This
summer I worked full time for three months, as a Library Technician
at the Murray Memorial Library of Good
Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis, Oregon (http://www.samhealth.org/gsh/
~ unfortunately the library itself doesn't have a webpage!). Corvallis
is a town of 50,000 people, located in the picturesque Willamette
Valley between Portland and Eugene. The hospital is the center of
medical care for the valley, and the library is a beautiful new facility
in the recently completed heart wing. The furnishings, décor,
and shelving are all new, plus there are large windows across the
width of the room. There is a small "consumer health" bookstore
(for patients and families) attached to the library, and local artwork
is displayed throughout the library and heart center.
I reported to Dorothy O'Brien, MLS, Head of Library
Services for the entire Samaritan Health Services regional hospital
network. I also worked alongside and with Anna Mihok, Library Technician
(permanent staff member). Two volunteers each worked one morning per
week to check in journals and copy articles for staff. Allen and Ulo
were a delight - both in their 70's and enjoyable to talk with and
learn from.
The library's patrons included hospital staff, clinicians,
and physicians (including student interns from pharmacy and other
departments), family members of patients, and the public. Library
services at GSRMC are part of the hospital's Professional Development
(staff education) Department, so I also participated in staff meetings
and collaborated with the educators on an ongoing basis. The majority
of my time was spent on two rather large collection development projects
- for the Women's
Center Meslow Room and for the Cancer Center's James
R. Mol Library. I also provided general reference services for
staff and the public, researched and compiled bibliographies for physician
continuing education, a "computer tips" project, several
other projects that developed from staff requests, and standard librarian/technician
work when covering for Dorothy's and Anna's vacations.
The library holdings include more than 300 journal
subscriptions (paper), plus a few online resources, mostly through
Ovid at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. In addition,
there are medical textbooks, reference books, consumer health books,
videos (for both staff and consumers), and the Consumer Health Bookstore.
There are four computer terminals for the staff and public, a VCR,
a scanner, (printers and a fax of course), and a pleasant sitting
area by the window. Dorothy has created a welcoming atmosphere such
that staff visit frequently to check email, request searches, say
hello, and take their breaks in the reading area.
I looked forward to my fieldwork as an opportunity
to gain additional practical experience in a hospital library setting,
and the new library at GSRMC was a delightful place to spend the summer.
The collection development projects were interesting and fun. I learned
a lot about evaluating and choosing resources, collaborating with
vendors and the unit directors, plus taking care of all the details
of documentation and final implementation. I also really enjoyed developing
the bibliographies for the physician's meetings. As I mentioned, the
relationships with the staff and patrons were very positive, and being
a part of this system provided me with a strong sense of community
involvement. (In my previous career I had worked as a licensed medical
social worker in Corvallis, so I know many of the physicians and staff
already, and I really enjoyed maintaining these connections.) Overall
it was a success, highlighted by the good feelings gained from working
closely with others to accomplish a wide variety of health information
tasks in a pleasant and familiar setting.
