Meeting with Educational Services Librarian

Today I met with Jan who is the educational services librarian. She mentors others medical librarians, organizes educational program, and coordinates medical student librarians. She also teaches people how to use and find resources online. It is hard for her keep with technology and how to use it. Although she would like to have an administrator assistant because it would be much easier for everyone who finds it difficult to do perform all of the day's work. Her typical day involves reading emails, organizing classes, and making sure the content is adequate. She communicates with people through email, teaching, and meetings.

An important thing that one needs in her job is curiosity not because that one is loosing interest in the job but that it makes one learn more things. For instance she received an anonymous letter from California that asked the question: Does blood bounce off snow?, and she became so intrigued by the question that she herself wanted to know. She gave the individual a list of sources to contact his local hospital and ask the people of pathology. She says that it is one of her favorite questions. Her memorable experiences is recognizing the need before other people, and realizing that the product for which she felt would be huge became a great thing.

Some projects that she is currently working on is organizing orientations for the new medical students, and making sure that her list for which she will be using to teach is revised and ready for September 14. Next week she will be going to Australia for which she will be representing the library. She has also been to China in which she was a key note speaker for a meeting, and Darthmouth in which she supported the clinical library.

Jan received her masters in library sciences from Rhode Island University, and has been in the career for 35 years. She had always wanted to become a librarian since she was a teenager. So what is necessary for her to be happy in her job is doing the best to her ability with the time that she has. Some benefits the community receives from her job are teaching people how to find information, and helping school nurses by raising awareness. In 5 years she hopes to perform some garden work, volunteering at some places, and tutor students for English.