Message from your Library Director
Massive Book Donation from Alumnus Anthony Chile
A Conversation with Dr. Danielle Masursky, KCU’s New Research and Writing Support Librarian
Heart-to-Heart Volunteer Service
Something Fun: Rating Fictional Libraries - Could You Find the Book?
Message from your Library Director, Lori Fitterling, MLS
Celebrate Black History Month and American Heart Month with KCU Libraries! We're showcasing the achievements of Black medical professionals (check out our Notes from the Library Archives blog by Robyn Oro, featuring stories of trailblazers like our first Black graduate, Ray E. Piper (COM '60); Kansas City health pioneer Samuel U. Rodgers; and osteopathic medicine and activism champion William G. Anderson) and offering resources on public health and the impact of policy (Representation in Medicine and Racism in Medicine Resources: Anti-Racism Resources research guides). Plus, browse our special Black History Month book display. We're also recognizing American Heart Month with resources on heart disease prevention, a leading cause of death in the US.
Massive Book Donation from Alumnus Dr. Anthony Chila
Shortly before Christmas, D’Angelo Library received a shipment of 22 cardboard boxes packed with books — the personal collection of Dr. Anthony Chila, Professor Emeritus of Family Medicine for Ohio University, who passed away on April 1, 2022. Dr. Chila earned his doctorate in Osteopathy at KCU in 1965, and though he spent the majority of his career in Ohio, his time at KCU had a profound impact upon him.
Signed autobiography of A.T. Still, published in 1897.
If the contents his collection are any indication, Dr. Chila was an impressive collector of osteopathic literature. Much of his collection was comprised of rare antique books, including multiple copies of A.T. Still’s autobiography (two first-editions published in 1897, one of which was signed by the author, and a copy of the revised edition published in 1908) to a frail copy of I.P. Pavlov Selected Works which may have been printed in the USSR as early as 1955. Dr. Chila received several early publisher’s copies of osteopathic textbooks, and his assortment of reference books ranged from modern textbooks to some of the earliest editions of Journal of Osteopathy, published while A.T. Still was yet contributing to the journal.
A few selections from the more esoteric items of Dr. Chile's collection.
Beyond his taste for antique osteopathic literature, Dr. Chila also had an interest in slightly less academic medical thought. His library included several books which detailed the methodology and benefits of esoteric healing, including such titles as Zen and the Brain by James H. Austin, M.D.; The Crystal Sourcebook by Milewski Harford; and Energy Medicine by James L. Oschman. The donation also included a few artifacts — a framed collection of osteopathic student loan fund stamps and unusual disarticulated skulls.
Disarticulated skulls with safety case.
Many of these books will be added gradually to the KCU library collection, as time permits our staff to add them to inventory. No official decision has yet been made regarding the antique books and artifacts, but there is a decent chance that KCU visitors will be able to view them in display cases in the future.
A Conversation with Dr. Danielle Masursky, KCU’s New Research and Writing Support Librarian
(This interview was audio recorded and manually transcribed, edited for clarity)
Q. What brought you to KCU?
A. My background is both library science and writing, so when I saw this job wanted both, I thought that was a unique opportunity for me to bring my skills to KCU. The students I worked with at my previous university had also needed that kind of help, but it wasn’t officially part of my job. Working at KCU was an opportunity to lean into the things that I was doing, but now it would be an official part of my job. It took a little while for me to connect with students at my previous university and help them understand the kind of assistance I was able to give. I’m hoping it will be a little faster here, but I know it takes time. It’s not typical, I don’t think, that a librarian is going to provide writing support, to help you translate what you’re finding in the library to a written document.
Q. For students who have never done this before and may need some help, what should they know before going into a meeting with you?
A. I’ve taught academic writing for a while, and I’ve worked with Writing Center directors in several places, including at my previous job. I am pretty clear about the kind of assistance that students need, so I am comfortable with that conversation.
I don’t believe there’s such thing as bad writing. There’s all different levels of writing, and there’s different needs, in terms of what a person needs to improve. We need to start with the document the person is writing. What are they trying to accomplish? If you’re writing a case study, it’s not the same thing as your dissertation. Once we know the goal, we can figure out, what skills do you need that you don’t feel you have?
Q. In your experience working with students with a medical background, what do you see is an issue they need to overcome? What is feedback they often need to hear?
A. It’s funny, I feel that a lot of students need you to reassure them that they’re fine. A lot of people think, “I’m not a good writer.” What does that person think that means? It’s the diagnostic part of it. What do you think is the problem here? Or, what kind of feedback are you getting? Students come to me saying, “I’m getting this feedback from my professor.” Okay, let’s talk about it. Maybe you’re not paraphrasing well, or you’re not citing enough. I had someone say to me, “My professor thinks I put my own opinion in there too much.” My reply is always going to be, “Okay, let’s take a look at what you’re writing and see what’s the goal.”
People tend to develop bad habits, or habits that aren’t helpful. As an example, you have people who have been blogging, and now they need to write in an academic context. It’s hard! It’s a different style, it requires a different tone, it requires different skills. So what skills is the person bringing to this situation, and what are they missing? It’s not like we’re born knowing how to write academically.
Q. So because academic writing can be so overwhelming, part of the job is helping students break down, “What do I actually need to focus on?”
A. Yes, because often it’s something very specific. People have a hard time stepping back from their writing. So having another person say, “I think I know what the problem is here, I see what your professor is responding to.” A lot of the time, professors and advisors have very specific pet peeves or specific styles they think are best. Let’s take a look. How can we make them happy, but still be true to your own voice, and not make you feel panicked.
Q. And if they have a new skill that they’re still figuring out, it can help bolster their confidence a bit. This is something they can do, they just need more practice.
A. Breaking it down is so important. For me, chunking it and focusing: ‘Today I’m going to write one page, or one paragraph’. Make it manageable. Success is so important. It creates momentum. People get in their heads, and they can’t start, or they can’t continue from where they’re at.
Q. So ideally as you’re developing your position here, what kind of relationship are you hoping to have with students and faculty?
A. Ideally, I’d like to go into people’s classes who have writing as a part of the course, or the dissertation courses or thesis courses, to say, “Hey, let’s talk about this. Let’s talk about what kind of help you can get from me. Let’s talk about what resources we already have.” Because we have a lot of resources on our website already.
As Lori [Fitterling] will tell you, the website is not people’s go-to. And I think maybe that’s part of it too, making people aware that we have compiled resources for them. I would often tell people, “If you like the self-serve thing, if you like to poke around or watch a few videos, I can show you where you can do that.” And if you like to sit down with a person and explore the document or the project together, I can do that too. All those options are available.
Q. So if a student does want to reach out and contact you, they can contact you via email. And you take walk-ins?
A. Yes, I have open office hours. For this spring, I’m trying Wednesday afternoons and evenings, because I looked at all the different calendars of all the different students, and I felt that was a block where people could come in. They can drop into Zoom – I keep my Zoom open for the time period (3-6 pm) so people can drop in and ask a question or ask to make a longer appointment.
To speak to Danielle yourself, you can find her Zoom here, or email her at dmasursky@kansascity.edu. For walk-ins, her office is Room 101 at D’Angelo Library, the first office after the front desk.
Heart-to-Heart Volunteer Service
On January 16th, 2025, the KC library staff had the opportunity to volunteer for an afternoon with Heart-to-Heart International, a Kansas City non-profit organization that specializes in healthcare. Alongside the PsyD staff, they helped to assemble hygiene kits, which will be sent to relief efforts in Los Angeles and distributed to victims of the wildfires.
Rating Fictional Libraries - Could You Find the Book?
This author might be biased, but libraries are the best. There’s some undefinable, ineffable quality to them. Something about that many books concentrated in one place, their universal designation as a quiet space. The library is a place of safety, answers, and expansion hidden within the pages of a new-to-you book. It’s not surprising that many libraries are built to be beautiful. It’s even less surprising that fiction writers (who are notoriously obsessed with books) often create gorgeous, fantastical libraries within their stories.
But a good library must be functional as well as wonderful. In this edition of Something Fun, we will assess famous fictional libraries on five criteria, on a scale of 1-5 (1 being the worst, 5 being the best).
Easy-to-find resources – Can you find the book you’re looking for?
Use as a study space – Could you hole up here to conduct your research?
Quality of collection – Are the books in good condition, and is there a wide range of resources?
Helpfulness of staff – Can you rely on knowledgeable, approachable staff to help you?
Overall aesthetic – Is it cool?
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Library
Belle’s Library
Beauty and the Beast
Easy-to-find resources: 2
Use as a study space: 5
Quality of collection: 5
Helpfulness of staff: 1
Overall aesthetic: 5
Total Score: 18/25
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Hogwarts_Library
Hogwarts Library
Harry Potter
Easy-to-find resources: 3
Use as a study space: 4
Condition of collection: 4
Helpfulness of staff: 2
Overall aesthetic: 4
Total Score: 17/25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5KpzC1KqXY
Wan Shi Tong’s Spirit Library
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Easy-to-find resources: 2
Use as a study space: 5
Condition of collection: 5
Helpfulness of staff: 3
Overall aesthetic: 5
Total Score: 20/25
Archives of Gondor
Lord of the Rings
Easy-to-find resources – 1
Use as a study space – 3
Quality of collection – 3
Helpfulness of staff – 1
Overall aesthetic – 2
Total Score: 10/25
Hyrule Castle Library
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Easy-to-find resources – 3
Use as a study space – 2
Quality of collection – 1
Helpfulness of staff – 1
Overall aesthetic – 3
Total Score: 10/25
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