Wednesdays are typically busy. I get into the office around 8:30 and spend time catching up on email and news.
In addition to our reference duties, librarians at HU have teaching responsibilities. This semester I'm teaching two courses: Intro to PubMed and Using Library Resources to Stay Current. Classes are open to undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and Howard University Hospital staff. My classes meet on Thursdays, so I spend a few minutes making sure I have my lesson plan ready and that my supporting resources are working properly. This is my second semester teaching both courses and I'm pretty comfortable with my approach.
From 10-1 I'm manning the Reference Desk. Shifts are typically two hours, but I have a committee meeting later on that affects the normal schedule. I'd say the Reference Desk averages 5 questions an hour. It doesn't sound like much, but medical students and doctors frequently have requests that take longer, more creative approaches than what the average undergrad might ask.
Lunch from 1-2.
I represent the health sciences library on the Howard University Hospital Patient Advocacy Committee, so at 2:30 I head across the street for that meeting. I'm responsible for thinking up ways the library can contribute to the hospital's mission to provide patients with the best care possible. These meeting typically last at least 90 minutes, but are rarely boring. I especially like that they give me the opportunity to build connections with members of the health sciences system that I would otherwise never get to know.
By 4:15 I'm back in the library, on my last reference shift of the day.
I leave the office at 5. Half the week is complete. Sweet!
In addition to our reference duties, librarians at HU have teaching responsibilities. This semester I'm teaching two courses: Intro to PubMed and Using Library Resources to Stay Current. Classes are open to undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and Howard University Hospital staff. My classes meet on Thursdays, so I spend a few minutes making sure I have my lesson plan ready and that my supporting resources are working properly. This is my second semester teaching both courses and I'm pretty comfortable with my approach.
From 10-1 I'm manning the Reference Desk. Shifts are typically two hours, but I have a committee meeting later on that affects the normal schedule. I'd say the Reference Desk averages 5 questions an hour. It doesn't sound like much, but medical students and doctors frequently have requests that take longer, more creative approaches than what the average undergrad might ask.
Lunch from 1-2.
I represent the health sciences library on the Howard University Hospital Patient Advocacy Committee, so at 2:30 I head across the street for that meeting. I'm responsible for thinking up ways the library can contribute to the hospital's mission to provide patients with the best care possible. These meeting typically last at least 90 minutes, but are rarely boring. I especially like that they give me the opportunity to build connections with members of the health sciences system that I would otherwise never get to know.
By 4:15 I'm back in the library, on my last reference shift of the day.
I leave the office at 5. Half the week is complete. Sweet!
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