It's the end of the first contract period for the NER and the beginning of the second. Endings and beginnings make me think about what's happened in the last five years. I became a part of this group in October 2001. I remember being booked on a flight from Chicago to Boston to look for housing on September 13, 2001. And, as we all know now, that flight never took off because all flights were grounded in the aftermath of 9-11. We drove from Chicago to Worcester, eerily aware that there were no planes in the air, listening to National Public Radio all the way, wanting information about the disaster and thinking about the distance from the Midwest to this new job and wondering if this was a step too far. But the choice was made and, eventually, the move to central MA was made, too.

Those first few months were wonderful and horrible as all major changes can be. It was marvelous being in New England during autumn - there's no place quite as beautiful. It was awful being told that the day after I moved I had to be at the airport in Hartford and catch a plane to Bethesda, Maryland to attend orientation at the National Library of Medicine. I couldn't find my way across Worcester and back let alone Hartford, CT! I must have whined a lot about that because car service was arranged to take me to the airport. Later, my colleagues laughed because the car service cost more than the airfare to Bethesda. That never happened again (the car service, I mean). And then, it was shocking to realize six months later that I could find my way from here to almost anywhere in New England more easily than I could find my way around Worcester. (I'm getting better at the Worcester part.) And I've learned about rotaries and the strange New England custom of putting street signs only on the intersecting streets and I've learned how not to panic when I get lost.

As Outreach Coordinator, a good portion of my work involves teaching PubMed and other NLM databases (TOXNET, ClinicalTrials.gov, etc.) to interested parties around the region. The first real trip I made to teach PubMed was what I now think of as the "3B" trip: Biddeford, Brunswick, and Bangor. I was new at this and it showed. For a couple of years, I worried that no one in Maine would ever invite me back to do any sort of presentation. But, I've learned and I've improved. And the good folks in Maine have looked kindly on me and offered me additional opportunities - for which I am grateful.

I've done PubMed presentations in hospitals, in libraries, in schools, in businesses, and in rehab centers. My audiences have been librarians of all types (including library school students), nurses, physicians, physical therapists, drug company representatives, health educators, public health workers, health care consultants, pharmacy students, teachers, environmental health consultants, members of the general public, and pretty much anyone who asked for training.

I've met all sorts of wonderful people.

I've stayed in hotels and B & Bs and inns - some of the nicest places in New England and some with, well, character. I've arrived at places in the dead of night and way too darn early in the morning and all hours in between.

I've been to all six states and seen more of New England than I ever did of the Midwest when I lived there. I've done 187 classes/presentations. I've driven 24,710 miles on the road in this job - and that's just the mileage to and from the teaching events, not the exhibiting we do or attending meetings or any of the other things we sometimes do. My shortest trip was to Lamar Soutter Library to teach PubMed. The longest was the 1,050 mile trip in September 2003 when I taught at McGill University in Montreal followed directly by five teaching sessions in Maine.

I've often told people that I have the greatest job. I do. But, it wouldn't be possible without you.

Thank you to all of you who have invited me to participate in your conferences and your meetings, who invite me when a speaker is needed for Grand Rounds, who call or email when PubMed would make a nice addition to an agenda. Without you, my work would be more difficult and much less interesting. You have my gratitude.

Thank you to all of you who have been participants in one or more of the classes I've taught. There have been 2,740 of you during this first contract period. You know who you are. I appreciate your kind attention, your questions, your comments, and your willingness to fill out evaluation forms! I have learned a lot from you. Thank you.

It's been a great, great adventure. And now, I have to go pack up the car for another trip.

Donna Berryman, Outreach Coordinator
Donna.Berryman@umassmed.edu