Description
The New York Academy of Medicine advances the health of people in
cities. An independent organization since 1847, NYAM addresses the
health challenges facing the world’s urban populations through
interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, innovative research,
evaluation, education, and community engagement. Drawing on the
expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected
Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are to
create environments in cities that support healthy aging; to strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public’s health; and to eliminate health disparities.
The NYAM Library, which opened its collections to the general public
in 1878, has a collection that includes over 500,000 volumes, 275,000
portraits and illustrations and about 400,000 pamphlets. The collection
comprises primary and secondary materials in the history of medicine,
public health, science and other health-related disciplines, including a
rare book collection of approximately 35,000 volumes, with manuscripts
and archives dating from the 17th century B.C. to the present. Books
from the 17th and 18th centuries are a particular area of strength in
the Academy’s collections as are materials related to the history of
medicine in the City of New York. The collection is supported by an
extensive reference collection of medical bibliography, biography,
biographical dictionaries, dictionaries and library catalogues, as well
as books on the history of books and printing. The NYAM Library was a
founding member of the Independent Research Libraries Association
(IRLA), which according to its criteria for membership includes
libraries that “house collections of international significance that are
capable of supporting sustained research in a variety of interrelated
subjects and of attracting scholars from all over the world.”
Currently, the Historical Collections supports a variety of different
programs, including two residential fellowships and an annual lecture
series.
The Gladys Brooks Book and Paper Conservation Laboratory was
established in 1982 for the express purpose of caring for the NYAM
Library’s materials. In addition to its preservation mandate, the Lab
also plays an important role in the training of future generations of
conservators through its internship and volunteer programs and offers
professional educational opportunities through a robust calendar of
workshops and lectures.
SUMMARY
The new Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health is
being established for the purpose of enhancing awareness of and access
to the NYAM Library’s important research collections. The Center will
serve to promote the scholarly and public understanding of the history
of medicine and public health and the history of the book while
stimulating intellectual inquiry in both of these fields. The aim
of the new Center is to build bridges among an interdisciplinary
community of scholars, educators, clinicians, curatorial and
conservation professionals and the general public.
At the same time, the NYAM Library remains committed to serving the
needs of the in-house staff and the Fellows. To that end, we are
seeking an Information Services Librarian who will provide information
and reference services to those two groups, as well as to members of the
general public who need assistance doing research about medical or
public health topics with the understanding that some materials they
discover may be available only on a pay-per-view basis or by requesting
them from other libraries. The general public will be encouraged to use
the NYAM Library primarily for research questions related to the
history of medicine and public health, rather than to obtain current
medical information.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Orient the staff and Fellows to the services, databases and resources available in the Library
- Retrieve hard-to-find items for staff and Fellows in collaboration with Document Delivery
- Provide in-depth reference searches, including searching grey literature, to support the research needs of the staff , Fellows and corporate clients
- Use social media (such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to transmit the results of research to the staff and Fellows;
- Update information in the Library part of the NYAM CMS on an as-needed basis
- Conduct instructional sessions for specific NYAM programs (Junior Fellows, EBM, etc.)
- Provide instructional sessions for groups of middle and high school students to help them understand the nature of scientific inquiry, develop secondary research skills, and complete independent research projects. This includes helping them develop skills in basic research and online search strategies using medical and public health databases and literature
- Other special projects as assigned
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
- This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities
Experience
QUALIFICATIONS
- Strong oral, written and interpersonal communication skills
- Demonstrated commitment to public service
- Excellent computer and web skills
- Familiarity with the databases and other reference tools that are used to answer a wide variety of questions related to public health, health policy, urban health, medicine and other areas of interest to NYAM staff and Fellows
- Experience providing instruction to a wide variety of audiences, ranging from school-children through professionals
Skills
- MLS from an ALA-accredited institution
- A minimum of five years’ reference experience in an academic, research or large health sciences library, including significant experience working with a variety of audiences
| Education Required: | MLS or equivalent required |
How to Apply
Qualified candidates should send a cover letter and resume in MS Word format by e-mail to: hr@nyam.org. Please include "Information Services Librarian" in your email subject heading.
For more information, visit our website: www.nyam.org.
