Director's Desk - Welcome Address

Welcome to a New Academic Year!

On behalf of the entire Himmelfarb Library staff, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all new Medical Center faculty, staff, and students. I would also like to extend greetings to all returning faculty and students on the start of a new academic year.

The Library staff looks forward to meeting your information needs in the upcoming months. We also welcome your input! You may contact me at 202-994-1826 or mlbaml@gwumc.edu. The Library’s e-mail address is library@gwumc.edu. The telephone number for the reference desk is 202-994-2850.

A major Library goal for the current academic year is improved access to electronic resources. The transition to a nearly-all electronic journal collection continues, and plans are well underway to debut a redesigned web page with streamlined access to electronic content. The transition to an electronic environment is a new experience for most of us and often requires taking a fresh look at how we use information. For instance, when there are no longer many print copies to browse, how do we keep current with the literature? Will electronic table-of-contents services, citation alerts features, and RSS feeds from databases work just as well as traditional methods? We believe that they will. Library liaisons will be calling departments to request the opportunity to review what electronic resources are available at the Medical Center and how to use the special features available through these resources most effectively. We would also like to hear about your needs and concerns as we make this transition to an electronic environment. We look forward to meeting with faculty, residents, and students during the upcoming year to partner in building a dynamic collection that meets the need of the Medical Center! See the list of Library liaisons below if you would like to schedule a meeting immediately!

Library patrons will also see changes in the recently refurbished Bloedorn Audiovisual Study Center as we transition to a collaborative technology center [with gift funding from the GW Hospital Women’ Board] and enhance our traditional audiovisual services with additional electronic content, particularly in the area of physical diagnosis and simulated cases, and improved consultation services in the areas of desktop publishing, presentation software, and poster preparation. Call Alexandra Gomes, Associate Director for Curricular Support and Technology at 202-994-1825 or mlbawg@gwumc.edu for additional information.

A Library is not all books or electronic resources! It is also the librarians and staff who work so hard to provide our services and resources. I am sorry to report that Patricia Wilson, Associate Director for Outreach Services, for 7 years will be leaving us at the end of August to spend more time with her family. We wish her well in her new endeavors!

Best wishes for a successful year!
Anne Linton, Director, Library Services