BRIDGE: What attracted or attracts you to this particular avenue of special librarianship?

Ms. Holbert: I find hospital librarianship fulfilling in that I feel my work affects patients’ lives. Also, the research is varied, the deadlines are sometimes intense, the doctors and staff are pleasant to work with, and I feel appreciated. I have always been an information hound with an interest in the medical sciences. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer after getting my undergraduate degree in English literature from Spring Hill College. I got on a waiting list of law schools in Louisiana, and had a career counselor point me in the direction of librarianship. I was able to attend graduate school in library science at LSU while working as an assistant law librarian. I was forever hooked on special librarianship after that experience! Opportunities in medical libraries came later in life.

BRIDGE: How would you describe the Mobile Infirmary?

Ms. Holbert: With 704 beds, The Mobile Infirmary is the largest non-governmental, non-profit hospital in Alabama. With more than 30 operating rooms in service, the Infirmary is one of the leading hospitals in the state in the number of procedures performed each year. It is the number one choice in the Mobile area for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of patients with cardiovascular disease. The Infirmary performs more than 4,000 procedures in its heart catheterization lab and more than 700 open heart surgeries a year, making it one of the leading hospitals in the state for cardiac care. Despite being one of the largest employers in Mobile, the Infirmary has a “family” feel among employees, which is reflected in its low staff turnover rate.

BRIDGE: What advice would you give to an aspiring information professional?

Ms. Holbert:Drop all stereotypes of librarians as homely and low paid. Librarianship is an exciting, flexible career choice that can take you as far as you’d like to go. I have always been well paid, and have never had a problem finding jobs in other cities. If you have the communication skills along with the information research skills, you can go far in this field. Many senior librarians will be retiring within the next 15 years, which will provide varied opportunities for new librarians. Librarianship has also helped me with side ventures such as consulting, starting my own Internet company, and teaching university level classes such as E-commerce.

Ms. Holbert: The Mobile Infirmary Medical Library provides service to more than 4,000 staff and 500 physicians.

BRIDGE: Tell us about your work in the Ukraine and how your opportunity to work there came abou

Ms. Holbert: I was awarded a Fulbright Lecturing Grant in the field of Library Science for 2001-2002. As a Fulbright Scholar, I spent 6 months at the V. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine in Kiev lecturing, as well as coordinating computer automation of library technology and creation of electronic resources. I was one of 2,000 U.S. grantees in the 2001-2002 Fulbright Program as announced by the U.S. Department of State. I was the only grantee in the field of library & information science. The Fulbright Program needs librarians—more should apply! During my Fulbright tenure, the U.S. Embassy sent me to Bishkek, Krygyzstan as a consultant to assess their national library for possibly grants available to former Soviet nations.

BRIDGE: What's that one interesting thing that you know about Alabama or Mobile that always make you smile?

Ms. Holbert:It’s the people. Eugene Walter, one of Mobile’s famous writers, properly described Mobile’s carnival feel in his prize winning novel The Untidy Pilgrim (1953). “Down in Mobile they're all crazy, because the Gulf Coast is the kingdom of monkeys, the land of clowns, ghosts and musicians, and Mobile is sweet lunacy's county seat.” A native Mobilian, I’ve lived in New York City, Washington, DC, and New Orleans, LA. I’ve finally realized Mobile is a great place to live, and the rest are fine places to visit. I had it backwards for so many years!

BRIDGE: Is there a special resource or historical relic in your collection that you would like to tell the chapter members about?

Ms. Holbert: Me. Our collection was heavily damaged by flooding during Hurricane Georges in 1998, and has not been completely replaced. Approximately 90% of my work is done on computer. We have a few strange older titles such as The Hirsute Female and a textbook on Hermaphroditism, but otherwise nothing that stands out.

BRIDGE: What challenge or challenges do you think are particularly important to librarians and information professionals as we prepare for the coming years ahead?

Ms. Holbert: Be proactive, be flexible, and see change as an opportunity, not a problem. Adapt. Don’t get too comfortable, for eventually, someone will move your cheese.