https://guides.hsl.virginia.edu/home
The Claude Moore Health Sciences Library is located in the Health System facility and is connected to the medical research buildings. The library licenses over 5,600 journal titles in the basic and clinical sciences and provides access to over 78,000 electronic and print books. The library also has a large collection of databases:
- OVID Medline
- Science Direct
- AccessMedicine
- Web of Science
- UpToDate
- ClinicalKey
They also have a mission statement on their website. They state that they are committed to supporting education, research, patient care, and community service missions of the University of Virginia Health System and are driven by their service ethic. The library is accessible 24/7 to UVA Health badge holders. Patrons without a UVA Health badge, including the general public, may use the Library from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. All patrons can get help from a librarian by filling out the ‘Ask Us’ form to contact the Service Desk during work hours. You can also contact the Associate Director for Collections & Library Services by email if you have questions about Library access. They state that the best way to contact the library is by filling out the worm. However, librarians and subject specialists are available for remote or on-site consultations.
All study rooms in the 24 hours space are available without reservations. Patrons can reserve a 1st-floor group study room by filling out a form online. As shown in the map below, there are multiple group study rooms available in the first floor for people to reserve.
The Presentation Studio and the audio booth are available 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. These spaces can be reserved using the same form to reserve group study rooms. Public printers are available, both in color and black & white in the lobby.
The website states that there are wheelchair-accessible water fountains near the Computer Lab on the first floor, the main corridor in front of the Library, and in the Cabell room. There are ADA-compliant restrooms in the library in the Mill area one floor down from the main entrance (accessible by elevator) and in the Cabell Room (accessible by elevator). They do say to ask a staff member for assistance with the elevator. There are also wheelchair-accessible page phones that are located in front of the Library in the main corridor and near the restrooms on the first floor of the Library. All workstations in the first floor Computing Lab will accommodate wheelchairs. The staff at the Service Desk is available to help disabled patrons retrieve material from the Library’s book and journal stacks. Just by reading the website, I could see that this library tries its best to make patrons with disabilities get the best time out of the visit.
There is also a page dedicated to Staff Directory below:
https://guides.hsl.virginia.edu/contact-us
It states the staff’s name, phone number, email, and title. It is very easy to access this information and if you are not sure who to contact exactly, you can also fill out a Consultation Request form.
As mentioned, the 24-hour study room is available for Health System affiliates. By Health Affiliates it means faculty, staff, and students of the UVA Health System including the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, Biomedical Engineering, UVA Hospital, and students enrolled in UVA Health education programs such as Radiation Technology and Nutrition. The Library is open to the general public, although access to the Computer Lab is limited to UVA affiliates. The Library also ensures the timely reshelving of materials through service standards for shelving backlogs. There are procedures to handle lost or missing materials that include staff searches and editing the Library Catalog to note the status of missing items and referral for collection services. The general public is eligible for onsite access to Library computers, borrowing books, fee-based literature search services, and access to historical collections and services which may require an appointment.
There was also a page for Food and Drink Policy. The Health Sciences Library permits foods and drinks, within reason, to be consumed in most locations. However, food and drinks are prohibited in the Historical Collections area. They also ask to be careful in areas such as the computer lab, where damage to equipment can take place. Users of the group study rooms may bring items for personal consumption such as boxed lunches or cold drinks.
Within the Library Policy, they mentioned that children under the age of 16 must be supervised by a parent, tutor, youth program coordinator, or another responsible adult while in the Library. It is clear that this library is not intended for children under the age of 16 as it is mostly for young adults and adults.
The website also lists upcoming events and classes that are available. Each class is diverse and some may require prerequisites. Patrons would have to click on each class that they are interested in and see if they are eligible to attend. Some classes are in-person or online.
The screenshot below lists different kinds of resources that UVA affiliates could use and more information about services and collections the library provides.
There was also a link where you can reserve a Lactation Room. I thought that was very interesting to see because I haven’t seen any libraries have a separate lactation room. The room is located in the Cabell Room, and patrons stop at the service desk to pick up the Lactation Room key. I live a few hours from this library, but I think that if I do get a chance to go I would definitely love to visit in person. Even though I wasn’t able to visit in person, I really enjoyed going through the website and seeing what kind of services they provide. With just the website alone, there was a lot of information some library websites don’t even include.
Rubin & Rubin (2020) states, “The traditional role of libraries, as well as archives and museums, was that of disseminator, serving as an intermediary between users, distributors, and creators. Libraries continue to fill this role by connecting users to published materials and by providing the means to access digital content through e-book platforms, digital magazine subscriptions, and public internet access”. I thought that Claude Moore Health Sciences library did a great job in connecting users to published materials by providing e-books and providing support on how to connect from the off-grounds as listed on this page. https://guides.hsl.virginia.edu/c.php?g=903192&p=6510439
References
Rubin, R. E., & Rubin, R. G. (2020). Foundations of library and information science. American Library Association.
April 3, 2022 at 12:45 pm
It is nice to hear that this library is open to the public as well as the medical community. Sometimes when you see specialized libraries, you might not be incline to visit it because you think it’s only for certain people. I think it is a good idea to have it open 24 hours for the doctor’s or nurses that might see patients at all hours and need to look up information. Having the library available to them anytime, I think, shows that this library, in this particular health center, welcomes research and finding solutions or answers for their patients.
April 4, 2022 at 12:30 am
I was one of those people that was a bit uncomfortable visiting a specialized library because of the reason you stated. Even though I was able to “visit” this library only online, I felt the inclination to visit this library if I do get a chance to go!
April 3, 2022 at 4:28 pm
This library seems to give its patrons a lot of accessibility. It is interesting to see it being open 24/7 for UVA Health Badge holders. I know the medical field has varied hours depending on the persons’ role so it is nice to see the library allowing patrons access to the physical space 24/7. I was also interested to read that they have a lactation room for those who are nursing. I have never been to a library that had a lactation room but this seems like a great resource for those that are nursing and do not wish to do so in public.
April 4, 2022 at 12:32 am
I thought that it was great to see a 24/7 library open! I also thought that the lactation room was interesting to have in a library. It’s great that they were considerate for the people that may not want to do that in public and creating a safe space for them to comfortably do their thing is great.
April 3, 2022 at 7:40 pm
I almost chose a medical library for my special library as Radford University has a library here in Roanoke for students in their RUCarilion program so it’s neat to read about what I would’ve found! I wouldn’t have thought to find an audio room in a health sciences library but now that I think about it, I suppose students may have projects where they have to provide commentary or audio content.
April 4, 2022 at 12:33 am
I was a bit surprised that they had an audio room in a health sciences library as well. And just like you, I do assume that they may need it as they may have certain projects that require them to use that kind of equipment.
April 3, 2022 at 8:45 pm
I see the library that you chose has a lactation room also. I was surprised that the one that I visited had one, as well. That shows that these facilities support mothers. 24/7 access is great because students can study at a time that is best for them and they are not restricted by traditional hours like 8-5. It is also nice that the general public can also access the library, even though it is not 24/7 access.
April 4, 2022 at 12:34 am
That’s great that you visited a library that had a lactation room as well. I really thought that the library was considerate to mothers that are nursing. I also thought that the 24/7 opening was great, especially for health science students as their work hours and study hours may be different than the typical hours.
April 4, 2022 at 12:19 am
I’m so glad you chose Claude Moore as your specialty library! I have not yet been, but one of my closest friends is at UVA’s med school — after reading your report, I texted to ask him if he’s ever been to this library and he wrote me, “I’m there right now!” Sounds like pretty good appeal for after 8 PM on a Sunday night! It’s impressive how much you were able to learn about this library just by studying its online presence. Thanks for sharing!
April 4, 2022 at 12:35 am
That’s amazing! It’s great that students are actually making use of that library. I was also surprised by how much information I could find just by going through their website. They really had a lot of information possible but I didn’t want to make this information too long so I had to reduce some information a bit as well.
April 4, 2022 at 2:46 am
As UVA is a world-renowned university, it’s great that the public has such wide access to this medical library. The website for the facility is easy to use, and I like the fact that it is so welcoming.