I am MLGSCA: Sondhaya “Sunny” McGowan
Posted on June 2, 2023 by Membership | 1 Comment
Name: Sondhaya “Sunny” McGowan
Institution: Scripps Mercy Hospital, San Diego, CA
Title: Manager, Medical Library
Brief description of what you do/your responsibilities at your institution.
I am responsible for the daily operations of two hospital libraries in the Scripps Health system. I have a small, but mighty team comprised of 2 medical librarians, a library technician and a volunteer library archivist. We help guide our health care professionals to utilize the knowledge-based tools offered through the library and provide research support for continuing education and evidence-based practice.
Why is MLGSCA important to you?
I’ve been a member of MLGSCA since I was in library school and the organization has offered me so much in terms of knowledge and networking opportunities that I found more accessible than the national organization, MLA. It was MLGSCA that really helped propel me into this career.
What is your advice to someone new to medical librarianship?
Definitely join and participate on professional library associations like MLGSCA to stay connected with your peers. You can learn a lot from them, I know I have!
What has been the most interesting project you have worked on?
During the pandemic, I was involved on two task force projects for the Hospital Library Caucus of MLA. Developing the Hospital Library Caucus Advocacy Toolkit on LibGuides and updating the Standards of Practice for Hospital Libraries and Librarians, 2022 published in JMLA.
What do you consider to be the most pressing issues or trends in librarianship?
Make it a practice to learn new things, embrace change, and innovate! As much as librarians are great at knowing and doing it all, AI-technology will challenge us in good ways and maybe not so good. Use your knowledge-seeking talents to stay relevant, and it may mean reinventing ways in how we continue to meet the information needs of our stakeholders/clients/patrons/community.
What is something you have on your bucket list?
Lord of the Rings tour in New Zealand. I wanted to visit New Zealand way before the LOTR movie came out, so I would probably appreciate it more if I could visit the locations where the movies were filmed!
What is the best thing you have read/watched/listened to recently?
I can’t remember the last time I read anything for fun apart from the journal articles and newspapers I read for work. As far as TV shows go, the last series I watched was “Star Trek: Picard” and I thought was a great tribute to ST:TNG, which is pure nostalgia for me. Also, I have jumped on “The Last of Us” bandwagon not because of the video game or zombies, but I am a fan of Pedro Pascal!
Is there anything about you that others would be surprised to know?
In 2019, the husband and I renewed our 5-year wedding vows in Las Vegas during the Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon “Run Thru Wedding” at mile 2.7! I wore a white tutu and a veil, and the husband had on a mock tuxedo t-shirt and shorts. The “Run Thru Wedding” was so well-coordinated that our guests had a viewing area where they can watch us exchange vows. There was even an officiant present! It was truly a memorable and heartfelt event, then we had to finish the rest of the race!
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June 14th, 2023 @ 1:39 pm
I love the idea of a Run Thru Wedding. So fun! New Zealand sounds stellar, too! And thanks for the reminder to embrace change: so vital to the work of health science librarians.