A Chapter of the Medical Library Association

Name: Hector R. Perez-Gilbe, MLIS, MPH, AHIP
Institution: University of California, Irvine
Title: Research Librarian for the Health Sciences

Brief description of what you do/your responsibilities at your institution.

I’m responsible for the collections in the areas of medicine, pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy, public health, and interim for biological sciences and nursing. I’m the library liaison to the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy, School of Public Health and interim for liaison for the School of Biological Sciences. Also, part of the Systematic Review Services Team.

Why is MLGSCA important to you?

The main reason to be part of this group is the networking part. Staying in touch with colleagues from the region keep me current in new trends in medical librarianship and informed of the state of other institutions in areas of interest like collections and research.

What was your first library job or professional position?

Head of Government Documents at CUNY City College.

What has been the most interesting project you have worked on?

My first research adventure as an epidemiologist.

What do you consider to be the most pressing issues or trends in librarianship?

Changing the stereotype perception of the general population of what a librarian do. Librarians, specially in the health sciences/medical librarianship role, have evolved into a multiskilled partner with vast knowledge of medical literature and formal training on how to find, access, retrieve, and stored that literature for future use. Medical librarians have a very important role in academic and clinical settings. The challenge has become selling your skills and knowledge on a constantly changing landscape of technology and information in the area of medical/health sciences information. Becoming partner in the areas of research, instruction, and clinical practice, has one big hurdle, getting those constituents to know you and your skills sets and how you can help them achieve their goals. The perception of the work you do by those you serve may be completely inaccurate. Other challenging issues are decreasing library collections budgets and limited contact with constituents due to time limitations.

What is something you have on your bucket list?

Visit Australia.

What is the best thing you have read/watched/listened to recently?

I don’t watch much tv or go to the movies, barely have time to read, but I recently watch again one of my favorite movies “Powder”. The movie was a critical piece in understanding human nature from the perspective of my believes.

What do you do in your spare time for fun, or to relax?

Cooking, baking, collecting art and framing.

What are you most proud of?

All the achievements that have led me to where I am now.

Today's coffee chat on "How to say 'No', or what to eliminate when there's too much to do," was a wonderful discussion among 11 colleagues at a variety of different institutions and library types.

 We discussed many situations where we felt the need to say "no" to too many requests, interruptions, and sometimes patrons and colleagues.

 We discussed ways to deal with excessive requests for systematic review and literature search requests. University of Colorado uses a Professional Literature Search Service (https://library.cuanschutz.edu/services/librarian-services/prof-lit-search) request form and charges a fee for Systematic review services (not to students) of $300 for a full search strategy. Plus, librarians must be co-authors. They also include a notice of a waiting period when they get backed up right on the website.

Managing your time and how many tasks or services you volunteer for can be difficult. Remembering the time commitment and setting aside enough time for each activity is challenging. Several participants discussed using tools to help manage their time.  Excel can be used as a simplified project manager.  Some librarians use their calendar to track weekly tasks associated with assigned duties. Blocking out time on the calendar and coloring coding different types of tasks allows you to track you time and prevent others from schedule meetings when you need to focus on important work. You can use these tricks later for annual reviews, instead of having to wade through emails. One participant mentioned a LinkedIn Learning course on time management by Dave Crenshaw as a good resource.

We also discussed ways to deal with interruptions, especially the little ones at your desk when you are in an online meeting or working on something that needs your focus. Some of us work in open offices or at desks with direct access to the public and find it hard to have blocks of time that is not interrupted with directional or questions unrelated to libraries. Some suggestions included getting a sign that has "in a meeting", "feel free to knock", "do not disturb", tec. However, some participants have experienced patrons who ignore such signs. It was suggested that we look for a conference room or study room we can reserve for important meetings or blocks of time that we need to work uninterrupted.

Other times when it is important to say "No" is when a request is made for something the library does not provide, like proctoring exams, grading assignments, or paying for parking. It is important to say no and offer alternatives if we can. Sometimes the patron still seems unsatisfied with the answer, but is not always our responsibility to solve their problem.

Other pressures can come from colleagues who may not understand when we say  "no." In the end, we are doing our best with the time and resources we have. We are all very different individuals, in different situations. We also have different life circumstances and on top of work demands, must maintain a work-life balance.

Here are some resources about saying "No," understanding our value and dealing with the guilt of doing your best and knowing you are enough.

• Saying “No”: A Librarian’s Struggle, Erin Grimes. RIPS Law Librarian Blog. Feb. 1, 2022 https://ripslawlibrarian.wordpress.com/2022/02/01/saying-no-a-librarians-struggle/

• Learning to Say "No", Rebecca Cruz. Public Librarians Online.  May 17, 2013 https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/05/learning-to-say-no/

•  Blog: The Guilty Librarian: Grappling with Job Related Guilt, Chelsea Price. Programming Librarian. Dec, 18, 2020 https://programminglibrarian.org/blog/guilty-librarian-grappling-job-related-guilt

•  The Librarians are Not Okay, Anne Helen Petersen. Culture Study. May 1, 2022 https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-librarians-are-not-okay

•  How to Professionally Say No at Work (+ Examples), Hannah Sheehan. Fellow.app. July 6, 2023 https://fellow.app/blog/productivity/how-to-say-no-at-work/

Name: Ivan Portillo Institution: Leatherby Libraries, Chapman University, Irvine, CA Title: Coordinator of Rinker Campus Library Services

Brief description of what you do/your responsibilities at your institution.
I oversee all library services at the Rinker Health Science Campus at Chapman University. We have two library spaces on campus, one at the Campus Center and a second called the Health Sciences Study Commons, a study space that houses our physical library collection. I also directly supervise a health sciences librarian and full-time library assistant. The three of us, including a few student assistants, help meet the information and research needs of faculty, students, and staff of the School of Pharmacy and Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences.

Why is MLGSCA important to you?
MLGSCA is important because it has provided me with many connections to local librarians. I have worked in three health science/medical libraries in Southern California, some with fellow librarians and others without. With MLGSCA, even if I were to be a solo librarian again, I know I can reach out to a local librarian for guidance or support.

What was your first library job or professional position?
My first library job was as a student assistant at the Cal Poly Pomona University Library. My very first professional position was as the Head Librarian at Mt. Sierra College, an art school that is no longer active.

What has been the most interesting project you have worked on?
The most interesting project may be the one I’m currently working on: expanding library services at my campus. We’re opening a new building and a new library space, which will change how we serve our users. We’re also getting new AR/VR headsets, which satisfies my tech geek interests.

What do you consider to be the most pressing issues or trends in librarianship?
To adapt to the ever-changing landscape of information and how our users gather their information. With AI becoming more common to gather and create information, as librarians, we must keep up and learn how to teach our users how to best use this new technology. Librarians should also use these new technologies to our advantage for outreach, teaching purposes, or other practical uses.

What is something you have on your bucket list?
Ditto to Rikke’s response. Visit all 7 continents. I’ve been to 4 so far.

What is the best thing you have read/watched/listened to recently?
I recently wrapped up Succession on Max. It was very satisfying to watch and hope that I will never be in a similar situation.

Describe yourself in five words.
I am an outgoing introvert.

What are you most proud of?
I’m proud of my parents for coming to this country in the late ’70s from Mexico and El Salvador. Neither of them finished high school, but their ambition for a better life for themselves and our family has allowed me to be a first-generation college graduate. Now that I work in higher education, I mentor or help students in similar situations so that they can succeed as well.

Name: Lise Bretton Institution: Sharp Grossmont Hospital, La Mesa, CA Title: Hospital Librarian

Brief description of what you do/your responsibilities at your institution.
I’ve become more of an information specialist, less a conventional librarian (but then again, I was never conventional).

Why is MLGSCA important to you?
As a solo librarian, I need as much support as possible from my colleagues. They inspire me and pick me up when I’m feeling discouraged.

What was your first library job or professional position?
I worked as a library assistant at University of San Diego’s Copley Library.

What has been the most interesting project you have worked on?
Overhauling an entire library and transitioning it from Dewey to LC. It was certainly the largest project.

What do you consider to be the most pressing issues or trends in librarianship?
AI, technology in general. I highly recommend the Library 2.0 lectures on ChatGPT4. Especially if you’re working as an academic librarian.

What is something you have on your bucket list?
Mastering AI, maybe getting into machine learning. Right now, I’m taking courses through Stanford that are fascinating!

What is the best thing you have read/watched/listened to recently?
Algorithms of Oppression/Succession/Avi Avital

Describe yourself in five words.
well-traveled, political, sarcastic, kind

What are you most proud of?
My intelligence. “The measure of an education is that you acquire some idea of the extent of your ignorance”–Chris Hitchens.