Nuñez to testify!
Annabelle will join Jana Bradley, Director of the UA School of Information Resources and Library Science (SIRLS), to testify before Congress in Washington on September 11 at 10 AM. They will testify as witnesses at the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities of the Committee on Education and Labor of the U.S. House of Representatives hearing on "Examining the Role of Museums and Libraries in Strengthening Communities." This bipartisan hearing will examine the role that museums and libraries play in strengthening communities and will look at the Knowledge River program which recruits Native American and Latino students to SIRLS and includes community outreach to teens to address health concerns in Tucson.
Carol also helping to govern!
Carol has accepted an appointment to the Arizona Governor’s Health Care Workforce Plan committee. She has already attended a meeting in the Governor’s Conference Room in Phoenix.
PHRILS & PILS
Don’t miss the new exhibits in the cases in 2101. They highlight the AHSL liaison programs in the Colleges of Public Health and Pharmacy. The exhibits were created by Jennifer and Annabelle.
Libraries or Librarians
Here’s a blog posting from Scott Plutchak, Director of the Lister Hill Library at the University of Alabama – Birmingham. You may agree or disagree but he has some interesting ideas about the core values of the library. The date of his post is August 27, 2008. If it’s been replaced with a newer post you’ll find his piece in his Archives on the left side of the page.
http://tscott.typepad.com/
Tribal Librarian’s Gathering
On Monday, September 29, the AHSL will be hosting a gathering of Tribal Librarians from around the state. A busy program is planned and there will be a variety of exhibitors. More details to come as we get closer to the date. Info at: http://phoenixfriends.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/you-are-invited-to-the-6th-annual-tribal-librarians-gathering/
From the College of Pharmacy Newsletter regarding incoming Vice President Dr. William Crist:
“Crist and his staff will occupy space on the second floor of Drachman Hall in the pharmacy wing, where continuing education and communications are currently located. Individuals presently housed in that space will be relocated.”
Friday, August 29, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Minutes from All Staff Meeting 8/21/08
Budget
Gary went over the budget and the College of Medicine’s proposal for handling the budget cut from the Legislature. Noting nothing is set in stone and the Interim Dean plans to assess each departments needs before a final decision will be made, we expect this to be sometime in September. The following was written on the white board.
College of Medicine Base $52,890,859
Reduction $1,848,500 = 3.49%
Phoenix Base $11,397,348
Reduction $458,200 = 4.02%
In addition to the budget cut President Shelton changed the percentage of Indirect Cost fees returned to the researcher/department to 25%, down from 30% in prior years, which severely affects the College of Medicine budget and their ability subsidize the cuts.
We’ve been told to expect between 3.3 and 5.5% cut; using our current budget figures the amount will be between $56,581 - $94,302. Gary expects we will be towards the higher end of the scale, although he has been lobbying for a smaller cut, however this is a large overall cut and we will be contributing.
We have three pots of state dollars to work with:
Operations
$ for supplies, toner, phones, printing, postage, copies, travel etc. We cut this every year, can try to be more frugal here
Salaries
Unspent salary dollars
Collections
Gary will try to protect this as much as possible but we may have to take a cut here this year. However, we may have other money from the student fee to take up some of the slack.
Administration
Dr. William Crist will be starting on November 3; everything else is speculation. His office will probably be on the 2nd floor glass bridge in the Drachman building. The search for Deans for COM Tucson & Phoenix will get underway immediately upon his arrival. He is going to spend half his time in Phoenix and half in Tucson; he will have a driver so he can work in the back seat while in transit.
Space
3rd floor photocopy room has been converted into a large group study room; we are waiting for paint and installation of a white board.
Gary has asked Javad to coordinate transforming the south end of the 4th floor into a study friendly atmosphere. He will be moving several study carrels, tables and chairs from the area underneath the interior staircase to the fourth floor.
Jeanette asked if some of the soft furniture could be moved up to the 4th floor as well. Keeping in mind that during the months of February through April we will be hosting the exhibit “Changing the faces of Medicine” in the coffee bar area and those chairs will need to be moved anyway.
Pat asked if the white noise could be permanently turned off. Last week Gary unplugged all of the machines, but within a few days some were on again. This may not be something we can solve until the dividers are permanently removed, which is in negotiation. Dr. Malan suggested that the Library and Facilities get together and brainstorm.
Office moves are on hold; Gary is negotiating with facilities and Information Technology Services. This brought up the question about who is going to fund new laptops in the classrooms and computing expenses in general. Since the college is trying to handle the budget cut, departments don’t know what their final budget will be including COM IT. Once they are given a budget we should have a better idea of who will be responsible for our computing needs.
Digital Commons
Gary met with Carla to discuss the Main Library Digital Commons (PCMS files) and AHSL sharing their software and servers. Carla agreed and we hope to have our first project online soon.
AZHIN
A search is underway for an AZHIN funded librarian to support education and training for AZHIN members, especially those without a librarian on staff.
AHSL History
Jacque is writing the library’s history from where Tom Higdon left off in 1984. She is interested in photos or documents that might help her. She will scan the photos if the are not in digital format. Gary and Jeanette have been using annual reports to record our accomplishments. Jacque has these and can incorporate into her report any pertinent information.
Gary went over the budget and the College of Medicine’s proposal for handling the budget cut from the Legislature. Noting nothing is set in stone and the Interim Dean plans to assess each departments needs before a final decision will be made, we expect this to be sometime in September. The following was written on the white board.
College of Medicine Base $52,890,859
Reduction $1,848,500 = 3.49%
Phoenix Base $11,397,348
Reduction $458,200 = 4.02%
In addition to the budget cut President Shelton changed the percentage of Indirect Cost fees returned to the researcher/department to 25%, down from 30% in prior years, which severely affects the College of Medicine budget and their ability subsidize the cuts.
We’ve been told to expect between 3.3 and 5.5% cut; using our current budget figures the amount will be between $56,581 - $94,302. Gary expects we will be towards the higher end of the scale, although he has been lobbying for a smaller cut, however this is a large overall cut and we will be contributing.
We have three pots of state dollars to work with:
Operations
$ for supplies, toner, phones, printing, postage, copies, travel etc. We cut this every year, can try to be more frugal here
Salaries
Unspent salary dollars
Collections
Gary will try to protect this as much as possible but we may have to take a cut here this year. However, we may have other money from the student fee to take up some of the slack.
Administration
Dr. William Crist will be starting on November 3; everything else is speculation. His office will probably be on the 2nd floor glass bridge in the Drachman building. The search for Deans for COM Tucson & Phoenix will get underway immediately upon his arrival. He is going to spend half his time in Phoenix and half in Tucson; he will have a driver so he can work in the back seat while in transit.
Space
3rd floor photocopy room has been converted into a large group study room; we are waiting for paint and installation of a white board.
Gary has asked Javad to coordinate transforming the south end of the 4th floor into a study friendly atmosphere. He will be moving several study carrels, tables and chairs from the area underneath the interior staircase to the fourth floor.
Jeanette asked if some of the soft furniture could be moved up to the 4th floor as well. Keeping in mind that during the months of February through April we will be hosting the exhibit “Changing the faces of Medicine” in the coffee bar area and those chairs will need to be moved anyway.
Pat asked if the white noise could be permanently turned off. Last week Gary unplugged all of the machines, but within a few days some were on again. This may not be something we can solve until the dividers are permanently removed, which is in negotiation. Dr. Malan suggested that the Library and Facilities get together and brainstorm.
Office moves are on hold; Gary is negotiating with facilities and Information Technology Services. This brought up the question about who is going to fund new laptops in the classrooms and computing expenses in general. Since the college is trying to handle the budget cut, departments don’t know what their final budget will be including COM IT. Once they are given a budget we should have a better idea of who will be responsible for our computing needs.
Digital Commons
Gary met with Carla to discuss the Main Library Digital Commons (PCMS files) and AHSL sharing their software and servers. Carla agreed and we hope to have our first project online soon.
AZHIN
A search is underway for an AZHIN funded librarian to support education and training for AZHIN members, especially those without a librarian on staff.
AHSL History
Jacque is writing the library’s history from where Tom Higdon left off in 1984. She is interested in photos or documents that might help her. She will scan the photos if the are not in digital format. Gary and Jeanette have been using annual reports to record our accomplishments. Jacque has these and can incorporate into her report any pertinent information.
Front Gate, Dr. Weinstein
Front Gate
Now that we are closing at night we’ve discovered that the front locking gate isn’t really up to repeated opening and closing. On Monday workers are coming to install new rollers at the top of the gate to keep it working properly.
Dr. Weinstein’s presentation
Here are some pictures from Dr. Ron Weinstein’s presentation to the library on August 6.
Now that we are closing at night we’ve discovered that the front locking gate isn’t really up to repeated opening and closing. On Monday workers are coming to install new rollers at the top of the gate to keep it working properly.
Dr. Weinstein’s presentation
Here are some pictures from Dr. Ron Weinstein’s presentation to the library on August 6.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Fourth Floor, Office Renovation, Moves, VP for Health Affairs
Fourth Floor
We are going to experiment with a “reading room” approach to the fourth floor. Javad is working on a plan to move some study carrels and study tables into the southern third of the room. We hope this more open arrangement, which will allow students to see each other studying, will encourage a quieter environment.
Office Renovation, Moves
Facilities management (FM) has had many urgent projects that had been given a higher priority than our project to divide the former IS Desk office into three new offices. Now, however, these other projects are mostly complete. Don’t hold your breath, but we may soon see some progress on this project.
FM is still gathering information as we negotiate the possible swap of office space between the second floor IS offices near the Java City area and the former Systems offices.
Vice President for Health Affairs
Today the Tucson Citizen reported that the University has asked the Board of Regents to approve the hiring of Dr. William Crist. If approved he would be on campus no later than November 17. Several people from AHSL were able to attend his presentation to the campus on Thursday, July 31. He seemed to be very personable and knowledgeable about academic medicine. He spoke about the need to integrate all of the health professions. I’ve spoken to people who have worked with him and they report that he has an understanding of libraries and a positive attitude about them.
We are going to experiment with a “reading room” approach to the fourth floor. Javad is working on a plan to move some study carrels and study tables into the southern third of the room. We hope this more open arrangement, which will allow students to see each other studying, will encourage a quieter environment.
Office Renovation, Moves
Facilities management (FM) has had many urgent projects that had been given a higher priority than our project to divide the former IS Desk office into three new offices. Now, however, these other projects are mostly complete. Don’t hold your breath, but we may soon see some progress on this project.
FM is still gathering information as we negotiate the possible swap of office space between the second floor IS offices near the Java City area and the former Systems offices.
Vice President for Health Affairs
Today the Tucson Citizen reported that the University has asked the Board of Regents to approve the hiring of Dr. William Crist. If approved he would be on campus no later than November 17. Several people from AHSL were able to attend his presentation to the campus on Thursday, July 31. He seemed to be very personable and knowledgeable about academic medicine. He spoke about the need to integrate all of the health professions. I’ve spoken to people who have worked with him and they report that he has an understanding of libraries and a positive attitude about them.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Prologue in Tucson, Congratulations, Spotlight
Prologue in Tucson
Thanks to everyone who participated in the College of Medicine Prologue this week. The library again had the opportunity to introduce the students to information resources, library services and to the concepts of Evidence-based medicine.
Congratulations Nga!
Nga has been listed as a co-author on an article in the June 10, 2008 issue of Oncology. Its title is, “Long-term aspiration following treatment for head and neck cancer.” You can view the article at:
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=7&sid=3d61b21d-84c5-4786-82c2-4cfdd92eee75%40sessionmgr3&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=32840759
Congratulations Nga!
Spotlight on the Information Desk
Over the course of several years we combined the Information Technology Center desk and the Circulation Desk with our Reference Desk to provide a single point of access for library users. Now Javad, Nga, Tessie, Sarah, Jeff and several students welcome people at the front door and are the face of AHSL. With help from our Information Services Librarians the desk staff answered 8,865 reference questions and 9,974 “directional” questions last year. All together they put in 6,511 hours on the desk. Thanks to the IS Desk staff for being such a help to our users!
Thanks to everyone who participated in the College of Medicine Prologue this week. The library again had the opportunity to introduce the students to information resources, library services and to the concepts of Evidence-based medicine.
Congratulations Nga!
Nga has been listed as a co-author on an article in the June 10, 2008 issue of Oncology. Its title is, “Long-term aspiration following treatment for head and neck cancer.” You can view the article at:
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=7&sid=3d61b21d-84c5-4786-82c2-4cfdd92eee75%40sessionmgr3&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=32840759
Congratulations Nga!
Spotlight on the Information Desk
Over the course of several years we combined the Information Technology Center desk and the Circulation Desk with our Reference Desk to provide a single point of access for library users. Now Javad, Nga, Tessie, Sarah, Jeff and several students welcome people at the front door and are the face of AHSL. With help from our Information Services Librarians the desk staff answered 8,865 reference questions and 9,974 “directional” questions last year. All together they put in 6,511 hours on the desk. Thanks to the IS Desk staff for being such a help to our users!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Prologue and BMI Weeks at the COM-Phoenix
Kristy, Lindsey and I were thrilled to welcome our (wonderful) 48 new students and got several good hours and quality time with them to provide what we are calling Managing Medical Information I and II. In the first session we quickly reviewed reasons to start at the AHSL home page and key navigation recommendations. In Session II, we went more deeply into how to conduct effective searches, focusing on the EBM Search Engine and PubMed. We were fortunate to have cases with which to work and for the students to relate to, and we believe our results (gratitude, enthusiasm, participation and no sleepers!) show that we were effective. We are grateful to two CELs, Kathleen Carlson and Lora Robbins who were invaluable with the hands-on sections. Their presence also introduced students to two area librarians they can work with and consult. Tomorrow we have a session on mobile computing, and next week, we see our new MS-2s in their first week of class which focuses on Biomedical Informatics. We have also been included as faculty for the learning community/scholarly project (called Scholarly Project 101) curriculum and will be in class with the students for those sessions.We are grateful to our IS Team as all the student laptops worked for both weeks, a radical change from last year. There were few snafus, thanks to pre-planning and good IT support. Our Media Services Team (Keven, et. al.) developed a cool (and quite silly) video you can view at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWZbc6CnTOk
We have launched a little blog to use to share library-related info: http://ahslphoenix.wordpress.com/ In sum, we are grateful and pleased for a good start to the second year of the COM-Phoenix! Thanks to AHSL-Tucson for all your support; we obviously could not have done it without you!
Posted by Gary for Jacque
Friday, August 1, 2008
Telemedicine, Nursing, New Group Study Room
Telemedicine
Please join us next Wednesday, August 6 at 1:30 PM in room 3230 (the teleconferencing room up in the old LRC) when Dr. Ronald Weinstein, Director of the Arizona Telemedicine Program, will speak to the library staff about some recent telemedicine initiatives in which the library participated. The AHSL has been involved with the Arizona Telemedicine Program since it was created in 1996. Dr. Weinstein is an enthusiastic and engaging speaker.
College of Nursing
Following a meeting last month, the College of Nursing has offered AHSL an office to house our College of Nursing liaison librarian. The office will be available in late August and we’ll be moving quickly to strengthen our ties to Nursing with a librarian onsite.
New Group Study Room
We have begun to convert the third floor photocopier room (with the windows looking into CTS) into a group study room. The last remaining photocopier has been moved out. Next the carpet will be cleaned and the walls painted. We’ll be putting in a table and chairs and re-keying the locks. We’re going to wait to see if blinds between the room and CTS are necessary.
Please join us next Wednesday, August 6 at 1:30 PM in room 3230 (the teleconferencing room up in the old LRC) when Dr. Ronald Weinstein, Director of the Arizona Telemedicine Program, will speak to the library staff about some recent telemedicine initiatives in which the library participated. The AHSL has been involved with the Arizona Telemedicine Program since it was created in 1996. Dr. Weinstein is an enthusiastic and engaging speaker.
College of Nursing
Following a meeting last month, the College of Nursing has offered AHSL an office to house our College of Nursing liaison librarian. The office will be available in late August and we’ll be moving quickly to strengthen our ties to Nursing with a librarian onsite.
New Group Study Room
We have begun to convert the third floor photocopier room (with the windows looking into CTS) into a group study room. The last remaining photocopier has been moved out. Next the carpet will be cleaned and the walls painted. We’ll be putting in a table and chairs and re-keying the locks. We’re going to wait to see if blinds between the room and CTS are necessary.
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