4th of July Weekend

Flag in a 3D-printed holder, created at our Bay Shore Library

Happy Independence Day from Touro Libraries!

Though library locations will be open on Monday, if you’re looking to get a jump start on the holiday celebrations, know that John Adams would have had your back. He insisted that July 2nd (the day the first of the signers affixed their names to the Declaration) was the proper anniversary. For this and more trivia to share around the barbecue or at the beach this weekend, look back on our 5 Independence Day Facts post.

Touro Libraries will be closed on Tuesday July 4th. Have a safe and happy holiday!

A Trip to Seattle: The MLA 2017 Annual Conference

MLA ’17

Over Memorial Day weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the annual conference of the Medical Library Association in Seattle, Washington. I was there to present a poster on a study my NYMC colleagues and I are currently undertaking, and also to learn from other librarians about trends in the medical library field.

I had never been to an annual conference before, and I was amazed at how packed the schedule was. Luckily, MLA created an app just for the conference, in addition to their print program, which was invaluable in keeping track of all the sessions offered. From the opening ceremony Saturday night until the end of my poster presentation on Tuesday afternoon, I was constantly on the move from one interesting program to the next! It would take a veerrry long blog post to cover everything, so I’ll just go over some highlights of my trip.

One Librarian, One Reference

Wikipedian Lane Rasberry presents some background on Wikipedia

On June 7th, 2017, Touro College librarians gathered at the Midtown campus for a Wikipedia editing event facilitated by Lane Rasberry, Wikipedian-in-Residence at Consumer Reports. Lane has visited the Touro Campus several times before for student events, but this was the first time that our librarians would be loosed on Wikipedia’s entries. If you thought Wikipedia and librarians (always carrying on about scholarly sources this and databases that) don’t mix, you’d be surprised! The model Wikipedia article is based on authoritative, often scholarly, information sources, and each fact included in an entry should be supported with an appropriate citation. In fact, the criteria for becoming a “Featured Article” on Wikipedia sound a lot like a good literature review: well-written, comprehensive, well-researched, and neutral.

Read on to hear about Touro librarians’ experiences editing Wikipedia in their own words:

What Are You Reading This Summer?

(CC0 image)

One great way to spend a few free summer hours is to do some fun reading. The summer is a great time to fuel your personal interests by reading some new and exciting things. It’s also a good way for students to keep their minds engaged and continue learning over break. With the end of classes, students often find themselves with the opportunity to read items not mandated by their course curriculum. The LCW students that I spoke to are planning to read some great things this summer! Here is what a few of our students are looking forward to reading during their time away from classes: