Grandpa duties come first
14/05/16 13:45
The Medical Library Association (MLA) is an international professional association of health information providers. Medical libraries and health information centers can reduce hospital costs, length of stay, changes in diagnosis and clinical decision making and improve patient outcomes. I’ve always been a fan of libraries and research centers, but I knew much about the specialty of medical libraries until our son was a graduate student at the University of North Carolina and began to specialize in medical library science.
This morning, I rose from my bed at 2:30 am, after a very short night, to give our son a ride to the airport so that he could leave on a very early flight to attend the largest gathering of medical librarians and health information professionals in the world: a joint meeting of the Medical Library Association, the Canadian Health Libraries Association (Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada (CHLA/ABSC)), and the International Clinical Librarian Conference (ICLC) in Toronto, Canada. The event probably won’t make much news outside of Toronto, but it is a significant event. Although there is an annual MLA conference, gathering with the Canadian and international associations is not an annual event.
I know from my experiences of attending our church’s General Synod that part of these large meetings is gaining inspiration for one’s vocation. Gathering together with others who have a similar calling and who share your passion for your field reminds you of the reasons you went into the work in the first place. Taking a step back from the everyday allows one to remember the big picture.
When we think of it we all know that modern health care is dependent upon accurate and timely information. Those who can enable connections with that information are indispensable to the health of the people. It takes an other adjustment for a person like me to understand our son’s work, however. I went through my upbringing and education in an era when physical libraries had a commanding presence. Libraries were enormous buildings because of the need to be able to store and display tens of thousands of books. In the digital era, information doesn’t take up huge amounts of physical space. There is more data available from my phone than was in the University of Chicago’s Regenstein Library when I was a graduate student. I loved that library and spent a lot of time doing research there. But I also love our computers and access to the Internet and the ability to conduct research from any location. Our unabridged dictionaries now reside in our basement because we can access major dictionaries from our phones these days.
In this information age, the problem often is not enough information, but rather too much information. Discerning the difference between accurate information and misinformation is a critical skill. Librarians do much more that help people find books, they are involved in a sophisticated process of helping people to sort through the vast volume of information available to find the information that is most relevant - the information that is most needed.
In the hospital setting information is literally a life and death matter. Hospital librarians are key players in the delivery of safe health care. Our son is the director of library and information services for a large, multi-hospital health care system. His father couldn’t be more proud.
I see our son’s work as very close to the work to which I have devoted my life: connecting people with the truth. We both know that we don’t accomplish that task by thinking for people or telling people what to think or believe, but rather by connecting them with accurate and honest information so that they can make their own decisions and choose their own actions.
Meanwhile, back in Olympia, Washington, we are gearing up for a few days of intensive grandparent duty. Our daughter in law is a marriage and family therapist. Her private practice is arranged so that she sees most of her clients on Fridays and Saturdays. The ability to provide professional services on the weekend is very important to busy families whose need to earn a living often makes it difficult to focus on their relationships. So we have the privilege of caring for our grandchildren while she works.
Grandparents caring for grandchildren is an ancient and time honored part of the human enterprise, one that is less common in our generation because of our high degree of mobility. We don’t do much childcare for our own grandchildren simply because they don’t live in the same state as we do. So, for us, this is a rare privilege and honor and a wonderful way to invest a week of our vacation. Unlike the parents, who have to balance work and the running of a household with all of the associated chores and activities, we’ve taken the week off. We don’t have any other distractions or commitments. All we have to do is to be present with our grandchildren. Two grandparents to two grandchildren. It is a wonderful ratio for those of us who love children.
I can take time to marvel at our granddaughter’s new words. I can take time to walk the dog with my grandson.
And . . . now it is several hours later. We went to the farmer’s market with the kids and picked out carrots, cherries, apples and a cookie for each at the bakery. Then it was time to head home for lunch and a nap for the kids (probably one for grandpa, too). In a world of lots and lots of change it is such a treat to have a bit of just being with our grandchildren doing everyday tasks and enjoying one another’s presence. We have a whole week of visiting ahead of us and I intend to savor every minute of it.
I’m also taking lots of pictures, which we are enjoying. However, I’m not too keen on posting my grandchildren’s pictures on the Internet, so we’ll save those for sharing with our friends when we are face to face.
I am a very fortunate person!
This morning, I rose from my bed at 2:30 am, after a very short night, to give our son a ride to the airport so that he could leave on a very early flight to attend the largest gathering of medical librarians and health information professionals in the world: a joint meeting of the Medical Library Association, the Canadian Health Libraries Association (Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada (CHLA/ABSC)), and the International Clinical Librarian Conference (ICLC) in Toronto, Canada. The event probably won’t make much news outside of Toronto, but it is a significant event. Although there is an annual MLA conference, gathering with the Canadian and international associations is not an annual event.
I know from my experiences of attending our church’s General Synod that part of these large meetings is gaining inspiration for one’s vocation. Gathering together with others who have a similar calling and who share your passion for your field reminds you of the reasons you went into the work in the first place. Taking a step back from the everyday allows one to remember the big picture.
When we think of it we all know that modern health care is dependent upon accurate and timely information. Those who can enable connections with that information are indispensable to the health of the people. It takes an other adjustment for a person like me to understand our son’s work, however. I went through my upbringing and education in an era when physical libraries had a commanding presence. Libraries were enormous buildings because of the need to be able to store and display tens of thousands of books. In the digital era, information doesn’t take up huge amounts of physical space. There is more data available from my phone than was in the University of Chicago’s Regenstein Library when I was a graduate student. I loved that library and spent a lot of time doing research there. But I also love our computers and access to the Internet and the ability to conduct research from any location. Our unabridged dictionaries now reside in our basement because we can access major dictionaries from our phones these days.
In this information age, the problem often is not enough information, but rather too much information. Discerning the difference between accurate information and misinformation is a critical skill. Librarians do much more that help people find books, they are involved in a sophisticated process of helping people to sort through the vast volume of information available to find the information that is most relevant - the information that is most needed.
In the hospital setting information is literally a life and death matter. Hospital librarians are key players in the delivery of safe health care. Our son is the director of library and information services for a large, multi-hospital health care system. His father couldn’t be more proud.
I see our son’s work as very close to the work to which I have devoted my life: connecting people with the truth. We both know that we don’t accomplish that task by thinking for people or telling people what to think or believe, but rather by connecting them with accurate and honest information so that they can make their own decisions and choose their own actions.
Meanwhile, back in Olympia, Washington, we are gearing up for a few days of intensive grandparent duty. Our daughter in law is a marriage and family therapist. Her private practice is arranged so that she sees most of her clients on Fridays and Saturdays. The ability to provide professional services on the weekend is very important to busy families whose need to earn a living often makes it difficult to focus on their relationships. So we have the privilege of caring for our grandchildren while she works.
Grandparents caring for grandchildren is an ancient and time honored part of the human enterprise, one that is less common in our generation because of our high degree of mobility. We don’t do much childcare for our own grandchildren simply because they don’t live in the same state as we do. So, for us, this is a rare privilege and honor and a wonderful way to invest a week of our vacation. Unlike the parents, who have to balance work and the running of a household with all of the associated chores and activities, we’ve taken the week off. We don’t have any other distractions or commitments. All we have to do is to be present with our grandchildren. Two grandparents to two grandchildren. It is a wonderful ratio for those of us who love children.
I can take time to marvel at our granddaughter’s new words. I can take time to walk the dog with my grandson.
And . . . now it is several hours later. We went to the farmer’s market with the kids and picked out carrots, cherries, apples and a cookie for each at the bakery. Then it was time to head home for lunch and a nap for the kids (probably one for grandpa, too). In a world of lots and lots of change it is such a treat to have a bit of just being with our grandchildren doing everyday tasks and enjoying one another’s presence. We have a whole week of visiting ahead of us and I intend to savor every minute of it.
I’m also taking lots of pictures, which we are enjoying. However, I’m not too keen on posting my grandchildren’s pictures on the Internet, so we’ll save those for sharing with our friends when we are face to face.
I am a very fortunate person!