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Library as Lab:

An interview of Mr. Gerald J. Perry

Written By: Steven Dawson

Edited By: Besirat Gebreyesus

    

      

As most of the Health Sciences Library employees know, "Jerry Perry" is the distinguished HSL Director. Mr. Perry has over twenty years of work with libraries and has published numerous journals, articles and other publications. Although Perry is very well known, little about how he has gotten to the position he holds today and how his current managing situation is maintained, is common knowledge. 

One key to Mr. Perry's success is the route he took to get where he is today. First and fore most, Perry did not go to school to become the director of a thirty-five million dollar building. His first aspirations were that of Anthropology and Journalism. Although Journalism was his major, Mr. Perry wanted to further a certain aspect of his career, people. Jerry Perry maintained a work study at his library and after working there realized that all he was doing was basically answering peoples' questions. The deeper meaning of his work and the aspect of being a better human made him thrive at learning more and more about communication, and people in general.

Jerry Perry admits that he always had help a long the way, "I've always had great mentors!", and states that he is always trying to better himself. To this day Perry has had great success in his career. He has established a vigorous hold on the library, while maintaining all the things that affect the library as a whole. He plans to proceed with the Library's "Intellectual Legacy" and also plans to better his own position. A huge portion of energy that the library gives off is thanks to Perry's method of involving all the staff known as "Co-leadership". This strategy involving almost every co-worker helps cultivate the library into a place more efficient for everyone. His love for problems and a positive will to keep on striving had made Jerry Perry the man he is today.

 

Anthrobrarian:

An interview of Mrs. Lillian Hoffecker

Written by: Besirat Gebreyesus

Edited by: Steven Dawson

 

          One might ask; how does an anthropologist become a reference librarian? Well like Mrs. Hoffecker’s and many other librarians at the Health Sciences Library; she has interesting background.  Before Lillian Hoffecker became a reference librarian, she was an anthropologist for many years and her husband was an archeologist. It was pretty tough to have two researchers in a family with children, so Lillian Hoffecker decided to make a career change. Hoffecker went back to school and earned her masters in Librarianship.

Lillian Hoffecker has been a librarian for over five years and it is needless to say that she loves her job. When asked what is the best part of her job she replies, “the great group of people” that she works with and she loves helping people with any questions that they may have. With her background in anthropology, it was easy for Lillian Hoffecker to adjust to the librarian lifestyle because she knew libraries from a user’s point of view. So when she had to answer the questions that patrons had it was an easy transition for her.

Later on in the interview Lillian discussed the future of librarians.  She hopes that librarians will be able to sit in classrooms so that if students had any questions about the topic they were researching then they would have a librarian handy. Having librarians in a classroom setting is a perfect way to serve their patrons because the goal of any librarian is to help find the answers to their patron’s question.

From talking to many librarians at the Health Science Library you can see that they all love their jobs especially when talking to Lillian Hoffecker.

 

 

Librarianship is a lot like an Ice Cream Cone:

An Interview of Mr. Douglas Stehle

Written By: Steven Dawson

Edited By: Besirat Gebreyesus

 

     It is almost a waste of text to portray an office figure with as much personality as Mr. Douglas Stehle. You'd have to experience him yourself to get a sense of the aura that surrounds him. Yes, it's true, Mr. Stehle is a complicated thinker, but his actions portray a very blunt and collected person.

     In a single glance one might not even get an impression as to what Mr. Stehle does and honestly after hearing his position from his point of view, I was still a little sketchy on the nature of his work myself. Early in the interview, before finding out how loquacious the speaker was, I was given the Head of Access at HSL job description. At a whopping two pages, the paper couldn't cover the essence of his work in one day. As with all jobs at the Library, overtime "Doug"'s job has changed dramatically over time to adapt to the patrons that use the library. But being Head of Access obviously had it's solid responsibilities that one can not let go of. More important that managing basic goals an objectives such as stat reports and PASCAL, is managing the people involved with everything around them. Stehle to this day admits that he would better fit his title as the "Administrating Identity Manager" and also states that it take a jack of all trades to fulfill his position.

     Later in the interview, most of the proposed questions weren't asked leading to some confusion about what i would need to do to become this position, but honestly, having the spirit that Douglas Stehle maintains everyday would probably be more than enough. Sure it isn't easy as pie to hold the position he now maintains, but, well..."Librarianship is a lot like an ice cream cone."

 

 

 

“There’s a Satisfaction in it!”

An Interview of Mrs. Jo Hall

Written by: Steven Dawson

Edited by: Besirat Gebreyesus

 

      As the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules-2002 Revision slammed against the table, I knew exactly what Mrs. Hall was all about, Cataloguing. Cataloguing is changing everyday, and for 14 years Jo has been happily part of the Health Sciences Library Cataloguing department. As for her duties, she likes her job and there are certain aspects of her line of work that make waking up and coming here worth it everyday for her. “I like the wide variety…” says Mrs. Hall.

 

      An interesting aspect the cataloguing line of work that I have just really thought of after talking to Jo was the vision in sight. She explained to Besirat and I, a simple yet ornate view of why she does what she does. Jo tells us how innovative cataloguing has become do to the endless books libraries maintain. She explains to us one of her missions in making it as easy as can be for the patron to find their book because the library has such an immense inventory! Something I’ve honestly never thought of before in the cataloguing world is the huge number of books, and trying to find just one particular. This task happens everyday, so adapting to the customers needs is an essential part of being a cataloger.

     Surprisingly, Jo Hall admits that she herself is not an organized person, and the task of organizing numerous book identities is her peace. She loves putting a messy record in order and admits by doing so everyday that she herself learns just like us. The very most uplifting portion of the interview belongs to the title of this article, "There's a satisfaction in it!" says Mrs. Hall. This is a truly inspiring quote that makes me believe that Jo loves her occupation and solidifies her position at HSL.

 

 

 

On The Road Again:

An interview of Dana Abbey

Written by: Besirat Gebreyesus

Edited by: Steven Dawson

 

“I’m the salesman that doesn’t sell anything!” jokes Dana Abbey as she explains what her job entitles. Being the Consumer Health Information Liaison at the Health Sciences Library Abbey has the opportunity to travel all around Colorado informing people about the free databases that are on the internet for people to use any time they please. The problem is that not many people know about these databases, so it is Dana Abbey’s job to inform the uninformed so they can use them.

So what makes Dana Abbey different from any other librarian? Well Abbey describes herself as an outreach librarian; she reaches out to people in the rural parts of Colorado and in other states where they don’t have the facilities like the Health Sciences Library has. Her typical day consist of attending conferences where she sets up a booth and enlightens people about the databases. Abbey also teaches classes at local libraries and spends five to six hours in teleconferences.

Dana Abbey has been working at the Health Sciences Library for over three years and although she works at the library her job does not entitle her to actually work with the campus. She acts as a liaison to help other facilities. When asked what the best part of being the Consumer Health Information Liaison, Abbey happily replies “the freedom!”. Abbey gets to set up her own schedule, who she is going to teach, and she is not tied down to a desk! By being a salesman that doesn’t sell anything Abbey truly has the dream job.

 

The Cool Guys:

An Interview of the HSL IT Staff

 

 

           As I walked into the 50 degree room the hairs on my arms stood up. Yes, partially because of the temperature, but mostly because of what I saw. In the room were towers of computer equipment. This was the server room, basically the backbone of the library and the first place that we were introduced to from the IT staff at HSL.

           Before interviewing Thinh Le, Jim Storey and Jeff Kuntzman, I know I expected the staff to be complete weirdoes with a passion for technology. After the interview I discovered them to be complete weirdoes with a passion for technology! Oh, and a good sense of humor too. The truth is, the IT department at the library supports all the library’s databases and works very hard to maintain every server that the library needs to keep running regularly. To better understand would be to imagine the Health Sciences Library running without an online database-aka-no searching any books and/or where they are located, also doing everything like it was the 80’s. Pretty Harsh huh? Well this modern researching is brought to you by the IT department everyday 24/7. Another huge responsibility of the “IT guys” is to keep up with the latest equipment. As with every investment, newer, faster and better products appear every day and it is only because of IT knowledge that the library spends the right amount of money fundamentally on the right products.

           Sure, seeing an IT roam around the building in a very strict sandals, shorts and t shirts dress code can be misleading, but the work that most people don’t see leads to the Library running smoothly every hour on the hour. Over all, the IT department at the HSL is a group of regular people with outstanding knowledge on what they do.

 

 

 

 

A Kid at Heart:

An Interview of Mrs. Lisa Traditi

 

     The atmosphere was a little different in Mrs. Traditi's office. Sure, it was a little colder, but that is not what made it as unique as it is. Toys everywhere! Yeah, she plays with them, but she also admits that they are also for the office as well. Everyone needs a little stress buster after all. As The Head of Education here at HSL, Liza Traditi works a long side most of the HSL staff, but more specifially among the local patrons in house and sometimes off campus as well.

     The Head of Education really does have an extensive amount of responsibilities. Not only does she administrate the division, she also teaches courses as well. With the help of Lynn Fox, Mrs. Traditi travels around the library and even around the campus to teach users how to use various systems and databases (Mostly the Library's database.) Unlike most reference librarians, Traditi maintains her position in a very different and effective way. Most people that need assistance with any part of the library ussually call on a reference librarian to help them find what they need, or actually do the research for them. However, Lisa's job is very different in a very good form of the word. In stead of "catching a fish" for the patrons that use the library, she teaches them how to catch their own fish. Not to put less responsibility on the reference librarians, but to help the patron better understand the material and data they're getting themselves into. As Mrs. Traditi likes to put it, she "Connects people to what they need." Performing these tasks can be tricky with eight to nine classes a week, more than two-hundred classes a year! Try teaching the same thing over and over again, and one might understand why Lisa is so good at it. Because her department works so tightly with computers, she works heavly a long side the IT department here at HSL. This not only proves, but solidifies the fact that information and people getting information that need it, is all that HSL and the Head of Education is all about.

     To this day, the very extraverted "Kid at Heart" Lisa Traditi continues on her path of helping users of the campus search for exactly what they should be given. "We're that link to the information that they need!"

 

 

 

 

Natural-Born Librarian

An interview of Ruth Gilbert

Written by Besirat Gebreyesus

 

 

Every Wednesday from 9-1 you will find Ruth Gilbert doing what she loves best, helping people find the answers to their questions. Gilbert has a passion for helping people so when she retired in 1987, Gilbert found herself addicted to reference questions.  So to scratch her itch Ruth Gilbert stated volunteering once a week at Denison and the new Health Sciences Library.  

Before Ruth Gilbert retired, she worked as a librarian at the Veterans Hospital Library. Whenever she looked at her window at the Veterans Hospital she always saw the Denison Library and she was always fascinated about the library. Once retired Gilbert found an opening as a volunteer at the Denison Library and she couldn’t wait for the opportunity to work with them.

 Ruth Gilbert has been volunteering as a reference librarian for over 20 years. When asked what the best part of volunteering she couldn’t help but smile when she replied, “the satisfaction” when she see people finding the answers to their questions.

 Gilbert is one busy lady. Other than volunteering at the Health Sciences Library, Ruth Gilbert works with Healthcare for All Colorado; their goal is to provide insurance for all of Colorado. She also goes to her bible study at her church. When asked how she has the time for all of her activities she states, “behind all these wrinkles, beats the heart of an eighteen year old.”

 

Adaptonen

Written By: Besirat Gebreyesus and Steven Dawson

Although Rhonda Altonen had twenty years of librarianship experience, she continues to meet new highs in the library world. Mrs. Altonen is currently taking classes to obtain an MLS from Emporia State Library School and she strives to be the best faculty member and a provider to her family.

Her current position is that of a Media Specialist for the Health Sciences Library. The responsibility involves maintaining the library’s software, audio, and all sorts of technical files. Therefore one of her duties is to research the newest and most available materials for the library to use. This includes working very closely with the library’s IT Department. Rhonda has tons of experience in this field because for fifteen years she was a Curriculum technology software specialist for a university in New York which she admits was “basically the same thing I’m doing now, just a much longer title!”

You might ask how Altonen manages to take classes and work full time. Well Rhonda thanks her support system at home and at work, she is able to manage both tasks easily. At home her husband gives her the support and space so that she can study and prepare for classes. At work many of Rhonda’s co-workers have MLSs, so when she has questions about her class work she can ask them and they are happy to help.

 With every librarian we interview we always ask them what they see for the future librarians and each answer that we got involved adaptation including Rhonda Altonen’s. All librarians are here to serve their patrons and in serving their patrons they must adapt. With the advance in technology librarians need to learn the changes in order to give complete customer satisfaction because the patron base is also changing with the new technology.

 It is plain to see that all the librarians at the Health Sciences Library love helping people and their jobs. From interviewing numerous librarians all of their goals are the same, to help every patron that comes through the door.