Almost every article you will have read over the last month will have remarked on the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 case or the first COVID-19 death. With 500,000+ deaths across the U.S., who knew March 2020 would be such a pivotal month and the start of a pandemic? On March 13, the HSHSL team closed and locked the library doors, expecting to return in a few short weeks or at the most, months.

I was, and still am, so proud of the way the HSHSL staff rose to the challenge, pivoting to an almost completely online environment, solving problems, creating solutions, and proving a library is more than the sum of its four walls. The building was closed but the Library wasn’t. With the exception of access to physical collections, we reimagined and, in many cases, improved the ways we work with, and within our UMB community.

On September 14, we reopened the building on a limited basis – two floors, reduced hours, skeleton staff, physically distant seating, restricted entry (UMB and UMMC members only), and limited capacity. This is where we find ourselves today.

We have received requests from our user community, the public, and students from other universities to relax our restrictions. Although it warms our hearts to think how highly people regard us, we will be maintaining our building restrictions, in line with UMB policy, for the foreseeable future. The majority of our staff are on mandatory telework, and we are committed to keeping our onsite staff, who are stretched very thin, as safe as possible. We follow UMB guidelines. Monitor what health experts say. Confer with other libraries in the USM, many of which are not open at all. And still provide excellent services and resources virtually. While I know many of you see the HSHSL as a place of solace, study, and scholarship, we need to remain vigilant. It is our hope that we will be together soon.

In April, the HSHSL traditionally surveys people who use our digital resources. When you click to access a library resource, a brief survey may appear asking your status, school, and purpose of use. While it is a perennial source of annoyance, this survey provides the HSHSL with valuable information that helps guide us in providing important resources to our user community. For example, did you know School of Medicine faculty use library resources primarily for research purposes? Or that in the School of Nursing, students are the heavy hitters, using resources to complete assignments? This survey is only one of the tools we use to assess resource usage. However, it is an important one. The survey is random, so if you are among those fortunate enough to be snared, we understand the impulse to sigh and mutter a few choice words. But once you’ve finished, please complete the survey, knowing you are helping the HSHSL.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the disparities that underserved, minority, and underrepresented communities face in areas such as health information literacy, education, and inclusion in COVID-19 related clinical research.

On April 8-9, 2021, Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) will host Responding to the COVID-19 Infodemic, a free virtual symposium to address health disparities, misinformation, and mistrust surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Through paper presentations, panels, and a networking space the symposium will allow attendees to develop a deeper understanding of the societal effects of COVID-19, and of effective strategies and programs to engage with communities.

NNLM is excited to feature the following keynote speakers:

• Vin Gupta, MD, MPA, affiliate assistant professor, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Seattle, Wash.
• Gregg Orton, national director, The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), Washington, DC
• Elisabeth Wilhelm, health communications specialist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Global Immunization Division, Atlanta, Ga.
• Chris Pernell, MD, MPH, FACPM, chief strategic integration and health equity officer, University Hospital, New York, N.Y.

Anyone interested in learning more about information-related issues during COVID-19 is welcome to attend. Free registration is now available on the symposium website. Free continuing education credits will be available for attendees from the Medical Library Association and from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.

Be sure to check the website for more information on the agenda, networking sessions, code of conduct, and a general FAQ. For other questions, please email Tony Nguyen.

The HSHSL produced an attractive and engaging Annual Report for the 2020 fiscal year. This unique report was a challenge to create because it covers our accomplishments before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.  The earlier part of the year felt so far away!  If you are interested, please take a look.  We are very pleased with how it turned out.

Tuesday, April 6
12 p.m. to 1 p.m. EST
Zoom event, register here

HSHSL and The Grid are proud to host Will Holman, executive director of Open Works, and Jay Nwachu, president and CEO of Innovation Works, for our next Meet the Makers guest speaker event.

The two leaders will reflect on Makers Unite, Baltimore’s crowdsourced personal protective equipment (PPE) drive at the start of the pandemic. They will also discuss a new model for mutual aid that uses makerspaces, digital fabrication, and online organizing to address critical social issues.

In late March 2020, hundreds of people around Baltimore with 3D printers at home began making parts for face shields and other PPE. Known as Makers Unite, the effort was organized by Open Works, a community maker and studio space that pivoted quickly to PPE manufacturing. Together with Innovation Works, a social innovation hub and non-profit, a website was set up to facilitate PPE distribution and maker contributions (totaling over 28,000 PPE units). Health care and essential workers around the city and state received Makers Unite PPE.

Both Open Works and Innovation Works continue to adapt their programming and services to the community’s needs, including support for students struggling with remote learning, and more.

On February 8, 2021, the Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HSHSL) officially launched our new Center for Data and Bioinformation Services (CDABS). This new virtual center is the hub for the UMB community to quickly and easily navigate the many data and bioinformation related resources and services we provide at the HSHSL, while also connecting to those elsewhere on campus.

The launch of CDABS coincided with the annual Love Data Week event. We celebrated with a festive kick-off party and virtual ribbon cutting ceremony over Zoom. This kick-off introduced a week-long workshop series on the topics of research data management, writing data management plans, data wrangling and creating reproducible workflows, and understanding GitHub. Nearly 200 people participated in these workshops!

CDABS offers:

• Informative guides to help orient you to key concepts in data management and bioinformation
• Individualized support on a wide range of issues through consultations
• Specialized services like data submission to genomic repositories and data visualization for grants and publications
• Helpful in-house resources like the UMB Data Catalog and the high performance Bioinformatics and Data Science Workstation and connections to university-wide data centers and services
• Workshops and tutorials on useful data tools and practices
• Special datasets and repositories you have access to as a member of the UMB community, such as ICPSR, All of Us, and N3C (coming soon!)
• Communication about data-related events and opportunities at UMB and beyond

Visit the new CDABS web portal for more information, and sign up to get CDABS news and updates directly to your inbox or RSS feed.

For questions contact Bioinformationist Jean-Paul Courneya and Data Services Librarian Amy Yarnell at data@hshsl.umaryland.edu.

Want the latest news from HSHSL? Join our RSS feed or receive email notifications. You will find stories and updates about our new Center for Data and Bioinformation Services, holiday schedules, historical information on UMB African American student organizations, and much more. Simply click the RSS symbol on the upper right-hand side of our homepage to start receiving updates.

In mid-January, the Library opened its doors to work in partnership with the COVID-19 vaccine clinic taking place in the Southern Management Corporation (SMC) Campus Center. Vaccine appointment holders enter through the Library’s front doors and undergo intake screening as they proceed down hallway leading to the SMC Campus Center, where they are to receive their first or second vaccine dose. The Library is pleased to provide ongoing support to UMB’s COVID-19 Recovery plan.

The HSHSL’s Open Access Publishing Fund is designed to improve access to research produced at UMB and to promote publishing by early-career researchers.

So far, the fund has granted awards to nine UMB researchers. They represent all of the schools the HSHSL supports – Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Social Work – and include students, post docs and assistant professors.

The fund will reimburse 50% of the cost of article processing charges for Open Access (OA) journals up to a maximum of $3,000 for early-career researchers. The budget for this pilot project is limited. Reimbursements will be made on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. We can only reimburse UMB accounts. Currently we are unable to transfer money to individuals or UMB Foundation accounts.

For details on who is eligible, what publications are covered, and how apply, please visit the HSHSL’s Open Access Publishing Fund page.

In February, the Historical Collections Department purchased items from Alex Cooper Auction House in Towson for our collections. The items were originally owned by members of the Sappington family, an influential Maryland family from Liberty Town in Frederick County. The Sappington Family, beginning with Dr. Greenberry R. Sappington, UMSOM Class of 1843, has a strong connection with the University. The items purchased from the auction house include diplomas, certificates, class notes, and other ephemera.

The Sappington artifacts will be available for use in the Historical Collections Department; unfortunately, the department is closed currently, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. When it reopens, we will provide more information about the collection contents. For now, the Library is thrilled with the addition of these items documenting an influential family of UMSOM graduates.

Greenberry Ridgely Sappington, 1820-1885

Dr. Greenberry Sappington, born April 13, 1820, was the son of Thomas Otho and Sarah R. Coale Sappington. Dr. Sappington was the first of the Sappington family to attend the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), graduating in 1843. Following graduation, Dr. Sappington opened a practice in Frederick County, where remained for the duration of his career.

Dr. Sappington married Sarah Elizabeth Pearre and had four children: Fannie R. Sappington, Thomas Pearre Sappington, Sarah E. Sappington Whitehill, and Greenberry R. Sappington. His son, Thomas Pearre Sappington, and grandson Clifford T. Sappington, as well as two brothers and a nephew, are also graduates of UMSOM.

Thomas Pearre Sappington, 1847-1909

Dr. Thomas Pearre Sappington, born in Unionville, MD, on February 7, 1847, was the son of Dr. Greenberry and Sarah Elizabeth Pearre Sappington. Dr. Thomas P. Sappington graduated in 1867 from Calvert College in New Windsor, MD, before attending and graduating from the UMSOM in 1869. Following graduation, Dr. Sappington joined his father’s practice in Unionville, MD. From 1873 to 1882, Dr. T.P. Sappington, practiced in Woodville, MD, before returning to Unionville, where he completed his career.  He was a charter member of the Frederick County Medical Association and member of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Maryland, of which his great-great grandfather, Dr. Francis B. Sappington, was a founder.

Dr. Thomas P. Sappington married Emma Worman in 1871. The couple had two children: Clifford Thomas Sappington and Claire Emma Sappington. His son Clifford and son-in-law, Dr. James Coale Sappington, are both graduates of the UMSOM.

Dr. Thomas Sappington was a wealthy landowner in Frederick County, MD. He owned 800 acres of land—a total of four farms, including Rose Hill, the farm built by Dr. Greenberry Sappington in 1845.

Among the items purchased in the auction are Dr. Thomas P. Sappington’s UMSOM diploma and certificate of attendance.

Dr. Clifford T. Sappington, 1880-1925

Dr. Clifford T. Sappington was born March 15, 1880, to Dr. Thomas P. and Emma W. Sappington. Dr. Clifford T. Sappington attended and graduated from UMSOM in 1903. He represents the third generation of doctors for the Sappington family of Frederick County, MD.

Dr. Clifford Sappington never married. Following graduation, he remained in Baltimore until 1906, when he returned to Frederick County to establish up his own physician’s practice.  He was a member of the Frederick County Medical Society, Medico-Chirurgical Society of Maryland, the American Medical Association, and Frederick Lodge of Elks.

Dr. James Coale Sappington, 1876-1930

Dr. James C. Sappington was born in Liberty Town, MD, to Dr. Augustus (UMSOM class of 1853) and Irene Mantz Sappington on May 10, 1876. He was the nephew of Dr. Greenbery Sappington. Dr. James Sappington attended Georgetown University and graduated from UMSOM in 1900.

Following graduation, Dr. James Sappington practiced medicine in Liberty Town before moving to Bazile Mills, Nebraska, for two years before returning to Liberty Town, MD.

He married Claire E. Sappington, the daughter of Dr. Thomas P. and Emma Sappington, on June 24, 1903; together they had one son, James Coale Sappington.

Dr. Greenberry R. Sappington’s Family Tree

Dr. Greenberry Sappington’s grandparents, Dr. Francis B. and Ann Ridgely Sappington, founded the town of Liberty Town, Frederick County, MD.  Dr. Frances B. Sappington was also a founding member of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Maryland (MedChi).  MedChi purchased Dr. Francis Sappington’s physician’s record book at the Alex Cooper auction.

The tree below shows the UMSOM graduates in Dr. Greenberry Sappington’s line in red.

 

Tony Smith was welcomed into the Resources Division in January. He comes to us from Howard University Founders Library, where he was the Interlibrary Loan and CLS Coordinator. Tony is now a member of the HSHSL Resource Sharing team, responsible for interlibrary loan and document delivery services.

Elizabeth Brown joined the HSHSL as an intern in our Historical Collections Department. She comes to us from the University of Illinois iSchool, where she will graduate in May 2022. Elizabeth is working on transcribing the School of Medicine’s 1812-1826 minutes, processing a set of letters from Dr. John Greenwood and his family, and writing a historical blog post for HSHSL Updates.

Hanna Takemoto is a dual intern in our Historical Collections and Metadata Management Departments. Hanna comes to us from the University of Maryland iSchool, where she will graduate in May 2021. Hanna is helping to create an inventory of early School of Medicine dissertations and writing a historical blog post for HSHSL Updates. She is also working on the Wikidata UMB Digital Archive Local Authorities project for the Resources Division.

Emily Gorman, MLIS, AHIP, was selected as chair-elect of the Library and Information Science Section of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

Publications & Presentations:

M.J. Tooey, MLS, AHIP, FMLA, and Lauren Wheeler, MLIS, co-authored a book chapter, “Developing a multi-faceted, intentional approach to library promotion through an Effective Communications Committee: A case study,” which was published in the book Planning and Prompting Library Events in Health Sciences Libraries.