I recently read an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education (March 4, 2012) which shared the story of an individual who forwarded to her students a publishing opportunity.  She probably wouldn’t have done this if she hadn’t recognized some friends and colleagues on the editorial board of a journal of which she had never heard. Read more

Filed under: Director's Reflections

Lately I have been asking myself this question and reflecting on what are the “must have” features that contribute to a successful Website design. This has been foremost in my thoughts as one of our major projects this year is to launch a new Library Website.

So what truly matters?  Is it design which encompasses all the visual elements such as color scheme, layout & organization, font(s), logo, and images? Or is it content which is made up of informational elements/text and access to both subscribed and vetted resources/services the library provides? Or finally, is it website navigation – the ease in locating needed information?

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Filed under: Director's Reflections

Happy New Year to all our readers!

The year certainly opened up with a bang, especially for librarians and open access advocates passionately opposed to the H.R. 3699: Research Works Act (RWA). This controversial bill has created an atmosphere of tension surrounding the dissemination of scholarly scientific and medical research supported by NIH funding. Read more

Filed under: Director's Reflections

Recently I viewed a short YouTube video about “The Evolution of [Google] Search “and I started thinking about the last time I gave a Library presentation about our resources, services and staff.  The video highlights the beginnings of Google which started as a research project in 1996 and how search has evolved. It includes such topics as universal results, quick answers, and the future of search.  I understand the importance and value of improving the Google search algorithm – using a word, a combination of words, phrase, or an image to retrieve relevant results but I know that Google is still not always enough.   This is the point I make when I give my presentation (Why the Library? Isn’t Google Enough?). 

The fact is that sometimes users need to look at alternate resources to find the information they seek.  Better yet, a trained reference librarian can bring value to the research results by identifying these alternate resources and showing how to leverage the various features each resource provides. Read more

Filed under: Director's Reflections

In early September, the MSKCC Library implemented a NEW Open URL link resolver (360 Link) to enhance access to our ebooks as well as our ejournal collection. Staff worked hard to ensure that our users would be minimally impacted by this change. This technology supports the desire of our Library user community to access full text journal articles quickly — in as few clicks as possible.

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Filed under: Director's Reflections

Open Access Week is being celebrated worldwide October 24 – 31.   The MSKCC Library is committed to the principles of open access to scholarly peer-reviewed literature as a means to accelerate scientific discovery and improve patient care. This year, the MSKCC Library wants to bring awareness and attention to this initiative by sharing the following sites of interest.  Feel free to drop by the Library should you have a question regarding an open access journal or want to learn more on how you can become an open access supporter and promoter!

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Filed under: Announcements, Director's Reflections