From the Director's Desk

Best wishes for 2009! The staff of the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library looks forward to working with you in the upcoming year. As you can see from the articles included in this newsletter, spring is bringing changes to Himmelfarb. The Library's webpage now features a single search engine for accessing multiple resources. Wireless printing from laptops is available within the Library. The second floor has been cleared of print journals (1980– 2007) and is being converted into a quiet study area. Low-use titles were moved to storage at the Washington Regional Library Consortium and can generally be retrieved within two working days. High-use titles without an electronic archive were moved to on-site storage and can be retrieved within one hour on weekdays. High-use titles with an electronic archive are available in electronic format 24/7 on- and off- campus.

As the Library marks its third year of a nearly all-electronic journal collection, we are undertaking an evaluation of the collection to determine how well it meets the needs of Medical Center faculty, staff, and students and to assess the mix of titles with regard to subject coverage. Members of the Library's administrative team will be calling on each department within the Medical Center to seek input. Please contact either Anne Linton, Director, mlbaml@gwumc.edu, 202-994-1826, or Kathe Obrig, Associate Director Collections & Access Services, mlbkso@gwumc.edu, 202-994-8906, with any questions about the project. Look for reports on our collection evaluation in late spring.

Best wishes for a successful year!