From the Director’s Corner: May 2020

Timothy Healy, former President of the New York Public Library, said, “the most important asset of any library goes home at night – the library staff.”  Although the Touro College Libraries staff has been functioning from home since March 17th, we have met the challenges and difficulties with our usual sense of service.

As the Touro College community has been isolated from the physical buildings, the library staff has been thinking creatively about how to engage and connect everyone with the library services.  Communicating with our clients is vital and we have revamped and extended our online functions to meet these needs.

At this point I am taking this opportunity to salute the Touro College Libraries staff, our most important asset, for their dedication, commitment, and resourcefulness.

Bashe Simon
Director of Libraries, Touro College

While classes are being offered remotely, we are providing online research and reference help, remote library instruction sessions, and continued access to resources like eBooks, databases, and streaming video services. Due dates for print materials have been extended to June 15 and may be extended again, if necessary.

Get in touch with the Touro College Libraries through email, phone, or chat: https://www.tourolib.org/contact

Learning From One Another: 2017 Staff Meeting

Librarian Kirk Snyder demonstrates the new library app via iPad with the help of an Apple TV.

The library staff meeting took place on January 24th, a rainy, windy, and cold day outside, however, inside the comradery of the staff warmed us up. In addition to staff from our NYC locations, the meeting included library staff from as far away as California and Nevada, and closer to home from NYMC and Middletown.

Everything In Its Place: Inventory Season at Touro Libraries

Inventory in action: Midtown staff, Librarian Toby Krausz and Library Assistant Valerie Schrager, scanning books

Call numbers allow us to pinpoint the exact location of a book, even if its one among thousands. But what happens if a book gets put back in the wrong place?

4th Annual Faculty Author Reception

Guests at our 4th Annual Faculty Author Reception

Congenial colleagues, research scholars, engrossing speakers, and good food made for a most stimulating annual Faculty Author reception.

Director’s Corner Summer 2015

Library staff group photo

On Monday June 29^th the Touro College libraries held their semi-annual staff meeting at the newly refurbished Kings Highway library. Library staff members from New York Medical College,  Middletown, and New York College of Osteopathic Medicine participated in the conference.

In Celebration of Touro Faculty Authorship

Librarians Carrie Levinson, Sara Tabaei, and Marina Zilberman show off the 2013 Faculty Publications book and this year’s tokens of appreciation, Touro-inscribed mugs.

On December 9, the Touro College Libraries hosted the 4^th annual Faculty Author Reception. We are honored to recognize the contributions of our faculty to academic scholarship.  The library publishes an annual book, as well as an online database, listing publications by Touro community members in many fields, including science, medicine, art, literature, and history. Beginning in 2009, the library took the initiative of collecting this wealth of material, and we feel privileged to share it with the world of academic research.

Semi-Annual Library Staff Meeting

Library Staff group photo, June 2014

On June 16^th the Library Staff semi-annual full-day meeting was held at the Brooklyn, Avenue J campus.   Librarians and staff from the campuses at Harlem, Middletown, New York Medical College and Bay Shore joined  us for a most informative meeting.

Director’s Corner

Welcome to the Touro College Libraries’ blog.  We plan on providing the Touro community with informational tidbits and updates about our libraries.  Join us in touring the Touro College Libraries and keeping up with our happenings.

Currently, we are excited to share with you our two newest initiatives.  iPads are now available for circulation at two Touro libraries.  Midwood (Ave J) and Midtown (23rd Street) libraries have iPads for student and faculty use for 24-hour checkout.  Additionally, the library at Kew Gardens Hills has recently acquired an iPad cart containing 20 iPads for library classroom instructional use – Information Literacy on wheels.  Every indication is that it has been very well received by the students. (Check out our Facebook for more photos!)

We look forward to sharing with you other library news. Touro College Libraries will keep you updated as we work to anticipate and meet your ongoing needs for research and information.

Regards,

Bashe Simon

Director of Libraries