Doody’s Special Topics Lists Board Profile: Martin Wood, MSLIS, AHIP
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Editor’s Note: Doody’s Special Topics Lists (DSTL) were born out of a desire to develop lists of books on a regular basis addressing timely, multidisciplinary topics to meet the information needs of health communities across the globe. With the help of our Library Board of Advisors, we recruited an outstanding diverse Editorial Board, whose members are tasked with 1) selecting timely, pertinent, interdisciplinary topics (“special topics”) based on issues facing the health information community and 2) identifying passionate, knowledgeable librarians to serve as List Selectors who are ultimately responsible for the composition of each Doody’s Special Topics List. With gratitude, this month we present the profile of Martin Wood of Charlotte Edwards Maguire Medical Library of Florida State University College of Medicinean inaugural member of the Doody’s Special Topics Lists Editorial Board. 

Where do you currently work and what is your position? 

I work at the Florida State University College of Medicine as director of the Charlotte Edwards Maguire Medical Library. 

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

Our medical library at FSU is defined by its robust electronic collection of resources, our concierge services to FSU’s medical community, and, most importantly, the incredibly talented individuals who make up our medical library team and provide innovative solutions to the information needs of our students, residents, researchers, staff, and faculty. 

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

I began my library career as a research librarian in the private sector in 2004, and as an academic medical librarian in charge of electronic resources and technical services in 2009 at the Florida State University College of Medicine. I accepted the position of director in 2014. 

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

#1, getting the most out of our budgets, which are always under fire and at risk of reduction. Changes in our funding are directly related to changes in our collections, the services we can provide, and the expertise that we are able to deploy to accomplish both. Librarians in the health professions do an exemplary job of stretching resources and services beyond what seems possible on paper. 

Related to that, #2, we need to do a better job of marketing ourselves, our libraries, and what we do. Libraries need more tools and training that make telling their story and showcasing their accomplishments to a variety of audiences easier. We must discover and share valuable ways to insert ourselves into the narrative of our institutions, and make certain that our work is included in their success stories. 

Why do you volunteer to serve on the Editorial Board of Doody’s Select Topics Lists? 

The topics that we choose each quarter reflect the needs and trends that we see in medical, health sciences, and hospital libraries. I volunteer because I hope to influence the types of topics that our library collections include across the board, reflecting and in response to the evolving needs of our patrons. 

What is one thing you want to make sure all librarians know about Doody’s services? 

Doody’s consistently engages with our profession to make collection development better and increase the relevance of products offered from our library vendors. The Charlotte Edwards Maguire Medical Library at FSU has been a long-time subscriber to Doody’s, and we rely on Doody’s Review Service and Doody’s Collection Development Monthly to help inform our electronic resource acquisition decisions. 

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