NEW YORK NURSE: July/August 2007
by Joely Johnson
Did you know that your NYSNA membership card doubles as a library card, connecting you to one of the most unique information collections in the nation? Your membership gives you access to NYSNA’s Library, which boasts more than 9,000 nursing-related books, subscribes to 400-plus magazines and newsletters, and protects a collection of historical nursing material dating back to the 1890s.
The library is housed in 4,100 square feet of dedicated, modern space at the Latham headquarters. In addition to staff offices and work areas, the library provides individual rooms for viewing audiovisual materials, staff training, and extensive file storage.
The NYSNA Library was founded in the late 1960s in response to the association’s need to centralize and organize a growing collection of materials, records, and other important information. One primary objective was – and still is – to meet the information and research needs of the association’s various departments and programs in areas such as nursing practice, governmental affairs, continuing education, nursing education, membership, and collective bargaining. “We take great pride in all that we are able to provide as a resource,” said Warren Hawkes, director of Library and Records Management.
In the mid-1990s, the association’s records management operations were combined with the library functions, creating a large, centralized information resource. NYSNA’s records management operation receives, organizes, stores, and retrieves information generated by the association.
In the case of arbitration or grievances, this means researching and locating background documents for each individual case. If there is a question related to the history of contract language or interpretation, “we have the ability to go back to those notes and provide them to the nurse representatives,” says Hawkes. “This service may not be something members would individually call us for, but they definitely benefit from it.”
In addition to filing internal documents and important historical materials, the library contains a number of special collections. Gathered there are documents from the American Nurses Association, the National League for Nursing, the U.S. government, and New York State government, as well as official newsletters from other state nurses associations. Many library resources and documents are now becoming available in electronic format.
In 1979, the library expanded from its primary focus as a research resource for staff members to include services for association members and the public. Nonmember users include nursing students needing help with historical projects, law and legislative offices in search of particular facts, writers in need of background information, and other libraries seeking interlibrary loan of materials found only at NYSNA’s Library.
Every year, the library fields several thousand individual requests for information from members and nonmembers alike. Some questions take only minutes to respond to; other queries require a staff person to spend a day or more researching or consulting with staff from other NYSNA programs and departments.
The Library and Records Management team includes Warren Hawkes, Suzanne Hermann, Mark Delay, and Maggie Guerrieri. In addition to the daily work of running the department, the staff provides free fact-finding services and answers to brief reference questions, which are usually handled via e-mail, by phone, or onsite. More detailed research needs or loans of library materials may incur a fee to cover copying, mailing, or other costs. Most reference materials can’t be borrowed, but photocopies can often be supplied under guidelines of copyright law.
One of the best ways to use the NYSNA Library is as a supplement to your academic or facility-based library. “When your local librarian has trouble finding the answer to a complex, nursing-related question, that’s where we can really help,” said Warren Hawkes, director of Library and Records Management. “We have access to a variety of specialty databases such as the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health [CINAHL], which is the primary tool for nursing research.”
The library, located in the Latham headquarters, is open to all members, staff, and the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. No appointment is required, but keep in mind that staff members’ knowledge of the collection is probably the library’s most powerful resource. Individuals with complex research questions would do well to call ahead to consult with a staff person before making the trip (518-782-9400, ext. 266). Queries can also be submitted by e-mail to library@nysna.org.
The NYSNA Library collection doesn’t resemble what most people think of as a nursing library: The materials are decidedly nonclinical and mostly policy or issue-related. Here are some typical requests that library staff members respond to on a regular basis: