DHSS Library

As the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Library director, I oversee all library activities. From securing funding, to collection development, to marketing, to outreach, to reference, and beyond--I have a hand in everything. This provides me with a very well-rounded experience and extensive knowledge of our services.

The DHSS Library serves DHSS employees as well as the general public. We provide a dozen databases for health and social sciences research, including EBSCO products, PsychiatryOnline, and SAGE. Our curated book collection is available to the public through the Delaware Library Catalog. We are proud to be a member of the Delaware Libraries Consortium and participate in their transit system. We also provide specialized programming and resources to best meet the needs of our DHSS patrons. To learn more about the DHSS Library, please visit our website.

I started my career at the DHSS Library in August 2021. My first project was to create a re-opening plan, as the library had been closed for in-person services since March 2020 due to COVID. I re-opened the library the following month and have strived to continuously improve our services. Under my leadership, in fiscal year 2022, the library increased its valuation by nearly $400,000 over the previous fiscal year, an almost tenfold return on our funding appropriation.

The library's largest event is Research, Innovation, and Humanity (RIH) Day.  This is a judged competition for DHSS employees to showcase their work. Participants create an infographic in one of the three categories. Awards are given for first, second, and third place in the judged competition. There is also a People's Choice vote. This is an excellent way for employees to share their work with the department and for those who did not enter to learn about what is going on in other departments.  I modified the entry requirements for RIH Day from a scientific poster to an infographic. This opens up the competition to employees outside of the hard sciences and presents DHSS' work in a more understandable format. I also made the event completely virtual and asynchronous. With these changes, RIH Day has attracted more entrants and a much greater level of participation from the department, in terms of viewing the entries and voting for People's Choice. 

A few  other examples of my initiatives include:

• Collaborations with DHSS divisions - Division-exclusive newsletter, new subject guides

• Database introduction  series - Twice-monthly live lessons on using our databases

• DHSS Library orientation lesson - Reimagined for a virtual experience using Prezi

• New marketing materials - Library card welcome folders, brochures, information packets, and more with a cohesive design

• Unique library events & passing programming - Halloween Jeopardy, DHSS Library coloring book, Banned Books Week activities, etc.

It is an honor to work with DHSS and to serve the people of Delaware. I am excited to see how the DHSS Library continues to grow and improve.