a generous new endowed gift donation to the LIS department in honor of Mary Hay Glass. The gift provides funds for the named annual research symposium , as well as scholarship funds for students in the SC&I Master of Information program enrolled in the Health Information Concentration, an area developed and coordinated by Costello.
Mary Hay Glass MLS'90, grew up in New Jersey and earned her master's degree from SC&I. After she graduated, she worked in publishing at an online biomedical database company before she assumed her role as a medical librarian at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. During her career she was active in the medical section of the Special Library Association.
Chair and Professor of Library and Information Science Rebecca Reynolds said, "The Department is very fortunate to have the support through this generous donation, to be able to carry forth the legacy of esteemed Rutgers MLIS graduate Mary Hay Glass’s many contributions in the field of health information and medical librarianship – and this at a time that fortuitously coincides with the launch of this new concentration in the MI master’s program in LIS. We hope it draws attention and focus to the substantive expertise our department bears in health information research and scholarship, and encourages new interest among students in highly advantageous career directions at the intersection of health, information and technology."
The aim of the inaugural symposium, Costello said, was to "both give voice to Mary's legacy and to provide a space for us to have conversations around two areas relevant to her, medical librarianship and reproductive health, through the lens of today's changing information landscape."
The idea for the theme, "Health Information in a Time of Change," was created by the Research Development Committee of the Library and Information Science Department, which includes Costello, Senteio, and Lu.
"While deciding on the focus for the symposium we considered all the changes occurring in the health information landscape right now, including technological changes, social changes, and legal and legislative changes that are shaping the health information environment," Costello said. "We decided our main goal would be to foster a productive and interesting conversation between practitioners, researchers, medical librarians, and SC&I Master of Information and Ph.D. students."
The primary issues discussed by the panelists and attendees included the future of health data, information, and knowledge; how research and practice are adapting to new challenges brought about by evolving political and socio-technical landscapes; strategies for furthering cross-collaboration and working with communities; health information resilience; and digital health equity.
The panelists included:
· Brenda M. Linares, Associate Dean of Library Services at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Libraries and past president of the Medical Library Association.
· Adrian Petterson, PhD candidate in Critical Information Studies at the University of Toronto.
· Elizabeth Talmont, DNP, APN-BC Chief Projects Officer Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern NJ, Inc.
· Megan Threats, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Director of the Health Justice Informatics Lab at the University of Michigan School of Information.
Reflecting on how the symposium enriched their academic experience, Master of Information students Eva Stewart and Bethany Hayden shared their perspectives.
"As a graduate student in the Health Information Concentration, seeing the range of panelists made it clear that health information professionals are needed in so many places across a vast and varied landscape, and that is encouraging," Stewart said. "What struck me most was how these professionals, from such different corners of the field, kept returning to important fundamentals: health information isn't just about better data or smarter systems, it's about trust and collaboration. Brenda Linares said it in a way that will stay with me: 'Don't do drive-by outreach.' That is the kind of north star that should guide all of us as information professionals to make this work impactful for the communities we will serve."
Hayden noted, "What I learned was there was diversity of information professionals out there but that a community focus was key to the work that they do. Even with everything that's changing, the ability to connect with the people you serve, be empathetic, have an open mind, and be collaborative with the people is what's needed to be successful. It was a really neat panel and I would definitely attend again."
Costello added, "One benefit of this event, for me personally, was seeing and interacting with people from all different parts of the health information landscape who were panelists and attendees. Together we provided a snapshot of what the health information landscape looks like right now, who's in it, and what kinds of issues people in this space care about."
