Addition, gathering, readiness

New exhibit space

Thanks to the addition of sliding glass doors, the three built-in bookcases in front of the videoconferencing room in the entryway are now beautiful exhibit spaces.  They are currently being used to display some of the older medical instruments from our special collections and some prints depicting historical medical practice.

Successful reception!

Although some came late to the party, I counted about fifteen AHSC authors who attended our reception on Wednesday.  Most had something to eat or drink and many thanked us for our efforts and for the recognition.  Thanks to committee members Hannah, Mary Holcomb, Nga, Mary Riordan and Jeanette who did an amazing job of compiling the list of books and authors and creating the beautiful banners now hanging in 2101 and to Nicole who provided the underlying database for the web list of authors.

Be prepared!

I encourage you to watch the online recording of a presentation given Thursday on what to do if you are caught in a situation where someone is shooting.  If you can only spare 10 minutes, watch the short film at the beginning (I had to turn up the sound on my computer almost all of the way).  However, the rest of the presentation by a UAPD officer is very informative.  You can view the presentation at: http://streaming.biocom.arizona.edu/home/

It’s called: “Active Shooter: How to confront the unthinkable.”

A warmer light

We’ve added two floor lamps to the administrative conference room on the first floor.  This will give us the option of having a warmer, softer light than the built-in fluorescents.  Since the lamps are movable they can also provide focused task lighting.

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.