Time to say goodbye. .

And it was hard to say goodbye. Everyone has been so gracious and helpful -- and most importantly made me feel at home. My last two days on Monday and Tuesday, July 12 & 13, were wrap up days. Christine and Linda did an evaluation of me -- very nicely done on letterhead, signed and everything! And I did an evaluation of my time there.( had only good things to say.) They treated me to lunch on the last day (Greek take-out -- really yummy) -- and everyone took time to eat together. And then -- I was off. But the internship wasn't quite over. I left at about 1:30, drove to the Health Sciences and Human Services library (HS/HSL) and visited with Janice Kelly of the RML (Regional Medical Libary) that is located on the 5th floor of that building. This library, the SE/A (Southeastern Atlantic Regional Library) is one of eight libraries that are part of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. One of eight, but with 1/4 of the population -- they are a busy group. Janice is a delightful lady and was very gracious and helpful. She filled me in on all the things the Regional Medical Libraries do -- including lots of training and of course, overseeing DOCLINE. She took me on a tour of both libraries. Our own Ebling library here at the University of Wisconsin is a wonderful facility (and Janice had heard of it), but this library is also uniquely beautiful with a nautical theme. The library has a long history (beginning in 1813), with a building at its current site built in 1960. This new building was completed in 1998 -- and since that time has undergone several reconfigurations -- partly to keep up with the changing technological nature of the library.
The End.
The end of the internship, that is. I am hoping to visit again the next time we visit Josh, Jill and the girls in Baltimore. I would just like to add a heartfelt THANK YOU to Christine and Linda for choosing me to be the Harrison Medical Library intern for the summer. Thanks, too, to everyone on the staff -- (Cheri, Tillie and Irene as well as Christine and Linda) for taking the time to make this a great learning experience.

Wrapping up. . .

It's been a month since I came home -- making the trip in 14 rather pleasant hours on the July 14th and back to --- well, everything -- beginning on the 15th. The intervening month has been filled with catching up at work, house guests including our two daughters and 3 grandchildren for a week as well as my brother and his daughter and granddaughter, a family reunion, the start of a new role at the CCBC (cataloging coordinator), and finishing a promised paper (unrelated to this internship). A thunderstorm rolled through with winds that left our sweet corn lying flat on the ground. It has since nearly righted itself and we have been enjoying fresh sweet corn as well as many other fresh vegetables from the garden. The weeds still reign supreme, but the pumpkin has leaped the garden fence and is heading for new horizons. Ben, Amy & Samuel chose new fish for the fish tank, and Heather's dog is visiting for a year while she (that is, Heather, not Gracie) completes a residency in Washington D.C. Don't tell Heather, but I think Gracie likes it here in the country:) I miss Abby & Brooke (and their parents) but it's good to be home with my better half -- 39 years and still crazy about each other (or is it just crazy?) But this isn't what this blog is all about -- so in the next posting, I'll tell you about my exciting last day...

Tour

Friday -- July 9: Today Tillie took me on a tour of Bayview's 240 acre campus. We accomplished this by boarding a shuttle that provides transport on campus. We simply stayed on the shuttle as it picked up and dropped people off from one building to another or to parking lots, etc. Tille has been working on a history presentation and is also the longest term member of the library staff (finishing 18 years in December). Very interesting. I won't bore you with the details because Cheri has provided me with a current map of the Bayview campus: http://www.bayviewjobs.org/files/JHBcampusmap.pdf
I've also been working on a little pictorial memory of my visit here -- maybe a little slide show here when I'm finished??

Reception

Had the opportunity to attend the Summer Scholars reception on Wednesday. I also had the opportunity to meet and speak with Anne White-Olson, a biomedical librarian and informationist at the NIH library. http://nihlibrary.nih.gov/LibraryServices/Pages/Informationists.aspx
Since Heather (my daughter) will be doing a year-long residency at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD; I am hoping to be able to visit the NIH library and NLM at some point while on a visit to Heather. NLM is on the NIH campus.
The presentation for the summer scholars included a talk by Dr. Marie Bernard, a noted geriatrician who is the deputy director of the NIA (National Institute on Aging). One of the gifts to her was a book called Centuries of Caring: The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Story by Neil Grauer. I checked that book out to learn more about Bayview's 230 years of history -- it's earliest years as an "Almshouse" and as the "Bayview Asylum" ( a reflection of its role as an insane asylum). Published in 2004, the "Acknowledments" include this statement: "Crucial help also was given by Linda Gorman, director of Hopkins Bayview's library services; her associates, Irene Kiyatkin and Tillie Horak. . ."

Can it be?

Hard to believe -- can the internship be nearly over? This past week, I spent three days at the library (Wed, Thu, & Fri -- 7/7-7/9. I've nearly completed my list of learning opportunities in all areas of concentration, so I had some time to give back a little. I did things like, attaching spine labels to new books, manning the library when the staff needed to be away, completing the withdrawal process of the books weeded this year, shelving and making a new poster for the library's ongoing used book sale. The library receives many book donations -- both fiction for leisure time reading and medical books. Some of the more popular fiction series are cataloged for check-out. Some are put on a shelf to read and return without check-out. And some are put on the book sale cart. I'm adding a picture of my creation. (An artist I am not, but I had fun -- and people have been buying books, so at least the poster is not scaring people away:)

Wisconsin again:)

OK -- so not really about the internship -- but a few notes about a trip home. Arrived home Wed (6/30) about 10 PM. Spent two busy days at the lab Thu & Fri 7/1 and 7/2. Saturday -- our 39th wedding anniversary. Took Ben to a Madison Mallards baseball game ("baseball like it oughta be"). Sunday -- picnic lunch and parade in Brodhead. Monday -- Independence day observed :) -- spent the day "being domestic" making a pie and cobbler from the black caps & tart cherries that Glen picked, rice krispie bars, and a casserole. Left home at 2:45 AM for a 6:10 flight out of Milwaukee for BWI. Arrived safely to 100 degree weather. Wed., 7/7 -- happy to be back at the Harrison library.

Random Notes

• Books are cataloged and shelved by NLM number. A "L" precedes the call number if the book is for "lighter" reading.


• There is a labrinth on the campus. Read more about it here: http://www.insidehopkinsbayview.org/labyrinth/


• There is a Farmer's Market on the Bayview campus open to the public on Thursdays from 10-2 (May to November). I plan to visit next week.
• I visited the gift shop today -- and found Bucky Badger items -- who would have thought. . .?