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Dragonfly
Winter 2003 -- Volume 34, Number 1 |
I am thrilled to
introduce myself as the new Consumer Health Coordinator for the
Pacific Northwest Regional Medical Library! So, how did I come to
be here? I began my professional life as a social worker in
long-term care. I found the job to be very rewarding and I
thoroughly enjoyed working with the residents, their families,
and other health care workers. After 15 years in that field,
however, I was ready for a change. I had always been a big fan of
libraries and decided on librarianship as my next career. Since I
knew I would be new to the profession, I chose to focus on health
librarianship in order to build on knowledge and skills I had
obtained as a medical social worker.
My first appointment was at the University of Washington in the Health Sciences Libraries. As liaison to the School of Nursing and the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology my duties involved reference, teaching, and developing instructional materials. I also assisted with developing and implementing a training plan for the library staff to support a single service point, merging circulation and reference functions. Alas, the appointment was temporary, so I next went to Highline Community College in Des Moines, Washington, just south of Seattle, as the Director of Circulation Services. My main duties there were managing circulation, but I also served as library liaison to the Nursing and Respiratory Care programs.
When I saw the Consumer Health Coordinator position announcement, I realized how much I desired to return to more traditional medical librarianship. Not only do I have a health care background, but I am married to a nurse. It seems that working in health-related fields is simply in my blood. For a little variety, though, I also substitute in the Reference Department of the Pierce County Public Library System, one of the greater Seattle/Tacoma area's larger library systems, on the occasional Saturday. It certainly helps me keep my skills up as I get such a variety of questions! As if that's not enough, I am also the music librarian for the Federal Way Chorale, a community choir in which I have been singing for about 5 years.
Gail Kouame
--
Dragonfly, Winter 2003- Volume 34 Number 1
(posted on PNRNews on February 10, 2003)
This publication is funded in whole with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, under Contract No. N01-LM-1-3516.
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NN/LM | UW HSL | NN/LM PNR | Contact us: nnlm@u.washington.edu | Revised: May 23, 2003