Welcome to the AAHSL web site. AAHSL seeks to improve academic health sciences libraries in the United States and Canada by assessing, advancing, strengthening, leading and reframing their roles in patient care, research and teaching. Our web site features the work of the association in reaching our goals. Each month we Spotlight a member library to demonstrate how academic health sciences libraries are advancing their roles in education, research and patient care.

News Feed

September 15, 2008

The Future Leadership Committee is pleased to announce the members of the 2008-2009 class of the NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program. We had an extremely strong candidate pool to consider, and the program continues to attract a large number of potential fellows. Selection is recognition of a substantial record of accomplishment and demonstrable potential for a director position.

The matches with mentors were made primarily on the expressed interests of fellows for the program with the mentor statements and the ability to provide exposure to different types of environments. We appreciate the willingness of directors to serve as mentors. Their role is essential to the program’s success.

The 2008-2009 class will meet for the first time October 31 in San Antonio. We invite you to meet the fellows during the AAMC/AAHSL meetings and to congratulate them on their selection.

The 2007-2008 class concludes its program year with the Capstone event and graduation in Washington, DC, September 24-26. Congratulations to them as well.

The NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program to prepare emerging leaders for director positions in academic health sciences libraries is jointly funded by NLM and AAHSL. Eight fellows have assumed director positions to date. The program is beginning its seventh year, and NLM has renewed its support for an additional three years. Information about the program is available at http://aahsl.org/Applications_Awards_Scholarships/NLM_AAHSL2008-2009rev.pdf

2008-2009 NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program

Laura K. Cousineau
Assistant Director for Program Development and Resource Integration, Library
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Medical University of South Carolina
            Mentor: Gail Yokote
            Associate University Librarian for Sciences & Technology
            University of California, Davis

Melissa L. Just
Director, Graff Medical & Scientific Library
City of Hope
Duarte, CA
            Mentor: Cristina A. Pope
            Director, Health Sciences Library
            SUNY Upstate Medical University

Roderick (Rod) MacNeil
Deputy University Librarian
Scott Memorial Library
Thomas Jefferson University
            Mentor: Terrance (Terry) M. Burton
            Director, Health Sciences Library
            Ebling Library
            University of Wisconsin – Madison

Sandra I. Martin
Interim Director
Shiffman Medical Library
Wayne State University
            Mentor: Gary Freiburger
            Director, Arizona Health Sciences Library
            University of Arizona

Nancy Hrinya Tannery
Associate Director for User Services
Health Sciences Library System
University of Pittsburgh
            Mentor: James (Jim) Shedlock
            Director, Galter Health Sciences Library
            Northwestern University

-- Carolyn Lipscomb, Leadership Fellows Program Manager

October 2008

The Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library at the University of Cincinnati

The University of Cincinnati Health Sciences Library traces its earliest beginnings to small collections of books and journals in various colleges. In 1974, the libraries at the College of Medicine and Cincinnati General Hospital merged when a Health Sciences Library was opened in the new Medical Sciences Building. Over the years, the Pharmacy Library, the Kettering Laboratory/Environmental Health Departmental Library, and the Nursing Library merged with the Health Sciences Library.

The University of Cincinnati reached a milestone this summer with the opening of the splendid Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library. This library is situated in the midst of a soaring, light-filled space that joins the new Center for Academic and Research Excellence (CARE)/Crawley Building with the existing Medical Sciences Building on UC’s Academic Health Center campus. Teaching, learning, and research will flourish in this impressive complex of research labs, teaching labs, health sciences library, faculty offices, classrooms, and student support areas.

The library is named for Donald C. Harrison, M.D., Senior Vice President and Provost for Health Affairs from 1986-2002, whose vision and generosity brought this project to fruition. When the UC Board of Trustees named the library for Dr. Harrison in March 2008, he said, “The library is a critical component of the education, research, and clinical care mission of the Academic Health Center. It provides a service that is absolutely essential. It lies in the heart of our new building and, in many ways, acts like the lifeline for UC’s up-and-coming physicians, scientists and health professionals.”

The new state-of-the art health sciences library serves the research needs of the students, faculty, and staff of the College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Allied Health Sciences, the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, and the Greater Cincinnati community at large. It also serves affiliated institutions, including University Hospital and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, as well as national and international scholars and researchers.

The health sciences library encompasses 44,872 square feet with a 90-seat computer lab, has over 200,000 print volumes on site, and provides access to over 600 online databases, 60,000 electronic journals, and 392,000 e-books. The library’s web site is libraries.uc.edu/hsl.