A Message from the RML Director: Summer 2008
I am very happy to report that Max Anderson joined the GMR staff as Technology Coordinator on May 12, 2008, and Samanthi Hewakapuge joined the staff as Consumer Health Coordinator on May 16, 2008. They literally hit the ground running, as they both attended the RML Directors’ meeting on May 16. Now that my 2007 start date is a few months away, I am no longer the newbie, and I think that is terrific news. I thought that I was nimble, since I started my appointment on November 1 and left for AAHSL and NLM Orientation on November 2, but Samanthi was an even quicker study since she started work and went to an NLM meeting on the very same day! Our new colleagues bring significant experience to their work, and they have already begun to make a difference in the GMR office.
Max earned his MLIS from Florida State University in 1999. He worked as Public Access Computer Trainer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and as Educational Services Instructor at SOLINET before coming to GMR. Max is also known to the library community as a speaker and author. Since he arrived at the GMR, he has installed a new Windows 2003 Server. Sensitive electronic information was migrated from an out-dated Windows 2000 Server to this new one which will keep the data more secure. GMR staff will also be able to access the data remotely via a secure connection using a virtual private network (VPN). He has also completed one site visit at Kacmarcik Education Resource Center at Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee and is gearing up to give presentations and exhibit at the ASTHO and National Wellness conferences.
Samanthi served as the Health Sciences Reference and Outreach Librarian at Ohio University before coming to the GMR. She was also the Outreach Information Specialist at the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center at the University of Arizona. Her work involved toxicology and environmental health outreach to local communities. Samanthi also coordinated the Health Observances and Public Education (HOPE) Partnership to increase asthma and allergy awareness. Samanthi earned her MA in Library Science from the University of Arizona in 2003. Since arriving at the GMR she has started working on several consumer health programs in the Chicago area. She also attended the ALA Conference in June, working at the NLM booth and attending several CE classes. Samanthi is getting ready for a training session for a senior living community and a visit to the Dakotas to attend their annual library meetings.
We convened a meeting of the Resource Library Directors in Chicago on April 14-15, 2008. One of the highlights of the meeting was a discussion of accomplishments and challenges that the directors are facing in their individual institutions. Our conversation revealed many similarities or themes, such as the large scale shift from print to electronic formats and the impact this has on interlibrary loan, the repurposing of space once print collections are weeded and withdrawn, the potential partners with whom libraries may share their space, and the role of the library in translational research. The health of the budget was also addressed. The Resource Library Directors’ meeting also included an NLM Update provided by Martha Fishel, Chief of the Public Services Division at the National Library of Medicine, and a training session on NN/LM Emergency Preparedness presented by Dan Wilson, Coordinator, NN/LM Emergency Preparedness Project. The first session generated a great deal of discussion, particularly regarding the changes in the NCBI training schedule. The directors were also reflective after Dan’s presentation, as they understood the value of emergency preparedness but were not as familiar with the details.
On April 16, 2008, the emergency preparedness coordinators for each state also attended the same training program. They then discussed ways to implement the various components of the program in their individual states and in the GMR as well.
Our introduction to emergency response and preparedness was more timely than we anticipated in April. Rather than serving simply as an introduction and proposed course of action, we put the process to the test in June in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and most urgently, Iowa. Early on, our emails to check in with states experiencing severe weather were met with the response, “Thank you for contacting us and we are fine.” That changed as the storms and flooding became extreme, when we were able to connect our members with timely information about libraries affected and to carry out emergency tasks such as scheduling temporary deactivation of DOCLINE. We sympathize with every library coping with the disastrous effects of the flooding, heavy rains, and tornadoes. The GMR will reflect upon lessons learned in the initial application of our shared emergency preparedness process.
Although it was not in the form of a deluge or a flood, over the years water has caused considerable damage at the Library of the Health Sciences. The constant seepage into the steps and ramp caused the brick wall to deteriorate and the granite plates to separate. The result was both unsightly and unsafe. In June, we began the renovation of these areas. We have a temporary ramp in place until the new ramp and brickwork are completely restored to their earlier attractiveness.
Enjoy your summer, and as we say at the Library of the Health Sciences, stay safe.
Kate
