Outreach News

SPOTLIGHT:
AHEC Library – Pine Bluff

This column continues the spotlight on Arkansas’ AHEC Libraries that have a long tradition of providing library services to AHEC faculty, staff and students. They also provide a tremendous benefit to the surrounding medical community by providing library services to health professionals in their region.

In the third part of this series we place the spotlight on Julie Dobbins and the Melville Library at the Area Health Education Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

History:
The AHEC and its library opened their doors in 1973. The original location was on the first floor of Jefferson Hospital at 1515 West 42nd. The library currently resides in the AHEC Building at 4010 Mulberry St. on the grounds of Jefferson Regional Medical Center (JRMC). Since 1973, there have been four librarians who have manned the post: Sherry Townsend [1973-1976], Julie Schroeder Bridgforth[1976-1988], Susan Sheehan [1989-1993] and Julie Dobbins [1993– present].

The librarian at AHEC in Pine Bluff must deal with a variety of responsibilities which include conducting mediated literature searches for health care professionals, providing document delivery, interlibrary loan and Loansome Doc services, and conducting OVID MEDLINE training for health professionals and students. The library also serves the Jefferson School of Nursing and Clinical Pastoral Education (Chaplain Residency) Program at JRMC.

Grants Received:
An Ariel Project for DOCLINE Libraries award was received in 2003 from the National Library of Medicine. The equipment was in full operation in December 2003. This award included a computer workstation (computer, printer & scanner) and Ariel software.

Librarian:
Julie Dobbins became the librarian at the Melville Library in 1993.

Personal Info: Pine Bluff native
Hobbies: Work, British comedies, trying to read owner’s manuals for cell phone and digital camera, procrastinator.
Favorite part of the job: Realizing that I indirectly assist in patient care is paramount to me.
Professional Memberships: Medical Library Association
South Central Chapter/Medical Library Association
Hospital Library Interest Section (SCC/MLA)

What has been your strangest request? “Too numerous to mention or remember; however, a phone call from an educated consumer wanting to know the medical term for a ‘nose booger’ stands out as one of the strangest.”

Quotes from a Patron:
“ I could not imagine how my life would be as a physician, mentor and lecturer without the Melville Library of UAMS-AHEC in Pine Bluff. When I came for an interview ten years ago, I felt so reassured that the library was just around the corner from the clinic. It is not only accessible to the AHEC and JRMC folks, but a very popular resource facility for the Pine Bluff community in its search for medical and health issues. The Melville Library is the legacy of the late Dr. Donald Miller, our AHEC’s first Program Director. It has become a state of the art facility under the supervision of Ms. Julie Dobbins”.
Estelita Quimosing, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Infectious Diseases
UAMS-AHEC Pine Bluff

Groups Served:
Health Professionals (Physicians & Residents)
Nursing Students (LPNs to Masters candidates)
JRMC Employees
Allied Health Students
Consumers

Services Provided:
Mediated searches done by the librarian for health professionals
Loansome Doc – for health professionals
Document Delivery
Interlibrary Loans
Reference Services
Database Training – for health professionals and students in the health professions.

Technology:
AHEC librarians are provided with training and support for technology by the UAMS Library. They are included in the UAMS Library’s licensing agreements for databases and other selected electronic resources. With this assistance, the AHEC librarians have been able to increase their technology quotient and move many services and resources online. Using DOCLINE, OCLC and Ariel they can initiate and receive requests for articles quickly thus enabling a faster turn around.

The Melville Library brought up its Ariel (interlibrary loan management) system in 2003 after receiving a grant.
Innovative Innopac Online Catalog System including the Millennium Circulation Module

Medical Collection:
This library’s collection includes 2650 books, 300 Audio Visual materials, 150 journal subscriptions and 12 computers.

Special Collections:
The AHEC in Pine Bluff maintains a small consumer health collection of books and online resources such as MedlinePlus via the web. These items are available for use by the general public.

They also have a special antique medical collection which includes medical books dating back to the 1880’s and antique medical instruments such as an EKG machine from the 1940’s and more.

Hours:
Monday – Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Weekends Closed

Photo:

Contact Information:
AHEC – PINE BLUFF
Julie Dobbins
Director of Library Services
Melville Library
Area Health Education Center, Pine Bluff
4010 Mulberry St.
Pine Bluff, AR 71603
ph: 870-541-7629 / fax: 870-541-7628
e-mail: jdobbins@ahecpb.uams.edu

Counties Covered:
Arkansas, Cleveland, Drew, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Lonoke, Prairie

If you would like additional information regarding services available at the AHEC Pine Bluff - Melville Library, please contact Julie Dobbins.

Susan Steelman, MLIS
Coordinator of Outreach Services