12/18/2013
December 2013, No.125
President’s Page
We have a daily huddle at the hospital, and recently, one of our leaders began the huddle with this nugget: “If you dislike change, you’re going to dislike irrelevance even more.” – Eric Shinseki, U.S. Secretary of Veteran Affairs and former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. Change had been on my mind before he shared this nugget, but as soon as he offered this quote, I knew that ‘change’ was something I needed to reflect on even more. The year 2013 has been momentous both professionally and personally through numerous changes, many of which were not anticipated or planned. As a CAHSLA community, we have seen many changes in our local library community, some we did not welcome or understand.
On MEDLIB-L, there has been much discussion about a YAHOO piece that deemed librarianship a “dead career” (see the “On the Net” section of this newsletter for some comments from fellow librarians). More change. It was sad and ironic that as this discussion was occurring a librarian from Maine announced on MEDLIB the closure of yet another hospital library. And still another timely convergence of the discussions on MEDLIB with Michelle Kraft’s [“The Krafty Librarian”] announcement that she was hosting a MLA Twitter discussion on “killing the sacred cows of librarianship.” Another invitation to change.
“In order to embrace the new, we must release the old. A trapeze artist cannot swing from one bar to another without letting go. An important part of preparing for the New Year is to review the past year—to release it—and to learn from it.…” (Reflections: A Top Ten List of Year-End Questions Michael E. Angier http://successnet.org found at: http://www.appleseeds.org/angier_reflections.htm) I found this quote to be relevant to this overall year-end reflection and the discussion on the future of libraries and librarianship. What have we learned from this past year about our profession and library communities – both local and national? How can we move forward releasing what is no longer useful while not losing that which has intrinsic value to our profession and those we serve?
In reviewing this past year, what I learned is that our CAHSLA community is vitally important as we cope with change. Our colleagues have a wealth of knowledge and an enormous capacity to offer guidance, support and empathy. I hope that you find time in 2014 to join us for the interesting programming and socializing that the Program Committee has in the works. The knowledge gained and the relationships developed will, I believe, help you to face the challenges of a profession and industry in unrelenting change.
And finally, Edith Starbuck offers this special holiday message, “The holiday season is a time to be thankful and to rejoice in family, friends, and colleagues. It is also a time when the loss of a loved one is felt most keenly. Reach out to those around you during this holiday season that may be in transition or struggling with loss. Sometimes even a small gesture can make all the difference.” Change and loss … transition and reinvention. In my mind, what makes change, loss, transition and reinvention possible are the connections we have to family, friends, and colleagues. Thank you for allowing me to feel those connections through CAHSLA.
I wish each of you peace and friendship in 2014.
Lisa McCormick
CAHSLA Holiday Jingle and Mingle
December 12, 2013 5:30 – 8:30
Attendees: Brigid Almaguer, Carole Baker, Catherine Constance, Michael Douglas, Regina Hartman, Emily Kean, Lisa McCormick, Mary Piper, Val Purvis, Edith Starbuck, Stephanie Bricking, Sandra Mason, Peggy Frondorf, Jane Thompson, Jennifer Heffron, Jennifer Pettigrew, Barb Slavinski, Gabrielle Hopkins
CAHSLA members and guests gathered once again at Mary Piper’s North Avondale home for a night of fun, food and fellowship. The fire at the hearth, the delectable aromas wafting from the kitchen, and the festive holiday decorations provided the perfect Christmas background for our group. The array of culinary delights was impressive – a special shout-out goes to Amy Koshoffer who sent a colorful Christmas salad of greens, pomegranate seeds and citrus even though she was not able to make it to the party.
Edith showed up at the door looking much like Santa Claus himself with a collection of myriad bags and duffels. We also gathered an impressive assortment of new children’s books for the Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati. In all, we collected 33 books. Lisa McCormick brought the framed City of Cincinnati official Proclamation designating November 1, 2013 as “CAHSLA Day in Cincinnati” in honor of the fortieth anniversary of the organization. Regina Hartman led the group in several competitive and raucous games, including Name that Carol! And a take-off on “Family Feud.” Jennifer Heffron impressed everyone by identifying 21 of the 25 carols! Jennifer Pettigrew received the prize for having the fewest correct answers.
We thank Mary Piper for her hospitality for yet another enjoyable holiday gathering.
Submitted: Brigid Almaguer, Secretary
Financial Report 2013-2014
Checking Account Balance as of 6/26/2013 $2474.24 Deposits Dues (20 regular) $500.00 Withdrawals Reserve picnic shelter for June picnic $ 50.00 Membership meeting, food, beverages, supplies $190.81 Framing of mayor’s proclamation of CAHSLA Day $ 88.28 Holiday party supplies $ 38.72 Holiday party food $ 35.00 Thank you flowers $ 44.92 Balance as of 12/16/2013 $2526.51
Cash Balance as of 6/26/2013 $ 34.44 Withdrawals Balance as of 12/16/2013 $ 34.44
Total Assets $2560.95
Paid members Regular 20 Student 0 Life members 12 Total 32
Submitted by: Cathy Constance, Treasurer
2013-2014 CAHSLA Program Committee Report
It’s hard to believe that 2013 is already winding down. It seems as if it was just last month that we celebrated CAHSLA’s 40th anniversary at the UC Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions. We had a good time reviewing CAHSLA history and sharing memories of earlier years. To mark the occasion of this important anniversary, CAHSLA’s President Lisa McCormick, arranged for Mayor Mark Mallory to issue an official City of Cincinnati Proclamation declaring November 1, 2013 Cincinnati Area Health Sciences Library Association Day in Cincinnati in honor of the 40th anniversary of CAHSLA. Not only did the Proclamation appear in the Enquirer, CAHSLA also received a copy and Lisa had it framed. The CAHSLA Executive Board salutes Lisa for her initiative in organizing this recognition for CAHSLA.
Since CAHSLA’s 40th anniversary celebration in September, plans for a CAHSLA gathering anda TechConvo session did not come to fruition. The Moerlein House gathering in late October was cancelled when a number of people were unable to attend at the last minute. The TechConvo session was postponed so as to not conflict with the Cincinnati SLA Annual Tech Blitz in November. So keep your eyes open for a CAHSLA TechConvo event coming up after the holidays.
On December 12th the CAHSLA holiday party was graciously hosted by Mary Piper in her lovely home. In keeping with tradition, attendees contributed a dish to share at the party and a children’s book for a local organization. Each year, a different organization is chosen to receive the children’s books that CAHSLA members contribute. This year, Lisa McCormick suggested the Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati, an organization that trains volunteers to work with K-4 students in the Cincinnati Public Schools. Lisa reports that she will be able to deliver a total of 33 books to this worthy organization!
What CAHSLA programs are coming up in the New Year? On Wednesday, February 19th, CAHSLA will visit the American Watchmaker -– Clockmaker Institute in Harrison, OH. This unique clock and watch archive has a library and also offers education and training programs, tours and exhibits. Watch for a flyer in January, but save the date now.
The historic Hauck House on Dayton Street will be the site of the April/May CAHSLA meeting. You don’t want to miss this beautiful Italianate mansion where the wealthy German brewery owner John Hauck lived.
We will close out the CAHSLA program year once more at the Daniel Drake Park on June 19th. So mark your calendars and plan to join your CAHSLA friends and colleagues for the annual picnic potluck.
The CAHSLA Program Committee wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We look forward to seeing you at CAHSLA program or TechConvo event in the New Year.
Edith Starbuck, CAHSLA Vice President and Program Chair
SLA 2013 Tech Blitz — More Fact Than Fiction!
I attended the SLA 2013 Tech Blitz at the Interact for Health Conference Facility (formerly The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati) presented by Glen Horton. Glen has moved to UC where he is involved in building the UC digital Repository. Glen previously served as the Digital Services Manager for Campbell County Public Library and as the Technology Coordinator for SWON Libraries. This year built on a theme from last year’s talk in that Glen stated again that the term mobile is not necessary to describe our phones and tablets. The transition is complete and in his words, mobile is dead. Our phones and tablets are now our everyday companion devices. It was interesting to hear about technology mentioned in last year’s talk and discussed again this year. We revisited Googleglass which are closer to the market, though still not available to the general public. You can sign up for the explorer program, but the line is long. Click here if you are interested. Glen also discussed 3D printers again as well as household items such as the programmable thermostat from Nest that learns our behaviors and adjusts to fit our lifestyle. Building on this idea on smart technology, Glen discussed several devices that are collecting biometrics, ranging from sport monitors to cell phones. For example, the new iphone 5s collects lots of data by constantly measuring your motion. It is equipped with an accelerometer, gyroscope and compass. This level of monitoring is not for the faint of heart. Many of these devices also have a variety of fitness and health apps available. Interestingly in an unrelated talk on the future of retirement I attended, the speaker Joseph F. Coughlin mentioned that technology will be used in very inventive ways to monitor our health. Dr. Coughlin, director of the AgeLab at MIT, stated that we would most likely live longer and in an unhealthy state. As a population we would have more diabetes and obesity. He too discussed the prevalence of technology in accessing our population’s health. Spoons that monitor glucose levels and exoskeletal braces are in the works. It is clear that technology and health monitoring will play a large role in our future. Glen also made the statement that we will live in our browsers. This means that we will use our devices to access more and more of our daily comforts and content through services such as Google Hangout, Microsoft Skype and Apple Facetime, through wireless streaming and subscriptions such as Google Play and Netflix and devices such as Google Chromecast. This also means library patrons are and will continue to access more content via their devices. Libraries and librarians will need access to devices such as tablets, learn to use them, teach customers to use the devices and provide content to customers using such devices. The future may see a librarian interacting with patrons who are not physically in the library, but who are instead streaming events like story time from a remote location. One question raised by the audience at the end of the talk was who is responsible for maintaining the access to content. Glen mentioned his most recent project, the UC digital repository. The idea is that content generated at the institution will be preserved and protected so that future patrons and researchers can use the data. But this does not address the issue of content produced and owned by a third party. This is a topic that will need to be addressed, but the hour was too short to give it proper attention.
One thing that really struck me about the Tech Blitz this time is that we may have had a glimpse into the future already. Glen showed an image of Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek holding a device that looked like an ipad. So if we want to see what is coming, we could comb old sci-fi stories. He also described a new service from Amazon called Mayday that puts customers in touch with a real person (though via video chat) in 15 seconds. Face to face interactions seemed to me to be a very old fashioned idea. The video component of customer service is already employed by libraries, but perhaps not at the lightning fast speed of 15 seconds. It will be interesting to see if Amazon can deliver on this promise. There was much to think about and much to keep an eye on. If you are interested in viewing the slides from Glen’s presentation, here is the link to the 2013 presentation and a link to Glen’s site with past presentations: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1p0lxv0KF8Rv5GVDG6DVCuMCkaZ1LAbS1nKWIpRE_e48/edit#slide=id.g22719e7e_0_60 and http://glengage.com/presentations/.
Amy Koshoffer
Have you visited the new CAHSLA website?
We are now using WordPress (http://wordpress.org/about/) to manage the content of our website. Technically WordPress is an open access blogging tool which is slightly different than a full webpage. However, it has the advantage that we can modify content from any location and can do so without having to write in code. Also we can have several administrators and set up pages to facilitate communication between committee members. We would like to explore these options at a tech convo in January or February. There we will explain the features of WordPress and to see how we can best use the power of WordPress. The tech convo is open to paid members of CAHSLA so make sure your membership is up-to-date. You can send your time and venue suggestions to Amy.Koshoffer@UC.Edu.
CAHSLA Colleagues
Jennifer Pettigrew, MLIS, has joined the staff of The James N. Gamble Medical Library (The Christ Hospital) as an archivist. Pettigrew grew up in Blue Ash, Ohio. She earned a BA in Anthropology from the University of Cincinnati and a MLIS from Rutgers University. In her previous position at the Cincinnati Art Museum she functioned as the Archivist for the Mary R. Schiff Library and Archives for nearly two years. In November 2013 Jennifer started her current position as the Archivist for The Christ Hospital and is responsible for organizing, preserving, and describing the records, photographs, blueprints, and other printed works related to the founding and history of The Christ Hospital, The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and The Elizabeth Gamble Deaconess Home Association. Jennifer lives in Sycamore Township with her husband Tyler Pettigrew, Executive Director of Our Daily Bread in Over-the-Rhine, and their dog Hillary, an English Setter mix.
Edward L. Pratt Research Library is pleased to welcome Holly Spindler, MLIS, Cincinnati Children’s inaugural Resource Management Librarian. In addition to holding her Masters’ in Library and Information Science from Kent State University, Holly comes to us with a Medical Library background, having spent several years serving physicians, nurses, residents, undergraduates and Faculty at the Kettering Medical and College Libraries in Dayton, Ohio. Although her specialty is managing resources, she also enjoyed a practicum spent at the Dayton Metro Library, serving patrons from behind the local library’s reference desk. Her time spent in the Public Library enhanced her deep appreciation for the powerful role that information plays in the world of Medicine and its advances. Recently, Holly has returned from living abroad in Grenada. She occupied her time there by volunteering at local orphanages, participating in ecology clean-ups, organizing fund raisers for a children’s afterschool program, and serving as a member of the St. George’s University Lecture Committee, as well as, Executive Board Secretary for the St. George’s University’s Significant Others Organization. Her time abroad increased Holly’s fondness for travel, her love of learning, and her appreciation for diversity.
Val Purvis is volunteering at The Jewish Hospital Health Sciences Library. Kudos Emily Kean, James N. Gamble Medical Library (TCH), was elected President Elect/Program Committee Chair for the Cincinnati Chapter of the Special Libraries Association (SLA).
Edith Starbuck (UC HSL) presented the paper “At the Beginning of an Odyssey with Bioinformatics and the NCBI Databases” and the poster “Participating in a Fellowship Program Curriculum” at the Midwest Chapter/MLA Annual Meeting held in Peoria, IL in October.
Sharon Purtee and Edith Starbuck (UC HSL) presented the paper “Managing Journals by Committee” at the 2013 Charleston Conference, Charleston, SC. CAHSLA members may recall that they did a presentation with the same title in 2011 at the Midwest Chapter/MLA meeting and for a CAHSLA TechConvo session. This presentation talked about managing journals by committee over a three year period. Sharon and Edith also wrote a paper that will be published in the conference proceedings. The “Against the Grain” newsletter picked up on Sharon and Edith’s presentation and featured them in the November 2013 newsletter. Check it out: http://www.against-the-grain.com/2013/11/managing-journals-by-committee/
In the Literature and On the ‘Net
EBM’s Six Dangerous Words R. Scott Braithwaite writes in the November 27, 2013 “A Piece of My Mind” section of JAMA on the importance and impact of six very important words often used in embarking on the evidence based medicine path. As Braithwaite states, “The six most dangerous words in evidence-based medicine (EBM) do not directly cause deaths or adverse events. They do not directly cause medical errors or diminutions in quality of care. However, they may indirectly cause these adverse consequences by leading to false inferences for decision making.”
According to Braithwaite, the six dangerous words are, “There is no evidence to suggest …” He discovered this phrase “appears in MEDLINE 3055 times, nearly as often as “decision analysis” (3140 times).” Braithwaite concludes, “I suggest that academic physicians and EBM practitioners make a concerted effort to banish this phrase from their professional vocabularies. Instead, they could substitute one of the following 4 phrases, each of which has clearer implications for decision making: (1) “scientific evidence is inconclusive, and we don’t know what is best” (corresponding to USPSTF grade I with uninformative Bayesian prior) or (2) “scientific evidence is inconclusive, but my experience or other knowledge suggests ‘X’” (corresponding to USPSTF grade I with informative Bayesian prior suggesting “X”), (3) “this has been proven to have no benefit (corresponding USPSTF grade D), or (4) “this is a close call, with risks exceeding benefits for some patients but not for others” (corresponding to USPSTF grade C). Each of these four statements would lead to distinct inferences for decision making and could improve clarity of communication with patients.” JAMA. 2013;310(20):2149-2150.
*************************************************************************** Reprinted below with the permission of the authors are a few comments from MEDLIB from two discussion threads. YAHOO posted a list of ‘dead careers,’ and librarianship made the list. Needless to say, the YAHOO article, Five Dead-End Jobs You Should Leave Today, sparked many comments. Michelle Kraft’s post coincided with the YAHOO story.
From: Kraft, Michelle [mailto:kraftm@CCF.ORG] Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 12:56 PM Subject: Discuss Killing Sacred Library Cows on #medlibs chat Thursday 9pm Eastern Last week many of celebrated by killing turkeys and giving thanks. This Thursday #medlibs chat is going to discuss creating opportunities by killing some cows. Killing cows!? What does this have to with medical libraries. Simple… There are many things we do as librarians that we have been doing for years and years without fail and without question. There are various reasons we do these things.
Our predecessor was doing it. We’ve always been doing it. It is a librarian thing to do. Inertia
Whatever the reason, there are some activities that we do that take up our time and prevent us from spending time on other things such as
Outreach Technology Research Rounding
We know we are super heroes but even super heroes can’t do everything at once. If the Green Goblin is threatening the financial district while Doc Ock is attacking the Department of Defense, Spiderman has to make a choice.
The library environment has changed drastically and is continuing to do so. The library of 5 years ago is different from the library today. For example, the iPhone had just been released, there were no iPads and the idea of a “downloadable” ebook had just been introduced by Amazon Kindle. There were a very limited number of Kindle and certainly not intended for medicine.
Yet many of us are doing the same things we did as librarians 5, 10, 15, 20 yrs ago. We were stretched thin back then, so there is no way we can now add things to our repertoire without giving up something in return. We must look at what we do in our own libraries and evaluate whether it is necessary, whether it helps our patrons or helps us. To really evaluate our services we need to look at EVERYTHING including the sacred cows of the library. We need to ask ourselves, do we need to check in journals, catalog books, make copies, keep the reference desk, fuss with circulation, etc. The right answers will depend on the library. A large academic library might need to still do cataloging but does a small solo hospital library with 4 shelves (not ranges) really need a catalog system much less spend time cataloging books? Some of these ideas are dangerous and even somewhat heretical librarian thinking, and are going to discuss them. For more background on sacred cows and heretical librarian thoughts check out my summary of my keynote address I gave at the Midwest Chapter annual meeting.
http://kraftylibrarian.com/?p=2480 We need to look at the opportunities that are available to us and to take advantage of them we will have to slaughter some library cows. This Thursday’s #medlibs discussion at 9pm Eastern will discuss the idea of thinning the herd of library services so that we can grow healthy new opportunities.
Molly Knapp (@dial_m), Amy Blevins (@blevinsa) and Michelle Kraft (@krafty) will be moderating the discussion. As always we will be using the hashtag #medlibs but if you want to further the discussion before/during/or after the regular Thursday night time use the hashtag #moo.
For more information about #medlibs chats go to http://medlibschat.blogspot.com/ Questions about how you can participate or lurk, feel free to email me.
Michelle Kraft
Technical note: Once you have created a Twitter account then the EASIEST way to follow a chat if you aren’t a big Twitter user is to go to http://www.tchat.io/ Type #medlibs into the box and click start chatting. The page only contains the #medlibs discussion and automatically refreshes. IF you want to join in the discussion it will ask you to login using your Twitter username and password. Once you do that you can easily participate in the discussion. *************************************************************************** http://education.yahoo.net/articles/five_dead_end_jobs.htm?kid=1O1GI
“To ask why we need libraries at all, when there is so much information available elsewhere, is about as sensible as asking if roadmaps are necessary now that there are so very many roads.” – Jon Bing, Professor of Information Technology Law, University of Oslo, Norway“Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one.” Neil Gaiman
Anything to demonstrate the value of the profession and give the general public a better idea of what we actually do. It’s not exactly news that librarians and libraries suffer from an image problem. When most people think of libraries, they immediately think of books. And that makes it all too easy (tempting even!) to picture librarians as people who are trapped in the past, spending their days shuffling around with dusty book carts, wondering where everyone went. But if you tell people that librarianship is about organizing and accessing information, they go “oohhh…” Scott Thomson, MLIS, AHIP Library Director Boxer University Library Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science 847.578.3243 scott.thomson@rosalindfranklin.edu
From: Susan Fowler <susanfowler.library@GMAIL.COM> Subject: Re: Yahoo Lists Librarian as Dead End Job Where is the link to the original Yahoo News piece? I found this one (http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/insight/top-10-dead-end-jobs-way-extinction-143352454.html) which does not list Librarian. It references this from Workpolis (http://www.workopolis.com/content/advice/article/workopolis-2013-research-ten-jobs-that-will-not-exist-ten-years-from-now/) which also does not list Librarian. Personally, I have way too much work to do to believe our profession is on the decline. I also have a second gig at a public library and we are too busy there to give any credence to the idea that library use or need is in decline. And the most recent results from Pew showed that library use was on holding strong (http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/01/22/library-services/). What I see is a dramatic shift in the paradigm of information acquisition, storage, and retrieval – the three central aspects of a librarian’s job. That shift has been occurring for at least 20 years. Humans, uncomfortable with change, have a tendency to make assumptions about the future even though things never play out the way we think they will – ie 20 years ago with the first appearance of internet access via windows we thought libraries and brick and mortar stores were going to die but here we all still are. Humans also have a tendency, in the face of dramatic change, to want to wait to learn new things until the dust settles. But in the case of information acquisition, storage, and retrieval, it appears that the paradigm is going to continue to shift since it is directly connected with the development of new technology. So the real issue is not that librarianship is on the decline. The need for information experts to help everyone else adapt and/or access information has not disappeared. I think our job as librarians is to accept that we are in a constantly shifting environment and to remain on the edge of that shift so that we can continue to do what we do best – help others get the information they need. Susan Fowler, MLIS Medical Librarian Evidence at Becker: http://beckerguides.wustl.edu/ebm Systematic Reviews Guide: http://beckerguides.wustl.edu/SystematicReviews Becker Medical Library, Washington University in St. Louis 314-362-8092 susanfowler.library@gmail.com **************************************************************************
Why Our Future Depends on Libraries
Neil Gaiman is an English author of short fiction who regularly speaks on the value of libraries. Recently, he delivered a lecture “explaining why using our imaginations, and providing for others to use theirs, is an obligation for all citizens.” The following are a few key quotes from an article I hope you will take the time to read his latest lecture Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming “It’s important for people to tell you what side they are on and why, and whether they might be biased. A declaration of members’ interests, of a sort. So, I am going to be talking to you about reading. I’m going to tell you that libraries are important. I’m going to suggest that reading fiction, that reading for pleasure, is one of the most important things one can do. I’m going to make an impassioned plea for people to understand what libraries and librarians are, and to preserve both of these things.”
“I worry that here in the 21st century people misunderstand what libraries are and the purpose of them. If you perceive a library as a shelf of books, it may seem antiquated or outdated in a world in which most, but not all, books in print exist digitally. But that is to miss the point fundamentally.
I think it has to do with nature of information. Information has value, and the right information has enormous value. For all of human history, we have lived in a time of information scarcity, and having the needed information was always important, and always worth something … Information was a valuable thing, and those who had it or could obtain it could charge for that service.”
“Libraries really are the gates to the future. So it is unfortunate that, round the world, we observe local authorities seizing the opportunity to close libraries as an easy way to save money, without realising that they are stealing from the future to pay for today.”
Read the entire article: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming *********************************************************************
How Americans Value Public Libraries in Their Communities
A newly published report from the Pew Foundation examines the value of public libraries. http://libraries.pewinternet.org/files/legacy-pdf/PIP_Libraries%20in%20communities.pdf “Americans strongly value the role of public libraries in their communities, both for providing access to materials and resources and for promoting literacy and improving the overall quality of life. Most Americans say they have only had positive experiences at public libraries, and value a range of library resources and services.
The vast majority of Americans ages 16 and older say that public libraries play an important role in their communities:
95% of Americans ages 16 and older agree that the materials and resources available at public libraries play an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed;
95% say that public libraries are important because they promote literacy and a love of reading;
94% say that having a public library improves the quality of life in a community;
81% say that public libraries provide many services people would have a hard time finding elsewhere.”
President’s Page
Necessity is the mother of invention, or in this instance, the founding of a library organization intended to support the cooperative sharing of resources in greater Cincinnati. Forty years ago, a group of concerned and motivated librarians were propelled to band together to support the work of their libraries. The year CAHSLA was founded, 1973, can be remembered for the price of gas at 40 cents per gallon; the tennis match billed as the “battle of the sexes” between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs; and changes in the National Library of Medicine’s funding for interlibrary loans and other extramural outreach programs. Over the past forty years, many outstanding and innovative library professionals have served in leadership and supporting roles for the organization. Together, CAHSLA members have accomplished so much for the benefit of the clients we serve at our respective hospital, academic and corporate organizations.
The community that was formed in 1973 has grown and evolved to meet the ever-changing demands health sciences library professionals face. For this issue of the Chronicle we decided to reprint the CAHSLA history archivist Jane Thompson wrote in 2004. For those new to the organization, and for those of us who might just be memory-challenged, it is a wonderful reflection on this great organization and the many outstanding professionals who have led or been members of CAHSLA.
I was struck by a comment captured in Jane’s history. This may have been said for another time period with far different circumstances, but the words are still pertinent today. Jane writes: “In spite of small staffs, small budgets, and little time, though, the members of CAHSLA have managed to speak up and out, and to make a difference. … In the words of Kay Barkley, chair of the original ad hoc committee that founded CAHSLA, and chairman (the title for President) in 1978, “Perhaps one of the most valuable advantages which CAHSLA has to offer is the opportunity to get acquainted with each other on a one to one basis and thereby exchanging ideas and services.”
I invite you to become “acquainted” with your colleagues in CAHSLA by renewing your membership and recruiting new members. You will have many occasions this year to further those acquaintances and “exchange ideas and services” by participating in the programming, especially the Tech Convos. The Program Committee, chaired by Edith Starbuck, has planned an exciting calendar of programs for the association year. Happy anniversary, CAHSLA Colleagues, and cheers for a bright and happy future! And, let’s party like it was … MCMLXXIII!
Lisa McCormick
2013-2014 CAHSLA Program Committee Report
The members of this year’s CAHSLA program committee are Sharon Purtee, Mary Piper, Nonnie Klein, Peggy Frondorf, and Kristen Burgess. We held a planning meeting in August and mapped out the program year.
The CAHSLA program year got off to a start with the celebration of CAHSLA’s 40th anniversary on September 18th in the lovely Lucas Room at the UC Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions. A group of us enjoyed sharing memories of early CAHSLA members and activities. We also tested our memories of CAHSLA trivia and library memorabilia. See a more complete report of the celebration elsewhere in the Chronicle.
A social gathering at the Moerlein Lager House is coming up next. We explored doing a CAHSLA program there but the room rental and food cost per person changed our minds. A social gathering seemed like a good alternative so please let Peggy (peggy.frondorf@uc.edu ) know what date between October 28 and November 4 would work for you. We’ll reserve a table or two and have a good time together.
Mark your calendars for the CAHSLA holiday party on December 12th! Mary Piper has graciously offered to host this annual event. So bring a dish and a children’s book to donate. Be ready to play some holiday games and sing a few carols. In November we’ll ask for ideas about where to donate children’s books this year. If you already have a suggestion, please email me at edith.starbuck@uc.edu.
Sometime in February we’ll visit the American Watchmaker – Clockmaker Institute in Harrison, OH. Sharon Purtee discovered this institute and museum that certifies master watch and clock makers. They have a library and also offer education and training programs, tours and exhibits. So plan to join us for a look at this unique clock and watch archive.
In late April or early May, Mary Piper is arranging a tour of the historic Hauck House on Dayton Street. Come see this beautiful Italianate mansion where John Hauck, the wealthy German brewery owner lived.
The CAHSLA program year will wrap up with the annual picnic already scheduled for June 19th! Although we considered other parks, the Daniel Drake Park won out again for ease of access and amenities.
CAHSLA just celebrated 40 years as an active organization. Let’s each do our part to keep this organization going for another 40 years. We look forward to seeing you throughout the year at these upcoming programs!
Edith Starbuck, Vice President and Program Committee Chair
Financial Report 2013-2014
Checking Account Balance as of 6/26/2013 $2474.24
Deposits
Dues (7 regular) $175.00
Withdrawals
Reserve picnic shelter for June picnic $ 50.00
Membership meeting, food, beverages, supplies $190.81
Balance as of 9/24/2013 $2408.43
Cash
Balance as of 6/26/2013 $ 34.44
Withdrawals
Balance as of 9/24/2013 $ 34.44
Total Assets $2442.87
Paid members
Regular 7
Student 0
Life members 11
Total 18
Submitted by:
Cathy Constance, Treasurer
9/24/2013
2013-2014 CAHSLA Minutes
Fall Membership & 40th Anniversary Meeting
Date: Sept. 18, 2013
Place: Univ Cincinnati, HSL Winkler Center, Lucas Room
Attendees: L. McCormick, R. Hartman, S. Mason, L. Schick, K. Burgess, J. Heffron, M. Piper, E. Kean, C. Baker, P. Young, E. Starbuck, B. Slavinski, V. Purvis, C. Constance, S. Purtee, D. Osborne, A. Koshoffer.
President Lisa McCormick opened the meeting welcoming members and guests. Attendees introduced themselves along with a brief mention of when they first joined Cahsla. Special Guest, Penny Young, was introduced as a founding member.
Program Committee: Edith Starbuck, V.P. and Program Committee Chair, In addition to a social gathering, the annual holiday party and picnic, 2 meetings are coming up that will be held in some interesting locations. The Program Committee Report will appear in the Fall Chronicle.
Treasurer/Membership: Cathy Constance gave her report on the financial state of the organization (solvent) and on the number of memberships. She announced that it is time for members to renew at a cost of $25.00. Many attendees renewed during this meeting. C. Constance sent an e-mail on Sept. 18th containing all the info needed for renewing including an attached renewal form.
Technology: Emily Kean reported the new WordPress website is now up and the membership form is online. https://www.cahsla.org/
Chronicle: Lisa McCormick announced the deadline for the next edition of the newsletter is Sept. 25th, 2013.
People then shared stories and early memories of CAHSLA. Several trivia games were played with prizes to motivate winners. A cake supplemented the healthy fare that all enjoyed.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:15 PM.
Respectfully Submitted for Brigid Almaguer,
Valerie Purvis
CAHSLA Memories – Like the Corners of My Mind
During the anniversary celebration at the UC Winkler Center on September 18, the question was posed to the gathering: What are some of your favorite memories of CAHSLA meetings or CAHSLA members? What follows are some of those favorite memories.
Penny Young, in attendance at the very birth of the CAHSLA organization, recalled that Nancy Lorenzi was dictating a letter to be sent to prospective members. In the content of the letter she spoke about the search technique that uses Boolean Logic. Unfortunately, when the letter was transcribed by the department secretary, the words had been interpreted to be “bully on logic”; something we can all stand behind to this very day.
Lisa McCormick remembers that Alice Hurlebaus so loved the liqueur Amaretto that the reps from Majors Books purchased Alice her very own bottle during the B&B Riverboat cruise for the 1983 Midwest Chapter Meeting social event!
Carol Baker wondered if the UC HSL elevator still breaks down as it was notorious for doing soon after it was installed. She shared that she was a victim of the stalled elevator one time shortly after she started working in the library. Sharon Purtee reported that the elevator does continue to break down on an irregular basis.
Val Purvis told about a CAHSLA meeting held at the Cincinnati Public Library showing off the newest building addition when about 15 CAHSLA librarians crowded onto the old elevator and it got stuck. The lights went out and the circulating fan shut down, and soon it got very warm in there. One poor claustrophobe suffered terribly until the library’s maintenance crew opened the elevator doors and we could see that we were about 4 ft. below the floor level. A ladder was lowered in and we were all helped out to everyone’s great relief.
Several of CAHSLA’s current members remember being mentored by some of the founders or early members of CAHSLA. Many of these early members were instrumental in moving Cincinnati health sciences libraries into cooperative ventures. The earliest cooperative venture was the BRS Consortium spearheaded by Don Smith.
Some more recent CAHSLA members had no particular memories but offered that they appreciate how welcoming CAHSLA is as an organization to new members and how much they enjoy the meetings and other social gatherings.
Val Purvis
A Little CAHSLA History
by Jane Thompson, Archivist
[Originally published in the Chronicle in 2004]
The organization known today as the Cincinnati Area Health Sciences Libraries Association or CAHSLA, owes its origin to the Medical Library Assistance Act of 1965, which funded the creation of a nation-wide system of biomedical resource libraries to meet the needs of health professionals. The system was named the Regional Medical Library Program. The 50 states plus Puerto Rico were divided into 11 regions, with one library in each region designated as the Regional Medical Library (RML). Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan composed Region 5, called KOM or KOMRML. Each RML was responsible for 3 services: ILL, online MEDLINE, and extramural services, headed by an Extramural Coordinator who worked with all of the biomedical libraries in the region. Subsequently, in 1982, our region was retitled Greater Midwest Regional Medical Library Network (GMRMLN) and we became a 10-state region with 20 resources libraries.
The first documented organization of medical librarians in Cincinnati was called the Medical and Nursing School Librarians of Greater Cincinnati Area (MNSLGCA). This group, active in the 70’s, included some hospital administrators as well as librarians. Members brought lists of book and journal purchases for the year, missing issues lists, and problems: “Name your problems, one of us will be able to come up with an answer” promised a meeting announcement.
In 1973, federal funding for ILL was drastically reduced. Local groups were encouraged to organize to provide the service that the RMLs had been providing. The KOMRMLN (remember what that was?) “offered the privilege of observer representatives to attend the Executive Board meetings” of KOMRML in an effort to facilitate communications between the local groups and the KOM office. On July 17, 1973 a meeting of the KOM Institutional Affiliates was held to discuss the new Interlibrary Loan policies. Mary McClanahan, Penny Young, and Naomi Adelman, Medical Center Libraries led the discussion.
Alma P. Forbes, Chief Librarian of the VA Hospital sent a letter on July 25, 1973 to her “Fellow Librarians” in Cincinnati, stating that “We feel that an organization of the health sciences and technical libraries affiliated with the University of Cincinnati Medical Center libraries has become necessary. Such an organization would enable us to designate a representative who could serve as our liaison with the K.O.M. and voice our point of view.” An undated letter from Kay Barkley, Jewish Hospital, goes into the detail of what the cut in funding meant for local libraries: UC would only be able to supply 75 free ILLs to area institutions, and some sort of system needed to be set up by the hospitals to lend among themselves for no fee, in addition to the UC ILLs.
In response to these challenges, an ad hoc committee was empanelled to come up with an organizational plan. Kay Barkley was elected chair of the committee.
A meeting was held on August 23, 1973 at Jewish Hospital, chaired by Kay to present the proposed organization. At this meeting an ad hoc committee was formed, chaired by Don Smith, St. Elizabeth’s, which was charged to draft a Constitution and By-Laws for the Association of Greater Cincinnati Health Science Libraries. Other members of the ad hoc committee were Kay Barkley, Alma Forbes, Jan Schneider, Margaret Thomas, and Marjorie Shriner. By September 12 the name used was Cincinnati Area Health Sciences Libraries Association. The Association was officially formed at the September 20, 1973 meeting at the VA Hospital. The constitution was adopted and officers elected: Janice Schneider, Chair, Don Smith, Vice-Chair, Anne Feduff, Secretary, and Frances McCullough, Treasurer.
The first general meeting was held February 6, 1974 with a presentation on Audiovisuals in the Health Science Library.
The top priorities at that time for medical libraries, and particularly for small hospital libraries, was to develop an efficient and cost-effective method for interlibrary loans that allowed the small institution to provide the same top service that the academic health centers supplied to their users, and to gain efficient access to Medline. There was a need for local training for online searchers, and for a forum for discussion of events affecting Cincinnati libraries, as well as a place where policies of service could be agreed upon.
Our group was not formed in a vacuum. Other nearby library groups were also looking at effective ways to organize for ILL and Medline delivery and other services via consortial arrangements. On October 20, 1975, Janette Closurdo, Director of libraries at ST. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Pontiac Michigan was invited to Cincinnati to present the work of HIRA (Health Instructional Resources Associated) and the Metropolitan Detroit Medical Library Group (MDMLG).
So what has happened during these 30+ years since that September day? Well, the By Laws have been rewritten, revised and updated multiple times to reflect changes in practice. On the local level, an Interlibrary Loan plan was devised, a Mini-union list of reference titles created, and a Medline consortium, COCLS, was formed by several CAHSLA members in order to provide online searching in an economically efficient manner. “Each hospital in the consortium had a direct line to NLM, and could provide bibliographies to docs within minutes.” As the regional library network developed under the umbrella provided by the National Library of Medicine, CAHSLA benefited from many federally-funded programs, including an Extramural Coordinator, who functioned as a liaison between the network and the basic units (that’s us, remember) offering coordination of ILL in the region and encouraging formation of peer groups where they were needed. CAHSLA presented many workshops on the new technologies, searching, cooperative collection development, and the all-important ILL
The association made some forays into library science CE courses, hosted at least two regional MLA conferences, and continued an effort to collaborate with the Dayton health sciences librarians until the demise of that organization. On the regional level, CAHSLA participated in the various configurations of regional libraries devised by NLM: KOMRLN, GMRMLN, MC/MLA, and finally, Midwest Chapter, MLA. And of course, many sub organizations formed and unformed under the aegis of the RML: A veritable Alphabet Soup of organizations.
One of the most enduring of these organizations is COCLS, the Cincinnati Online Consortium for Life Sciences—did you know (or remember) that the original name was (briefly) the Cincinnati Life Sciences Consortium? The original group was called Cincinnati Medline Consortium, which recognized that the hospital libraries needed to establish their own Medline accounts, and run their own searches rather than relying on the UC Health Sciences Library to handle Medline searching for all of Cincinnati.
When COCLS came into being in 1979, the objectives of the group were not only to purchase online access to Medline from a service provider, but to train searchers, to explore other useful databases, and to “investigate innovations in and nuances of online systems.” For many years COCLS continued to provide its members with online access via BRS, troubleshoot connection problems, share difficult searches and searching tips, plus serve as a sounding board for librarians from the hospitals to talk about their unique situations, and the latest bit of skullduggery issuing from the Health Sciences Library.
Just glancing at the minutes, some items caught my eye: In 1991, at the time of the merger into CAHSLA, Don Smith was the only member of COCLS who was not also a member of CAHSLA. In 1990 it was noted that NKU had received at least one bomb threat. In 1986 Barbarie Hill declared that Open House was over and she would never do it again. In 1985 (we are going back in time) Barb Lucas reported on the Medline update held at Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton: “The setting was very comfortable, the food was good, the new library elegant, but the update was boring and the Medis demonstration useless. Her appraisal was corroborated by others who attended.” There is a certain piquant quality to the COCLS minutes that we don’t always achieve in CAHSLA. And from the moment that COCLS and CAHSLA were born, Dorothy Gilroy wrote letters to organizations, posing questions, making suggestions, and generally staying on top of things much better than any of the rest of us could hope to match.
In addition, members shared lists of proposed journal cancelations and purchases, to build a broad base of resources and to avoid duplication as much as possible. By 1990 COCLS had an Education Committee, but the economic reason for the existence of COCLS had ceased when BRS discontinued its previous discount to user groups. But, to quote from a joint letter written in May 17, 1991, from Val Purvis as Coordinator of COCLS and Beth White, President of CAHSLA, to their memberships: “COCLS members are eager to maintain the educational and sharing aspects of the group.
Therefore, at its meeting on April 9th, 1991, the COCLS membership agreed to dissolve as a separate entity and respectfully request that these aspects of the consortium be absorbed into the CAHSLA program and meeting structure.”
The letter goes on to suggest that additional CAHSLA programs could be planned devoted to computer-related topics. And in effect, the “organization that refused to die and instead went to lunch” was born. Under the tutelage of Don Smith, Barbarie Hill, Rose Zajac, Lisa McCormick and many others, COCLS continues today to provide attendees lunch, plus an agenda that focuses on technical aspects of our librarian lives: PDAs, serials control systems, and updates on the latest useful technology for hospital libraries.
Another outstanding product of CAHSLA collaborative efforts has been the Chronicle, which when it debuted in 1977, with the stunningly original name of CAHSLA Newsletter, consisted of one side of one page. It was edited by Rose Zajac and Susanne Gilliam. From these small beginnings came the CAHSLA Chronicle which today provides readers with useful notices, meeting reports, letters from our President, and a good laugh from the cartoons. Our editors, Barbarie Hill and Beth White until 1992, and Lisa McCormick and Barbarie since then, have cheerfully shouldered the burden of turning out a class rag that is a proud representative of our organization.
Another great project that has become a tradition for CAHSLA is our holiday book drive. We have been donating children’s books to various Cincinnati organizations that help children since 1996. Penny Philpot had the original idea, which was quickly embraced by the rest of us. Some of the organizations that we have given collections of books to are Peaselee Daycare Center, Kids’ Café, Bethany House, GLAD House, and Vine St. Elementary School. A total of over 200 new and gently used books have been donated by our members, and we have many letters of gratitude and appreciation in the archives.
As I waded through stacks of minutes of various groups that CAHSLA has been involved with, several themes emerged: The search for the best resources, the recognition of the need to cooperate in order to make the best of scarce resources, the increasing bureaucracy of library organization, from the national level to the state, and the struggle for small libraries to be heard in this framework of increasingly layered library structure. In spite of small staffs, small budgets, and little time, though, the members of CAHSLA have managed to speak up and out, and to make a difference. I would mention names, but fear to leave someone out who is here tonight, so, I invite you to look to the person at your right or left, and recognize their contributions. In the words of Kay Barkley, chair of the original ad hoc committee that founded CAHSLA, and chairman (the title for President) in 1978, “Perhaps one of the most valuable advantages which CAHSLA has to offer is the opportunity to get acquainted with each other on a one to one basis and thereby exchanging ideas and services.” That certainly has not changed in all this time. On September 20, 2008 CAHSLA will be 35 years old, and we should plan an appropriate celebration! Please continue to check our website, created and maintained by Barbarie Hill, located at http://cahsla.org for news about this and many other developments.
CAHSLA Colleagues
Sympathy Our deepest sympathies are extended to Michael Douglas (Tri-Health Good Samaritan Hospital) and his family on the passing of Mike’s mother.
Kudos Brigid Almaquer (Cincinnati State) has shared a link to her book club for faculty and staff of Cincinnati State. As Brigid writes, it can serve as another place to look for a good book http://cincinnatistate.libguides.com/bookclub
Members in Transition Barb Slavinski, formerly of Drake Hospital Library, Val Purvis formerly of CCHMC Pratt Library, and Rosalyn Smith, formerly of the Jewish Hospital Health Sciences Library, are seeking new career opportunities.
News from Around the State
The Ohio Collaborative for Clear Health Communication, an organization made up of representatives from organizations throughout the state of Ohio has evolved into a new organization. The Ohio Health Literacy Collaborative (OHLC) will be having an inaugural meeting on Wednesday October 30, 2013 in Columbus. The OHLC, unlike the Collaborative, will instead be open to individuals, rather than organizational representatives, with an interest in clear health communication/health literacy. If you would like additional information, please contact Karen Komondor at 216-363-3548 or email Karen.komondor@stvincentcharity.com
Information Resource on the Affordable Care Act
The Greater Midwest Regional office of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine has created a web resource with information about the Affordable Care Act.
http://nnlm.gov/gmr/outreach/aca.html
Star Trek Chicken Promotes PLCHC
George Takei took time to pose with a Cincinnati Public Library card after leading the World’s Largest Chicken Dance at Cincinnati’s annual Oktoberfest Zinzinnati.
In the Literature and on the ‘Net
A Recent PubMed Citation
Prevalence of upper limb disorders among female librarians.
Pandy R.
Hobson Health Ltd, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 4DB, UK.
Occup Med (Lond). 2013 Sep;63(6):432-4. Epub 2013 Jul 16.
Background
Work as a librarian involves exposure to potential risk factors for developing upper limb disorders. The prevalence of upper limb symptoms has, however, not previously been assessed in this occupational group.
Aims
To estimate the 7-day and annual prevalence of self-reported neck and upper limb symptoms in librarians and to examine associations with specific tasks and ergonomic risk factors.
Methods
A cross-sectional study using components of the standardized Nordic questionnaire. The study population consisted of librarians employed by a large local authority, and data collection was by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Results from studies on keyboard workers and on the general population were used as comparators.
Results
The 7-day prevalence of self-reported neck and upper limb pain in female librarians was 42% (95% confidence interval (CI) 33.7-50.5) and the annual prevalence was 65% (95% CI
56.6-72.8). The prevalence of reported wrist and hand pain increased with increased working involving a wide thumb-index span (P < 0.05) with a significant linear trend in prevalence with increasing exposure (P < 0.01). There was a strong association between reporting hand and/or wrist pain and awareness of work-related upper limb disorder (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
The annual prevalence of self-reported upper limb symptoms among female librarians was high, but there was insufficient evidence to confirm whether the prevalence was higher than in the general population or among keyboard workers. Working with a wide thumb-index span was associated with reporting upper limb symptoms.
PMID: 23859850 [PubMed – in process]
MEDLIB-L posting:
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 21:20:42 +0000
From: “Allison, Melody M” mmalliso@ILLINOIS.EDU
Subject: JAMA Viewpoint Article – The Evolving Role and Value of Libraries and Librarians in Health Care
JAMA Viewpoint article announcement from Futurity ….
Should your doctor consult the librarian?
ROCHESTER: A new article argues that health science librarians should be part of patient-care teams.
“Rather than being seen as the place where books and journals are, we have a new vision for what libraries are and what they can do. We are collaborators and facilitators in patient care,” says co-author Julia F. Sollenberger, associate vice president and director of Medical Center Libraries and Technologies at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
In the JAMA<http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1741829> Viewpoint article, Sollenberger and Robert G. Holloway, chair of the department of neurology, demonstrate the growing importance of health science libraries and librarians in patient care.
Sollenberger largely bases her reasoning on a study published earlier this year in the Journal of the Medical Library<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3543128/>. READ MORE…<http://futurity.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1df201c31ea39d3c487294a4&id=dce273e048&e=c0205ad2e3>
Viewpoint Article Source:
Julia F. Sollenberger, MLS; Robert G. Holloway Jr, MD. The Evolving Role and Value of Libraries and Librarians in Health Care. JAMA. 2013;310(12):1231-1232. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.277050.
Enjoy!
Melody Allison
Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Librarian,
and Associate Professor of Library Administration
Funk Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Library<http://www.library.illinois.edu/funkaces/>
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
200 ACES Library, Information and Alumni Center
1101 S. Goodwin Ave., MC-633
Urbana, IL 61801
Aoccdrnig to a rseearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are witren, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey ltteer by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.