October is National Medical Librarians Month! Learn about your librarians...

Did you know October is National Medical Librarians Month?  Get to know and celebrate your Library and Patient Education Services team!

Mary Jo Boland, Patient Education Librarian

What she does:  Searches for books, CDs, and DVDs for the Mooney Libraries that make it easy for someone to understand an illness and its treatment, and that helps them manage their own health.

Favorite part of the job:  “I get to look at new items first!” and “I enjoy working with clinical staff to add items to the library that they recommend to their patients.”

Kaye Crampton, Patient Education Librarian

What she does:  She helps patients in the patient education libraries with MyCare, finding a book or DVD recommended by their provider or help look for more information on a health issue.  She also takes complex information on procedures and diseases and turns it into language patients can understand.

Favorite part of the job:  “Knowing I’ve made a difference for patients by showing them a resource they didn’t know about, or by getting them information they need for their health.”

Ann Emmel, Educational Services Librarian

What she does:  Her main duties involve educating employees on how to use the library’s electronic resources and providing literature to support education, research, and patient care.

Favorite part of the job: “My days are never the same – being challenged with new requests and working with all employees throughout GHS.”

Charlotte Grant, Patient Education Content Specialist

What she does:  As a plain language writer, her mission is to find short, simple ways to explain complicated content.

Favorite part of the job:  “Working with librarians. I admire and depend on their searching skills. They are better than bloodhounds on ANY topic.”

Debi Holzer, Library Specialist, Journals

What she does:  She saves the organization much time and money, by processing almost all of GHS journal subscriptions.  You will also see her providing reference desk coverage for two Mooney Libraries and the Health Sciences Library.

Favorite part of the job:  “I look forward to working with the public in many different capacities and never tire of patient contact. I also enjoy the learning opportunities I have while doing literature searches.”

Kitty Meyer, Document Delivery Specialist

What she does:  Contributes to the strategic plan by supplying articles, books, and searches for patient care, education and research.

Favorite part of the job:   “The library team and the patrons that come through our doors.”

Megan Olson, Patient Education Librarian

What she does:  You will most often see Megan on the John & Nettie Mooney library desks. This allows her to interact with health information seeking patients and provide them with the right books, handouts or DVDs.  

Favorite part of the job:  “I get a kick out of seeing everyone’s reactions to the skeleton that is usually placed at the entrance to the Mooney Library – La Crosse.”

Melinda Orebaugh, Director

What she does:  Library and Patient Education Services uniquely serves both sides of the healthcare coin:  1) We serve our staff by providing research, information for clinical decision-making and education; and 2) We serve our patients and families by providing consumer health information and patient education (including written and audiovisual), health literacy and patient teaching.
Favorite part of the job:  I enjoy contributing to patient care by combining my librarianship and patient education knowledge.

Eileen Severson, Supervisor

What she does and favorite part of the job:  “What drives me is the opportunity to interact with and learn about a variety of people and use that learning to connect them with information they need and often times information they didn’t know they needed”