As part of meeting the information needs of our health science colleges, the Arizona Health Sciences Library (AHSL) set out their Information Services Librarians out to our users. Rather than being in the library, dedicated librarians serve in their respective colleges. My outpost is located in the College of Pharmacy among the faculty, students, and staff I serve. Along with myself, my colleague Sandy Kramer also provides library service to our clientele.
PILS stands for Pharmacy Information Liaison Service. The name PILS was actually created by our very own Dean Bootman. Once a partnership with the College was established, we were provided with dedicated office space in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science which is located on the second floor of the Drachman Building. Prior to my joining AHSL in 2007, Sandy held office hours in the student lounge on the first floor. This was a great spot for students to ask questions and become familiar with us as a resource. Now that we are located on the second floor, we see more faculty and staff traffic. However, we are still in touch with students through our guest lectures in at least five courses throughout the year.
The first year was a challenge, but it provided lots of insight that we may not have known had we not physically ventured into the College. I have worked with faculty on research projects, large projects, all the way down to short reference questions. I have worked with both the PharmD and PhD students and have held instructional "hands-on" searching sessions in certain databases. I have worked with new rotating students in our Medication Management Center (MMC) and introduced them to our resources. But as a librarian, I have also learned a lot about the College, faculty, and research that allows me to share with the library.
