Levy Library

Records Management Comes to Mount Sinai

Usually I write about something from Mount Sinai's past.  I try to show its relevance to the present day, but it is still looking back. Today I want to tell you a little about a very forward-looking program in which the Archives Division of the Library is involved, and that is rolling out a records and information management program for The Mount Sinai Medical Center.  We have hired our first ever professional Records Manager, Miriam Gianni, and she is working with our Records Consultant, Dr. William Saffady. They are visiting offices around the Medical Center, to see what records are created and stored. From those interviews they will draft retention schedules of how long records need to be kept. At the end of that process, departments will be able to actively manage the records they create and be able to more easily find the information they need when they need it.  In other words: throw things away, free up office space, become more information efficient.  An ancillary but important gain from this initiative in the future will be allowing the institution to finally tame the off-site storage tiger that costs us thousands and thousands of dollars every year.  Each department is appointing a records coordinator to work with our Records Manager.  Maybe you will see Miriam and Bill in your area soon. 

Employee Recognition Poster Session - show us some love!

Librarians from the Levy Library will be on hand near our poster at the Employee Recognition Poster Session today. Come by the GP Atrium between 9:30 and 3:00 to say hi, grab some candy, and become our fan on facebook. All our new facebook fans will be entered in the Employee-to-Employee Appreciation Raffle Drawing, and we'll keep our profile updated with renovation news, new resources, photos and more. The theme of the poster session is I © Mount Sinai - so come by and show us some love!

Memorial Day Hours

Judging by the quietness of the Library this morning, a lot of you are definitely taking advantage of the long weekend. But for those of you who are still around and looking to get some research or studying done, the Library will be open Monday, Memorial Day, from 9 am until 4:50 pm. The Media Resource Center will be closed and the Interlibrary Loan and Reference Librarians will be away, so computer, ILL and research questions will have to wait until Tuesday, but you are welcome to come study, use computers, check out books, etc. We'll be open regular hours on the weekend and again starting Tuesday.

Levy Library vs. Your Lunch

I'll let out a secret: we maybe haven't been extremely diligent about enforcing the food policy at the Library for a while (what? There's a food policy?). But, now that we are getting a shiny new space with new paint and carpets and classrooms and maybe even furniture, we are getting concerned about the piles of crushed Doritos and wadded-up sandwich wrappers we find all too often, not to mention the distraction to others when someone brings in their deliciously fragrant lunch. So, we are now strictly enforcing our food policy: please, no crumbly chips, no drippy ice cream, no slices of pizza - in fact, nothing except drinks in covered, non-spillable containers. This will help a lot to keep our space pleasant and conducive to studying and research (and napping).

Limited Computer Use in the Library as Renovation Enters Phase 2

We are very excited that Phase 1 of our Library Renovation is finishing up!  The South area of the Library, including our new classrooms, will soon be ready.  But in order for Phase 1 to be finished and to prepare for Phase 2, the computers on the 11th floor of the Library will be unavailable next week, April 27-May 1. (They will be disconnected and moved to a new location.) If you need to use a computer in the Library next week, you can do so in the Media Resource Center on the 10th floor of the Library.  During this time we will ask that you limit your computer use to Library resources or Mount Sinai related business.  Thanks for your patience during this short disruption.  And stay tuned for some pictures of the latest progress on the renovation.

     

Chat with a Librarian

Librarians at the Levy Library have been available to chat with you on AIM for awhile; now it's gotten even easier to chat with us. There is usually a librarian online from about 9 am until around 6 pm (hours vary), ready to answer your questions. If you don't see a librarian online and you need help, we're available through email, telephone or in person - or you can leave a message in the chat box, but make sure to leave your email address or phone number so we can find you! You can chat with us right here, or on our Ask a Librarian page.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Thanksgiving Day 1918 at the Nurses' Dining Hall, US Army Base Hospital No. 13, Limoges, France. Image courtesy of the National Library of Medicine.

The Levy Library and the Media Resource Center will close early today, at 7:50 pm. Both will remain closed all day tomorrow, Thursday, November 27, and reopen with regular hours on Friday, November 28. Happy holidays!

More Classes - EndNote, RefWorks, NCBI, PowerPoint

The December schedule of Levy Library classes has now been posted:

Thursday December 4, 4-5 pm - Introduction to EndNote X2 with Find Full Text
Tuesday December 9, 4-5 pm - EndNote X2: Advanced Features
Thursday December 11, 4-5 pm - Introduction to RefWorks
Tuesday December 16, 4-5:30 pm - Introduction to NCBI’s Entrez and BLAST
Thursday December 18, 4-5:30 pm - Getting the Picture -- Finding Images & Editing Them in PowerPoint

For descriptions of the classes and to register, go to our classes page.

Free Research Help & Full-text Articles for Voters!

That's right, Mount Sinai students, faculty and staff who come by the Levy Library today between 10 am and 4 pm and tell us that they voted can get free help with their research from expert librarians, as well as free full text articles from all the leading medical journals. Have a librarian help you hunt down that elusive reference, get started on that daunting literature review, or tell you how to get the latest JAMA articles at home. We'll save you some time to make up for those long voting lines!

Ok, actually we provide free research help and full text articles on days other than election day. And even to non-voters. Just stop by and visit us on the 11th floor of Annenberg, or find other ways to contact us at our Ask a Librarian page. Might be even better than a free cup of coffee.

First Phase of Library Renovation Starting November 3rd

We are pleased to announce that the Levy Library will embark on a major physical renovation starting Monday, November 3. Phase 1 of the renovation will include the construction of two new classrooms, the removal of bookstacks on the north side of the 11th floor, and the re-painting of all remaining bookstacks. To minimize disruptions, we will be building a temporary barricade behind which all construction will take place. There will be brief times during demolition when areas of the library will not be available for use. Work will be restricted to 7:00am-3:00pm, Monday through Friday, and is expected to be completed during the next few months. The library will continue to be open during normal hours throughout the renovation.

For the details of the renovation plans and to view additional architectural renderings of the design, see our Renovation web page.

Thank you in advance for your patience as we build a better library to serve you! Keep checking in with the blog as the renovation progresses. We will be posting pictures and updates here, including how construction may impact your use of the library. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments by emailing us at Levy.Library@mssm.edu.