i learned of desk tracker, libstats, and wufoo while reviewing a wiki (http://whywufoo.pbwiki.com) i saw referenced at the recent medical library association conference. my library is still collecting data about reference desk transactions using paper forms, but an online form would be much easier for the staff member that compiles all those hash marks.
thanks for directing my attention to this new (to me) tool, martha hardy and lisa mcguire!
over the last few weeks i have turned down offers to participate on two american library association committees. i am stepping down at the end of my term as chair of the mlgsca’s government relations & bylaws committee. this is both awesome and not so awesome.
why this is awesome:
i’m busy, and i’ve only been in a professional position for two years
the organizations i’m involved in are all recruiting young people to positions of leadership, and we’re excelling in them. these are exciting times, when traditional slow paths to authority are supplanted by quick rises due to retirements. for example, i’ve just been elected secretary of my university’s medical faculty assembly. i was honored to even be asked to run, and i want to do an excellent job.
why this may not be so awesome:
i’m *very* busy, and i’m concerned about burnout
i’ve had to very quickly get good at saying no to things. organizations need people to fill key positions, but as a young professional i need protected time to develop relationships with colleagues and develop my research agenda. i noticed at the recent meeting of the medical library association that there were a lot of the same people doing multiple presentations, acting as mentors, working on task forces, etc. i think organizations will need to be sensitive to the people they tap to act on their behalf so that those people will eagerly accept appointments to boards and not begin to dread the invitations.
i’m not sure i have a resolution to these issues, but it is something i’m thinking about and wonder if others young in the profession are also considering this.
because i’m a little squeamish, my mantra for the first couple years of medical librarianship has been, “just look at the text, don’t look at the images.” but i must point you to a resource with some spectacular images! it’s new, from the american academy of orthopaedic surgeons, called the surgical atlas of the musculoskeletal system.
This year’s planning committee for the Medical Library Association national meeting asked exhibitors to consider “going green,” and Matthews Book Company really stepped up to the plate. They didn’t bring paper brochures to hand out, and brought only a limited number of flyers for demonstration purposes. Instead, they built a special web page just for the conference attendees at http://www.matthewsmla.com. They’ll load promotional material onto your jump drive, so stop by their booth and ask for specials, PDFs, and other links to be downloaded. They’re giving away reusable grocery bags that say, “Go Green!” and have the Matthews Medical Books logo on them. Well done!
The digitization of JAMA and the Archives backfiles is soon to be completed, to be released by the end of 2008. They’ll be available for a one-time purchase and an annual maintenance fee for having them hosted through Highwire.
2 million pages of content! The first title that will be put up is the Archives of Internal Medicine, the last will be JAMA.
Here’s how far back they’ll all go:
I asked about how usage statistics will be reported and the AMA rep said she wasn’t yet sure. May I suggest that the AMA follow COUNTER Code of Practice Release 3, which mandates that all usage in an archive is reported separately from the current materials. Thanks for your consideration, AMA. Looking forward to seeing those fully searchable PDFs, with images!
