Laurie L. Thompson, Director of the Library since February 1998, resigned effective March 28, 2003 in order to begin in April as the new Director of the Library of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, one of the most highly regarded medical schools in the country. The move is lateral for Laurie, but it involves a bigger library with a bigger staff and it will bring her and her husband Dale closer to their families of origin.

Provost Kenneth L. Barker plans to hire a new Director as soon as possible. In the meantime, he has appointed Head of Access Services Peter A. Uva, a veteran of the Health Sciences Library since 1966, to serve as Interim Director effective March 29, 2003.

Dr. Barker has appointed a Search Committee for the new Director, chaired by Ronald J. Seymour of Physical Therapy and including George Blakeslee of the Institute for Applied Psychiatry, Elizabeth A. ("Betsy") Elkins, Director of Moon Library at SUNY ESF, Dennis J. Stelzner of Cell and Developmental Biology, Gregory A. Threatte of Clinical Pathology, Joy M. Tompkins of Nursing, Teresa J. Wagner of Information Management and Technology, and Priscilla Worral of Nursing.

Dr. Barker hosted a well-attended farewell reception for Laurie on Wednesday, March 26. He presented her with a beautiful plaque honoring her contributions to the entire Upstate community. He said that it was a mark of distinction for Upstate that an institution of the caliber of UTSWMC should look to us to find its new Library Director. President Eastwood and several others also spoke.

Laurie's departure comes at a tough time for the Health Sciences Library and for SUNY Upstate Medical University in general, when severe budget cuts are threatening our ability to perform even our most basic and necessary services. During her five years in Syracuse, Laurie was a top-notch library administrator, a strong advocate of everything that a library ought to be, and very well-liked by her staff and colleagues. We all wish her the best in her new position, but we will miss her very much.

Laurie writes: "I was fortunate to be able to guide the Library through the early transitions to Web-based electronic resources. I helped move the Library from being a purely physical space to being virtual, available any time, anywhere it is needed while continuing to provide excellent, well-respected service. I am proud to leave that as my legacy."

Soror ave atque vale!

Frankenstein!

The last Synapse told about the Frankenstein exhibit in the Library from April 2 to May 16, 2003. Here is a brief schedule of events planned in conjunction with that exhibit:

• Wednesday, April 2 - Opening ceremonies and reception, 9:30 - 10:00 AM, Library Atrium, with coffee and Frankencakes.
• Monday, April 7 - Liverpool Public Library Discussion Group.
• Monday, April 14 - North Onondaga Public Library Discussion Group.
• Wednesday, April 16 - Panel discussion led by Deirdre C. Neilen, Ph.D., Professor of Bioethics & Humanities, "Ethical Dilemmas Raised in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein," noon, Alumni Auditorium.
• Friday, May 9 - Visit by 8th graders from Eagle Hill Middle School, Manlius. Presentation by Barry Berg, Ph.D., Professor of Anatomy.
• Monday, May 12 - Tour by OASIS center participants.
• Friday, May 16 - Exhibit closed.

New Electronic Resources Librarian -- Welcome Wendi Ackerman!

On February 3, 2003, Wendi Ackermann became the Health Sciences Library's second Electronic Resources Librarian, continuing the position that Pam White created in 2000. We wish Pam well as she embarks on new career opportunities in Rochester.

Wendi is a 1989 graduate of Le Moyne College with a major in English. In 1996, she left a position of eight years as Claims Examiner for Medical Liability Mutual Insurance Company (MLMIC) to obtain an M.L.S. at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies, which she completed in 1998.

In 1999, after working briefly as a corporate researcher, Wendi became Assistant Systems Librarian for Penfield Library at SUNY Oswego. In June 2000 she became Campus Web Coordinator for SUNY Oswego, where she discovered that although she enjoyed many aspects of that position, she missed the variety of work that she had been doing as a librarian. Now at SUNY Upstate, she has happily returned to being both a librarian and a departmental webmaster, where she enjoys the best of both worlds.

Since libraries and librarians must keep in the vanguard of information technology -- and since our users rightfully demand the quickest and easiest electronic access to precisely the information they seek from among a wide variety of texts — the Electronic Resources Librarian is among the most important members of our professional staff. In addition to keeping the various Library Web pages updated, friendly, and thorough, Wendi will also be serving at the Reference Desk.

Welcome, Wendi!

netLibrary E-Book Collection on Health Now Available

The Health Sciences Library has for some time provided access to online journals and books through listings on the Library home page <www.upstate.edu/library>, through vendor collections like MD Consult and StatRef, and increasingly through its online catalog.</>

Through SUNYConnect, a SUNY-wide consortial arrangement, the Health Sciences Library now provides access to 528 electronic books on health-related topics from netLibrary, Inc. <www.netlibrary.com/>. Some examples of netLibrary titles are:

• Cancer Screening: A Practical Guide for Physicians. 2002.
• Innovations in End-of-Life Care. 2001.
• Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia. 2001.
• Extending Medicare Reimbursement in Clinical Trials. 2000.
• Healthcare Information Systems. 2000.
• Mayo Clinic on Prostate Health. 2000.
• Advanced Nursing Skills. 2000.
• Handbook of Gender, Culture, and Health. 2000.

The collection is not fixed at 528 titles. Books from netLibrary's sociology, business, computer science, law, and other collections often contain titles relevant to health care. These and other e-book titles are added to our catalog as they become available through SUNYConnect.</>

There are two ways to access netLibrary e-books. One is by searching the Upstate Catalog on the Library home page <www.upstate.edu/library>. Health related e-books and selected non-health titles have been integrated into the catalog. Users may search in the usual way, by author, title, ubject, etc., to identify e-books along with print and multimedia publications. It is also possible to view a listing of all electronic books by inkeying either "netlibrary" (as a single word) or "electronic books" under the "All Fields" selection. Moreover, in the "Advanced Search" mode, users may limit searches to e-books alone by using the "Limit by Collection" option.

The second way to access netLibrary e-books is to go directly to netLibrary's home page at <www.netlibrary.com/>, where SUNYConnect's entire e-book collection is available, from any on-campus computer.

Once an e-book is identified, click on the link provided to browse the entire contents of the book. Off-campus access is possible by first registering, from an on-campus computer, as a netLibrary user at <www.netlibrary.com/>. For additional information, consult <www.upstate.edu/library/ebook/netlibrary.php>, phone the Library Reference Desk at 464-4581, or e-mail your question to "AskaLibrarian@upstate.edu".

Library Hosts History Colloquium

The inaugural meeting of the Upstate New York Colloquium for the History of Science and Medicine occurred on Friday afternoon, February 28, 2003, in the Library's basement conference room. Seven Ph.D.s and one M.D. from institutions along the Thruway from Buffalo to Albany gathered at Upstate to learn about each other's research, share insights, and just get to know each other.

The main event was SUNY Oswego Visiting Assistant Professor of History Johanna Moyer's report on her work in progress. She is investigating the French 16th- and 17th-century medical community's perceptions of the causes of infertility. Generally these physicians blamed a couple's inability to have children on the woman's character, behavior, diet, menstrual problems, or environment, and acknowledged male infertility only in cases of battle injuries, undersized genitalia, spleen deformity, or other mechanical difficulties. Franciscus de Le Böe (1614-1672), known as "Sylvius," believed that two fertile people could be an infertile couple if their humors or temperaments were incompatible. These theories were consonant with the typical goal of physicians of that time to achieve Aristotelian balance within a Galenic system of medicine. Prof. Moyer's report sparked a lively discussion and she received many excellent suggestions for further research in this area.

The Colloquium is the brainchild of SUNY Oswego Assistant Professor of History Gwen Kay. The Health Sciences Library's Curator of Historical Collections, Eric Luft, handled the local arrangements. Future meetings will probably also be held at Upstate because of its central location, and anyone with a serious scholarly interest in the history of medicine or science is welcome to attend.

Money Woes Cut Library Staff

Because of the poor economy, changing sources of revenue, and government policy, the number of professional, paraprofessional, and support staff in the Health Sciences Library is dwindling to the point where we can barely provide the fundamental services that our users expect. We are proud of our long record of top quality service. Surveys and statistics show that our users are happy with it too, but we cannot continue this high level of service unless we have enough people on staff. We no longer have enough money to hire or pay that many people.

This is an old problem that has gotten worse. The story in the Spring-Summer 2000 Synapse <www.upstate.edu/library/synapse/syn-6-2and3-springsummer2000.php#mid> about the 1999 visit to Upstate by the evaluation team from the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools said in part: "The reviewers ... identified two areas needing improvement, the budget and the insufficient staffing: 'The ... budget process ... restricts all long term planning for the library.' ... The team recommended that Upstate 'should develop a plan for appropriate and adequate staffing which assures the right mix of professional and support staff.'"

Loss of Basic Personnel

The Library has not yet been able to replace the recently resigned Personal Computer and Media Support Specialist or three Library clerks who retired within the last few years from Technical Services, Media Services, and Serials Processing. Other Library personnel have had to fill these gaps in service, while at the same time trying to keep up with their own jobs. Only one of these three clerk positions is scheduled to be refilled.

The Executive Council of SUNY Upstate Medical University has assured the Library that absolutely essential personnel such as the Director, the Electronic Resources Librarian, and Circulation staff will continue to be maintained as usual. But these people cannot perform at their best, and the Library as a whole cannot offer its best service, if there are not enough paid staff to do the work. It's that simple.

We're On Your Side!

We ask that Library users be patient while the Library administration tries to find enough money to return the Library to its full level of staffing. We deeply regret any inconvenience and we will continue do our best in these difficult times.

For Consumers and Patients: HIC News

The Health Information Center Web site now offers links to a consumer health online book collection from netLibrary, Inc., at <www.upstate.edu/library/healthinfo/hic_netlibrary.php>.

The 41 netLibrary consumer health titles include such subjects as chronic pain, high blood pressure, diabetes, and child behavior problems. These netLibrary books may be browsed online without special instructions. To "check out" a book online, see the instructions at <www.upstate.edu/library/ebook/netlibrary.php>. Many of these electronic books are also on the HIC shelves, available in print versions for borrowing.

netLibrary books are made available through a SUNYConnect consortial purchase. Upstate personnel may also go directly to the netLibrary Web page at <www.netlibrary.com> to consult the entire collection of these online titles.

Not all HIC books exist in electronic format. There are over 2000 books and videos in the HIC collection which Upstate students, staff, and the general public may borrow.