Melissa Just, M.L.I.S., Ed.D., director of Graff Medical & Scientific Library, recently was awarded a leadership fellowship sponsored by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL).
One of only five candidates chosen in the United States, Just will participate in a number of conferences, classes and site visits across the country for the 2008-09 academic year. Her fellowship will conclude with a four-day capstone meeting in Washington, D.C., next fall.
 Melissa Just (Photo by p.cunningham) |
“This project will require a lot of travel and work, but I hope to expand my biomedical library leadership toolkit with techniques and information that I can bring back and help City of Hope grow,” said Just. “I am thrilled to have been selected for this competitive program and can’t wait to apply what I learn to our library.”
Just joined City of Hope as library director in December 2006.
“The amount of change that Melissa was able to enact in her first year as director was remarkable, and I am impressed by her accomplishments thus far,” said Kristine Justus, Ph.D., vice president for basic research operations. “She very quickly identified needs and developed a growth plan for the library very early on. Through diligent meetings with stakeholders and persuasive presentations to campus leaders, she was able to significantly increase her resources budget in a no-growth budget year.”
Just also was responsible for an impressive 100-fold increase to Graff Library’s online journal collection, added Justus.
The NLM/AAHSL fellowship, which aims to mentor future library leaders on the national stage, partners participants with mentors at larger institutions. Just will be matched with Cristina Pope, director of the library at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. The fellowship covers all travel and related expenses.