Blogs

Job Opportunity: Curator for the Visual Arts

Join the Historical Library team as our new Curator for the Visual Arts, Medical Library! The Curator for the Visual Arts, Medical Library develops, interprets, and supports a robust collection of prints, posters, drawings, photography, and other visual materials. Primary responsibilities include teaching, collection development and stewardship, and research support. Reporting to the Head of the Medical Historical Library, this position helps lead the exhibition program, which includes several physical spaces and online exhibitions. The curator will also assist in the interpretation of the Cushing Center, home of the Cushing Tumor Registry, a museum space and collection with over 10,000 glass plate negatives and other types of photography. APPLY HERE Essential Duties 1. Support Teaching and Research: The curator will foster the use of the collection by Yale faculty, students, as well as local, national, and international researchers. The curator is expected to forge strong associations with Yale faculty to encourage the use of the collections in Yale-related teaching and research. The curator will also present materials to classes and to other groups who visit the library, collaborate with colleagues to respond to general reference and instruction requests, and participate in the library’s fellowship selection committee. 2. Activate and Interpret the Collections: The curator is responsible for interpreting the holdings of the collection for both the medical community and the broader public. The curator will help lead the Library’s exhibition program; conceive and organize exhibitions; collaborate with faculty, students, and external scholars to organize programming; and write and edit various publications about the collection. The curator may be called upon to issue news releases, grant interviews, conduct tours, and make presentations. 3. Collection Development: Collection development responsibilities encompass active research and selection of materials across a broad range of visual formats, including prints, posters, drawings, photographs, and digital media; dealer and donor relations, including establishing fair price and market value, understanding the total cost of acquisition, drafting deeds of gift and purchase agreements, and keeping abreast of evolving legal and ethical considerations for provenance, international export guidelines, intellectual property rights, privacy, and respectful stewardship of cultural heritage materials. 4. Ongoing Collection Stewardship: The curator collaborates with colleagues in other units of the Library as well as with colleagues Yale’s cultural heritage institutions to ensure that the collections are discoverable, accurately and appropriately described, and well preserved. 5. Collaboration and Collegiality: The curator is expected to function in a collegial fashion as part of a larger team of curators and librarians sustaining a broad program of collection development, scholarly and educational outreach, description, digitization, preservation, and research in the humanities. 6. Service to the Department, University, and Profession: In addition to activities relating directly to Medical Historical Library, the curator participates in library projects, committees, policy decisions and strategic planning and may be assigned special projects relating to the overall needs of the library. The curator is also expected to participate actively in professional associations, foundations, and government agencies as appropriate. Required Education and Experience A masters degree and course of study in history, art history, or equivalent, and a commitment to ongoing intellectual and professional growth beyond the area of initial specialization. At least 2 years of professional experience in a related field, including but not limited to higher education, museums, foundations, or libraries. Required Skills and Abilities: The candidate should possess an understanding of the history of medicine or related fields. Superb analytical, creative, and communication skills in both writing and public speaking. This may be demonstrated through teaching, publications, exhibitions, public programming, or collaborative projects. Demonstrated track record of excellence in teaching. Exceptional classroom demeanor and a commitment to higher education and community outreach, including the ability to engage with diverse audiences (age, gender, nationality, race/ethnicity, profession, sexual orientation, etc.). Reading knowledge of at least one language beyond English. Excellent organizational, interpersonal and team collaboration skills Preferred Education, Experience and Skills: Ph.D. in a related field. Experience with exhibition planning/implementation; donor relations; commercial art trade; awareness of legal/ethical issues surrounding cultural heritage materials. Knowledge of archival theory, practice, technologies, and born digital material. Experience with collections in archives, library, museum, or related. Proficiency using discovery & documentation systems. Physical Requirements Ability to lift materials up to 40 lbs and push heavy book trucks.

Medical Library Building Closure 11/25/20

**UPDATE: The medical library will reopen on January 11, 2021.** In response to public health conditions, Yale Library will close all library buildings and spaces to library users at the end of day Tuesday, November 24. The Medical Library’s 24/7 room will remain open to users authorized to be on the medical campus. We will monitor the public health situation closely. This decision was made to protect the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff and will enable us to reduce our onsite staff substantially, while still providing critical services. Collections Contactless pickup will be moved to outside the medical library entrance. Materials may be returned at any time through the book depository next to the library entrance. Additionally, we will continue to mail books to home addresses. Remote access to our vast electronic resources is available to the Yale and YNHH community regardless of your location. Faculty and students needing access to special collections materials should email historical.library@yale.edu. We will continue to process interlibrary loan and scanning requests for articles and chapters. Submit a request Support & Resources Please email your librarian for support or to schedule a consultation by phone or Zoom. For general questions, contact AskYaleMedicalLibrary@yale.edu. Visit this page for information about online classes, tutorials, and research guides. We are committed to doing everything we can to support you remotely during this challenging time. Please reach out with your questions.

APC Discount - Cold Spring Harbor Press

Yale Library has finalized the APC (article processing charge) discount agreement with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. This agreement reduces APC charges from $3,700 to $2,000 per article in the following CSH journals: Genes & Development, Genome Research, RNA, and Learning & Memory. APCs are reduced from $2,250 to $1,215 in Molecular Case Studies. The standard article processing charge, applied to all articles to offset publishing costs, will be waived for open access articles. As a reminder, Yale Library provides support for authors publishing in open access journals through APC waivers and discounts. Visit Open Access Publishing Support for more information. Current APC waivers: Association for Computing Machinery Cambridge University Press Journals Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP) Journal of Agriculture Food Systems, and Community Development Microbiology Society PLOS Portland Press Current APC discounts: BioMed Central Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press MDPI PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) Science Advances from the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) Springer Open

New Location for Privacy Booths

Looking for a private place to study or take a phone call? The Medical Library recently acquired two more Zenbooths! All three booths are now located on the E-Level in the study space near the Technology Support Service Center (see map). These free-standing modular privacy booths offer a soundproof space for visitors to take phone calls, have meetings, or focus on tasks in complete silence. The booths are equipped with an adjustable desk, power outlets, and dimmable lights. Additionally, a high-powered fan cycles fresh air into the booth every minute.

Poison Yesterday and Today – New Exhibition and PSA for National Poison Prevention Week

As we launch the Medical Library's exhibition "Killer or Cure? Poison through the Centuries" on March 23rd, we'd like to remind you that while poison has often captured the public imagination through the ages, today it can cause real harm, and even death. Unfortunately, as of 2021, poison is the leading cause of injury death in the United States, and three-quarters of poison deaths are unintentional. Nearly half (41%) of cases occur in children under age 5. Nearly all (93%) poison cases these days occur at home, and most implicated poisons are regular household items – such as common drugs (analgesics and antidepressants), cleaning substances, and cosmetics – that become fatally toxic when not used as intended1. In Connecticut during 2018-2021*, most accidental poisoning deaths occurred due to exposure to drugs**. This data and the figure below are produced from data on underlying causes of death extracted from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) WONDER Database2. This figure on accidental poisoning deaths in Connecticut was created by data librarian for the health sciences, Kaitlin Throgmorton, using Python 3, pandas, matplotlib, seaborn, and Jupyter Notebook – view the code. *CDC Wonder Underlying Cause of Death Files do not include data on infants. These files may not include all data, as data are suppressed when the data meet the criteria for confidentiality constraints. **Drugs combines several categories, including: other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances; narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens], not elsewhere classified; antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic, antiparkinsonism and psychotropic drugs, not elsewhere classified. In addition to the launch of the poison exhibition this week, this week is also National Poison Prevention Week. You can help prevent unintentional poisoning with a few simple tips3: Keep cleaning supplies, medicines, and other household items well out of reach of children. Make sure you know what medicines and supplies you have, and that they're correctly labeled. Call the Poison Help Line at 1-800-222-1222 (or visit www.poisonhelp.org) if you need assistance. References: America’s Poison Centers. National Poison Data System (NPDS) Interactive Dashboard. https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/aapcc/viz/APC_2021-NPDS-Public-Dashboard_PUBLISHED_2023-01-16/AnnualSummary. Accessed at https://aapcc.org/national-poison-data-system on Mar 16, 2023. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System, Mortality 2018-2021 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2021. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2018-2021, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10-expanded.html on Mar 16, 2023. America’s Poison Centers. National Poison Prevention Week 2023. https://aapcc.org/nppw-2023. Accessed on Mar 20, 2023.

Apply for the Ferenc Gyorgyey/Stanley Simbonis YSM’57 Research Travel Grant

The Medical Historical Library of the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University is pleased to announce its fourteenth annual Research Travel award for use of the Historical Library. The deadline is April 30th, 2023. The Ferenc Gyorgyey/Stanley Simbonis YSM’57 Research Travel Grant is available to historians, medical practitioners, and other researchers outside of Yale who wish to use the Historical collections of the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library. In any given year the award is up to $2,000 for one week of research. Funds may be used for transportation, housing, food, and photographic reproductions. The award is limited to residents of the United States and Canada. The award honors Ferenc A. Gyorgyey, former Historical Librarian, and Stanley Simbonis, M.D, a 1953 graduate of Yale College and a 1957 graduate of Yale School of Medicine, who graciously gifted an endowed fund in support of the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library. For application requirements and the link to submit application materials, please refer to our fellowship page: https://library.medicine.yale.edu/historical/research/grant

Apply for the Stanley B. Burns M.D. Fellowship for the Study of Medical Photographic History

The Medical Historical Library in the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University is pleased to announce its first fellowship for the study of medical photographic history. The Stanley B. Burns M.D. Fellowship for the Study of Medical Photographic History supports the study of the history of medical photography at Yale, maximizing the research potential of the Stanley B. Burns, MD, Historic Medical Photography Collection. We welcome applications from all interested researchers, regardless of their institutional association, race, cultural background, ability, sexual orientation, gender, or socioeconomic status. Applications from scholars utilizing traditional methods of archival and bibliographic research are encouraged as are applications from individuals who wish to pursue creative, interdisciplinary, and non-traditional approaches to conducting research using the Stanley B. Burns, MD, Historic Medical Photography Collection and related visual collections at the Medical Historical Library. In any given year the award is up to $2,000 for one week of research. Funds may be used for transportation, housing, food, and photographic reproductions. The award is currently limited to residents of the United States and Canada. The fellowship is a gift of Stanley B. Burns, MD, FACS, an ophthalmologist and Research Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry, and Professor of Medical Humanities at New York University: Langone Health. He began collecting historic photography in 1975, and over time amassed over a million images that he curated in multiple books, articles, and exhibitions. For the application requirements and the link to submit application materials, please refer to our fellowship page: https://library.medicine.yale.edu/historical/research/fellowships-grants/burns-fellowship

Love Data Week 2023 Recap

This past February, the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, together with the Digital Humanities Lab and other campus partners, celebrated Love Data Week, an international event dedicated to data enthusiasm and education. With more than two hundred attendees across seven events (including many community attendees at the keynote, which was open, virtually, to the public), the week was a resounding success. At the Dr. Yanni Alexander Loukissas' keynote, participants heard about the importance of data settings and of grounding data in the real communities they represent. At various training events, participants learned about working with data in Python and R, as well as about the many data management tools available to them at Yale, alongside real-world researcher data management use cases. To round out the week, attendees also had the opportunity to attend a documentary film screening on data technology advances and a wellness event focused on managing motivation and increasing mindfulness in data work. We'd like to extend our gratitude to the following campus partners who presented or assisted with event organization for Love Data Week: Digital Humanities Lab, REDCap@Yale, Yale Film Archive, Yale School of Medicine Student Mental Health and Wellness Program, Yale ITS Enterprise Storage Team, and Yale Center for Research Computing. We'd also like to thank the following individuals: Sana Ali, Sundari Birdsall, Hannah Clark, Steve DeGroat, Sofia Fertuzinhos, Mary Geda, Dana Haugh, Lisa Ho, Michael Kerbel, Kaylea Nelson, John Onofrey, Vermetha Polite, Kayla Shipp, Sui Tsang, Chris Zollo. And the Love Data Week celebrations aren't quite over! On the afternoon of March 30th, Dr. Lauren Klein, co-author of Data Feminism, will be giving an in-person talk at Yale titled, "The Line Graph and the Slave Ship: Rethinking the Origins of Data Visualization." Register now!

Killer or Cure? Poison through the Centuries

On display in the Cushing Rotunda, March 22 - August 13, 2023 A touchstone of murder mysteries and historical intrigue, tactical warfare and political coups, poison looms large in our cultural imagination. An invisible agent of death, it might be hiding anywhere, stashed in a secret agent’s suitcase or mixed into a murderous martini. Less glamorously, but even more palpably, it lurks in our everyday lives as well, creeping in through garden plants and exotic pets, household cleaners and rainwater runoff, medicine cabinets and art supplies. Broadly defined as any substance which can cause serious illness or death if introduced into the body (e.g.: ingested, injected, absorbed) if it’s administered in the right quantity and conditions, a deadly poison can be just about anything. This exhibit traces major developments in medical, legal, and public knowledge of poisons in America as they have been used for both good and ill. Looking back through the lore of classical antiquity turns up mythical poisons and their antidotes: the paralytic stare of the cockatrice; the salvific unicorn horn. Poison plants and venomous vipers found fame in the ancient world as well (Socrates was supposedly poisoned by hemlock; Cleopatra by an asp)--though illustrated 19th century herbals, early 20th century pharmaceutical guides, and even 21st century textbooks underscore how many of these same toxins can also be used in life-saving medications. Other exhibit highlights include food adulteration and household poisons, developments in forensic toxicology, and even a 19th century New Haven murder trial. From cartoons and campy tunes to labwork and legal testimony, poison is everywhere–come see! Curated by Sophia Richardson, doctoral candidate in English, Graduate School for Arts and Sciences 2022 curatorial fellow, with the assistance of Dr. Melissa Grafe and the staff at the Yale Medical Historical Library. For a current look at poisoning today, take a look at this blog post Data Librarian Kaitlin Throgmorton developed in conjunction with the exhibition and National Poison Control Week. Image descriptions: Cover from Clarence C. Wiley’s Carbarlick Acid Rag. Printed by Jerome H. Remick & Co., 1905. Sheet music collection on medical themes. Gift of William Helfand, 2013. “Death’s Laboratory.” Cover of Collier’s Magazine. 3 June 1905. Reproduction from Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Plate featuring the foxglove plant from William Withering’s An account of the foxglove, and some of its medical uses : with practical remarks on dropsy, and other diseases. Birmingham (England): Printed by M. Swinney, for G. G. J. and J. Robinson, London, 1785. Title page from Moyse Charas's New experiments upon vipers. Containing also an exact description of all the parts of a viper, the seat of its poyson, and the several effects thereof…London: Printed for J. Martyn, 1673.

Valentine's Day Cards from the Medical Library

Valentine's Day is a great time to show your appreciation for someone special. And nothing says "I appreciate you" more than a delightfully corny, medically themed Valentine's Day card, created by Access Services Librarian Megan Nance. Stop by the Medical Library to fill one (or many!) out, or download the files below to send a pun-filled message!