Faces of NNLM Region 4: Kathel Dunn

Posted in: #CC/Academic List, #Health Interest List, #Health Sciences List, #Public/K-12 List, All Members

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Kathel Dunn

Associate Fellowship Program Coordinator

National Library of Medicine

 

Can you give us the elevator-speech rundown of your medical librarian career?

Yes! I’ve been working in health sciences libraries on or off most of my library career. I’ve primarily worked in public services: reference, teaching, outreach. Just before coming to my current position at the National Library of Medicine I had the great privilege to serve as the Associate Director for the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) Middle Atlantic Region (MAR) when the NYU Health Sciences Library won the Regional Medical Library (RML) contract. It was a challenge to “stand up” a new RML and in doing so I deepened talents in marketing, outreach, engagement, and strategic planning. When the position of Associate Fellowship Program Coordinator opened at NLM I jumped at the chance to engage in shaping the librarian workforce of the future.

What are your research interests or top work activities?

In 2022 I expect my top work activities will focus on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) efforts at NLM and NIH. In 2021 NIH created the UNITE initiative to establish, identify and address structural racism within the NIH-supported and the greater scientific community. I am currently on NIH-wide anti-racism and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility committees, as well as an NLM-wide Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Working Group. It’s a privilege to work with NIH and NLM toward a more equitable and civil culture.

What prompted you to become a medical librarian?

The librarians at the Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill! More specifically, when I read all the graduate assistantship (GA) positions posted on the library school bulletin board, the GA positions at the health sciences library seemed to me to be the finest: cutting edge work, structured with autonomy but accompanied by good supervision, and tremendous professional growth. I was fortunate to be offered a GA position in their Office of Integrated Medical Education and never regretted accepting it. I got to learn from the best.

What is your favorite librarian tool?

Colleagues! Though not tools 😊 , my colleagues inspire me on a daily basis to know better and do better. When I watch some of my colleagues work I think about how I want to be as good as they are, and I try to adopt some of their strategies and tactics into my own work.

What do you think are the most important challenges that medical librarians face?

Choosing how to invest in our individual and collective futures. I think the most important challenge is in recognizing that we all have a choice. We can choose where to spend our time and efforts and shape our future.

Please tell us about an interaction with a library user that gave you a lot of satisfaction.

Every interaction with a library science student interested in the Associate Fellowship Program or interested in the next step in a library career gives me great satisfaction. It’s an honor to be entrusted with others’ hopes and dreams for how they would like to contribute to libraries.