DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
This year was a relatively stable one, at least insofar as financial issues were concerned. The budget process initiated last year, which treated the collection portion of the budget separately from the rest, again allowed us to maintain our past level of collection development and continue to offer the same range of services to our users that they have come to expect. Again, there was little room for expansion or development of new areas of service but, given the continued high rate of inflation of printed information and the continued financial circumstances of the College, we were able to meet most expectations. The difficulties of providing biomedical information will just increase, however, and are being exacerbated by the continued availability of either electronic versions of existing print material or new electronic information resources. We are straddling an evolutionary time in the publication of biomedical information where the old, print format has not yet given way to a new, electronic format. Consequently we must continue to purchase the printed formats even as we either duplicate them in electronic form or acquire new information available only in electronic form. The demand for electronic information, which is vastly more accessible via the network, requires that we continue to explore these types of information resources, but the economics have yet to stabilize and we often find that we have to purchase the print version to obtain the electronic version and pay an increased price. So, for the immediate future, the promise of reduced costs as a result of new technology is not being realized.
This lack of stability in the pricing of electronic information has only increased our efforts to cooperate with our 4-corners libraries. Given the high speed telecommunications capability that exists or is in the development stage among the four institutions, the ability to cooperate on joint purchase and management of electronic information is growing. The economics of sharing such electronic resources are favorable if the technical and management issues can be resolved. The 4-corners libraries and the technical staff have been meeting to investigate the possibility of such joint purchasing efforts. By the end of the year, we were close to negotiating an agreement for the first major set of electronic databases that would be jointly purchased and shared. If this first effort is successful, it bodes well for future sharing of expensive electronic resources.
The evolution of information from print to electronic is only one among several changes facing the library. A new Education Center, a new curriculum, the exploding number of biomedical resources on the Internet, and the increased need for educating our users in how to find information in this new electronic environment, have increased the need for planning. To this end, the Library Committee continued to explore a number of service roles and performance objectives for the Library. Access to Information, Library as Environment, and Reference & Education Services were identified as the most important service roles and the Library continued to develop mechanisms for measuring its capability and success in filling these roles.
An aspect of this planning activity arose quite unexpectedly when we began to receive reports about lack of seating in the library. The reports were coming from medical students who were particularly concerned about a lack of available seating during evening and weekend hours. The Library looked into the seating availability issue and found that students from one of the Library’s affiliated institutions and a large number of Health Professional Access card holders who were foreign medical graduates studying for examinations were responsible for the overcrowded conditions. Based on our acceptance of Library as Environment as a primary service role, and based on the description of that service role as applying most specifically to our primary clientele, we canceled the affiliation agreement and redefined membership qualifications for the HPA program. Both of these actions dramatically improved seating availability and demonstrated the utility of our recent planning activities.
On the international scene, the Library continued its cooperative efforts with the National Medical Library of Armenia. Two significant events occurred this year which involved several members of the Library faculty and staff. The first was a visit for one month by the Director and the Chief Programmer of the Armenian National Medical Library. They were here to spend time in our Library as well as attend the 7th International Congress of Medical Librarianship which was held in Washington, DC. in May 1995. As a result of this visit, a networking plan for that library was developed and work to implement it begun.
The Library Faculty were active again this year in numerous local, regional, and national activities. Robert M. Braude, helen-ann brown, Mark Funk, Mira Myhre, Jacqueline Picciano, Carolyn Reid, Jeanne Strausman, and Patricia Tomasulo all were active participants in professional association activities this year serving on a variety of committees or task forces. In addition to these activities, Robert M. Braude was made a Fellow of the Medical Library Association (MLA) at its Annual Meeting and he and the Director of the Armenian National Medical Library presented a paper on the Armenian Library Network Project at the 7th International Congress of Medical Librarianship. helen-ann brown presented a poster at the MLA Annual Meeting and began work as Editor of MEDLINE: A Basic Guide to Searching, 2nd edition. Mark Funk was elected Potential Candidate to the MLA Nominating Committee from the New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) Chapter of MLA. He continued as the MLA representative to Documentation Abstracts, Inc., the publisher of Information Science Abstracts and was elected Chair of their Board of Directors for a two-year term. He served another year as a member of the Advisory Committee for the JAMA Journal Review Column, and co-authored one review in the journal. And he continued his service as a member of the Library Board of Advisors for the Doody Publishing Company. Mira Myhre served on the Instructional Development Subcommittee of the MLA Continuing Education Committee; was a liaison for the development of the continuing education course: Health Care Administration; and developed instructional material for searching the CATLINE File of MEDLARS for the annual meeting of the Technical Services Section, all for MLA. She served as a member of the SUNY/OCLC Network Advisory Group representing health sciences libraries. And she also was Chair of the Continuing Education Committee of the NY/NJ Chapter. Jacqueline Picciano served as the representative to the Interagency Council on Information Resources for Nursing for MLA, as the Representative to the Chapter Council from NY/NJ Chapter and member of Chapter Executive Board; and as Chair of the Chapter Council's Work Group on Chapter/MLA Business Relations. She also served on METRO’s Legislative Committee. Carolyn Reid was elected Chair-Elect of FLIS (the user group for our integrated library system) and completed her service on the Nominating Committee of MLA. Patricia Tomasulo became a Distinguished Member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals of MLA, continued to serve as an alternate on the MLA Section Council for the Mental Health Librarians Section, and chaired a Contributed Papers session at the 1995 MLA Annual Meeting. She also served on the Payne Whitney North Library Committee and assisted in the development of a plan for a library at PWC-North.
The activities of each Program Area follow as reported by the Heads. Although this could be thought of as a relatively quiet year, a great deal of activity was going on although sometimes that activity falls more into the area of the mundane rather than the exotic. Nevertheless, the entire staff of the Library deserves credit and thanks for their accomplishments. Again they have concentrated their efforts on programs and services to the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center community at the highest level possible. I appreciate that effort and their continued dedication to the goals of the Library.
Robert M. Braude, M.L.S., Ph.D.
Frances and John Loeb Librarian
ADMINISTRATION
Human Resources. There were more that the usual changes in staffing this year. Two faculty members left to seek other opportunities — in July, we bid farewell to Diane G. Thomson and Catherine Warren, both from Information Services. A complete re-organization of that program area is described below. Antonia Nisce, Senior Administrative Assistant in Library Administration, took a one-year’s leave of absence starting April 1. We are very pleased to note that Camille E. Campbell has joined the staff in this position. Other staff changes are noted in the report of each program area. A cross-training program was developed to provide for expanded knowledge of library operations for staff in all areas of the Library. A program of staff awards was implemented — “Catch a Star” provides for the awarding of a gold star lapel pin to any staff member “caught in the act” of providing exceptional service.
Budgetary and Financial Activities. Preparation of the annual budget this year was facilitated by the implementation of the new Budget Development System (BDS). Training took place at the beginning of the budget process and online submission of the completed budget took place on May 4. The Financial Resources System (FRS) now manages most financial activities and presents monthly or ad hoc reports on aspects of the Library’s many accounts, all payroll and time sheet statistics, and all order/receipt activities.
Planning. Preliminary research and discussions were held by Library Faculty in anticipation of significant changes to be made in the Medical College curriculum in the near future. Specifically we are exploring the problem-based learning method and ways in which the Library can most fully participate in and support the program. The Library Web Committee was charged with the design and implementation of a Cornell Medical Library web site which became operational on October 24. The Web Committee continues to monitor use, develop new resources, and improve the organization and design of the web site. Preliminary discussions were held among the 4-Corners Libraries with the intent of forming a networked database consortium to provide databases to users of all four libraries. Preliminary discussions were held with Rockefeller University (RU) regarding their possible membership in CorNet to share the Georgetown LIS® system for their library computer system.
Facilities. Information on preserving printed materials damaged by water were provided to the Life Safety Department for assistance and recovery from serious fire damage in a lab in the S-Building. Review of the worn carpeting in Stack 1 and 2 in preparation for submission of a capital expenditure request revealed the presence of asbestos floor tiles. Concerns over possible health risks prompted arrangements for a special presentation on asbestos by the Director of Life Safety in January. Remodeling work in Pathology Department (second floor, above the Library) necessitated the Library’s cooperation in HVAC work that took place over a one-week period in February. Careful coordination provided that the work was minimally disruptive to Library users.
Other Administrative Activities. Consultation activities under contract to the New York Psychoanalytic Institute and Society were completed with a presentation to a select group of Society members and discussions to assist in the implementation of a World Wide Web site at the Institute. The Library was very pleased to host two Armenian colleagues, Anna Shirinian and Tigran Zargarian, during the month of May. Carolyn Reid represented the Library through her participation in two insitution committees, the Bar Code Committee and the Administrative Forum Steering Committee. She also completed her service on the Medical College Committee to advise on the selection of the University President and was elected Chair-Elect of the Friends of LIS, the user group for the library÷s computer system, which gives Cornell excellent opportunities to shape the design of the new system, LIS2.
Carolyn Anne Reid, Associate Director
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Staffing, Vendor Change, Other Activities. Collection Development is once again fully-staffed as Yonghong Yang joined us in October, becoming the Acquisitions Assistant. Further changes in Acquisitions included the buyout of one of our book vendors by Blackwell North America. We are adapting to the change and will be evaluating their performance. Michael Wood, the Collection Development Manager, gave a training review of the Standing Orders module in LIS to the staff at MSKCC Library. Michael continues to assist Information Services when they are short staffed by working at the Information Desk.
Inventory. The Serials staff (Vergie Savage-Branch and José Medina) are now using Macintosh computers, making it much easier for them to process release orders and do other printing. Four-fifths of Collection Development now use Macintoshes. The Serials staff also inventoried about 1,300 bound journal volumes that were in the collection, but not listed in LIS. These volumes now appear to the public in the catalog. Also inventoried, and added to LIS, were over 1,800 microfiche frames we acquired from the former Payne Whitney Library (PWL).
Journal Subscriptions. While book prices are increasing at close to consumer-price-index rates, journal prices continue to increase much more rapidly. In addition to regular inflationary increases, this past year has seen a world-wide increase in the cost of printing paper. Also, many publishers continue to increase the number of pages in their journals, and increase their prices accordingly. With the dramatic drop of the dollar’s value against foreign currency, our heavily used, research-oriented journals have increased the most, averaging approximately 15% increase each year. To combat this, the collection developers at CUMC, MSKCC, and RU libraries continue to cooperate in their selection of new journals, trying to avoid unnecessary duplication whenever possible.
Mark Funk, Head, Collection Development
CATALOGING
Payne Whitney Library Merger and the Audiovisual Collection. In addition to our regular work of cataloging and classifying acquired material, we completed the project of merging the former PWL collection with the Cornell collection. The Department also worked on the Cornell audiovisual collection; we standardized all call numbers in order to facilitate efficient retrieval.
Reorganization and Staffing. In August, the Cataloging Department was reorganized. One support position was eliminated. This action required additional training of existing support staff and writing a new procedural manual.
Mira Myhre, Head, Cataloging
ACCESS SERVICES
Library Users. Although Cornell Medical Library continues to be heavily used, circulation statistics (external circulation and reserve) decreased when compared with the previous year, while in-house materials use increased significantly. This year, we tied our previous record for attendance. On March 15, 1995 — Match Day — we recorded 2,421 entries. The daily count has exceeded 2,000 entries on ten occasions.
Affiliates. United Hospital Medical Center, Port Chester, NY, was welcomed as a Cornell Medical Library affiliate in March 1995. The affiliation of the New York College of Podiatric Medicine was terminated as of February 28, 1995. The New York Psychoanalytic Institute, which has considered affiliation since August 1994, has not yet decided to join the program.
The Health Professionals Access Program. As of May 30, 1995, there were 105 individual subscribers to the Health Professionals Access Program, including nine licensed physicians, 60 foreign medical graduates (unlicensed), and three medical writers or journalists. There were three institutional members: two law firms and one medical laboratory.
Staffing. Solving staffing problems and training staff was time-consuming for Loretta Merlo, the Circulation Manager. Scheduling temporary employees to cover absences was sometimes unsure. On July 1, 1994, we finally received authorization for a third desk position in order to alleviate the tight staffing situation.
The Patient Education File. Jacqueline Picciano continued to serve as a member of the Patient/Family Health Education Committee of the Nursing Department, New York Hospital. The Patient Education file maintained with the Reserve Collection is undergoing constant revision as the pamphlet collection is weeded and updated. New pamphlets selected and approved by nursing departments are being entered in LIS by the Cataloging Department.
Interlibrary Services (ILS). The ILS division requested 5,624 items from other libraries this year and we received 5,601, or 99.6% of them. Additionally, we received 8,257 requests from other libraries and filled 6,758 of them, or 81.85%.
Our plan to initiate use of Ariel, a document delivery application, was unsuccessful because of equipment problems. Sharing use of a computer already in ILS with other telecommunications programs did not work. We saw that an additional computer was needed. Provided a new computer is obtained, we hope to be using Ariel by next fall. A METRO Technology Grant was sought to help pay for Ariel equipment. The Grant was not awarded, but we will apply again next year.
Serious changes in staff crippled the department as veterans left and new, often temporary, people took over the workload. Michael Greenidge, a long-term employee, was promoted to a job in Computer Services and was replaced by Gregory Pinney, a former shelver in the Circulation Department. Jacqueline Hutton, another veteran of ILS, was out on disability leave. She was temporarily replaced by Edsel Watkins, a requisition worker with experience in Circulation. Deirdre Harrison was hired as photocopier, succeeding Jae Hong Jo, who left to finish nursing school. Needless to say, training new employees consumed a high percentage of Stephen Bright÷s time in his position as ILS Manager.
Our Sister Library Overseas. Service to the Instituto Nacional de Saude, Centro de Documentacao, in Mozambique continued, though the number of requests decreased dramatically. Jacqueline Picciano was a contributor to the SateLife Program presented at the 7th International Congress on Medical Librarianship in Washington, DC, in May 1995 and was happy to meet representatives of medical libraries serving other libraries in Africa.
Jacqueline Picciano, Head, Access Services
INFORMATION SERVICES
Reorganization and Staffing. This is the first report from the self-directed Information Services Team, nicknamed the I-Team. The I-Team, formed in July 1994, became fully staffed in October. Kevin Pain was promoted to Information Services Coordinator in August. Anny Khoubesserian came on board as an additional Information Services Coordinator in September, and Susan Moesker was hired as the Senior Library Assistant in October. The Head of Library Relations became one of the faculty members of the I-Team; the I-Team is now responsible for Library relations functions.
Classes and Instruction. Information Services staff gave 36 classes or instruction sessions on accessing medical information to a total of 173 participants. These sessions were given to various medical center groups or individuals, and included classes on searching MEDLINE®, CINAHL™, PsycLIT®, and biomedical resources on the Internet. We continue to participate in the fourth-year medical student course on Diagnostic and Therapeutic Problem Solving combined with Ambulatory Care. The I-Team organized a series of special classes on introductory Macintosh computer skills for incoming medical students in October and November.
Individual instruction was provided in searching the Library’s holdings and the miniMEDLINE SYSTEM™, in using Knowledge Finder® MEDLINE® or OVID® MEDLINE® and CINAHL™, and in searching PsycLIT® and EMBASE-Psychiatry®. The I-Team increased emphasis on one-on-one coaching and took a proactive approach to assisting patrons with their searches and troubleshooting the computer equipment. The total number of brief, individual instruction sessions given in using these databases was 2,885.
Tours/Orientations. There were 22 tours or orientation sessions for 212 participants including first-year medical students during Orientation Week, Dietetic Interns, Summer Fellows, Pharmacy Interns, Surgery Residents, and visitors to the Cornell Medical Library. Most sessions included some instruction in Vital Signs, LIS, the miniMEDLINE SYSTEM®, and Knowledge Finder®. Special orientation materials were prepared and distributed to all new house staff, medical and graduate students.
Reference. The total number of questions of a reference or instructional nature for the year (including Information Desk, electronic mail requests to the Info Desk, and Circulation Desk reference questions at nights and on weekends) was 8,944. Directional reference queries are no longer tallied and are not included in these figures. The e-mail account at the Information Desk received 103 questions which were answered electronically. The hours at the desk were extended so that the desk is staffed from 9:00 AM until 6 PM each week day for a total of 45 hours per week. It is often necessary for two or more I-Team members to provide coverage.
A Power Mac microcomputer was added to the Electronic Reference Center (ERC) along with a printer. Grateful Med, AIDSLINE, OMIM, and Knowledge Finder® PsycLIT® were added to all the public access computers in the ERC and in the Microcomputer Room. The full text New England Journal of Medicine was mounted on the OVID® workstations on a trial basis. Journal coding information for the Library, plus the library holdings at RU and MSKCC, were added to OVID® MEDLINE® and CINAHL™, and will soon be entered into the Cornell Network Knowledge Finder® MEDLINE®. The I-Team established an ongoing project for marking and stamping retracted publication materials.
A monthly guide to Internet Resources was begun in December. The I-Team contributes to the news of the Library column in Connections, along with writing feature articles. The Library's brochure was updated to include library organizational changes and additional electronic resources. Two I-Team faculty began to review the reference collection on an on going basis. This has resulted in a closer coordination with Collection Development and more current and relevant reference works.
Vital Signs. The Library's menu-driven interface to programs and services continues to serve patrons well (see Vital Signs use statistics in Table I below).
Table I: Vital Signs StatisticsBook/Journal Recommendation RequestsLiterature Search Requests Reference Questions Interlibrary Loan Requests Photocopy Requests Rx Comments |
1994-19954229 10 252 12 453 |
Mediated and End-User Searches. Concomitant with increased activity in end-user searching, there was a drop again this year in the number of mediated, fee-based searches done for Library patrons. We completed a total of 430 mediated searches. Library patrons continued to enjoy access to the MEDLINE database in three different formats and access to many other databases, as mentioned above, at no charge.
Special Information Services. Special Information Services continued to be provided to the Tumor Board and to the High Risk Pregnancy Conference of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Special presentations were also made for the Department of Radiology (Radiation Therapy), Cornell Internal Medicine Associates, and the Payne Whitney (PW) South and North locations.
Working Together. The I-Team initiated a series of interdepartmental problem-solving meetings with Access Services. Three brainstorming sessions were held to discuss how we can offer better services to our patrons.
Celebrations. The Library hosted four art shows this year including The Fourth Medical Complex Art Show for which two Golden Harvest Awards for "Best of Show" were presented. Match Day was celebrated as usual in March, presided over by Dean Robert Michels. National Library Week provided a time for general recognition of the Library÷s role in the institution and a chance for the Library to thanks its users for their support throughout the year.
helen-ann brown, Patricia A. Tomasulo, and Jeanne Strausman,
Information Services Team
COMPUTER SERVICES
Staffing. A new position for Microcomputer Technician was added to the Computer Services Department. Michael Greenidge will be responsible for maintenance of the DOS Computer Room and DOS applications.
Additional Computers and Applications. Two new computers were added to the DOS Computer Room for public use, increasing the total to nine. An additional Macintosh IIcx was also acquired and placed in the Microcomputer Room, also for use by the public. Ariel, a document delivery system, was installed in the Interlibrary Services Department. It's use initially proved successful. Problems arose, however, when the computer was utilized for other applications as well. An AIX computer was loaned to the Library by The Office of Academic Computing (OAC) in order to test the possiblity of an eventual migration from the VAX to the AIX computer. The tests were successful and funding for equipment and complete migration will be pursued next year.
Upgrades. The CD Plus® workstation located in Information Services, was upgraded from a 386 to a Pentium computer with a CD ROM tower. Macintoshes utilized by the public were upgraded; all contain a 100 MB hard disk drive and high-density floppy disk drive. The hard disk contain all networking applications, Educational Center Software, and library-specific applications such as Grateful Med and Knowledge Finder®. “CD Server” file server was installed. This file server was designed for utilization with applications that need CD ROMs. The CDs are copied into a magnetic media that quickens access time. Additionally, conversion of the Library’s e-mail account was made from QuickMail to Eudora.
Armenian Library Network. A proposal to network the Armenian Library to the internet was submitted by the Head of Computer Services to the Armenian Library Network.
Octavio Morales, Head, Computer Services
HEBERDEN SOCIETY
The Heberden Society once again scheduled its regular series of three lectures during the academic year as part of the Dean’s Hour. Three interesting and enlightening speakers lectured to Cornell students, faculty, and staff (see Table II below). The Dean provided the Society with the funds for this year’s lecture series as he has in the past, and that assistance is acknowledged with thanks. The Heberden Society Advisory Committee is likewise acknowledged for its valuable support and advice.
Table II: HEBERDEN SOCIETY LECTURE SERIES, 1993-1994
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October 12, 1994
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Maclyn McCarty, M.D. |
LIBRARY COMMITTEE
The Library Committee, again this year, provided valuable assistance in the area of policy and the 1995-1996 budget request. The contributions of the members are gratefully acknowledged.
The members of the Library Committee for 1994-1995 were:
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Jeanne Becker, M.L.S. Robert M. Braude, Ph.D. John Davis, M.D. William Frosch, M.D. Daniel Gardner, Ph.D. Todd Gorman Mary Hoffman Paul Kligfield, M.D., Chair David Kutler Abigail Kristt, R.N., M.S. Grace Lee Avram H. Mack Patricia Mackey, M.L.S. Robert Michels, M.D. Carolyn Anne Reid, M.A. Marcus Reidenberg, M.D. Suzanne Stensaas, Ph.D. |
MSKCC Library Library, Ex Officio General Faculty Council Clinical Sciences Basic Sciences Medical Student, 3rd Year Graduate Student Council Clinical Sciences Medical Student, 4th Year Nursing Education Medical Student, 2nd Year Medical Student, 1st Year Rockefeller University Library Dean, Ex Officio Library, Ex Officio Basic Sciences Pathology/Education Center |
Robert M. Braude, Ph.D.
Frances and John Loeb Librarian
Assistant Dean for Information Resources
APPENDIX I: CORNELL MEDICAL LIBRARY STATISTICS, 1993-1994
  
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