FOCUS ON ACADEMICS
As it has for several decades, the Health
Sciences Library (HSL) continues to serve
as the academic backbone of the seven
health sciences colleges at Ohio State
and the Wexner Medical Center.
For Sheryl Pfeil, MD ’84, professor of
clinical medicine, the Health Sciences
Library plays a vital role in supporting
the success of Ohio State faculty,
clinicians and students.
“I can’t imagine life without the library.
It is an essential part of the medical
center. A lot of people don’t realize
that every time we access the digital
journals, we’re using the Health
Sciences Library. For faculty, that’s
huge,” says Pfeil, who also serves as
the director of undergraduate medical
education at the College of Medicine.
“The HSL’s librarians and technical
staff can also help physicians find
answers to clinical questions and find
quality information for their patients,”
Pfeil adds.
Indeed, health sciences librarians are
information experts with unparalleled
knowledge of how to best search and
organize content from the powerful
databases in their vast collections,
which include PubMed, UpToDate and
CINAHL, plus their 6,200 e-journals,
from The Lancet, to JAMA to Cell, and
nearly 10,000 e-books.
The specialized expertise of the Health
Sciences Library also supports research
and discovery at Ohio State. It helps
faculty focus their funding proposals
and research questions, improve faculty
access to their most-needed journals,
conduct systematic literature reviews
and create original medical illustrations
that strengthen faculty research
submissions to leading journals.
The library continues to adapt and
tailor its services and resources to the
evolving needs of educators, clinicians
and researchers, says Pamela Bradigan,
director of the Health Sciences Library.
“As education and health care
change, the Health Sciences Library
renovates its study and meeting
spaces, enhances expert services and
strengthens collections to increase
the productivity of learners, faculty,
clinicians and staff,” says Bradigan.
LIAISONS LIFT UP THE WORK OF
FACULTY AND STUDENTS
While the HSL librarians work most
closely with the College of Medicine
and School of Health and Rehabilitation
Sciences, the librarians also serve as
liaisons to four other health sciences
colleges (Dentistry, Nursing, Optometry
and Public Health).
Health Sciences Library:
A Catalyst for Research,
Clinical Decision-Making
and Education
HSL’s liaison librarians such as Kerry Dhakal (right) are information experts and key assets in the teaching and research environments.
“The only thing that you absolutely have to know,
is the location of the library.”
– Albert Einstein
