Library director : 'Island life'

Elizabeth Connor near the Ross University School fof Medicine's cafeteria, overlooking the Cabrits area of Dominica: To relieve stress "I walk down to the shore and look out at the horizon. If that doesn't work, I stop by the bookstore and buy some Twizzlers red licorice."

Name

Elizabeth Connor

Position

I'm the library director for Ross University School of Medicine in Portsmouth, Commonwealth of Dominica.

I run the medical library for this medical school that has been in existence since 1978. The school's mission is to "prepare highly dedicated students to become effective, successful physicians in the United States." My role is to develop and maintain a student-centered service unit that provides a wide range of resources (books, journals, multimedia, databases), services and facilities designed to enhance self-directed learning, group collaboration and academic excellence.

QUICKVOTE How ready are you for a career in the Caribbean island state of Dominica? Meet me at the airport. Give me an hour to leave some peanut butter and jelly for the kids. I need a little more time. Is there a supper flight? View Results

Because the course of study is accelerated, the library is an essential component to student success and satisfaction.

Years in position

I've been here for five months in Dominica although I've been a librarian since 1978, and have worked in academic medical settings since 1980.

Age

I'm 45.

Education

I have a BA in anthropology from the State University College, Geneseo, New York, and a masters in library science from the School of Library and Information Science at State University College. I've done additional graduate study in the history of medicine and science at Johns Hopkins University. I was the 1998 National Library of Medicine Fellow in Medical Informatics at Woods Hole Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. And I'm a Distinguished Member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals.

How did you get your current job?

EXTRA INFORMATION The Ross University program was founded in the same year that Dominica began governing its own affairs, 1978. Click here   for information from CountryWatch about Dominica (pronounced "Dom-in-EE-kah," by the way).

The job was advertised in a professional journal and I successfully interviewed for it based on my training and experience. I've held academic medical library posts in Maryland, Saudi Arabia, Connecticut and South Carolina.

How many hours do you work per week?

I work about 50 hours per week. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I work from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. And Tuesdays and Thursdays, I work from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., so I can interact with students after their lectures end, and work with evening-shift library staff.

What's the first thing you do when you get to work in the morning?

I say hi to as many people as I encounter while walking through the library, touch base with staff, and then check my e-mail. I leave my door open most of the day to be as accessible as possible to students, faculty and staff.

What time do you have lunch? What do you usually eat?

This part of the Ross University School of Medicine's library complex is known as "the fishbowl."

It depends on the day and whether I have a luncheon meeting or not, but if I'm running late and it's 2:30 p.m. or so, I go across the street from the school and buy a slice of pizza.

What time do things get tense around the office? What makes it that way?

It can get tense in the library around 4 p.m. when the shift changes and students start to pour into the library after their lectures. Tensions may relate to upcoming exams or finding a comfortable place to read and study. The library is open 24-hours-per-day before some exams, and during final exams.

If you're having a good day at work, what is it that makes it good?

This is one of the library's computer labs.

The power has remained steady throughout the day, Internet access is fast, printers and photocopiers are working, the students are smiling and the staff is pleased.

How much work, if any, do you take home?

If I have a book review due, I take that work home. I write book reviews for Library Journal, and manage the book review process for Medical Reference Services Quarterly. Recently, I took home some reading material related to a history of medicine elective that I'm developing for next semester.

What does your work contribute to society?

In order to succeed as physicians, medical students need to access and use the biomedical literature in a critical and evaluative way. I have a hand in preparing the next generation of physicians by incorporating information-seeking skills into the curriculum, and emphasizing the use of the best medical evidence. Over time, it has been extremely rewarding to notice the increasing numbers of women and minority members entering medicine.

Do you expect to finish your working life in this career?

When I first decided to become a librarian, I thought it would be a temporary stint until my writing career took off. Nearly 23 years later, I'm still in the field. By the way, the coming-of-age novel I started in 1987 is nearing completion. Island life has motivated me to finish it.

If you could have two more careers, what would they be?

Master gardener and trial lawyer. I think I have the drive, instincts and stamina to excel at both.

What's an unforgivable trait in a colleague?

TRADEWIND TRAINING Elizabeth Connor tells us that there are at least 700 students in training with Ross University School of Medicine -- more, when you factor in some work done in Miami and elsewhere. In some 23 years of operation, Ross has graduated more than 3,200 doctors, who have gone on to residencies and practices in many specializations. Students in the program have pre-medical assignments at the Princess Margaret Hospital in this island state, a member of the British Commonwealth. And we met Connor when she used our submission form to tell us about her "Day on the Job." Click here if you'd like your day considered for a profile here at CNN.com/Career.

Underestimating the power and influence of an experienced librarian. Running a first-rate library can be as complex as running a dot-com startup in terms of sharing a vision and handling human resources, technology and work flow.

What do you do to relieve stress?

In this job, I walk down to the shore and look out at the horizon. If that doesn't work, I stop by the bookstore and buy some Twizzlers red licorice.

What have you been reading lately?

I just finished reading Michael Pollan's "A Place of My Own" (Dell, 1998), a splendid book about building a writing hut in the woods. Other recent reads include Jen Banbury's "Like a Hole in the Head" (Little Brown, 1998) and Frances Park's "When My Sister Was Cleopatra Moon" (Talk Miramax, 2000). I like to read about writers, and I enjoy breezy, contemporary fiction that I can read in one sitting.

When you have one of those days on which you don't think you can face the job again, what is it that gets you out the door in the morning and off to work?

This is Attila, whom Connor describes as "the wonderful local dog that sleeps on my porch."

Even if I walk home feeling slightly defeated, I can return the next morning ready to face almost anything. I think fruit smoothies and cable television have a lot to do with being able to recharge my batteries and stay focused at work the next day.

My mission is to build the best student-centered library by creating a positive work environment and providing a core of electronic resources accessible from campus, home and future clinical sites, and I won't let a momentary setback divert me from my goals.