New On Demand Workshop Series: Programming With Python

Posted on July 6, 2020 by

Have you been thinking about learning more about Python for data visualization? Get started with our new Programming with Python series. Over the course of 10 videos, learn how to visualize and analyze data, repeat actions with loops, create functions and more.

Before you can practice coding with us, you’ll need to install a python interpreter and download the lesson materials. Visit Dartgo.org/pythonsetup for instructions on how to obtain both.

For more information about the carpentry lessons used to create the tutorials, visit Dartgo.org/swcpython.

Finally, as we work through the lessons together, feel free to follow along by pausing the video or rewind to review a step.

 

This post was written by Paige Scudder, Research and Education Librarian for the Biomedical Libraries.

Posted in Paige Scudder, Resources, Workshops | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Getting to Know the Biomedical Libraries’ Staff: An interview with Susan Jorgensen

Posted on June 29, 2020 by

Reading on a hamock1. What is your job and how long have you worked for the Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries?

I’m the Access Services Supervisor at Dana, and I’ve been here for 17 years. It’s the longest I’ve done anything. I started off at the Sherman Art Library at Dartmouth and worked there for 7 years, and then I worked for about 6 months in the Special Collections Library but it wasn’t dealing with people at all and I missed that.

2. What is your favorite part about your job?

I like most of my job, I like all of it really but I think getting to know the student workers. They all come from different backgrounds and are so interesting in their diversity, but they come here and have the same interests and goals. Some of them are really very funny!

3. What is your least favorite part about your job?

I guess the thing that gets under my skin is all the acronyms. Between the library, the college, and medical resources it can be a little much. There’s just so many of them, I need a spreadsheet! Someone should make a Jeopardy game with all the acronyms.

4. How are you spending your isolation?

I’ve been out on leave since the end of October, so I’m kind of an expert in isolation. It’s easier in the winter than it is in the summer when you want to be outside. You don’t feel like you’re missing out so much. The bird watching has been good, more than usual. I’ve been knitting, and doing my physical therapy exercises, which has been nice to do “while at work”; I spend my work time on the floor!

Koura 5. If you have any pets or kids, describe them as your co-worker and tell us what they are doing right now.

Well, let’s see. Koura is kind of a slacker, she sleeps on the job and is kind of manipulative. Don’t tell her I said that! She’ll turn her back on me for the whole day. It’s hard to criticize her though, she’s just so devoted, she’s always at my feet — what else can you ask for from a coworker?

She’s a rescue and has a really good life now.

6. What pantry meal are you proudest of?

Before it got hot I was having fun with sourdough. I had a sourdough starter that was dying a slow death in the back of my refrigerator. But it’s just too hot for baking now.

Then I discovered a huge stockpile of rice noodles in the back of the pantry. I don’t know what those are about but I’ve been working through them.

Tonight, we’re having asparagus, goat cheese, and noodles (wheat – not rice!). You throw the asparagus in the pot with the noodles. When it’s done you mix in the goat cheese, a little bit of water from the noodles, and a lot of fresh tarragon and lemon. It’s done in about 20 minutes and tastes really good. One pot.

7. What are you reading/watching during your isolation?

I binged Wallander with Kenneth Branagh, it’s very good. I like historical fiction, Tracy Chevalier is one of my favorite authors lately. I’ve also been thinking about reading The Decameron, which was inspired by isolation during the Black Death quarantine and written in the 1300s.

dyed yarn8. What is your hobby? Name your top 5 recommendations

I’m a total knitting nerd, I knit year round. I knit for family, friends, and charity. I knit as a form of therapy.

  1. Ravelry, it’s social networking at it’s finest. You can find so many great designers and patterns on there.
  2. Knitting with fun colors and designs.
  3. I make a lot of Latvian mittens, they have nice designs and traditional patterns.
  4. I like dying my own yarn with plant sources; black walnuts from Tuck Drive, Phragmites – which is an invasive weed that has no value for wildlife but can be used as dye, flowers from my garden, lichen from rocks. Dying with plants is a lot of fun, it’s fun to see what you can get.
  5. My favorite source book is Wild Color by Jenny Dean, it’s a good book and has great information about dyeing yarn. Great pictures too!

9. Where’s a favorite place you have traveled and where would you most like to travel to next?

I really do like going to Hawaii. I have family out there so I can stay busy. Where would I want to go to next… I’ve wanted to go to Norway since I was a teenager, it’s been on my list for a long time!

Facetiming with family10. What frivolous things do you miss about being out in the normal world?

I don’t know if you call visiting family frivolous, but I really do miss that. They don’t live around here, so it’s not like you can pop over and visit from afar. We use Family Crossings to stay in touch. You can share photos and chat with your family, we’ve been using it for about 10 years; it’s more private than Facebook.

 

This post was written by the Water Cooler Committee, Samara Cary, Paige Scudder, Elaina Vitale, and Samantha Wiebkin, for the Biomedical Libraries.

Posted in Elaina Vitale, Paige Scudder, Samantha Wiebkin, Samara Cary, Staff | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Getting to Know the Biomedical Libraries’ Staff: An interview with David Sandberg

Posted on June 22, 2020 by

One of my favorite photos of one of my favorite memories. I went riding with my niece in Vermont, it was a great day. Goldy was a very bad horse though, he liked to bite the other horses.

1. What is your job and how long have you worked for the Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries?

I started at the Biomedical Libraries in November of 1992. It was during Bill Clinton’s first run for the White House. I was a Circulation Assistant. DHMC had just opened a year before.it was really miraculous when this big white glamorous building appeared in this field. Deer would be bouncing around in the parking lot. I remember watching the Clinton Inauguration on a TV in the library. I left seven months later and worked for private firms for 12 years – then returned in November of 2004. In 15 years I have worked on many projects at Dana and at Matthews Fuller. The most challenging was working on a large de-accession project. It was a huge project but rewarding. I’m currently an Information Access Assistant working at the Dana Biomedical Library.

2. What is your favorite part about your job?

Easy – working with medical students. They are all just really amazing people. It’s a privilege to help them when I can. They all have varied backgrounds and interests but they all want to be great doctors.

3. What is your least favorite part about your job?

Saying goodbye every year to folks who are moving on to their residencies or somewhere else. Odds are you never see them again. Sad but part of the cycle.

4. How are you spending your isolation?

I adopted a Maltese puppy in the first week of February. If you are going to be home quarantined then it’s great to be with a puppy. You will not be bored. Ever. Not a good time to be low on towel paper. I hit the absolute worst time to be low on paper products.

5. If you have any pets or kids, describe them as your co-worker and tell us what they are doing right now.

I have a 12-year-old Pekinese named Happy Ming who was a gift from my father. He went blind in April. I am his seeing-eye human. We are learning a new way to get him exercise and keep him cheerful. He gets lots of attention and TLC. He has always been hand-fed. The puppy is Dodger – he is asleep under my desk. Andromeda is my cat. She was hunting in the basement last night and is now asleep in her chair in the living room. She runs the house, no question about that.

6. What pantry meal are you proudest of?

I have zero interest in food. I never have. I eat the exact same meals every day 365 days a year. For breakfast it’s always just one hard egg, I only eat the white with toast. Happy gets the yolk. I seldom eat lunch. Dinner is always Boca Burger with vegetables, and some dessert. I just have no interest in food, I don’t know why. I do eat pizza on Friday nights, that is a treat.

7. What are you reading/watching during your isolation?

I am reading a biography of Lord Byron. He was the first modern celebrity. A great, larger than life-sized story. His lifetime was filled with similar celebrated folks – the Prince Regent comes to mind. Lady Caroline Lamb. Shelley. Great but not admirable individuals. Striving but not endearing people. The Regency was the birth of the modern. They were rebels, they broke a lot of conventions. It was Caroline Lamb who said of Bryon “Mad, bad, and dangerous to know.”

8. What is your hobby?

In the Fall of 1993 I decided to collect guidebooks to all of the world’s museums. Big and small. I own several thousand now. As well as a collection of seven hundred city maps and schematics. I have met fascinating people all around the world who went and bought guides for me. My favorite was from Tsaritsyno outside of Moscow. A new Russian friend got on the Metro and bought the guide for me one day. That was wonderful. Real magic.

The world is a big place with lots of good people. A lady in a bookstore in Lisbon went to the Ajuda Palace and got me the guidebook. It was almost impossible to get. I owe her so much. Then she went to Mafra and got me that palace guide, also. People are so generous and I am grateful to them. I always remember them years later when I look at the guides. My collection is the work of many hands. I have guides in many languages.

There are ten museums that I always have the current guide for: The Louvre, the Prado, the Uffizi, the Rijksmuseum, The Met, the Hermitage, the Vatican Museums, the Kunsthistoriches Museum, and the US and UK National Galleries. I was born in Boston so the MFA, too. The most beautiful museum guide is to the Queen Emma Summer palace in Honolulu. It’s small but so visually intimate. It’s in the hills above the city. My personal favorite guide is to the Cairo Museum – though most of the exhibits have been moved to the new Grand Egyptian Museum at the pyramids. There is no guide for the GEM right now. I am waiting. It’s been a real journey collecting these guides, I can go anywhere on a winter’s day by sitting down with these guides.

9. Where’s a favorite place you have traveled and where would you most like to travel to next?

Vienna. I just loved Vienna. I have been to Europe eight times. Vienna has a vibe like no other great city I have visited. I love the way Austrians speak German. The way they wait for pedestrian lights. Always. There is a sweet fatalism to Vienna. Der tod das muss ein Wiener sein = Death must be Viennese. The Viennese believe you must enjoy life while you can and the whole city is a celebration of all things beautiful and dynamic.

I loved the hum of the Ringstrasse at night near the Hofburg. Mozart died young. I remember his apartment on Domgasse my first night in the city and I loved it. I walked through his rooms near the Cathedral and was amazed by the ambience of the spaces. Vienna is all about enjoying this moment in time. Appreciating how wonderful things are and also how fleeting they can be. It also has Sacher torte, the best chocolate cake in the world. I am hoping to go to Berlin in 2021 or 2022 when the Museum Island fully reopens. I would also like to visit the palace ensemble at Potsdam.

10. What frivolous things do you miss about being out in the normal world?

Bookstores. Cones at McDonalds, I’m utterly addicted to them, it’s like my curse, I have to limit myself to one or two a week. Movies!

 

This post was written by the Water Cooler Committee, Samara Cary, Paige Scudder, Elaina Vitale, and Samantha Wiebkin, for the Biomedical Libraries.

Posted in Elaina Vitale, Paige Scudder, Samantha Wiebkin, Samara Cary, Staff | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Getting to Know the Biomedical Libraries’ Staff: An interview with Samantha Wiebkin

Posted on June 17, 2020 by

Sam (right) and her friend Ana at The Huntington

1. What is your job and how long have you worked for the Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries?

I’ve been working at Matthews-Fuller since the end of February as an Information Access Assistant. Kind of wild to think that I’ve now worked the majority of my time for Biomed remotely.

2. What is your favorite part about your job?

Definitely helping patrons find the information they need or showing them a service they didn’t know they could access. It’s so rewarding to be able to help someone and they’re usually really appreciative.

3. What is your least favorite part about your job?

Since I’m still fairly new to Biomed, I would say my lack of experience and knowledge. I feel like there is a lot more to learn and retain, it can be daunting at times.

Gouache painting from an early spring walk

4. How are you spending your isolation?

I just started my first semester of grad school, so I have plenty of homework! But besides staring endlessly at a computer screen, I’ve been getting outside as much as possible. I discovered I can connect to my WiFi from the backyard, so working out in the sun has been really nice and going for lots of walks/runs. I’m getting reacquainted with riding a bike, which is equal parts terrifying and amusing. I’ve also been painting quite a bit, doing frustrating 1000 piece puzzles, and playing an embarrassing amount of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

5. If you have any pets or kids, describe them as your co-worker and tell us what they are doing right now.

My coworker is currently yelling in a distressed manner over the fact that I haven’t let him into the room where I’m working.

the screaming co-worker had a birthday (Sam’s cat)

6. What pantry meal are you proudest of?

Ginger ramen. We cook most nights but I think this is the dish we’ve recreated repeatedly and can’t get enough of it. Tons of freshly grated ginger and chili garlic sauce. We usually put broccoli, water chestnuts, scallions, mushrooms, and chicken in but I honestly think anything would taste good in it!

7. What are you reading/watching during your isolation?

I’m a little embarrassed by the number of books I’m in-process of reading but actively as of right now I’m reading The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. As for what I’m watching, I’ve just finished rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender and am now rewatching Legend of Korra.

8. What is your hobby? Name your top 5 (hobby-related) recommendations and why. ie- Gardening, names 5 plants.

It feels a little weird to call art a hobby but when I’m not working that’s usually what I’m doing instead. I bounce around to different mediums to keep things interesting. My recommendations for some art-making activities would include:

  1. Making Comics by Lynda Barry – a gem of a book full of fun exercises and prompts for (surprise) making comics!
  2. The Art Assignment YouTube channel – has a great variety of videos if you want to learn about art history, contemporary artists, or participate in art assignments.
  3. Collaging – perfect for people like me who have random old magazines and books laying around. I also recommend incorporating found objects (feathers, leaves, thread, an untouched bottle of glitter you didn’t know you had) to add some 3D flare!
  4. Instagram art challenges – there are so many great drawing challenges and artists to follow. One of my favorites is the #drawthisinyourstyle challenge where one artist makes an original piece and then invites anyone who wants to to redraw it. I just finished an art challenge where I drew six fictional characters in my style.
  5. Master copies – I used to absolutely hate doing copies of masters’ work for undergrad but I’ve found the value in them now (my color theory professor would be so proud). It kind of makes you appreciate the artist’s perspective and try to look at things with their eyes when it comes to color and light.

9. Where’s a favorite place you have traveled and where would you most like to travel to next?

I think any place I’ve gone with my best friend would be my favorite, but most recently being The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California when I was visiting in February. It was absolutely stunning and the perfect day but we didn’t have time to see everything and I would love to go back to explore more. I think next on my travel list would have to be the Grand Canyon or The Redwood National Park.

10. What frivolous things do you miss about being out in the normal world?

Eating out at restaurants and not having my glasses constantly fog up while wearing a mask.

 

This post was written by the Water Cooler Committee, Samara Cary, Paige Scudder, Elaina Vitale, and Samantha Wiebkin, for the Biomedical Libraries.

Posted in Elaina Vitale, Paige Scudder, Samantha Wiebkin, Samara Cary, Staff | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Getting to Know the Biomedical Libraries’ Staff: An interview with Shuling Peng

Posted on June 8, 2020 by

December 2019

1. What is your job and how long have you worked for the Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries?

I think it’s 18 years. It’s been quite long right? I worked for the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth before working for the Biomedical Libraries. Before I came to America I worked in a library for 10 years, so I’ve been in the same career for a while now.

2. What is your favorite part about your job?

The services to the patron. When we find an article for a patron, especially after we spend a lot of time looking, it’s always satisfying. 

1995

3. What is your least favorite part about your job?

You know, the library is my choice. I don’t think I have a least favorite.

4. How are you spending your isolation?

I think I’m having a lot of fun! I like to read books and cook. I’m trying different meals, walking with friends. I’m in a dance group that meets three times a week on Zoom that has 300 people! It’s called YQ Chinese Dance Cardio. I’m just trying to keep busy.

5. Do you have any pets or kids?

I don’t have any pets. Well, I had a fish, but maybe the change of water was too much because it died. My younger son is a sophomore in high school and my older son works at Hitchcock. My older son doesn’t live at home, I only see him a few times a month.

6. What pantry meal are you proudest of? 

Any kind of dumpling. Chive, carrots, celery, ground beef, any kind. I like to make it from the flour until the end.

7. What are you reading/watching during your isolation?

I recently read a book called Joy of Life, by Mao Ni. It’s a big book, 700 pages I think. It’s about the different ways people live. I’ve also been watching eternal love of dreams, which is a drama. It’s very popular in China. My son doesn’t like to watch it with me, so I watch it on my laptop so he can have the TV. 

8. What is your hobby? 

I think for a hobby, I like quiet. Sit there by myself and relax. I’m also happy to walk, hike, dance, swim and do yoga. I’ve been doing yoga for almost 10 years, my favorite pose is the downward dog. I tried pilates, which is a little different and works the core. I’ve also been cutting hair, it’s a lot of fun. I’ve been helping my friend’s cut their hair too, Youtube has a lot of videos to help!

9. Where’s a favorite place you have traveled and where would you most like to travel to next?

I was going to go to China this month, I’m looking forward to going again… but I don’t know how long until we can go. I was also planning on going to Europe next year with my son, but he has SATs and everything. Maybe after he is done we can go. Who knows, it’s hard to plan anything these days.

10. What frivolous things do you miss about being out in the normal world?

That’s really hard to answer. Maybe going to the movie theater, seeing friends. I think it’s going to be a long time before things get back to normal, but it will someday.

 

This post was written by the Water Cooler Committee, Samara Cary, Paige Scudder, Elaina Vitale, and Samantha Wiebkin, for the Biomedical Libraries.

Posted in Authors, Elaina Vitale, Paige Scudder, Samantha Wiebkin, Samara Cary, Staff | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Happy National Donut Day

Posted on June 5, 2020 by
Donuts behind bakery glass

https://pixabay.com/photos/abundance-baked-bakery-bread-1868573/

As the weather in the Upper Valley gets warmer, it’s easy to remember to start stocking your freezer full of icy desserts and to want to drop by one of the many seasonal ice cream shops (Dairy Twirl, and Hatchland Farms to name a few of our favorites). Donut day, which traditionally falls on the first Friday in June, has a way of sneaking up on us despite an increase in reaching for cold coffee and tea.

According to an article written by Emily Smith from CNN, donut day has been around since 1938 and was started by the Salvation Army in Chicago to celebrate the “donut lassies” (not the food, which is celebrated in November). “Donut Lassies” were a group of women who served treats to boost morale and provided assistance to soldiers on the front lines during World War I.

Looking to celebrate the end of the week with a Donut? Delish put together a list of some places that you can stop in to get a free donut. Maybe you’re looking for something new to bake? Check out this Donut Bread Pudding that our Information Access Assistant Sam found.

On a more personal note, we wish we could share a box of donuts with you and have all been practicing our baking for when we return. Until we can all be in the library together again, please feel free to email, chat, or make an appointment with us. Even though we aren’t in the same room as each other, we’re still here for you.

This post was written by Paige Scudder, Research and Education Librarian for the Biomedical Libraries.

Posted in Paige Scudder, Seasonal | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Getting to Know the Biomedical Libraries’ Staff: An interview with Samara Cary

Posted on June 1, 2020 by

1. What is your job and how long have you worked for the Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries?

I’m an Information Access Assistant at Matthews-Fuller, and I’ve been there since November. I was working at Baker-Berry before that since 2017.

2. What is your favorite part about your job?

Probably problem-solving, like finding an obscure article that a patron wants and thinks we don’t have but then I show them we do, or decluttering and updating our various guides in a way that makes sense. I might not always solve the problem, but I enjoy the process, as long as it’s not someone yelling at me!

3. What is your least favorite part about your job?

I fear I will never be able to remember all the medical jargon associated with a biomedical library.

4. How are you spending your isolation?

screenshot from the game Animal CrossingWe’ve been playing a lot of Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch. I didn’t even know what this game was about before, only that our friend was obsessed with it and said we HAD to buy it. Luckily we had bought a Switch in January, because they are almost impossible to get right now, mostly thanks to this game. It was the perfect game to come out at this time; all you do is make a little island Utopia where you go fishing, catch bugs, grow flowers, cut down and plant trees, all so you can build and customize your house and island with items that you make. You can connect online with other friends who have the game and visit their islands, and therefore it has a fun social aspect to it. It’s just a very calm, pure, addictive game. It’s kept the real-world anxiety away.

In the real world, we have also been able to go for a lot of walks, had Zoom dance parties with friends, and even virtually watched my sister and her fiance have their “first dance” on their would-be wedding day.

5. If you have any pets or kids, describe them as your co-worker and tell us what they are doing right now.

No pets or kids, but my partner has basically been a co-worker these past couple of months. My co-worker is making snarky remarks about the state of the neighbor’s lawn. The neighbor’s lawn is obsessively immaculate, and we like to imagine the never-ending battle he must be fighting against our dandelions and sticks crossing the border.

6. What pantry meal are you proudest of?

These days I’m more of the sous chef, because my partner is a gifted cook, but one thing I used to make for myself is angel hair pasta with olive oil, rosemary, mint, spinach, fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, and chunks of whatever cheese I had in the fridge.

7. What are you reading/watching during your isolation?

John Krasinksy’s Some Good News on Youtube. It’ll make you laugh and sob and have warm fuzzies about the good still left in this world. It was his answer to all the bad news you hear all the time from reading/watching the regular news.

For books, I’m reading the latest book in the Rivers of London series. I’m a fantasy/sci-fi fan, as well as a murder-mystery fan, so this series is a perfect blend: a London cop who finds out magic is real and is transferred to the magic division to deal with everything supernatural. It’s clever in the way it ties magic to science, and it’s fun for fans of other fictional universes because of all the references. It’s also refreshing because all of the characters are from diverse backgrounds, and the police system runs effectively and smoothly; I’m tired of the tortured white detective in a corrupt system cliche. Give me magic, diversity, and hope for a justice system that works!

8. What is your hobby? Name your top 5 (hobby-related) recommendations and why.

70's-style jacket crocheted by SamaraI crochet. Like knitting, it can be oddly addicting. A lot of people think it’s difficult, but it’s really just different combinations of the same 4 stitches. The hardest part is learning how to read pattern-speak, but once you know that it’s easy to make just about any pattern. Actually, the hardest part is not having enough time and yarn to make all the patterns you want! Also, there are a lot of really tacky crochet designs in the world, so sorting through them can be tedious.

My 5 crochet-related recommendations are:

  1. The Granny Square blanket. It’s how I learned, hard to mess up, and it makes any couch instantly cozy. You don’t need nice yarn, and it doesn’t need to be color-coordinated because then it would look like it’s trying too hard to be a fancy blanket.
  2. The Double-Crochet stitch. It’s in every pattern, and it’s a satisfying movement to do with your hands once you get up to speed.
  3. Natural fiber yarn. It feels snobby to say so, but acrylic yarn feels so scratchy on my fingers. Wool or cotton feels nicer, looks better, and is warmer. It is expensive though, so cheaper yarn is fine for beginners.
  4. Scratch Supply Co. in Lebanon, NH. They have a great yarn collection that they are always adding to. The owners are knowledgeable and can help with yarn and pattern selection, as well as help troubleshoot with why this scarf came out all wonky.
  5. Pinterest. It has a ton of free crochet patterns, which is perfect for anyone still learning or not ready to commit to spending money on a project they aren’t sure they’ll complete.

9. Where’s a favorite place you have traveled and where would you most like to travel to next?

Iceland photo from Samara's vacationI recently went to Iceland, but only for 4 days, so I would really love to go back and explore it more. The topography was just insanely beautiful, and the vibe of the whole country was chill and matter-of-fact. We started a hike at 9pm, because the sun was still out! It was spontaneous, we hiked to a hot spring, but couldn’t go in because we didn’t have towels, and would have died of exposure on the way back because the hottest it gets in Iceland is MAYBE 65 degrees. Definitely bring your light winter jacket to Iceland in the summer.

Next, I’d like to go to Hawaii or the Azores. One day, when everything has settled, I want to see the Italian countryside.

10. What frivolous things do you miss about being out in the normal world?

Being able to clink glasses while cheersing with my friends. Is cheersing a word?

 

This post was written by the Water Cooler Committee, Samara Cary, Paige Scudder, Elaina Vitale, and Samantha Wiebkin, for the Biomedical Libraries.

Posted in Elaina Vitale, Paige Scudder, Samantha Wiebkin, Samara Cary, Staff | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Getting to Know the Biomedical Libraries’ Staff: An interview with Chris Curtis

Posted on May 25, 2020 by

Chris taking a selfie at the top of a mountain before skiing down.1. What is your job and how long have you worked for the Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries?

I am a Document Delivery Assistant for the Biomedical libraries and have been so for 15 years.

2. What is your favorite part about your job?

I think what I like best is the face to face interaction that I get from time to time with patrons when they are asking for help. It happens more often now because of my migration from off-campus to on [Chris was based at the Dartmouth Library Depository, an off-campus storage facility. He is now based at the Matthews-Fuller Library at DHMC]. Before that, I was always hidden in the background and all my work was viewed electronically in e-mails or a web presence.

Chris and his family at the grand canyon.3. What is your least favorite part about your job?

I really am having a hard time trying to think of something that I don’t like about my job. I wish it paid more but you can say that about any job!

4. How are you spending your isolation?

My isolation is being spent in one of two ways. Either at my new desk which is the kitchen table or ANYTHING that I can do outdoors. My hobbies include hiking and biking and playing music. I am a self-taught musician and enjoy playing out at open mics, (at least I did before the pandemic).

Chris at open mike night.5. If you have any pets or kids, describe them as your co-worker and tell us what they are doing right now.

We have no pets, just children and they are our pets! We had a good taste of being empty nesters until the pandemic, then my youngest had to move home from the University of Vermont where he is a second-year student. He’s a good co-worker for us and it’s nice to know he’s home and safe.

6. What pantry meal are you proudest of?

Probably my version of a dish called “Gorgonzola Steak”. It’s a dish I once had in a restaurant. I wanted to be able to make it at home so I gave it a try. Now I think my version is better than the one I had at the restaurant.

7. What are you reading/watching during your isolation?

Great question!!! While home I am watching an old favorite classic, The Waltons. It’s on at noon so if I were not working from home I wouldn’t be able to see it. You will not get a hold of me any day from noon to 1! I’m really really enjoying it. It’s on MeTV, which has a lot of old-fashioned black and white movies and old cowboy shows.

8. What is your hobby? Name your top (hobby-related) recommendations and why.

If I could only choose one hobby I would have to say playing my custom made ukulele. People don’t realize it, but there are lots of different sizes of ukuleles. The first ukulele I got is a tenor. I currently play a baritone, it has a bigger, fuller, richer sound.

Music brings me so much peace and joy. Sorry if I come off sounding kind of cheesy but it is a passion for me. I have a pretty eclectic mix of songs I like to play. Understandably a large portion is what I grew up with. I tend to navigate back to 70’s love songs; I enjoy that genre, I’m sappy and an old softy!

Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t mention that I’m a ski bum! It’s what I live for! My season was cut short this year which was disappointing. I told my family: If I should die, don’t waste your money on a gravestone. Take my ashes to the top of any mountain, and poof! I never want to leave the mountains. My top two ski mountain recommendations are Ascutney, where I learned how to ski and grew up, and Killington. They are the two places I ski the most.

9. Where’s a favorite place you have traveled and where would you most like to travel to next?

I traveled extensively as a sailor in the US Navy for 4 years and visited many countries. I’m glad I ended up in the military, it taught me to behave; I can’t imagine how life would have gone otherwise. I got to see a lot of things that many people will never see. We started in San Diego and went to the far East. Hawaii, Guam, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, and many more. I couldn’t really choose which is my favorite, they are all pretty unique.

These days I don’t travel much at all. I don’t care for all the things that it takes to board an airplane. I did travel to the west coast last year and visited the Grand Canyon. A similar trip to another west coast national park would probably be my next endeavor.

10. What frivolous things do you miss about being out in the normal world?

Dining out at a restaurant, hugging friends, open mics, and in-person water cooler chats.

 

This post was written by the Water Cooler Committee, Samara Cary, Paige Scudder, Elaina Vitale, and Samantha Wiebkin, for the Biomedical Libraries.

Posted in Elaina Vitale, Paige Scudder, Samantha Wiebkin, Samara Cary, Staff | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

PubMed has a New Interface!

Posted on May 22, 2020 by

Frequent visitors to PubMed, the world’s largest source for biomedical information, will have noticed announcements this spring about a new PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). What can you expect from new PubMed? A more modern interface, more mobile responsiveness, and a new relevance search engine designed to bring you the most relevant, top-ranked results for your search (and more!). Fans of PubMed will be relieved that much of what they love about PubMed has stayed the same, it will just appear with a new look and feel.

Here are some ways to explore new PubMed, and to start using new PubMed:

  • We are happy to provide a workshop for you (and your students or colleagues) on these new features and how to use them: contact us
  • Prefer a quick self-guided tour? Explore using these handouts, PowerPoint slides, and quick tours.
  • Interested in a deeper dive? View these 90 minute recordings on various aspects of PubMed, on topics like how medical subject headings and automatic term mapping work.
  • Lastly, for quick help on questions on using almost every feature of new PubMed, visit PubMed’s User Guide.

Change is hard, but we’re here to help! Reach out with your questions and concerns.

This post was written by Elaina Vitale, Research and Education Librarian for the Biomedical Libraries.

Posted in Elaina Vitale, Resources | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Getting to Know the Biomedical Libraries’ Staff: An interview with Elaina Vitale

Posted on May 18, 2020 by

Elaina hiking at the border of Georgia and Azerbaijan

1. What is your job and how long have you worked for the Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries?

I’m a Research & Education Librarian, and I started in July of 2019. It’s been an interesting first year! 

 

2. What is your favorite part about your job?

My colleagues! Everyone is so fun to work with. I feel like we all complement one another well on projects, and everyone is interesting to talk to. 

 

3. What is your least favorite part about your job?

The days that there are no baked goods are very hard for me. I often have to get an emergency chocolate chip cookie at KAF.

 

4. How are you spending your isolation?

I have an almost four-month old, so I am doing a lot of laundry, taking many walks/hikes, and reading. Minus the laundry these are the things I’d be doing anyway! I love early morning walks at this time of year because the birding is so good. This week I saw a northern flicker, a pileated woodpecker, lots of goldfinches, and have heard but not seen lots of warblers!

 

5. If you have any pets or kids, describe them as your co-worker and tell us what they are doing right now.

One requests infinite peanut butter Kongs every day, and the other is learning how to laugh and takes 3-4 naps a day (neither is a very hard worker). 

 

6. What pantry meal are you proudest of? 

As a rule, I try not to cook, but I love to eat and request meals of my personal home chef. We rely on New York Times Cooking, Milk Street, and the Smitten Kitchen. If forced to cook I usually make pasta with fried eggs or something with anchovies. 

 

7. What are you reading/watching during your isolation?

The same old stuff! I read a lot but my squiggly infant means I do most of it on my Kindle these days; I love the Libby app to get e-books from my public library. Right now I’m reading Barbarian Days, which is a very fun and beautiful memoir about surfing. 

 

8. What is your hobby? Name your top 5 (hobby-related) recommendations and why. ie- Gardening, names 5 plants. 

Probably my life’s hobby is reading (boring!)–I particularly love reading science fiction and fantasy by women. My top five favorite science fiction/fantasy women are: NK Jemisin, Octavia Butler, Margaret Atwood, Becky Chambers (the Wayfarers series is SO fun!), and Katherine Arden. 

 

9. Where’s a favorite place you have traveled and where would you most like to travel to next?

I love to travel. I went to the Republic of Georgia last year–I’d been dying to go there for years and it was amazing! I would love to return to Hong Kong, and will definitely be retiring to a shack somewhere in New Mexico (the best place on earth). Next on my travel list: the Faroe Islands, Wales, or maybe just to visit my niece in Connecticut!  

 

10. What frivolous things do you miss about being out in the normal world?

Haircuts! 

 

 

This post was written by the Water Cooler Committee, Samara Cary, Paige Scudder, Elaina Vitale, and Samantha Wiebkin, for the Biomedical Libraries.

Posted in Elaina Vitale, Paige Scudder, Samantha Wiebkin, Samara Cary, Staff | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment