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.

Ahlam in print, help from Mary, construction

Congratulations to Ahlam

Congratulations to Ahlam who is a co-author on a newly published paper, “Systematic review and meta-analysis of the performance of clinical risk assessment instruments for screening for osteoporosis or low bone density” in Osteoporosis International.  You can read the article by going to the journal on the Springer website and searching on:

DOI: 10.1007/s00198-015-3025-1

Thank you Mary!

Mary has moved into Hannah’s old office.  We will be clearing out her current office in order to convert it to a group study room.  Many thanks to Mary for packing up so quickly!

Construction update

On Monday, February 16 work will begin on the 3rd floor to construct new individual and group study rooms.  These rooms will be located at the west end of the floor, "under" the current group study rooms on the 4th floor.

Initial work will involve clearing or relocating existing furniture from the area followed by work in the ceiling on the sprinkler system and HVAC (heating and air conditioning).  Once that work is completed walls will be put up.  We don't currently have a timeline on the construction part of the project but expect it to occur in the next several weeks.

We expect that the 4th floor will be closed for all use in mid-March.

Congrats to Carol

Congratulations to Carol who is the co-author on a recent paper.  “The Portal of Geriatrics Online Education: A 21st-Century Resource for Teaching Geriatrics.”  You can read the abstract and click through to the full article at 
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.13246/abstract

Changes to the building!

Network speed

Many of you have noticed very slow response times on your computers.  Much of this slowness is due to the 20 year old wiring in the building.  Over the next couple of weeks you will see workers running new cabling through the ceilings and into your work areas.  This should solve many of your response time problems.  The main library is funding this wiring upgrade.  Many thanks to them for helping us to work more efficiently!

New Study Rooms

As part of the 4th floor project, and financed by the Senior Vice President’s office, we will be adding eleven new rooms to the 3rd floor in place of the eight we are losing on the 4th.  Nine of these rooms will be individual rooms; about 5 feet by 8 feet, and two of the rooms will be similar to our current rooms, 8 feet by 10 feet.  They will be built on the west wall of the 3rd floor, “under” the current rooms.

Whiteboards

We are exploring what it would take to mount some of the whiteboards in the group study rooms on the second floor.  Some of them will be retained as is for use as needed.  The smaller whiteboards currently in the rooms may be moved to the new individual study rooms that will be built on the 3rd floor.

Public computers

We are beginning to explore options for redesigning the public computing area.  We will most likely be removing the old grey carrels and replacing them with two rows of tables.  I will share pictures and layouts as we move along.

Kudos to Brooke and Yamila!

Congratulations to Brooke

Brooke has been accepted as a participant in the 2015 Arizona State Library Leadership Institute.  Acceptance was highly competitive and required an extensive application and letters of reference.  Nationally known organizational development consultant, Maureen Sullivan, will facilitate this immersive 4-day leadership institute. Maureen has more than 25 years of experience in leadership development and is Past President of the American Library Association. She helped establish the ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute and is a faculty member for its annual program.

Recognition for Yamila

Yamila has been selected as a team member in The National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health (NLAPH). She and her other team members (Montserrat Caballero, Pima County Health Department; Jennifer Peters, UA College of Public Health; Annemarie Medina, YMCA) are part of a cohort of 12 teams who will be working to improve specific, measurable, and place-based public health problems, while developing their leadership skills. The Center for Health Leadership and Practice worked with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the selection of teams.