Not only is Gordana Lenert new to the Hardin Library staff, her position is also new to our team. The new position liaison for the Biomolecular Sciences, something that her past experience should definitely serve her well in. Although she has never worked at a library before, she is not new to working at universities.

After graduating from the University of Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia, Gordana majored in Molecular Biology and Physiology, and then went on to receive her Masters and Ph.D. in Allergology and Immunology from the University of Belgrade. From there she worked at the Biochemistry Department, Medical School, University of Novi Sad, where she developed her passion for working with students. She and her family moved to Canada after leaving Europe, where she worked as a medical reviewer for Health Canada. After her husband was offered a job at the University, she moved to Iowa City two years ago.

In her free time, Gordana enjoys reading, cooking, gardening and swimming, and has been a volunteer swim-referee for many years. Despite being her first month on the job, she already has major work to do, including planning the curriculum for her new liaison department.

Chris Childs joined the Hardin Library Staff as Education and Outreach Librarian for Consumer and Public Health in late February. Chris comes to the University of Iowa from the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center at Odessa, where he began his career in health sciences libraries as an assistant director.

While working in Texas, Chris had the opportunity to do some outreach for the university and found that of all his responsibilities, this was his favorite. He is very excited about being part of the Hardin staff and having the opportunity to focus on outreach.

Chris enjoys traveling and has taken many trips across the country, spending most of his time in the National Parks. While he did live in Indiana for a few years, he didn’t have the opportunity to travel and explore this region of the country. He is looking forward to wandering around Iowa and the surrounding states.

Jonathan Koffel, Education and Outreach Librarian, has been appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy Division of the College of Pharmacy. This is a 3 year appointment.

Jonathan will teach sessions on drug information skills and concepts within College courses (notably the Pharmacy Practice Lab sequence), serve on the College Curriculum Committee, and collaborate with other faculty to ensure that faculty, staff, and students have the information resources and skills necessary to provide the highest level of care.

“Jonathan has quickly become a valuable member of the Pharmacy Practice Lab team as well as the entire College of Pharmacy,” says Jeff Reist, Clinical Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Pharmacy Practice Lab. “He is a valuable resource and provides excellent instruction to both students and faculty in the area of health informatics and related topics. His intellect and wit make him a respected and popular instructor and is a pleasure to work with on curriculum development and delivery.”

For more information, please review the complete job announcement.

Reporting to the Assistant Director, Technology and Outreach, the Education and Outreach Librarian plans, promotes and provides information services that support the needs of residents of the State of Iowa and faculty, researchers, staff and students of the five health colleges and affiliated hospital.
• As liaison to academic and clinical units, cultivates relationships with faculty and researchers to identify opportunities for library partnerships with education and health care programs;
• Develops and teaches tailored library education sessions. Coordinates education services for liaison units and community outreach programs. Works with faculty to integrate library education into the curriculum;
• In support of research and education, assists patrons with research and information management tools and skills through individual and small group consultations. Coordinates consultation services for liaison units and community outreach programs;
• Partners with other librarians to market library services and promote increased awareness of scholarly communication issues on the health campus;
• Provides information and circulation services at the public service desk in-person and via telephone, email and instant messenger;
• Investigates new technologies and works with others to develop and revise programs to respond to the changing information needs of members of the health campus;
• Works with other Hardin Library staff members on public services projects for the health campus and health professionals and consumers in the State of Iowa. Visits off-campus sites as needed (must have valid driver’s license);
• Serves on Hardin Library, University Libraries, health colleges, university and hospital committees and working groups;
• Contributes to and learns from the profession through such avenues as local, state and national professional organizations and publications.

For more information, please review the complete job announcement.

Reporting to the Assistant Director, Collections and Outreach, and working as a member of the education and outreach team, the Biomolecular Sciences Specialist develops and conducts a program for supporting biosciences and bioinformatics programs on the University of Iowa health campus.

• As liaison to biomedical research programs, centers, and departments, cultivates relationships with faculty, graduate students and research groups to identify opportunities for library partnerships.
• Develops and teaches tailored education sessions related to selection and use of biosciences, genetics and bioinformatics tools and resources. Coordinates education services for liaison units. Works with faculty to integrate library education into the curriculum.
• In support of research and education, assists researchers with effective application of biomedical information tools and skills through individual and small group consultations. Coordinates consultation services for liaison units.
• Conducts and publishes research to better develop relevant programs for the biomedical sciences community.
• Investigates new technologies and works with others to develop and revise programs to respond to the changing information needs of members of the health campus.
• Updates and maintains information about research tools to promote and support biosciences and bioinformatics resources available to members of the biomedical research community.
• Partners with other librarians to market library services and promote increased awareness of scholarly communication issues on the health campus.
• Works with other Hardin Library staff members on public services projects for the health campus and health professionals and consumers in the State of Iowa.
• Serves on Hardin Library, University Libraries, health colleges, university and hospital committees and working groups.
• Contributes to and learns from the profession through such avenues as local, state and national professional organizations and publications.

Janna Lawrence joined the Hardin Library staff as Assistant Director for Collections and Outreach in late May. Janna comes to the University of Iowa from the Briscoe Library at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where she began her career in health sciences libraries as a library assistant and most recently served as Coordinator of Reference and Instructional Services.

After 23 years in Texas, Janna is happy to return to her Midwestern roots. A native of central Illinois, she received a BA from the University of Illinois, and a Masters in Library and Information Science from the
University of Texas at Austin. She is an active member of the Medical Library Association (MLA) and a past-president of the South Central Chapter of MLA.

Janna looks forward to working with the Hardin staff to expand the Library’s collection of electronic journals and other resources and to meeting faculty and students in her Outreach role.

MedlinePlus Go Local is a service for finding local resources for health-related issues. Go Local Iowa is a project of the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences in partnership with the College of Public Health and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) Patients’ Library. For more information, please visit http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/ and http://medlineplus.gov/golocal/.

The Go Local Iowa Technical Manager identifies and collects information about local health services, assigns metadata and service terms using a controlled vocabulary, assists in development of new vocabulary terms, enters information in a National Library of Medicine-hosted database, solicits data from external organizations, analyzes external data for data import/export, develops web-based publicity materials and/or tutorials, and similar projects. The Technical Manager is responsible for the collection, creation, indexing and maintenance of entries into the system; creates and deactivates user accounts; and handles local customizations including the Featured Site.

The Technical Manager also provides on-call technical support for library users and instructors between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, two days per week.

For more details, please review the complete position description.

Kathy Skhal, Clinical Education Librarian, has been appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Carver College of Medicine. This is a three-year appointment with the department of Internal Medicine.

Skhal will tailor her education sessions specifically to medicine students and faculty; she will coordinate and lead small group sessions on specific related topics; she will have lecturing responsibilities and she will help provide information resources.

“Kathy plays a valuable role within the medical school as a Clinical Education Librarian. She provides Course Directors with numerous resources that will be helpful to our students on a variety of topics,” says Dee Dee Stafford, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine FCP IV Course Director. Kathy is extremely enthusiastic about medical education and in the dissemination of knowledge. She has the knowledge and commitment to trouble-shoot problems extremely well. She is very committed to helping out learners at all levels.”

We are happy to announce that Mary White has joined the staff of the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences as an Education and Outreach Librarian. She will serve as the liaison to the College of Public Health. Mary White is an NIH/NLM Fellow in Health Informatics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She has her undergraduate and graduate training from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with specializations in information and library science, international development and public health. She has worked with community centers and libraries in South Africa and Honduras. DISCO (Dance based Interventional Study on Childhood Obesity), her other research project at Hopkins, utilizes the Dance Dance Revolution video game for childhood obesity prevention with children in East Baltimore. Please join us in welcoming Mary to the University of Iowa.