Dollars and Sensitive Comments

Budget

This week we received official notification from the university about our budget for the year.  We had been told to expect a 5% cut and we have budgeted for that cut.  There is good news and bad news.  The bad news is that we will have to “give back” 6% of our state funding this year.  The good news is that only 3.5% of that give back is permanent.  In other words our budget will drop by 6% this year but appear to rise by 2.5% next year.  I have kept the collection budget essentially flat this year by strategic reductions in operating expenses and by using “savings” that we have accumulated in our gift and endowment funds.  Next year, however, our “savings” will be gone and there will be fewer operational expenses that can be cut.  My top priority this year will be to explain our budget situation to the administration and to seek increased funding in order to avoid devastating cuts to the collection.

Appreciation

Last week I got a call from Susan Mcafee, one of our community users.  She is a semi-retired science writer who now lives in Tucson.  One of her reasons for moving to Tucson was the depth of our library collection!  Ms. Mcafee also mentioned that we have an outstanding staff who have been very helpful to her!  Of course we all know this, but it’s nice to hear from one of our users!

MLA Committees, Guest downstairs

Getting involved with MLA

If you are looking to get more involved with the Medical Library Association one avenue is to volunteer for a committee.  The latest issue of the MLA News has a copy of the Application Form for committee appointments.  If you don’t have a copy I can make you one.  The form lists all of the committees and lets you select your first, second and third choices.  You can also indicate if you are willing to serve on any committee, jury, panel, board or task force.

Temporary Guest

Dr. Jim Kerwin, Interim Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions in the College of Medicine, will be using room 1140 as an office for the month of September and perhaps a little longer until renovations on his office are completed.  This is the room we have used for storage on your right on the first floor when you leave the library through the double doors with the card swipe.

Library of the Future Task Force

Yesterday Dr. Bootman referred to a group looking at future directions for the library.  The Library of the Future Task Force has been meeting since May.  Joan, Jacque and I are representing the library.  We have faculty and student representatives from all of the Colleges in Tucson and Phoenix, from the Senior Vice President for Health Affairs office and from Facilities Management.  Dr. Bootman is expecting a report from the group in September.  The group has discussed future directions for teaching and research on campus.  They have also heard about and discussed library services and resources.  At our next meeting on August 30 we will be talking about future library space needs and discussing the idea of moving the library into a new education building.  The final report should be a first step in developing a long-range plan for the library and another piece of evidence as we seek to improve our budget situation.

The Fourth Floor, Donations

Fourth Floor

On Wednesday Gary and Angie Souza from Facilities Management presented the plan for the fourth floor to the AHSC Deans and the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences.  There was much discussion and a request to modify our proposal.  We are now working on a plan to put fewer study carrels on the fourth floor, leaving some open space for events.  We will be proposing new furniture for the purple room and adding a few new carrels to the 3rd floor.

Purple Room

Card readers have been installed on both doors to the purple room with the intention of limiting use to AHSC students only.  Unfortunately the readers are not working.  We have found a way to leave the room unlocked so that it is available for study as it has been in the past until the readers start working.

Fund Raising

This year the library was included in the campus “spring appeal.”  Letters were sent to 4,431 alumni and previous donors to the library asking for donations to support the AHSL.  As this was our first mailing, the response rate was about one third of the overall university rate.  We actually spent more on the mailing than we took in.  However, we covered almost 40% of our costs and gained valuable information about what groups are more likely to respond favorably and we were able to add new donors to our list.  Our plan is to participate next year when we will send letters to previous donors and to groups who were the most positive this year.  Over time we hope to build a base of donors.

Congratulations and Thanks

Congratulations Yamila and Annabelle

Yamila and Annabelle have had a poster accepted by One HEALTH: Information in an Interdependent World, May 3-8, 2013, Boston, MA, the 2013 Annual Meeting and Exhibition of the Medical Library Association (MLA '13), the 11th International Congress on Medical Librarianship (ICML), the 7th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists (ICAHIS), and the 6th International Clinical Librarian Conference (ICLC).  Their poster is titled, “Beyond Translations: Serving Multilingual and Multicultural Populations.”

Congratulations Brooke

Brooke has been recognized as a Senior Member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals.  Congratulations to Brooke for fulfilling the requirements for membership at this level!

Thank you Exhibit Committee!

I think that the committee outdid themselves in sprucing up the Harry Potter exhibit.  Tessie’s wands added a magical touch to the implements from the College of Pharmacy that were filled with mysterious materials by the committee.  The reception was a big success and attracted HP fans of all ages and included appearances by Harry himself (Jose) and Hedwig, Harry’s owl companion (Mary R.)  Thank you to Nga, Yamila, Mary Riordan, Jose and Jeanette for their work and to Linda for selecting the menu and ordering the food.  A special thanks to Mary for her earlier guest appearance downtown, in costume, to publicize the exhibit at a performance of Harry and the Potters, a local band.

Congrats, Magical Medicine, Fourth Floor updates

Congratulations Kathleen

Kathleen has been recognized as a Senior Member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals.  This credentialing body of the Medical Library Association has strict standards, not unlike those for continuing status.  Congratulations to Kathleen for fulfilling the requirements for membership at this level!

Muggles beware!

“Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic and Medicine”, a traveling exhibit from the National Library of Medicine will open in our own Java City area next Wednesday.  Some of the magical potions and apparatus are already making an appearance in our exhibit cases.  Watch for further announcements about this enchanting exhibit!

The Purple Room

Recently CatCard readers were installed on the two entrances to the “Purple Room” on the fourth floor.  They are not yet operational but should be shortly.  Until then, the room is locked electronically and can only be opened with a key.  Once the readers are up and running, only cards from AHSC faculty, staff and students will open the doors.

Fourth Floor Study Area

On Wednesday, August 8th Angie Souza from AHSC Facilities Management and I will present the plan for the fourth floor study carrels to the AHSC Deans.  We are hoping that this final approval will bring funding for the project and that we will be able to move ahead quickly after that.  Delivery of the materials will take six weeks and we will want to allow another two weeks for setup and installation.  Keep your fingers crossed for a new look by the new year!

A Systematic Approach, Phoenix, Our New Entrance

Systematic Reviews

Sandy, Annabelle and Carol joined 19 other librarians for three days this week to attend a workshop on systematic reviews in Pittsburgh.  “A systematic review is a literature review focused on a research question that tries to identify, appraise, select and synthesize all high quality research evidence relevant to that question.” (Wikipedia)  Systematic reviews are recognized as an important tool in evidence-based healthcare.  When Ahlam was working at the Health Sciences Library System at the University of Pittsburgh she was one of the instructors for this course!

New Phoenix library facility 
Jacque and Kathleen are busy settling in to the beautiful new library located in the Health Sciences Education Building on the Phoenix campus.

Front doors

If you haven’t come in the main entrance to the library this week you may be surprised to see that our new front doors have been installed.  The drop in noise from the hallway is very noticeable.  We have gained a small amount of space in the area where the single door used to be.