My 33 Years of Service at the Digital Image Library

Posted 11:31 AM, May 11, 2007, by jaruiz

By Carla Crivello, Digital Image Librarian
(Image courtesy of Mark Riesenberger)

It was a hot October day in 1973 when I started working in what is now called the Digital Image Library of the Stanford Radiology Department. I knew nothing about X-rays because I had been working for four years in the Outpatient Medical Records Department at Silas B. Hayes Army Hospital at Fort Ord, California. The Radiology Department was much smaller than it is today. The whole Department was located in what had been "Radiology South." The building where Radiology North is today had not been built.

There was no ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or mammography. I had to learn about the different reading rooms where each kind of X-ray was read. There was also no computer system of any kind. The reception area contained a large, rotating machine called a rand where index cards on each patient were kept in alpha order. One of my main jobs was providing old comparison X-rays along with the new X-rays for the radiologist to read. This has been one of my main job duties throughout my career. About 10 years later, Radiology built its own computer system; in 1991, this system was upgraded to a system that allowed the film librarians to use a bar code to check X-ray films in and out of the library, which was also part of my job duties.

No analog X-rays are taken anymore. All studies are now digital and can be viewed by the radiologist on a Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) workstation along with older digital X-rays that were taken in 2003 or later. The new PACS digital system makes it much easier for the radiologists to read their studies. I routinely sent the paperwork for the new chest X-rays to the reading room to alert the radiologist to read that X-ray from the worklist on PACS. If I needed to release an X-ray to a patient, doctor, or clinic, I would print a hard copy or burn a CD of the X-ray using PACS.

My last day of work on April 3, 2007, was a fun day! My son, Chris, surprised me by arriving at my workplace with balloons and a large box of bagels for everyone in the Digital Image Library! My fellow librarians held a potluck for me that included food from the Olive Garden, and it sure was good! In addition, the Radiology Department gave me a party with a luscious strawberry cake, refreshments, and a beautiful crystal piece to go in my collection. It was wonderful to see so many people there to wish me well. Some of my former colleagues whom I had worked with many years ago attended my party as well. Several people gave very nice speeches while others expressed their kindness with lovely cards and gifts.

Thanks to the fine leadership of Deborah Williams, digital image library supervisor, and Tori Shannon, business systems analyst, my 33 years of working in the Digital Image Library has been a stimulating and rewarding experience! I have enjoyed working with my fellow librarians, X-ray technologists, schedulers, doctors, and everyone else I have interacted with over the years. I will miss you all.

My husband, Horace, is already retired, so we will be spending quality time together. We will complete projects around our house and yard, watch DVD movies, catch up on our reading, and just relax. Stanford Hospital has been a great place to work! I will always have fond memories, and I will come back to visit often.

Thank you!