Channeling My Inner Betsy

In just a few days Betsy Humphreys, MLS, will officially retire from the National Library of Medicine after 44 years of outstanding service.

Over the past two weeks we have been celebrating her and acknowledging her incredible contributions to the nation’s health through her many roles at NLM. Currently NLM’s deputy director, Betsy served as the first woman and first librarian to lead the Library (2015-2016 Acting Director) after many, many years in various leadership positions here, including as associate director of Library Operations. Over the years, Betsy received many accolades for her work, including the Medical Library Association’s Carla J. Funk Award, the Morris F. Collen Award from AMIA, and even an honorary LOINC code, 86466-0: Maestro of scalable info infrastructure. And though I could go on at length about Betsy’s accomplishments and all that she has done to advance access to medical information—for the good of NLM and the country—I’ve been pondering instead how I’m going to keep Betsy with us after she retires by channeling my “inner Betsy” as I lead NLM toward its third century.

First, I will draw on the amazing storehouse of knowledge Betsy developed over decades about how best to deliver the scientific literature to researchers, clinicians, and the public. That knowledge significantly exceeds what she managed to transfer to me over the 10 months we worked together, but fortunately, it exists in the work processes and practices of the 1,700 women and men at NLM and in the national bodies shaped by Betsy’s influence. Whether it’s an efficient and effective way to apply the MeSH terminology to citations or the importance of making SNOMED CT freely available, Betsy not only knew what to do but made sure it was done in a sustainable manner.

Next, I will conduct myself with generosity, grace, and good will. Betsy can discern the best talents within everyone, and she consistently noted those talents when she introduced someone or described his/her work to a new colleague. More than once I heard Betsy say, “You know, we have just the best person for handling…” whatever task needed to be handled. Obviously, she knew the players, but it was her ability to hold her colleagues in unquestioning positive regard that enabled the most effective partnerships to flourish and got the best people to address complex tasks.

I will channel a commitment to accountability—to science, to society, to patients, to partners, and to the authors who entrusted their works to NLM for archiving and distribution. Betsy didn’t wait for someone to ask for follow-up; she provided it as part of the workplace discourse. Maintaining accountability to our diverse stakeholders sometimes meant describing to one set of stakeholders why a decision apparently in support of a different set of priorities needed to be made and was most likely the best course. Betsy took that on and did it with tact and skill.

I will try to channel Betsy’s loyalty to her colleagues, to NLM, and to NIH. Betsy’s sense of accountability arose from this loyalty—her commitment to make possible a scientist’s research, a work team’s new process, a colleague’s investment in one of NLM’s services. Betsy didn’t often speak of loyalty; she simply demonstrated it.

Finally I will channel Betsy’s commitment to personal health and work-life balance. While many of us are sipping that second cup of coffee as we peruse the Sunday paper, Betsy and her husband/hiking partner, Glenn, are out traversing some trail, whether somewhere in the mid-Atlantic region or across the globe in the Italian Dolomites. Many a Monday was enriched by Betsy’s enthusiastic, bright-eyed description of how she and Glenn enjoyed a vista or found new flowers on a familiar path.

Betsy imparted these and many other lessons I’m sure I can put to good use, and I hope to channel my inner Betsy throughout my entire tenure at the National Library of Medicine.

How you will channel your inner Betsy? Chime in below.