The Director's corner:

Welcome new, current or returning users of the Health Sciences Library (HSL) of New York Medical College (NYMC)!  The library staff looks forward to working with you as a current or potential partner of our NYMC community.  The library’s mission is:  To advance education, research and scholarship by meeting the information needs of the New York Medical College community through the delivery of high quality resources, media, services and facilities.  Our vision is basic:  Connecting people with information.”  

In 2009/2010, staff implemented a three year strategic plan http://library.nymc.edu/Information/gob1114.cfm.  Since 1992, staff completes an annual goal-setting process to ensure that we are flexible and ready to support the information needs of our faculty, students, residents and employees.  For fiscal year 2011, the library will build on the College's new strategic initiatives in Building a Future on the Excellence of the Past http://www.nymc.edu/assets/NYMC_strategic_plan.pdf   

Our priorities for this academic year include the following: 

• Implement holdings into WorldCat Local and other accessible databases
• expand our web infrastructure
• extend our mobile-ready capabilities
• integrate/embed document delivery into our other electronic resources
• digitize NYMC theses, scholarly posters, and other sources
• develop health literacy training
• promote academic scholarship via our dynamic author bibliography and annual sherry event
• Develop an electronic resources option for interested alumni.
• complete online orientations and tutorials
• develop even stronger collections and resources,
• transform to a more electronic collection.

Our new liaison plan to academic departments is one example of a new initiative underway. 

We have accomplished much last year, notably the dedication of our newly renovated Novitch computer lab; streamlined authentication, coordinated use of social networking tools; archived our first electronic theses; launched our new mobile website and online tutorials and orientations…just to mention a few items.

Communicating with you is important to us:  please contact us via Facebook page, What's New blog, and Twitter, or the Library course wiki.  We care very much about the quality of our access, services, and resources.  We care about you!

Based in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York, the Health Sciences Library (HSL) serves more than 5000 faculty, employees, students, residents and fellows of the New York Medical College (NYMC).  The Library supports our constituents regardless of their location.  Our access policy defines user access, but we promote special memberships especially to our alumni.  The Library also provides staff support and scheduling for audiovisual or educational media, poster printing and use of the cardiac patient simulators (aka Harveys).

Our facilities:
The Library consists of 19,000 square feet, provides 225 seats, four small group multipurpose rooms, a 20 person classroom, and two computer labs.  A high-speed broadband fiber connects the Library to the University's network backbone, and wireless routers providing access throughout the campus.  The Library servers support an array of growing databases and resources on and offsite. 

Our access:
The Library's web page (http://library.nymc.edu ) serves as a gateway to access and link to information, resources, services and applications.  The Library's NYMCat catalog serves as the master file to all of our resources.   ILLiad, our online document delivery system, enables requests to be submitted and sent to or from users and other libraries.  Request forms also enable access to educational equipment, services, and room reservations. 

As of June 30, 2010, Library holdings total approximately 140,000, 46,332 unique titles, and 16,543 journal titles, with 14,814 available electronically. 

The former Reference and Information Processing departments are now reorganized into divisions:  USERS and Resources Management. USERS, an acronym for User Support, Education and Research Division, and Resources Management staff responsibilities have been updated to better reflect our virtual library and user needs.

The Library participates in various global networks or consortia…more than a dozen overall.  The New York State Library has designated us as a Leader Electronic Doorway Library.   The Library is also a Resource Library in Region 1 of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM).  The Library actively participates in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) global network and remains a full member of METRO, the New York metropolitan area library planning cooperative.  We invite Loansome Doc users and requests; we honor METRO card access for the public via their local libraries.

Historically, the Library was established in 1885 under pressure from the current students and alumni with encouragement from the faculty.  It has grown and changed with each move of its parent institution, New York Medical College.  The Library is also a founding member of the HILOW+ library consortia, composed of health sciences libraries in the upper Westchester County and Hudson Valley region of New York State.  The Library continues to support members via a web site address for this group.   

Take some time to explore our resources, especially the links to the left of this page.  Contact us, by any and all means.   Again, welcome!

Sincerely,

Diana Cunningham, MLS, MPH, AHIP, Associate Dean and Director

Diana_cunningham@nymc.edu or 914 594 4208