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.