Donation, Graduation, Renovation

Donation

The library has recently received a $100,000 donation from Carol A. Brown (College of Nursing, 1968), "In Loving Memory of Myrtle S. Hairfield", her mother.  These funds have been deposited into the UA Foundation library gift account.

Eleanor Johnson Award

Yesterday I was honored to present the Eleanor Johnson Award for Academic Excellence at the College of Medicine Awards Brunch at the University Marriott.  Eleanor Johnson was a librarian here in the 1970’s and early 1980’s.  She had a long-standing interest in encouraging students and this award was established in her memory.  It consists of a certificate and a cash award.

  This year the award was given to Julia Cremer, an outstanding graduating medical student who will be doing her residency at Stanford in geriatrics.  This award ceremony is one of the highlights of each year for me.  It is such a pleasure to see recognition for these students who have excelled not only academically, but also in research and community and humanitarian service.

Computer Lab

Thanks to everyone for your help in planning, configuring and installing the “new” furniture in the computer lab.  The lab looks great and the switchover seems to have happened quickly and without many problems.  All of the computers are now powered and connected.  Thanks especially to Glen Washuta for coordinating with UITS and to Jose for removing the computers and then getting them up and running again quickly!

4th Floor

The fourth floor is now starting to change very rapidly.  New carpeting is going down and walls are going up.  The target is now for completion by June 1st and move-in starting on June 15th.

Annabelle, Furniture

Congratulations Annabelle!
Annabelle is the co-author on an article in BMJ Open. Published in March the title is, “The effects of prenatal cannabis exposure on fetal development and pregnancy outcomes: a protocol.” You can read the article here: http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/3/e007227.full

Annabelle is also a co-author on a poster presented here on campus at the 2015 Public Health Research Poster Forum held on April 3. The poster is titled, “Cannabis’ effect on maternal and perinatal outcomes: Meta-analyses” and won the award for Best Example of Science in Service to Society!

Furniture
As mentioned at the AHSL All Staff meeting on Monday, removal of the old computer lab furniture on the 2nd floor and installation of the study cubes from the 4th floor will begin on May 4th. Our students will be studying for finals and Boards during this time so you may hear some expressions of concern about the noise. The project will be completed as quickly and as quietly as possible.

Congratulations to Jennifer, Sandy, Cindy Elliot and Jason Dewland

-->

David Allen, University Vice President for Tech Launch Arizona (TLA) has announced that the library’s Business Intelligence Unit (BIU) will receive this year’s TLA Innovation & Impact Award for Campus Collaboration.  TLA is a university office of 40 people who are charged with moving UA technologies into the marketplace.  Jennifer, Sandy, Cindy and Jason work with TLA to find information on potential markets for UA developed inventions and technologies, on potential competitive technologies and on related patents.  This is great recognition for the library and for the members of the BIU who are directly contributing to the university’s goal, “To improve the prospects and enrich the lives of the people of Arizona and the world through education, research, creative expression, and community and business partnerships.”   The group will be honored at an awards event the evening of April 30 at the University Museum of Art.

Brooke, Jeff, space

Congratulations Brooke!

Brooke submitted the winning design for a new logo for the MLA Collection Development Section.  In recognition she won free registration to this year’s annual meeting in Austin in May.

Brooke explains her thinking behind the design:  Collection development is about putting together, or piecing together, the best set of resources for our users. The logo isn’t a completed puzzle because collections are never finished, they’re always a work in progress.  The pieces also symbolize the section’s members working together, building partnerships and collaborations, within MLA as a larger organization.

Jeff Oliver joining us on June 1st

Jeff Oliver has accepted the position of Bioinformationist and will start on June 1st.  Jeff has his PhD in Insect Science and currently works as a Research Associate in Bioinformatics at Oregon State University in Corvallis.  Jeff will concentrate on support of AHSC researchers.  A reminder that we will also welcome Maribeth Slobodnik, Jerry Perry and Shan Sutton on June 1st!

Renovation progress

The eleven new study rooms on the 3rd floor are now finished.  They all have shades on the western windows, desks, chairs and students!  The long room on the east side of the 3rd floor (with windows looking into CTS) has now been divided in half and whiteboards have been installed.  These rooms also seem to come with students – it’s that time of year!

The new tables for the public computers have been installed next to the information desk.  The next project will be to remove the old student computing furniture and to replace it with the cubes from the 4th floor.  This will be done in two stages so that there are always functioning computers available for the students.

Carol, Construction and Cubes

Congratulations to Carol

Congratulations to Carol who is a co-author on two recent systematic reviews: “The impact of cochlear implantation on cognition in older adults: a systematic review of clinical evidence” published in published in BioMed Central Geriatrics (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2318/15/16), and “Ultrasound-guided peripheral venous access: a meta-analysis and systematic review” published in The Journal of Vascular Access (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25656255#).

3rd floor study rooms

Installation of the framing for the individual and group study rooms on the 3rd floor will begin on Monday, March 16.  The panels to “fill in” the framing will not be delivered until the end of the month.  The current plan is to move the locks from the group study rooms on the 4th floor to the new rooms so that we can use the existing keys.

Construction should also begin on the 4th floor on March 16th although we haven’t yet been asked to limit access to the group study rooms on that floor.  Considerable noise can be expected, as construction supplies will be brought up through an opening in the west wall of the building on the 4th floor.

Computer Lab study cubes

We have decided to have two groups of twelve study cubes lowered by two panels and one group of twelve lowered by one panel in the computer lab area.  There is no definite starting date for this project but we hope that it will be soon.

Construction & Computers

4th Floor Project

In order to minimize the disruption to library activities during the construction on the 4th floor, construction materials and equipment will be brought in by crane through a temporary opening in the west wall of the 4th floor.  This will minimize the wear and tear on our elevators and stairwells.

We are still evaluating the best height for study cubes to be moved from the 4th to the 2nd floor to take the place of our current computer lab furniture.  I hope to make a decision by the end of the day so that Target Interiors can start as soon as possible.  Serious work and the end of student access to the 4th floor are scheduled to start in “mid-March.”

Cyber Security

Personnel from the libraries attended a meeting on campus cyber security this week.  The campus, like most large organizations, is subjected to many cyber attacks every day.  These attacks can have serious consequences, not only for our access to the Internet but also for our ability to receive email and even our paychecks.

One of the best ways to protect the campus network is to require “two factor authentication.”  This means that, in addition to a password to access the campus network, a code may be sent to your phone and you will need to enter that code into your computer.  Many of us already use this level of protection for accounts such as Gmail and find that it is not a burden.  Jeremy Frumkin from the main library will be sending out updates soon to describe this process and to inform you how to participate if you do not have a phone capable of receiving text messages, etc.

Today's number is "4"

4th Floor update

   The project is now scheduled to be completed by the end of May. The floor will accommodate around 96 people: private offices, open cubicles, and conference rooms.

  Yesterday and today several paintings from the 4th floor are being moved to the stairwell.  If it hasn’t been moved yet, a ceramic piece will be moved to the library lobby, next to the door to the videoconferencing room.

4 Corners Directors meeting

  Next Thursday and Friday the Directors of the other “4 Corners” health sciences libraries will be visiting. Jean Shipman from Utah, Jerry Perry from Colorado and Holly Shipp Buchanan from New Mexico will arrive on Thursday afternoon.  You may see us walking around the library.