Pathfinder: Elisabeth Jacobsen Marrapodi, Trinitas Hospital

Elisabeth Jacobsen Marrapodi says that when she does medical literature searches, the patient is a real person to her. A former emergency medical technician who is now director of library services at Trinitas Hospital, she “appreciates patient care from different vantage points,” including the spiritual; she's creating a spiritual collection to help encourage, inspire, and comfort patients and staff.

A different perspective is what she delivers in her online explorations—Marrapodi believes that “immersive learning environments offer librarianship a chance to repackage and reinvent the way we deliver information.” Inside Second Life, Marrapodi has shadowed physicians, produced a short film illustrating the potential of 3-D applications for clinicians, and interviewed virtual world counselors on applications of “avatar therapy” and cybertherapy services.

Micki McIntyre, of HealthyNJ Librarian, admires Marrapodi's “innovative pursuit of alternative training in medical and consumer health areas” and her willingness to “think outside of the box and push the boundaries of traditional librarianship and delivery of health-care information.” Marrapodi says she's simply seized a rare opportunity to become a pioneer. “Let's go where no librarian has gone before!” She can beam us up anytime.