Visiting Resource Libraries in Minnesota

Posted by Elizabeth Kiscaden on August 21st, 2016 Posted in: General

---

As a native Minnesotan, I was determined to get up north to visit our resource libraries before winter. Like my fellow Minnesotans I have an emergency kit in my trunk, complete with a candle to melt snow, a shovel, and kitty litter in case I’m stuck in a ditch. I’d rather not have to put this to the test, though… and I have a bad habit of eating my emergency snacks out of my kit. So, last week, I hit the road to visit our two resource libraries in Minnesota, at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota.

At Mayo in Rochester, I met with the new director Anna Beth Morgan, who started her position in March right before a 10-inch snowfall! While there, I also met with Dawn Littleton and Lisa Baethke, who are investigating the possibility of outreach to the Native American population within the state. Lisa is the program coordinator for the Native C.I.R.C.L.E., a resource center providing cancer-related materials to healthcare providers and others involved in the education, care, and treatment of Native populations. Dawn Littleton is a librarian and supervisor of Public Services at Mayo – and a colleague from long ago when I worked for the Center for Patient Oriented Research.

Heading north from Rochester to Minneapolis, I visited the University of Minnesota’s Biomedical Library in Diehl Hall, which is hidden within a plaza off of Washington Avenue. There, I met with director Janice Jaguszewski and outreach librarian and Katherine Chew, and took a tour of the facility. I had the opportunity to take a peek at new furniture they’re trying out and took pictures of the display at the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine (https://hsl.lib.umn.edu/wangensteen).

These visits are an opportunity to meet our library directors face-to-face and gain an understanding of both their goals and the health information needs in the region. I’m soliciting feedback regarding everything from communication to funding, to create a stronger partnership with our resource libraries. I want to thank Anna Beth, Dawn, Lisa, Janice, and Katherine for sharing their ideas with me and educating me about their institutions and their regions.

   

-Liz Kiscaden (elizabeth-kiscaden@uiowa.edu)