Editor’s Note: Every other month, we publish the profile of a member of Doody’s Library Board of Advisors (LBA). The LBA has guided the development of our company’s library services since our inception. With gratitude, this month we present the profile of a former member of the LBA, Marlene Bishop of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – New Orleans.

Where do you currently work and what is your position?

As Head of Collection Development at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – New Orleans, I manage the acquisition and procurement of library resources. My responsibilities include budget management, evaluation and selection of materials, coordination of print and online resources, license negotiation, collaborative planning, and cataloging.

Provide a one sentence description of your library and its services.

LSU Health Sciences Center – New Orleans libraries provide informational and educational services, resources, and tools to the students, residents, faculty, researchers, and staff of the institution, including the Schools of Allied Health, Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health, as well as our Centers of Excellence.

When did you start in medical librarianship? What was your position? With what institution?

I am a homegrown, LSUHSC-NO medical librarian. My first position was as a technical services library associate in our cataloging and acquisitions departments. I completed my MLIS at Louisiana State University and was hired as Acquisitions and Collection Development Librarian in 2000.

Name two of the most important issues facing medical librarianship today.

Budget management is undoubtedly what keeps me up at night. As a state institution, the library’s budget is in large part dependent upon our legislature’s ability to find support for both higher education and healthcare, which is not an easy feat. With stiff competition for state funds, budget increases are rare. Since publishers and vendors increase prices every year, the only option for libraries like ours is to make cuts every year. We can build in percentage increase caps to our licenses and negotiate multiyear and package deals to get more for less, but at some point those rising costs will exceed the budget no matter how good a deal we have or how great the usage is. Librarians need to keep an open line of communication with publishers and vendors to develop alternative models of acquiring the content our patrons need.

Exploring new products while maintaining current resources is also a challenge. There is an endless selection of new (and amazing) resources to evaluate. Without a consistent budget and guaranteed increases in place, it is very difficult to stay on trend and continue to provide access to our essential and high-demand resources.

How do your colleagues and you use Doody’s products in your library? Or, what is one thing you want to make sure all librarians know about Doody’s services?

Doody’s Review Service is an integral part of my collection development routine. One of my favorite features is the inclusion of details about online availability of titles. The Weekly Literature Updates are an easy and quick way to stay informed about the newest publications, and the ability to create shareable lists is very useful. Doody’s Core Titles is helpful for evaluating resources across a discipline or subject area, and we use DCT when assisting faculty to identify materials for their research and courses.