Category Archives: Director’s Reflections

Learn about the library from the Director’s perspective

75 Years! MSK Library Reaches Milestone Anniversary! #MSKLibrary75

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An image of Candles all in a row to celebrate the Library's 75th Anniversary.

We’re so excited!  And want to invite you to take a trip down memory lane with us.

How did we arrive at our anniversary date? While searching the MSK Archives, an annual report was located that references a library as early as 1921–1922. Upon further investigation, we uncovered that this was a departmental library and that the formation of the library that is the direct predecessor of the library we know today first opened its doors in April 1948. The library was dedicated and named in honor of Lee Coombe, the daughter of Reginald Coombe, the President of Memorial Hospital. The Lee Coombe Memorial Library was located in a building that was later named for Frank Howard.

Today, the MSK Library continues to support the clinical, research, administrative and educational needs of the Institution and beyond. Over the years, the Library has marked many changes, moving from print to a mostly digital collection, offering new services and resources that reflect the information needs of the medical and research activities of the organization, and providing a space where reflection, collaboration, and focus on scholarly activities was and continues to be encouraged and supported.

For the remainder of this year, we have plans to share a timeline of the MSK Library’s accomplishments, events, launches, and changes, starting in the late 1940s and working our way to the present. We plan to illustrate interesting facts about our early beginnings and how we evolved via the MSK Library Blog, our social media platforms, and OneMSK. We also will share fascinating tidbits about the history of health science libraries over the years.

We’ll be tagging all our posts, tweets, photos, and videos with the hashtag #MSKLibrary75.  Join our celebration tour to learn more about our history, our role within the Institution, and the services we provide. Subscribe to the MSK Library Blog, or follow us on Twitter, @MSKLibrary or Instagram, @msklibrary

Donna Gibson, Director, Library Services

Reflecting on Rock Star Librarians: Celebrating 2022 Accomplishments

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As we say goodbye to 2022, it’s important to celebrate our achievements this past year. Below I have highlighted some of our accomplishments which would not have been completed without the dedication and focus of an amazing team of information professionals.

Administration

  • Virtual Connections, MSK Library Report 2020 – 2021 – This report celebrates many successes and shares the library team’s direction over the time period covered. Key improvements have been highlighted regarding operations and services, sharing client impact stories and metrics, and displaying library staff’s publications.  
  • 2022 Staff Publications – From our publication website as of 12/11, we have listed 2 conference posters, 15 journal articles including systematic reviews, and 7 external presentations. 

Archives 

  • MSK Archives & Online Presence – We are revitalizing the MSK Archives by establishing a digital presence to increase awareness of this valuable resource and service to the MSK community and beyond. The Archives now falls under the Library’s stewardship.
  • ArchivesSpace – Identified a content management system which should be implemented by year end. This resource will allow researchers both inside and outside of MSK to learn about and search the contents of the MSK archival collections.

Content Management 

  • Implemented OpenAthens – An identity and IP-based authentication application that provides access to the library’s licensed online resources via single sign-on (SSO) technology, replacing the previous system, EZproxy.  MSK staff will be able to use their MSK network credentials to sign on regardless of whether they are on or off VPN.  

  Data Management 

  • Data Policy Finder – Launched new resource to help researchers (who are preparing or planning to publish their research) navigate publication policies and identify relevant data, code, and materials availability policies.
  • Synapse / MSK Data Catalog Integration –  We improved the cataloging workflows by providing bi-directional linking between two Library databases to enrich discoverability of MSK research output.

 Scholarly Communications 

  • Library Publications – We produced and released the 2021 Synapse Annual Publications Report and Research in Review: An Analysis of MSK Publications 2016-2020. These reports highlight MSK researchers and their publishing achievements, while also showcasing Synapse, the authoritative resource for MSK authors and their publications. 
  • CV Central – The Synapse team collaborated with the CV Central Team to incorporate Synapse publication data into this tool and helped to resolve roll out issues.
  • Cancer Center Support Grant (P30 CA008748) – Full compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy is a federal requirement and failure to meet this compliance standard can delay the processing of the Cancer Center Support Grant’s competitive renewals and non-competing continuation awards. Collaborated with SKI Core Grant team in the review of MSK publications and worked with authors to ensure NIH funding requirements were fulfilled.  
  • New Synapse Feature – Direct export of publications from Synapse to CSV (Excel) released December 2022 which supports and enhances users’ workflows.

  User Services 

  • LibAnswers Implementation – New library-specific application to track user transactions. Includes: FAQ knowledgebase of questions and answers users can access 24/7, improved real time analytics via RefAnalytics and LibInsight which allow for the creation of custom datasets to meet our unique data-gathering needs, and the introduction of a new live chat product (LibChat) which offers a more seamless user experience.  
  • ILLiad Concierge Implementation – A complete system analysis of ILLiad Document Delivery system was done to enhance service to users and improve staff productivity.
  • Single Sign-On for ILLiad Accounts – In collaboration with the Library Programmer, the DDS team installed a special module on the ILLiad server allowing ILLiad accounts to be automatically created and verified at the point of authentication. Our users no longer have to “register” for ILLiad accounts, saving them time and effort.

Virtual Services 

  • Chat Widget – The LibraryHelp chat widget on the Library website was replaced with the LibChat (LibAnswers) widget. Chat/Ask Us support was expanded to Synapse, the MSK Data Catalog, and ORCID@MSK to provide users with point of need assistance and guide them through our “Ask Us” workflow from other library applications.
  • Security & Website Responsiveness – Update conducted for all library applications to improve security, responsiveness, and performance (Library website, Blog, Data Catalog, Synapse, ILLiad Document Delivery).

The MSK Library’s commitment to excellence in both services and the resources we provide will continue to be our top priority. Don’t hesitate to reach out to let me know how we are doing, or how we can help you.

Wishing everyone happy holidays, and a joyous and healthy new year.

Donna Gibson
Director, Library Services

It’s That Time of Year: Check Out the 2022 Highly Cited Researchers™

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Clarivate released its 2022 list of Highly Cited Researchers™. Their methodology identifies approximately 7,000+ researchers from around the world who demonstrate significant influence in their field(s) of interest through their highly cited papers. Curious on who made this global list of influential scientific researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK)? Read on to find out!

The Highly Cited Researchers’ names are drawn from the publications that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science™ citation index.

This year, I am delighted to share that 49 researchers associated with MSK made this prestigious list. Thirty-three MSK authors on the 2022 list were also on the 2021 list. In addition, Sarat Chandarlapaty, Alexander Drilon, Xuejun Jiang, and Ming O. Li were first time researchers to make the list.

Name  Category Name  Category
Omar Abdel-Wahab  Molecular Biology & Genetics Vincent A. Miller Clinical Medicine
Maria E. Arcila   Clinical Medicine Robert J. Motzer  Clinical Medicine
Michael F. Berger  Clinical Medicine *Eric G. Pamer Immunology
*Renier Brentjens  Cross-Field  Dana Pe’er  Molecular Biology & Genetics
Margaret K. Callahan Cross-Field  Michael A. Postow  Clinical Medicine
Sarat Chandarlapaty  Cross-Field  Natasha Rekhtman  Cross-Field
Justin R. Cross  Cross-Field  Gregory J. Riely Clinical Medicine
Elisa de Stanchina Cross-Field  Neal Rosen  Cross-Field
Luis A. Diaz, Jr.  Cross-Field Jonathan Rosenberg Cross-Field
Alexander Drilon Clinical Medicine Alexander Y. Rudensky Immunology
Frederic Geissmann Immunology Charles M. Rudin Clinical Medicine
*Asia Gobourne Cross-Field  Michel Sadelain Cross-Field
Mithat Gonen  Cross-Field  Charles L. Sawyers  Cross-Field
*Matthew D. Hellmann   Clinical Medicine Howard I. Scher  Cross-Field
Clifford A. Hudis   Clinical Medicine Nikolaus Schultz Cross-Field
Christine A. Iacobuzio-Donahue  Molecular Biology & Genetics *Alexandra Snyder Cross-Field 
Xuejun Jiang   Cross-Field  David Solit Cross-Field
*David S. Klimstra  Cross-Field  Ying Taur  Cross-Field
Marc Ladanyi  Clinical Medicine Craig B. Thompson Molecular Biology & Genetics
*Jacob H. Levine Cross-Field William D. Travis Clinical Medicine
Ross L. Levine  Cross-Field  Marcel R. M. van den Brink Immunology
Ming O. Li  Cross-Field  Agnes Viale Cross-Field
Joan Massague  Molecular Biology & Genetics Jedd D. Wolchok  Immunology, Clinical Medicine
Ingo K. Mellinghoff  Cross-Field  *Ahmet Zehir  Cross-Field 
Taha Merghoub  Cross-Field    * Former employee

To see current and past researchers, check out Synapse, your portal to MSK works, containing a database of references for journal articles, books/chapters, conference papers, meeting abstracts, and other items published by MSK authors.

On behalf of the Library staff, congratulations to these researchers and to all of our distinguished authors, who through their work contribute daily to the ever-growing body of published medical and scientific literature. 

Donna Gibson
Director, Library Services