- College of Medicine Faculty News
In the easy-access age of Google and Wikipedia, five little letters behind Nadine Dexter’s name tell you that the College of Medicine library director is committed to providing students and faculty the best, most reliable resources.
The Academy of Health Information Professionals has approved Dexter for membership at the distinguished member level, D-AHIP. The organization is the Medical Library Association’s peer-reviewed professional development and career recognition credentialing program. Admission to the academy is based on academic preparation, professional experience and professional accomplishment.
“To be credentialed tells people you have gone through a rigorous learning process. That reassures folks we’re on top of our game,” said Dexter, who has been with the Harriet F. Ginsburg Health Science Library since 2008.
There are five levels of academy membership – provisional, member, senior, distinguished and emeritus. The distinguished member designation means a librarian has 10 years of experience at the master’s level.
The designation comes with a commitment to stay abreast of the latest information in the medical library field. In addition to renewing their credentials every five years, AHIP members participate in continuing education and other professional development activities.
Dexter said the library staff is dedicated to “finding rigorously processed, peer-reviewed information to take students and faculty from the classroom to the operating room.
A librarian since 1986, Dexter has spent the last 17 years as a medical librarian. She also recently received a leadership award for chairing the Consortium of Southern Biomedical Libraries.
In other library news, Dexter said, the College of Medicine will host the consortium retreat in April 2012 that will include representatives from about 20 major medical libraries.