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.