It’s been a long 4 weeks. Last night I had to rest my eyes and take a break.
I have to admit, @Michael and @Kyle ‘s video on cultivating a transparent library was not something I thought about too much when we weeded out our medical collection. Decisions like that were the Directors and catalogers. As staff we just did it. After my talk with the director I remember all the ways that we were transparent. Decisions made after doing a LibQual survey showed that we needed more student space. No being a research institution we could get rid of books that were not being used, were too old, or out of date even after just 5 years. Medical technology changes consistently in some areas. A plan was drawn up and submitted to theinstitutions strategic plan guide for the next year. It included time, money needed for new furniture, reorganization of stacks–well you get the picture. We used Better World Books to dispose of our inventory.
Here I am two weeks later. Life happens. Getting back to week 5. . .
The article Turning ‘No” into “Yes” by Michael Casey and @Michael Stephens left me remembering all the things staff used to suggest, turned down, and now are alive and well in the medical library. Facebook finally got the ok a few years back.
The “Measuring progress” article brought back one of the first few weeks of the MOOC were I listened to a webinar on 3D printing and other “cool’ tools. Although it was not as expensive as I thought, I still do not seeing it as something our library would embrace. Not Yet anyway. I realized as reading that I don’t really know too much about tracking hits and sues of statistical software so I signed up for google analytics course. I appreciate the comment on not getting too hung up on the comments count. I can see how that could happen.
I think the “Six More Signposts” should also be in week one or two. Even though it is a common theme.
All in all, listen and hear what is happening and being said in and around your library. Take action if possible. Keep learning.
Julia's Odyssey 
“All in all, listen and hear what is happening and being said in and around your library. Take action if possible. Keep learning.”
That’s an impressively succinct summary. Will quote.
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Very cool. I just spoke to a group of mostly medical librarians in St. Louis. Fun talk and I learned a lot from them!
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Great. Did they give you any insight into how they are participating with their students? 1st & 2ndr year Medical students are such a different fish. They like quiet, being left alone to do their work, and are very stressed when it is exam day. It’s the 3rd & 4th years that are out on rotation that need our help the most. That’s why we started doing our clerkship letters and will soon have guides up for them too.
@Michael Enjoy New Zealand! I loved that picture of the southern Alps and added it to my Pinterest.
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