We are pleased to introduce Kristen Young, MLIS, Library Liaison to the School of Nursing.

Kristen received her Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008. During her graduate work, she served as an intern at the Falk Medical Library at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

HS/HSL liaisons work closely with their individual schools, participating in orientations, guest lecturing in classes and presenting at conferences, assisting with faculty grants, developing the resources in our collection, and conducting individual research consults with faculty, staff, and students. In addition to these traditional duties, the liaisons have recently begun to expand their roles by becoming involved in the outreach activities of the UMB campus. We would be happy to discuss any new activities where you think our liaisons could contribute.

Please email Kristen or call 410.706.8868 if you would like to discuss how she can help support your informational or instructional needs or outreach projects.

I recently returned from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) meeting on the evening of the presidential election. Carrying forward the excitement of the election and the stimulation of wonderful speakers and new ideas, I returned to find the same piles of work, unrealistic deadlines, reports of a raw sewage leak, the usual complaints about too hot, too cold, too noisy, and the ongoing concern about our lack of resources. Coming home could have been a downer, but a meeting with colleagues at AAMC shifted my frame of reference.

I am working with two colleagues on a CE course entitled “So, You Want to Be a Director.” While working we asked ourselves the question, “why did you want to be a library director?” My answer didn’t have anything to do with glamour or monetary gain but instead focused on wanting to make a difference and on being part of something bigger than myself. Every day I have an opportunity through the staff, services, and resources of the Library to be part of the greater purpose of UMB. Whether we are at the bench or bedside, out in the community or working with students, we support that purpose. And that drives our creativity and our passion for what we do. We get excited about our opportunities. I love to bring together ideas and expertise. I practically jumped out of my seat at the Library Advisory Committee earlier this month as one of the members mentioned a nascent bioinformatics program. We can help with that, having had four staff attend the Woods Hole Bioinformatics Institute over the past few years. Opportunity knocks!

So, when you are thinking about your share of the greater purpose, please keep in mind that you may have an eager, willing, and knowledgeable partner who shares your mission and your passion. Think of the Library.

The Food for Fines program is back!

The Library will collect canned food items at the Circulation Desk during HS/HSL’s open hours from Monday, December 1st to Friday, December 19th. We will waive $1 in HS/HSL overdue fines when you donate one canned food item, $2 for two items, etc. This offer does not apply to lost book charges. The goods collected will be donated to the Maryland Food Bank.

Note: only canned food items will be accepted.

In September, we began reporting the results of the Core Print survey sent to UMB faculty. This article continues that report.

Question two of the survey was: “If the Library lost access to online journals for more than a day during an emergency situation, what journals would you need to perform your duties?” Respondents suggested 258 distinct titles, of which 68 titles were cited two or more times. Seventy (70) respondents indicated that the would not need access to journals in that situation, many with the caveat that down-time exceeding a couple of days would create a different scenario.

In addition to individual journals, several journal packages were also mentioned: ASM (3) ACS (3) Nature (2) ASPET (1) RSC (1), as well as two databases: UpToDate (1) Drug Facts and Comparisons (1).

Of the 160 respondents, 82 offered additional comments, the most common of which were requests for digital backfiles (older journals in electronic form), more journal subscriptions, more training in using the Library, and requests that journal cancellations not be undertaken without consulting the faculty.

Future steps include recording suggested new titles in our ongoing list of potential new titles, following up with faculty who may desire additional training, and evaluating the suggested critical titles for inclusion on our Core Print list. A similarly brief survey may also be run in the spring with UMB Graduate students.

If you have questions or suggestions about the survey, please contact Eric Rector, Head, Collections Management via email, or at 410.706.1345.

Each week the HS/HSL offers free workshops to UMB faculty, staff, and students; UMMC staff; HS/HSL Resources Plus! Members; and HS/HSL corporate members.

The Grant Proposal Writing workshop is designed for beginning grant proposal writers. It presents a general overview of grant and funding processes and addresses the level of detail required in a successful proposal. Each component of the grant writing process will be covered, including: documenting the need, identifying the target population, writing measurable objectives, developing a work plan, an evaluation plan, and a dissemination plan.

The Grant Proposal Writing workshop will be offered December 4th from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. For additional information about this and other Library workshops and to register online, visit the Library workshops page.

Winter hours will begin on Friday, January 2, 2009

Need to relax a bit during exams? Of course you do!

The USGA and the HS/HSL are partnering to provide finals snacks to students from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. on December 8 – 19. Be on the lookout for more information about upcoming finals fun. Events will include snacks, board games, puzzles and Wii play.

All events will be held on the Lower Level of the Library (one floor down from main entrance) and sponsored by the USGA, HS/HSL and the UMB Athletic Center.

Since many dissertations and theses produced at UMB are now available online, the Library determined that the HS/HSL only needed to retain one print copy in our collections. This summer, Library staff created a database of dissertation and theses authors with their most current addresses.

In August, 507 postcards were mailed to UMB graduates offering them copies of their dissertations or theses. Of those graduates contacted, 138 responded favorably, and were mailed bound copies of their work.

Questions or comments about this project? Please contact Teresa L. Knott – Deputy Director.

October was National Medical Librarians Month. To mark the event, Thom Pinho, IT Support Specialist, converted a poster created by the Medical Library Association (MLA) to a format compatible with the HS/HSL’s digital sign with MLA’s permission. The image ran on our digital sign throughout October.

The HS/HSL offered to share the image with other health sciences libraries and, we’re happy to report that twenty-four libraries took us up on the offer. Requests came from academic and hospital libraries across the United States and from as far away as Beirut and Guam.

Original Question:

I am writing because many of the students, particularly those in the study rooms, have been incredibly loud despite repeated requests to be quiet. This is not only an issue I am having but one that several of my fellow students have had as well.

While I don’t think it’s possible to regulate a person’s behavior, it seems to be a significant problem this semester, particularly on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors.

Is there any advice you can offer or something that you can do?

Response:

Thank you for sending in your comment concerning noise in the library. I appreciate your taking the time to let us know how we can make improvements.

The next time you are bothered by noise, please let someone know, either at the Circulation Desk or Reference Desk. We will follow up directly with the loud group. The third, fourth, and fifth floors, including the study rooms, are supposed to be quiet study floors. We may ask people to leave if they continue to disrupt the people around them.

We will be putting up signs within the library to remind people of the need for quiet – especially in our upper floors.

Thank you again for your feedback. We’ll get to work right now on those signs.

To exchange ideas and find out how others on campus are using social media such as Flickr™ and Meebo™, stop by the Social Media User Group meeting on December 10th, 12:00 p.m. -1:00 p.m. in the Library’s Distance Education Room. Formation of the group was inspired by the success of the Social Networking Symposium that the Library hosted in April 2008.

For more information, contact Alexa Mayo, Associate Director, Services.

There is a buzz in the air at the HS/HSL. It’s time for the Library’s 4th annual holiday door decorating contest.

This year’s theme is “Holidays Recycled.” Volunteer judges from across the campus will make their decisions December 10th and 11th, with the winners announced on December 12th.

Please stop by on or after December 10th to share in the festivities, and keep an eye open for your chance to vote for Campus Choice Award!