Student Photo Exhibit Comes to Briscoe Library
Under Construction: New Library Vending Area
Librarians Share Their Work With Peers
Student Olivia Hart Inspires Exercise Desks at Briscoe Library
Library Participates in Historical Symposium
Archivists Visit Nixon Library
Librarian Presents an Open Source Experience
Bryant Huang, School of Medicine ’20, has created a photo exhibit that is now currently on display in Briscoe Library’s front entrance. The exhibit, entitled Still Life: Reflections on Hope and Illness, portrays patients from all walks of life with a unique collection of experiences and outlooks. Huang, along with his mentor Dr. Jason Morrow, created this exhibit to allow us to reflect on encounters with individuals who have changed our lives, to remind us to thank those who have helped us along the way, and to encourage us to take time to lend a hand to someone in need.
Each of the photographs in this exhibit is accompanied by a caption that illustrates patients’ hopes, values, and meanings. “These are the patients’ stories, their reflections on life and illness.”
The exhibit will be on display at Briscoe Library for the remainder of June.
No matter what the weather or time of day or night, you’ll soon be able to grab a quick bite without having to leave the comfort of the library. We’ll not only leave a light on for you, we’ll prepare dinner too!
Construction, involving some significant electrical and plumbing work, has begun in an alcove area on the library entry floor. The space will eventually feature fresh food and coffee vending machines and a microwave. Renovation of the area is tentatively planned to be completed by September 2018.
Please excuse a little extra temporary noise and dust and stay tuned for progress updates.
On May 18, UT Health San Antonio Librarians gave presentations about their work at the spring meeting of the Council of Research & Academic Libraries (CORAL), held at Southwest Research Institute. CORAL is a consortium of libraries in the greater San Antonio area whose mission is to develop and strengthen library information services and resources through cooperative programs and forums. The meeting began with presentations by local institutions featuring their historical collections. During the meeting’s afternoon session titled “Libraries of Tomorrow”, liaisons discussed their strategies and lessons learned as part of Briscoe Library’s new liaison program. Christy Tyson, Liaison to the School of Dentistry, and Andrea Schorr, Head of Resource Management, presented on their work in establishing an interprofessional teaching and learning repository utilizing faculty works. Creative Technologies Librarian Kelley Minars (pictured left) discussed how the library is providing educational support through 3D printing.
From May 22-26, two librarians attended the Medical Library Association (MLA) Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Atlanta, GA. Attending this conference provides valuable networking, learning and development opportunities specific to medical librarianship. Attendees from the US and abroad gather to share research, collaborate within special interest groups and hold robust conversation. Christy Tyson, SOD Liaison, participated as a member of the Dental and Instructional sections of MLA. She also began an appointment as a member of the MLA News editorial board on June 1. Karen Barton, SHP Liaison, presented a poster on the Youth Health Literacy Challenge, a project funded by the National Library of Medicine.
Olivia Hart
MD Candidate 2021
UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine
Based on her experience at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Colorado, Olivia Hart first proposed the idea of exercise desks to the UT Health Briscoe Library in the fall of 2017. With Olivia’s recommendations, the library identified some highly rated bike and treadmill options to consider. Olivia proposed the options to fellow Class of 2021 students in a poll to see which would prove the most popular. Based on the results of the poll and other feedback from library surveys, one treadmill desk and three exercise bikes were purchased by the Library.
By the spring of 2018, space was cleared in a light-filled area on the Library 5th floor that offers great views of the campus. The exercise equipment is available to everyone in the UT Health community 24/7/365.
Thank you to Olivia and all of the students who participated in this project!
The UT Health Libraries participated in a historical symposium celebrating San Antonio’s 300th 
anniversary and the Long School of Medicine’s 50th anniversary. The symposium titled, 300 Years of History and Advances in Health was held on Saturday, May 12 in the Holly Auditorium. The symposium highlighted the past, present, and future of health care in San Antonio.
There were several exhibits on display including a library exhibit featuring historical photographs, programs, timelines, and yearbooks. Presented throughout the auditorium foyer was a historical slideshow featuring founding faculty, building developments, and early students. Also on display, a snapshot of the library’s rare book collection and information about the P.I. Nixon Historical Library.
The symposium included representatives from local organizations and included several esteemed speakers such as County Judge Nelson Wolff, Carlos Pestana, and Henry Cisneros.
On Thursday, May 24, a group from the Society of Southwest Archivists toured the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library. They were welcomed by a thoughtful selection of classic and rare books, including works by Andreas Vesalius (De Humani Corporis Fabrica – 1543), Bernhard Siegfried Albinus (Tables of the Skeleton and Muscles of the Human Body – 1749), and Robert Hooke (The Micrographia – 1667). Also featured were several local archival documents and historical medical instruments from the 18th and 19th century.
The Society of Southwest Archivists is an organization focused on preserving documentary heritage, and caters to archivists, preservationists, special collections librarians, conservators, and records managers. The Society of Southwest Archivists held their annual conference here in San Antonio on May 23-26, and the Nixon Library was selected as an official tourist venue for the conference.
On Wednesday, May 23, librarian Andrea N. Schorr presented at the Central Texas Koha Summit in Round Rock, Texas.
The Summit, an annual event, is geared toward libraries and library staff who are interested in learning more about Koha, an open source library management system. In 2015, after almost two decades with a proprietary library management system, the UT Health Libraries decided to migrate to Koha’s open source system. Library management systems handle everything from circulation operations to acquisitions, and provide reporting mechanisms for assessment. The library’s Koha installation is hosted by ByWater Solutions, a company that manages the system servers, customization, and implementation.
The presentation focused on the academic library experience of migrating to an open source system, detailing the preparation, process, and outcome. According to Schorr, “Koha offers us more flexibility and control over our system, all for a fair price.” Library staff have been very pleased with the responsiveness of ByWater Solutions to questions and suggestions. In addition to providing management services, ByWater also supports an active user community and is continuously working to make improvements. The overall migration, though a challenging undertaking, proved to be a beneficial and fruitful experience.
On June 4th, the library will be migrating to a new room reservation and calendar system. Although the system looks similar to our previous version, there are a few benefits to the move. Now you can:
Schedule an appointment with your liaison
Schedule an appointment to discuss 3D printing options
Reserve The Hub to utilize our newest technology options (including virtual reality)
Please remove any old bookmarks and set new to be directed to new system. Thank you.
Nano Online Database is now available to all faculty, staff, and students. This resource was purchased by the UT System ALCEP funds and offered to each school.
The one-stop-shop for nano-science – offers a comprehensive coverage of the subject area nano science and technology. This online reference allows for easy access to research results from a cross section of disciplines active in this area – including physics, chemistry and materials science as well as engineering and medicine. Due to a carefully chosen classification system and massive linking between entries, the user can find relevant and related information quickly.
The online reference includes more than 1,200 entries (an equivalent of more than 17,000 print pages) from journals and books as well as Open Access content. Annual updates of more than 200 entries (about 2,000 print pages) will supply state-of-the-art research results.
For a list of the newest titles at the Briscoe Library click here.
Purchase suggestions?
Complete the online Purchase Suggestion Form or contact
Andrea N. Schorr, Head of Resource Management.