Medical Historical Library News

The spring 2016 issue of Nota Bene: News from the Yale Library is now available online. This issue has a particular focus on the work of the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library as it marks its 75th anniversary this year.  In addition to telling the story of the Medical Library, the issue profiles some of the current projects, resources, collections, and exhibits that are making an impact at Yale and in the medical community worldwide.

(by Katie Hart) Since she joined the library in 1965, Jeannette Ponzio has witnessed the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library evolve significantly. Interim Director, John Gallagher, sat with Jeannette, the library’s longest serving employee, for a conversation about her many years of exceptional service. JG:       Jeannette, tell me about when you first joined the Medical Library. What was it like then? What was your first job? JP:        Before coming to Yale University, I worked as a bookkeeper at the American Supply Company after receiving my bookkeeping certificate from New Haven’s Stone Business College. I began working at Yale in October of 1965. My first job was as a shelver in the Medical Library. Back then books and journals were all that there was, so my days were very busy re-shelving materials in the stacks and helping patrons to find books and articles. The stacks weren’t as large then as they became after the major renovation in the 1990’s. The Circulation Department back then was a part of the Reference Department and the Circulation Desk just off the rotunda where the entrance to the Information Room is now. John Gallagher & Jeannette Ponzio JG:       What was your next job? JP:        In 1971 Stanley Truelson, who was the Director of the Library then, created a part-time evening position for me in Circulation. My husband and I were expecting our first child, and it was important to me to be able to spend the days with her. Times were very different then and Stanley even permitted me to train my husband to do my job while I was out on maternity leave. It worked out great for us. I enjoyed working nights and continued to do so for the next 11 years. JG:       Over the last 50 years you have seen so many changes. What are some of the most significant ways that the library has changed from your perspective? JP:        So many things have changed! I don’t know where to begin! The switch from GEAC to Orbis for the library catalog was huge. Also significant was the switch from using photocopy auditrons to copy cards in the ‘80s was another radical change. Finally, now that our users can access so many of the resources they need though our website has really made it easier for them to find the information they need. I can’t imagine what the next major change will be, but the library has always been good at anticipating what our users want. There’s always something fun and new. JG:       Tell me about your current responsibilities. How did you find yourself in Collection Development and Management? JP:        After working as the acting head of Circulation in the mid ‘80s, I made the switch from the frontlines of Circulation to supporting back-office operations in 1990, and I have had numerous Technical Services responsibilities since then. Most of my time has been spent on the acquisitions side, helping purchase materials for our patrons and coordinating the work of 3 other people as lead person. Most recently however I have become more involved in the World Health Organization’s HINARI initiative, updating our holdings in the National Library of Medicine’s DOCLINE database, and working with the Access & Delivery Service’s staff to prepare and process print journals and books for transfer to the Library Shelving Facility. JG:       What has been the best thing about working here for so long? JP:        Undoubtedly it’s the people. It’s been wonderful over the years to work with so many lovely and dedicated people. With all the changes there’s always someone there to help and train you. It has been great, and a wonderful place to work! JG:       Thank you Jeannette. On behalf of the Library and Yale we are so grateful for all the wonderful contributions you have made, and for your 50 years of dedicated service! 

(By Melissa Grafe)     Walk past the Circulation desk at the entrance of the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library and down the corridor displaying art from the Prints, Drawings, and Posters collection. Coming out of the corridor, you enter the Rotunda, the heart of the library.  The Rotunda of the Medical Library honors famed neurosurgeon and bibliophile Dr. Harvey Cushing (1869-1939).  When Cushing, along with Yale physiologist John Fulton and Swiss tuberculosis expert Arnold Klebs, joined their collections together, Cushing successfully advocated for a medical library at Yale. Grosvenor Atterbury, Cushing's classmate and friend since college, was selected as the architect, and brought “into reality Dr. Cushing’s dream of a great medical library.”  Designed in a Y, at the center of the library is the Rotunda, the gift of Cushing's Class of 1891, which was celebrating its 50th reunion.  Inscribed on one side of the Rotunda:   The Class of Yale 1891 Have Contributed to this Rotunda In Affectionate Memory of Their Classmate HARVEY CUSHING Born in Cleveland Ohio, 8 April 1869 Died in New Haven Connecticut, 7 October 1939   The words below the balcony read: This Rotunda is Dedicated to Harvey Cushing—Inspiring Teacher—Pathfinder in Neurosurgery —Master of the Science and Art of Healing   The crests just below the balcony are of 14 universities that awarded Cushing honorary degrees, including Oxford University and the University of Edinburgh. Eight exhibition cases showcased the Medical Historical Library’s collections, topics in medicine and medical history, and the history of the Medical School for nearly 75 years.  Medical students, faculty, researchers, alumni, and visitors since 1941 have crossed the grand seal on the floor, which incorporates parts of the seal of Yale University with a simple map of the Medical Library.  Many have also stood in the center of the seal and yelled out to experience the strange acoustics resulting from the design of the Rotunda and the colorful skylight directly above the seal.   For the Medical Library’s 75th anniversary, please consider giving towards the Rotunda’s restoration or other 75th anniversary projects.

The powerful, gritty political posters of Robbie Conal are seen on city streets and the walls of major museums. This selection includes "Contra Cocaine," 1988, which addresses the introduction of crack cocaine into the U.S. via Los Angeles in the 1980s and "Freedom From Choice," 1992, on a woman's right to abortion information in publicly funded clinics. From Conal's series of political portraits, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner appears in "Wealth Care," 2011. The exhibit is open to the public and runs Thursday, January 21, 2016 - Friday, April 1, 2016.

  What is deafness? From a medical perspective, deafness is an audiological condition that might be resolved through hearing aids or cochlear implants. But from another perspective, to be Deaf (often spelled with a capital “D”) is to belong to a culture, with a shared language and identity. This exhibit explores how people have understood deaf communication and Deaf culture since the seventeenth century, with displays on the history of education, medical interventions, sign languages, and popular culture. This exhibit runs Thursday, January 21, 2016 - Friday, April 1, 2016.