Library Bulletin

March 1998

THE LIBRARY'S PC TRAINING ROOM:
AN INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCE
By Anita Ondrusek and Andrea Markinson

Providing a microcomputer training facility has long been a part of the Library's mission. Within this context, the Library's Learning Resource Center (LRC) has played a pivotal role in maintaining a computer training room designed to meet a wide range of needs.

Looking Backward (1985)
The LRC was the home to the University's first microcomputer "lab" to be open to all HSCB students, faculty, and staff.  The original microcomputers and software, funded by the College of Medicine's Alumni Association, were used to train hundreds of HSCB computer users in everything from computer basics to advanced word processing.

Fast Forward (1991)
In designing the Health Education Building, planners recognized the need for a computer training room with connections to the campus network and data projection.  When the new Library opened its doors, a PC training room meeting these requirements became a reality.  The room served as a site for Hospital systems training, the medical school's residency match, weekly Medline tutorials, and much more.

Skip to . . . the Present
With funding help from Dr. Joann Bradley and Administration, plus the Library's successful bid for a technology grant from the METRO research consortium, the LRC's current PC training room has received a "face lift."   All PCs (10 at individual tables; 1 installed as a teaching station) have been replaced by those with: Pentium processors, Windows 95, and HSCB network connections.  Programs such as WordPerfect Suite and Netscape Navigator are accessible from each computer.  A high resolution, high lumen LCD projector shows crisp, clear images  even with the lights on!   Training for groups such as the Arthur Ashe Health Sciences Academy, the Library's World Wide Web Seminars, Evidence Based Medicine for residents (to name a few) has been greatly enhanced by the technology upgrades.

The PC Training Room is located in the Learning Resource Center and is available for use by SUNY HSCB faculty, staff and supervised students.  Bookings are handled jointly by the Learning Resource Center (x7423) and the University Room Scheduling Office (x2639).  Special arrangements for hardware and software must be pre-authorized by Library Systems.  Bookings may be arranged a minimum of two weeks in advance.  Information Sheets and Booking Forms are available from the Learning Resource Center.
 

The University Room Scheduling Office is located in room EB46 in the Alumni Learning Resource Center of The Medical Research Library of Brooklyn.  The Room Scheduling office is charged with assuring that rooms are available for classes, lectures, and national board examinations, in addition to coordinating room requests for board meetings, seminars and other gatherings in and around the Health Science Education and Basic Sciences Buildings.

Forty-five classrooms, lecture halls and various spaces including the FM and D Public Space, the Atrium and the Grove are scheduled from 6:00 am through 11:00 pm each day.  In the course of a year there are over 12,000 room schedulings.  Needless to say, that in the midst of scheduling, many room conflicts do arise, ranging from emergency repairs to rooms, to changed academic schedules, to late reservation requests.  When there are problems, we seek to find a room to meet the users' needs so that the educational needs of the Health Science Center are met.  Academic Departments that schedule their classes six months in advance help us to prevent those conflicts that disrupt the learning process.

Room Scheduling is responsible for assuring that the schedules for each room are posted and that the daily schedule is posted on the Activities Monitors located in the 450 Clarkson Avenue Lobby, the corridor outside lecture hall 1 and in the 395 Lenox Road Lobby.  Requests for a room reservation may be placed by fax (7182707471), by cc:Mail: Room Scheduling, by campus mail to box 14, or by voice for a room reservation form only at 718-270-2639.  Jennifer Brown, Room Scheduling Office Supervisor and Craig Johnson, will be delighted to assist you in meeting your room requirements.  We do request that you make your reservation at least 96 hours (5 working days) in advance of your room requirements to allow us to meet your needs for nonacademic meeting.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

OVID Java client is coming March 23rd.  It will supersede OVID Web.  Because of OVID Java, for the first time, 84 full text electronic journals with images will be available. These journals are directly linked to the OVID Java literature searching databases. Stay tuned for Library class offerings in OVID Java.

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WWW03: WWW SEMINAR SERIES: FINDING HEALTH SCIENCES SITES
A virtual tour of health sciences resources selected by HSCB librarians  from the WWW, with tips for finding and evaluating sites on your own

Due to popular demand, we are repeating this class on Wednesday, April 15, 3 to 4:30 pm.  Registration forms may be obtained at the Library's Information Kiosk.

There are still openings for the following classes:

WWW01: WORLD WIDE WEB OVERVIEW
Wednesday, April 1,  5 to 6 pm

WWW02: BROWSER BASICS
Wednesday, March 11,  10 to 11 am
 Friday, April 3  12 noon to 1 pm