Bellevue Medical Library Advisory Committee
Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes Archive

Meeting Date: June 3, 2005

Members Present: Tania Bardyn (Chair), Karen Brewer (Ehrman Medical Library), Kathel Dunn (Ehrman Medical Library), Abigail Kennedy-Grant (Ehrman Medical Library), Mei Kong (Bellevue Hospital Center), Debra Palmieri (Bellevue Hospital Center), Liliana Rodriguez (Bellevue Hospital Center), Frank Matos (Guest, Bellevue Hospital Center), Dmitry Dubinsky (Guest, Bellevue Hospital Center)

Absent: William Bateman ( Bellevue Hospital Center ), Andrew Brotman (NYU School of Medicine), Katherine Henry (NYU School of Medicine), Dawn Hopkinson (Bellevue Medical Library), Wilfred Johnson ( Bellevue Hospital Center ), Lin Lombardi ( Bellevue Hospital Center ), Mary McKenna (Bellevue Hospital Center), Terry Miles (Bellevue Hospital Center), Liliana Rodriguez ( Bellevue Hospital Center ), James Saunders ( Bellevue Hospital Center ), Melita Sheperd ( Bellevue Hospital Center ), Michael Tanner (Bellevue Hospital Center), Manuel Trujillo (Bellevue Hospital Center)

I. Approval of Minutes from March 4, 2005

II. Medical Library Association Award, Public Relations Swap ‘n’ Shop Award, 2005

a. The Bellevue Medical Library received Third Place in the Medical Center/Hospital Libraries: Professional Outreach category for the Bellevue Medical Library Holiday Open House held on December 21, 2004 . Entries were categorized and judged by representatives from Public Communications Inc. (PCI) for creativity, accomplishment of stated goals, and best use of available budget and resources. First, second, and third place ribbons were awarded in six categories.

III. Library Use Study

a. The Library Committee asked that staff conduce a survey to see who is using the Bellevue Medical Library. Between April 11 and April 15 all users participated in a use survey and answered demographic questions upon entering the Bellevue Medical Library. This was the first time the library has conducted a use survey and the results show that use is evenly split between Bellevue and NYU users, each at 40% and 20% unaffiliated users. Library staff took hourly counts and from 11am-2pm was the busiest time each day with 1pm being the most heavily trafficked hour with an average of 15-20 users. Thursday is the busiest day of the week. On Monday and Wednesday residents were the highest using population. Tuesday and Friday were busiest with Unit Support Staff. 20% of users were unaffiliated and a discussion ensued about the high number of volunteers and students from other schools using the library.

b. Concerns about library resources and computers in the Bellevue Medical Library being monopolized by students raised a number of questions and issues to be addressed.

• Who are the students using the computers?
• Why are they using the computers at Bellevue Medical Library rather than at their home institution?
• Staff and Residents should have priority over the students.
• Many Bellevue staff members need to wait for a computer or leave without using the Library due to time constraints; most staff visits the Bellevue Medical Library on their lunch break.

c. In order to address the concern of visiting nursing students and students from other schools using the Library’s services and resourcesmore than the Bellevue staff Mei Kang recommended that Tania Bardyn attend new visiting student Orientation in August.

d. Usage of the computers in the Bellevue Medical Library could be monitored, especially during the highest usage times of the day, which was found to be between 11am and 2pm daily. Having cameras near the computer stations was suggested, but that raises concerns about privacy. It is believed that enforcing the displaying of IDs and having periodic checks throughout the day would give a clearer idea of whether unaffiliated individuals are using the computers in the Library.

e. It was decided to repeat the Library Use Survey during the summer months. The Library is still in a learning phase; continual information will create a better picture of usage and needs in regards to the Bellevue Medical Library.

 

IV. New Business

a. Bellevue Medical Library Website

• To allow for a connection between Bellevue Medical Library and the rest of the Bellevue community there will be a Center for Workplace Learning link from the Bellevue Medical Library website.
• Currently,95% of the collection is at Bellevue Medical Library are listed in the Ehrman Medical Library online catalog ~ Medcat including all of the books and most of the journals.
• Possible services available on the website were discussed by the committee. Creating a schedule to reserve or make appointments for the computers was discussed. That would require a reservation database that could be used by the community to see when computers would be available. There was also discussion of software that could be purchased for the library to use in order to schedule the meeting room for other groups.
• OVID has been licensed and is poised to launch this summer on the hospital intranet. Bellevue users can access Ovid via the Bellevue intranet without user name or password. Bellevue IT (MIS) will be tracking the usage statistics. Bellevue IT will be installing an automatic login script in the Bellevue intranet server.

b.Promoting Electronic and weeding Print Journals at Bellevue Medical Library
The Library would like to give increased attention to those biomedical journals which are available full text on-line. The Library now has access over 3,000 titles which are available via the Ehrman Medical Library web site and 112 titles via OVID will be launched this summer on the hospital intranet. Hard copy journals now occupies 170 shelves in the journal stacks which could be made available by weeding those journal that are available electronically for the last ten years or at Ehrman Medical Library journal stacks. None of the members voiced concern about having "lesser" access to the print versions. The Staff will prepare a survey of access to journals comparing print vs. electronic and identify candidates for weeding. The journals that are candidates for weeding will be either given away or discarded if there is not a request for them. To make the users aware of what journals are being considered for weeding, pink weeding slips will be put on the journals and signage will be placed in key areas of the Library. Suggestions to retain print titles in the collection are welcome and encouraged.

c. Library Fund
There is an interest to request funds from the Bellevue Hospital Library Fund to purchase computers, install card readers to charge for printing and copying, install additional computers and wireless.

Next Meeting: Friday, November 4, 2005 12: 15 – 1:30 PM , Bellevue Medical Library, 14 th Floor