Last Day: Interviewing the Medical Library Director

Today i interviewed Kenny Marrone, who is the Director of the Yale Medical Library. She attended Albertus Magnus and received her Bachelors Degree in History, as well as a Masters Degree in Library Science. She loves her position as director, because she is able to contribute in positive ways and is able to manage who manage exceptional staff that are hired. In order to be successful in her profession she had to be a good team member, be able to work well with individuals, and be a leader. Also, she discussed with me how much she enjoys her working environment because all the workers are very friendly, and she always has a sense of satisfaction when a job is done well. Overall, Mrs.Marone loves her job and enjoys being able to listen to workers discuss what they are proud of and how much of a difference they have made.

Day 5: Meeting Diane Turner

Today i interviewed Diane Turner, who is the  former Director of Library Human Resources. Mrs.Turner is orginially from Slydell, Louisana. She attended Grambling University for her undergraduate degree and then Albany State for her graduate degree. She discussed with me how she finds her job very rewarding because she loves telling people they are hired and hearing how appreciative they are that they received the job. Also, she explained to me how difficult it is telling people they will not receive a job offer. Yet overall she enjoys the work she does and is very dedicated to her career.

Today I interviewed one of the longest serving employees at the Medical Library. Her name is Jeannette Ponzio. She has been working at the Yale Medical Library for forty seven years! She got her degree straight out of high school from  Stone Buisness College. She first started as a book and journal shelver, then moved her way up to the Circulation Department and worked in that area for 23 years, becoming acting Head of Circulation for one year. Now she is an Acquisitions Assistant. She discussed with me how throughout the years technology has increasingly changed and it has made the work she does today easier. Also, we discussed the skills she needed to be able to succeed in her position. For instance she had to have communication skills and computer skills to be able to work successfully. She also explained to me how she loves her working environment and how she hopes that in the next year she will be retiring. Even after she retires she plans to help out at a local nursing home to stay on her feet!

Fifth day of internship

Today I interviewed John Gallagher, who is originally from Ireland. At first he wasn't sure what he wanted to be so he started off working at UPS, construction , evenings at a Circulation Department at a Library. Then he became Deputy Director of Public Services at Cushing/Whitney Medical Library (http://library.medicine.yale.edu/), and now he is the Associate Director. Mr. Gallagher has a Bachelors and Masters degree from Southern Connecticut State University (http://www.southernct.edu/). Also, he attended a College in Ireland for two years after he graduated from high school. He explained to me how the working conditions here are a lot different then the ones he use to encounter, but he does like them a lot. He also described to me how his job is very fulfilling.  Its fun to hear what people are working on, and how John works with such great colleagues. But in order to do this job you have to really love what you are doing and be able to listen to others needs, which Mr.Gallagher enjoys doing.

After interviewing Mr.Gallagher I went and interviewed Mark Gentry, who works as a Library Liaison to Internal Medicine and a Clinical Support Librarian. He is the Medical Library technology coordinator, and he does lectures and gives International Support when his help is needed in specific program areas, like clinical training in Uganda. He has a Bachelors degree, Masters degree in Anthropology, and a Library Science degree. He attended West Virginia College but soon after transferred to Trent University where he majored Anthropology. Then for his Graduate degree he went to the University of Connecticut and then to Southern Connecticut University for Library Science. Mr. Gentry discussed to me how likes being in a academic environment and how he receives a lot of support from his colleagues. He also said he likes how people are very appreciative of his work, because its not everyday you go to work and you have people thank you  for doing your job.

Fourth day of internship

Today i met with Lei Wang who is a Instructional Design Librarian at the Yale Medical Library (http://library.medicine.yale.edu/). He teaches others how to use library references through online tutorials. His education took place in China, where he went to a four year college. He explained to me how there was a lot of competition, so if you got accepted to a college you needed to accept the offer quickly before someone else tried to take your spot. In order to succeed in his Yale job there were specific education requirements. He needed a Masters degree in library science and experience/ education on instructional design. Mr. Wang is very pleased with his working environment. He described to me how Yale always provides a lot of extra opportunities to help others, so he is always able to keep up with the latest technology. The atmosphere he works in is always exciting. Also, he discussed with me how he is very dedicated to his work. In order to succeed in this job you need to be understanding, have compassion, and most importantly be able to understand technology from a users point of view.

Third Day of Internship

Today I explored the Yale New Haven Hospital with Denise Hersey. She showed me the Oncology section and anesthesiologist part of the building. I thought they were both fascinating places, and I was very appreciative that she showed it to me because I hope to be a Oncologist or an Anesthesiologist one day. So getting insight about my future was great! While we were there, I also interviewed Ms.Hersey. She has a undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania (http://www.upenn.edu/),  and a Masters degree from Southern Connecticut State University (http://www.southernct.edu/) . Today she works as the Coordinator of  the Liaison Program and is matched to a department which she supports. She explained to me how lately the new technology is hard to keep up with since every day something new is coming out. In order to keep up with the information problems of a liaison group,  you have to think out of the box and find new resolutions for their problems. She also said how much she likes the opportunities her job offers and how it is a very rewarding job, because she gets thanked everyday for making doctors' lives easier...just by doing her job. Imagine getting thanked everyday for doing your job! That would be pretty nice, going home knowing that you have made someone else's work life easier just by doing your job.

Today I interviewed Charles Greenberg, who is the Special Project Librarian. He attended Albany State University, where he received a Bachelor degree and a  Masters Degree in Library and Information Science. Mr.Greenberg also has had many past jobs. Before he became a Special Project Librarian he was the Coordinator of Curriculum and Research Support, and before that, he was the Head of Reference Services. On a typical day, he spends his time reviewing too much email. He also teaches students how to be more efficient and helps them expand their knowledge, which is one of his favorite aspects of his job. Recently Mr.Greenberg has traveled to Armenia (http://hyelibrarians.tumblr.com/) where he taught adults skills they need to have in order to be a successful health sciences librarian.  He also discussed with me how his working environment is very calm and how his colleagues are pleasant to be around.One thing that really caught my attention was when I asked him what other dreams he has; his response was world peace through individual happiness. He explained to me how him helping other students achieve their academic goals helps them bring forth happiness in others, and that gets him closer to the bigger dream.

First Day as a Chili Intern

Today was my first day as a Chili Intern and I met with Mr.Greenberg who then took me on a tour around the Medical Library . I was introduced to many parts of the library that i didn't know existed, such as the Cushing Center which contains many of Harvey Cushing's collections such as different types of brain tumors he studied. Who would expect an area in a library dedicated to studies of brains?  No other library has that, which is fascinating to me.

After viewing the Cushing Center, I toured the Circulation Desk where i met the librarian Melanie Norton and the manager of the Circulation Department. I interviewed Mrs. Norton first. She received her undergraduate degree from Alfred University and then her graduate degree from the University of Kentucky. She started off as a reference librarian at the Rochester Institute of Technology and then started working a North Carolina State University as the Head of Interlibrary Loan, then the University of N.C. at Chapel Hill which she was Head of Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery. She came to Yale as a Head of Interlibrary and Document Delivery, and as of  six months ago she is Head of Access and Delivery Services. Her uplifting spirit and outgoing personality made her a great applicant for this position.  She also discussed with me how her working conditions are always exciting and how if she ever needs help with something her colleagues are always there with  helping hands. After our interview i went and interviewed Rick Bean who is the manager of the Circulation Department.Rick became the Evening and Weekend Circulation Supervisor in 2000. After over twenty years of service, Rick Bean will be retiring from the Medical Library. Rick has contributed to many initiatives in the Medical Library, but will likely be most remembered for his cooking, wit, and willingness to help others.

Day Seven: Interview with Mrs. Glover and Mr. Gentry

Today I started my Internship day by interviewing Ms. Jan Glover.
 Jan started working at Yale Medical Library in 1977.  Back then, she said that because of the low rate of women working professionally, young women just took any job they were offered. But. Jan went to library school after college and received her Masters in Library Science. Jan is mostly interested in information skills for clinical medicine and wants her students to learn how to look for information in the most effective ways. Even before she became a librarian, she was interested in  medicine, but she never wanted to work with it. So she became a medical librarian!



After meeting Jan, I went to interview Mr. Mark Gentry. Mark told me that when he was 13, he decided to become a rock and roll musician. Then when he was 18 years old, he decided to become a lawyer.  Finally decided to become an anthropologist. Mr. Gentry taught as an ESL teacher in China and other overseas places.
Then he decided to become a medical librarian, which has been a really interesting career for him..

I had great time interviewing Ms.Glover and Mr. Gentry, as I learned lots of things about them and how they found the profession of medical librarianship.  I also learned that you can try different fields on for size and see what interests you. Then you can always change. You don't always have to work with what you love directly.You can work with what you love indirectly,  just like Jan.

Day Six: Interview with Diane Turner

Today I interviewed Ms.Diane Turner, who is the Associate University Librarian for Human Resources. Ms. Turner has worked in this position for 34 years. Originally Ms. Turner actually wanted to work as a Dean of Admissions,  because of her love for academia and the interaction with students that happens. She enjoys being around others, understanding the challenges that library staff face, and constantly multitasking . Ms. Turner had many things that inspired her, but the ones who inspired her most were her parents and her siblings, who were great role models for her.
For Ms. Turner,  there are many important criteria for being a librarian, including communication skills, as well as an appreciation for the diversity of opinions and ways that people problem-solve. After talking to Mrs. Turner for few minutes, I felt like I knew her for really long time and felt really comfortable during the interview. She has became one of my role models.

Day Five: Interview With Melissa Grafe

          Today, I started my internship day interviewing Melissa Grafe, who works in the Historical Medical Library. While I was waiting for Ms. Grafe, I also met George Moore, who works for Access and Delivery Services. George talked to little bit of what he was doing at that movement, looking for a quote describing the experience of Dr.Harvey Cushing. George was examining many of Dr.Cushing's diaries that described his day-to-day activities and things he did at the laboratory.
    Mr.Moore said that he just loves what he does, and since he has been working here at the library for 40 years, he feels like he is actually a library holding. He feels like he is connected to the library in many ways. I was able to see Dr. Cushing's diaries and get a look at his office. It was so peaceful in his office that I felt like I was actually traveling back in time.
When Interviewing Ms. Grafe, I found out that she loves the combination of medicine and history, a reason why she applied to work at the Historical Medical Library.
     Ms. Grafe has a Ph.D in History of Medicine from John Hopkins University. Another reason why she applied for the Historical Medical Library position is that it involves teaching, and she loves teaching. Ms. Grafe showed me the entire collection of  historical manuscripts.
    During my interview, I learned how Ms. Grafe combined her love for medicine with her love for history and books to create a career that she enjoys and makes living. I am really grateful for this opportunity.

Day Four: Interview with Lei Wang

Today after I was done interviewing Mr. Hughes, I went on to interview Mr. Wang, who is an Instructional Designer.
While interviewing Mr. Wang, I learned many new things, as well as some  things that are required for you to become a Medical Librarian. You need a Masters Degree in Library Science focusing on health sciences materials and services. The  reason why Mr. Wang choose to work as an Instructional Designer was because he loved designing with software, and he also loved teaching. So he decided to combine those two passion and became a instructional designer, where he designs new ways to teach students about software and skills. Mr. Wang was interested in  teaching, and he knew that learning can be really hard. To make learning easy he wanted to design demonstrations that would be best to transfer his knowledge to students.
Mr. Wang like lots of things about information technology, which supports his enthusiasm to be able work as an instructional designer. From Mr. Wang, I learned that anyone can make their love and passions for something into a career and make a living out of it. It can be like fairy tale but once you have the will, anything is possible.
I thank Mr. Wang for giving me this wonderful opportunity to learn about his interests and how became an instructional designer in a medical library..

Day Four: Interview with Mr. Hughes

Today I Interviewed Mr. Hughes. Mr. Hughes in the Business Manager at Yale Medical Library.

In the past Mr. Hughes worked at the Athena Insurance company, and he wanted to try a change in his life, which is why he applied for job at Yale Medical library. He appreciated that the Yale Medical library was also part of the acadamic life at Yale. He also considered other alternatives for his career, such as insurance underwriter, high school mathematics teaching, or working as a computer science teacher.

There are three main jobs that he is required to do, including making sure bills gets paid, overseeing the payroll, and the security of the library.

The types of knowledge a person should have in order to become a business manger include mathmatics, knowledge of how to use productivity applications, and also have business background.

The major things that inspired Mr. Hughes to become business mManger are educating people at Yale University and enjoying mathematics. One interesting thing about being a business manger is that you get to meet interesting people everyday. Talents and skills essential to be an effective business manger are understanding finance, good math skills, financial expertise, and know computer systems and databases.

Another prerequisites for being a business manger is to have a Masters of Business Adminstration .

Second day: My Interview with Mr. Bean and Ms. Norton

Today, after interviewing Ms. VanTine, I went on to interview Mr. Bean and Ms. Norton,who both work in Access and Delivery Services department at the Yale Medical Library.

I started my interview with Mr Bean, who used to work in the US Air Force . Eventually he decided to leave the Air Force, and he wanted to work in place which had an academic enviroment . First he came back to United States and worked at Barnes and Nobles for couples of years. Later on, he worked at Yale School of Management for 3 years and at Yale Sterling Memorial Library . He then applied for a position at Yale Medical library and was successful. Mr. Bean has steadily worked his way up to his current responsibility.

Mr. Bean believes that an effective librarian has both personal qualities and professional skills. The personal qualities you should have include being able to "read" people's needs and be friendly. The professional qualities include a Master of Library Science degree . Mr. Bean's day-to-day responsibilities are to oversee his department in the evening, supervise a variety of activities, and solve patron problems.

Mrs. Norton, who supervises the Access and Delivery Services Department , says that she also came to her career indirectly. Mrs. Norton always wanted to work in a museum. If she had not ended up in a health sciences library, she might have sought work in some type of museum or historical society.

When Mrs. Norton was young she used to volunteer at museums.  She has worked as reference librarian, cataloger and eventually as an interlibrary-loan librarian. Eventually her career led  to the position she is in now in New Haven.

Mrs. Norton thinks that librarians should be energetic and have a good nature, always wanting to help people in need of information. Librarians need to have a Masters Degree in Library Science but also believes that a person should seek experiences in the front line of  library service. 

Second Day: Interview with Melissa Vantine

Today after interviewing Mr. Gallagher, I interviewed Ms. Vantine, whose first name is Melissa. Melissa has worked at the Yale Medical Library for 10-years. Melissa is a part of Collection Development and Management. Ms. Vantine originally wanted to become Horticulturist .
Melissa says that she fell into this profession. She partially gives credit for working in Collection Development and Management ; in fact she used to work at the library during her studies. She likes to organizing things.

Melissa likes working at the Yale Medical Library. Also, because she gets to learn new things everyday, it's kind of like a school for her where she is always learning new material related to her job. She loves helping people in general, which also is one of the reasons why she choose the field she works in right now.

Melissa has many duties related to her job, such as, ordering books, cataloging books and paying invoices.

According to Melissa, for a person to become a part of collection development and management, you should have Masters in Library Science, or be a library paraprofessional. In Melissa's job you should Know about call numbers and cataloging rules, as well as know how to be organized.

Melissa loves to be in the library, especially the academic part with conferences she has to attend. Conferences are also very educational. Personal qualities that a person should have are good communication skills, good listening skills and know how to organize.

Second Day: Part One- Interview with Mr. Gallagher

Today I interviewed Mr. Gallagher. He is the Associate Director here at the Yale Medical Library. Mr. Gallagher briefly gave me a description of what his job is about. Mr. Gallagher has been working here for 12 years.

Mr. Gallagher at first didn't know what he wanted to do in future. He had many jobs in the past some of which includes, working for UPS, worked at evening circulation for a public library , Construction worker, FedEx, Head of circulation here and now he is the associate director. Now Mr. Gallagher is in the position that he wanted to be. Some of the things he does around the library includes represent the library on curriculum matters, works with other committees, manages staff, and he is also a research librarian . He is a Personal librarian to the Medical Students here at Yale University.
According to Mr. Gallagher, for a person to become a Medical librarian, a person should have a Master of Library Science (MLS).

It was my Pleasure meeting Mr. Gallagher .

Tour of the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library - Yale University

Today is the first day of my CHILI Intern. My first day as an intern went really well. Mr. Greenberg gave me a tour of the Medical Library. There were lots of interesting things which I did not know about. For instance, I didn't know the history of Harvey Cushing/ John Hay Whitney Medical library. It was very fascinating. the library dates back to 1941 and is very unique in its own ways. It had served the public and the Yale medical students throughout its years. One of the things that fascinating things I saw was the medical tool display located in the medical objects collection of the Library. It was very interesting for me to see the surgical tools that date back to Roman Empire. It was really interesting for me to be able to see the tools that they used to used conduct any kind of medical process. Another thing that was interesting was the special reference books present in the library on consumer health, end of life, medical teaching. The tour of the library demonstrated how technology is taking over the libraries but there is still a place for books.
Later, I interviewed Mr. Greenberg. I learned the importance of a Medical Library and librarianship is general. Mr. Greenberg originally wanted to work in either the library science or education field. Graduated a semester early, he applied first to library science graduate school and was offered a graduate assistance scholarship covering all costs. He took the first job he was offered, which was at a Public library. later, he became a Medical Librarian.
Mr. Greenberg has created two special projects with students (C.H.I.L.I. internship and Healthflicks). Mr. Greenberg is very passionate in his work.

Harvey Cushing

After graduating from Yale, Dr. Cushing received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1895 and taught at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medical School before accepting appointment as Mosely Professor of Surgery at Harvard in 1912.