Guest post by the 2016-2017 NLM Associate Fellows.
NLM Associate Fellowship Coordinator Kathel Dunn introduced our program in her post “NLM Associate Fellows Spark Library Alchemy,” speaking to the process of transformation this program can facilitate. As we, the 2016-2017 NLM Associate Fellows, prepare to bid NLM a fond farewell, we would like to share some reflections from our year and how we have been changed by our time here.
From our arrival on September 1, 2016, we knew this year would be different, as we began our fellowship only a few weeks after the arrival of Dr. Patricia Flatley Brennan, NLM’s then recently appointed director. One of our first activities as a cohort was to attend Dr. Brennan’s swearing-in ceremony, and the issues that shaped her first year–strategic planning and envisioning NLM’s future –became threads woven throughout our formative curriculum sessions and have been intertwined with our experiences throughout the program.
The heart of this program resides in the people of NLM and their willingness to share their time and knowledge with us. Throughout the curriculum, and later during the project phase of our year, NLM staff from all levels of the organization made themselves available for conversation, connection, and collaboration. As a result, we were able to build relationships across the Library and see connections and interdependencies across departments.
The capacity for professional relationship building also extends beyond the walls of NLM. Each member of this year’s cohort led a spring project that relied on collaboration with an external partner. Megan Fratta conducted focus groups with cancer researchers across NIH and NCI to assess their PubMed-related training needs. Kendra Godwin interviewed open science policy makers, advocates, and innovators from across the global research community in her efforts to define open science at NLM. Tyler Moses conducted an information needs assessment for the residents of the Children’s Inn, the hospitality house for children and their families who participate in research trials at NIH. And, as part of an interagency collaboration between NLM and the FDA, Candace Norton investigated enhancements to search filters to support pharmacovigilance.
Among the other connections fostered through this program are those between the members of the cohort and NLM’s senior leadership. As a group, we met with each senior leader to discuss what makes NLM unique, what makes an exemplary leader, and how best to prepare for a career in a rapidly evolving profession. Their collective wisdom and insight are invaluable at this stage in our careers.
Perhaps the most important connections are those we’ve formed with each other, thanks to the program’s cohort learning model. We’ve been a fellowship of four, learning more because of each other and the collective insights of our shared experience, and from the conversations this year has inspired. The program under its current name has existed since 1966, and we’ve been impressed with the level of support from the Associate Fellows who preceded us, and the significant contributions they’ve made to the program, to NLM, and to the profession.
As we conclude our fellowship year at NLM and make space for the incoming 2017-2018 cohort’s arrival on September 1, we leave you with our respect and gratitude for making this opportunity possible. Thank you for a fascinating and life-changing year at NLM!
Guest bloggers (from left) Candace Norton, Megan Fratta, Kendra Godwin, and Tyler Moses served as 2016-2017 NLM Associate Fellows.