Author Archives: Donna

Now Available Online: Research In Review: An Analysis of MSK Publications 2016-2020

Posted on by

The Synapse team led by Jeanine McSweeney, Associate Librarian, Scholarly Communications, publishes annually the Synapse Publications reports, showcasing our authors’ contributions to the body of scientific knowledge and their research and clinical activities associated with Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center.

This year I am delighted to share that we have added a new report entitled, “Research In Review: An Analysis of MSK Publications 2016-2020,” which dives deeper into the publications affiliated with the Center. This report provides insight into the variety of existing metrics used to measure research impact at an article-, journal-, or author-level. In the period covered in this report, the Synapse team retrieved and curated over 25,500 works, and it is with these citations that we share one aspect of a very complex research story. This report highlights the demographics of our author community, existing metrics, and how research impact is gauged. In addition, we share interesting facts about publication-related datasets gleaned from a variety of credible resources such as PubMed Central® (PMC). Our intentions in producing this report are simply to raise awareness of possible ways in which to view research contributions.

Synapse is a public-facing resource and the authoritative bibliographic database of MSK publications, developed and maintained by a team of skilled librarians. This database provides a record of the intellectual output written by MSK researchers, clinicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

We hope in the future to produce other “Research In Review” type publications.  Please feel free to reach out to me to share your thoughts about this report.

Donna Gibson
Director, Library Services

Can You Guess Where Our Focus Will Be Over the Next Three Years?

Posted on by

I am delighted to share the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Library Strategic Plan 2022-2024. This plan was written based on feedback obtained from our user community in 2021, through extensive one-on-one interviews, focus group sessions, Yammer polls, and a large-scale client feedback survey. We also selected four libraries for a benchmarking exercise. A major outcome was the development of three strategic focus statements.

Library Strategic Plan 2022-2024 infographic

Click on the image above to better view, Who We Support, What We Do, and Our Ambition.

As we move forward to implement the goals and objectives outlined, we will continue to keep our users in mind and focus on their information needs. This might translate to adjusting the strategic plan to accommodate changing patient care initiatives and the evolving research environment.

Should you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. 

Donna Gibson
Director, Library Services

Hot off the Press: “Partner with Hospital Librarians to Improve Patient Care”

Posted on by

A statement prepared by the Medical Library Association (MLA) Hospital Library Caucus and Board of Directors was recently released (approved 1/11/2022).

I want to add my voice and support to this statement and advocate the importance and value of hospital libraries, and the role that information professionals play as part of a larger team within the healthcare system.

I would encourage our blog readers to review the full statement and check out the list of endorsers which I hope to see increase over time.

For MSK staff, if you want to learn more about your library and how we support research and evidence-based care to patients, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Donna Gibson
Director, Library Services