Janet Harper is the HSLI Member of the Quarter! Janet is the Librarian at the Pacific College of Health and Science’s Chicago campus.
When did you first learn about the Health Science Librarians of Illinois, and why did you decide to join?
After getting my current job, I looked for a health science library association to join. Because Pacific College is a small, alternative medical college, I questioned whether the Medical Library Association was the right fit. I don’t remember how I found out about the Health Science Librarians of Illinois, but I soon knew that it was the right choice. I like that it is a local association with all sizes of libraries. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a session on complementary and alternative medicine at my first HSLI Annual Conference.
As the Chicago Campus Librarian, what is it like working for an organization, Pacific College of Health and Science, that also has locations in New York City and San Diego?
Pacific College of Health and Science has three campuses in three different cities, in three different states, and in three different time zones. That creates some challenges. When there is a meeting or event, one must always be aware of the time zone of the hosting campus. Our tri-campus meetings are virtual and were virtual before the pandemic. Because loaning library materials between the campus libraries is done by mail, sometimes it is cheaper and easier to purchase the item. The Chicago campus is the smallest of the three campuses and has the smallest library. Though small, the library supports the curriculum and the classes taught at the Chicago campus.
How have you applied your experience in hospital librarianship and technical services to your current position?
One of the first things I did after being hired was to reconnect to the National Library of Medicine. I familiarized myself with MeSH headings on complementary and alternative medicine and checked for related NLM classification numbers. Our integrated library system is designed for small libraries. For original cataloging, we often use the simplified cataloging option.
How did you develop an interest in African American and African diaspora archival collections, including research in Black music?
While getting my master’s degree, I was asked to work on a project to bring attention to the archives of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). During visits to the HBCUs, I read about their founding and early histories. My interest expanded to HBCUs that have closed, along with the history of Black education before 1954. Both as part of the job and on my own, I have visited over 60 HBCUs.
When I was hired to work at the Center for Black Music Research (CBMR) at Columbia College Chicago, I had little knowledge of Black music beyond the Black popular music of my youth and the gospel music of the Baptist Church. I soaked up information by listening to my colleagues, by attending talks, and by reading. My education was on-the-job learning. My education became more in-depth after I was asked to give a presentation on gospel music. That was the first of many illustrated presentations that I developed using materials from the CBMR collection of print books, sound recordings, published scores, and manuscripts.
What is the most interesting book or other item you have ever checked out from a library?
I requested an interlibrary loan for a book with the generic title of American History. While I included as much information as I could, I was not surprised that I did not receive the right item. What I received was a high school supplementary history textbook. For each section, there were about 5-6 articles that were each about 5-10 pages long. For a high school textbook, I was amazed by how fascinating the articles were.
One article was about how Native American women were described by European journalists in the 1500s. It was not positive. I made copies of articles and gave them to people who I thought would be interested in the topics covered. Another article was about Richard and Mildred Loving, who were convicted in Virginia in 1959 for breaking the law banning interracial marriages. I gave a copy to a colleague who was in an interracial relationship. I don’t remember ever having that kind of positive reaction to a book.