Veterinary Medical School Libraries

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Veterinary Medical School Libraries

• Julie Kliever
• LSC 523
• Special Libraries
• December 6, 2005

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There are 28 veterinary medical school libraries
in the US

• Auburn University Cary Veterinary Medical
  Library
• Tuskegee University Williams Veterinary School
  Library
• University of California - Davis Carlson Health
  Sciences Library / UC Davis Center for Animal
  Alternatives
• Western University of Health Sciences Pumerantz
  Library
• Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching
  Hospital
• University of Florida Health Sciences Library
  Veterinary Medicine Reading Room
• University of Georgia Sciences Library
  Veterinary Medicine Reading Room
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Veterinary Medical Library
• Perdue University Veterinary Medical Library
• Iowa State University Veterinary Medical Library
• Kansas State University Veterinary Medicine
  Library
• Louisiana State University School of Veterinary
  Medicine Library
• Tufts University - Webster Veterinary Library
• Michigan State University Veterinary Medical
  Center Library

• University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical
  Library
• Mississippi State University College of
  Veterinary Medicine
• University of Missouri- Columbia College of
  Veterinary Medicine
• Cornell University Flower-Sprecher Veterinary
  Library
• North Carolina State University College of
  Veterinary Medicine
• Ohio State University Hodesson Veterinary
  Medicine Library
• Oklahoma State University The William E. Brock
  Memorial Library Center for Veterinary Health
  Sciences
• Oregon State University College of Veterinary
  Medicine Library
• University of Pennsylvania C.J. Marshall Memorial
  Library/School of Veterinary Medicine
• University of Tennessee Pendergrass Agriculture
  Veterinary Medicine Library
• Texas A M Medical Sciences Library
• Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary
  Medicine Veterinary Medical Library
• Washington State University Health Sciences
  Library
• University of Wisconsin Steenbock Memorial Library

Note that most of these schools are large
land-grant institutions that have substantial
agriculture curricula. Remember that veterinary
science has its roots in enhancing farming
production, not in healing your sick cat!
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Veterinary library size staffing

• Some are standalone libraries co-located with
  Veterinary Medicine program, in the same
  building.
• Some co-exist with medical, pharmaceutical or
  other science library (serving more than 1
  curricula). These are the largest
  libraries.Some have 2 libraries, one for the
  vet school and one for a separate
  clinic.Libraries that are not co-located with
  the vet classrooms sometimes have reading rooms
  in the classroom area.
• Staffing variesAs many as 6 dedicated staff
  members, 1 or 2 with MLS degreesAs few as 1
  librarian who have shared duties with other
  programs.
• Number of volumes variesSmaller schools that
  only serve veterinary medical program average
  30,000 volumes.Larger schools that serve
  multiple health science programs average 140,000
  volumes.

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What kind of skills are needed in a veterinary
medical library?

• MLS (of course)
• Some experience in the field is
  preferred medical degree - a few librarians
  are also VMDs science degree chemistry,
  biology, zoology, infectious diseases gentleman
  farmer experience, raising various
  animals..but I do not think a fresh library
  science school graduate can adequately serve the
  veterinary teaching faculty, hospital doctors,
  and veterinary students with necessary skills and
  efficiency unless he/she is among many senior
  librarians. U of Illinois librarian(recently
  retired)
• People skills a must!willingness to provide
  service is probably the most important and
  desirable staff quality Colorado State
  librarian.

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Chain of command in veterinary school libraries

• Many report to main campus library, even though
  vet library is located elsewhere.Cornell
  University until 18 months ago, reported to Vet
  School administration, now reports to main campus
  library with a dotted line responsibility to
  vet school.Oregon State University The
  Library Director reports to main library but is
  contracted out for 20 of her time to the vet
  school. This helps with the accreditation
  reporting and budgeting.
• Some report to the Dean of the Veterinary
  School.Mississippi State Head librarian
  reports to main library, but his staff librarians
  report to the vet school.

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Veterinary Medical Library professional
organizations and resources

• Medical Library Association Veterinary Medical
  Libraries SectionJournal of the Medical Library
  Association quarterly publicationPublishes
  Annual Survey of Veterinary Medical Libraries,
  Basic List of Veterinary SerialsStandards for
  veterinary medical libraries were approved at the
  MLA 2003 conference format adopted from that
  used by Hospitals Libraries section and JCAHO
  (remember them??)
• Special Libraries Association dual
  associations Food, Agriculture and Nutrition
  Section Biomedical and Life Sciences
  Division Food for Thought semi annual
  newsletter Medical Section Biofeedback
  quarterly newsletter
• American Veterinary Medical Association-
  accrediting body for vet schools. Has a library
  accreditation sectionAccreditation Policies and
  Procedures of the AVMA Council on Education
  (COE)
• International Association of Agricultural
  Information Specialists
• Online resources VETLIB-L listserv, SLA Food Ag
  Nutrition listserv

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Whom do they serve?

• Academic veterinary medical libraries exist to
  support the educational, clinical, and research
  needs of the faculty, students, and staff of the
  veterinary medical institution. - American
  Veterinary Medical Association Standards
  Committee website
• Students
• Faculty
• Practicing veterinarians Information retrieval
  services are offered at many vet school
  librariesUniversity of Illinois library has a
  fee-based service.Ohio State University has a
  document delivery form on their home page.Texas
  AM offers free information retrieval and info
  retrieval education.

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What materials are in a veterinary library?

• textbooks and journals
• CD-ROMs, videos and slides
• online medical and agricultural databases such as
  PubMed, AgriCola, Ovid Medline
• donated collections of retired or deceased
  professors
• surgical knot tying kits for practice
• collection of plants that are toxic to animals
• leather recliners and sleep timers (yes, students
  can check out sleep timers for use in power
  naps at the library)

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Spotlight on Texas AM

• Medical Sciences Library Clinical Veterinary
  Librarian ProgramThese librarians attend
  Clinical Rounds on a weekly basis and comprise
  part of the patient care team along with the
  clinicians, surgeons, residents, and students of
  the clinics. Working with the other team members,
  the librarians provide information support to
  assist the clinical team in making health care
  decisions and providing quality patient care.
  description of program from librarys web page.
• In my opinion this program epitomizes the true
  definition of a Special Librarian.

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Spotlight on Western University of Health
Sciences

• Newest veterinary school in the US, located in
  Pomona, CA.
• Probationary accreditation granted by AVMA in
  2003.
• First class will graduate 2007.
• Accreditation process began in 1999.
• Library building is a converted ATT switching
  substation.

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Sources used for this presentation

• Survey of Medical Libraries in the United States
  and Canada October 2000compiled by Veterinary
  Medical Library / Virginia Polytechnic Institute
  for the Veterinary Medical Libraries section of
  the Medical Library Association.
• email interviews conducted 11/22/05 through
  12/1/05 with librarians and staff from the
  following veterinary medical libraries
  Louisiana State University, Colorado State
  University, University of Illinois at
  Champaign-Urbana, Michigan State University,
  University of Georgia, University of Wisconsin
  Madison, Tufts University, University of
  California Davis, Oregon State University,
  Mississippi State University, Cornell University,
  Washington State University, Kansas State
  University, Iowa State University
• phone interview conducted 11/3/05 with Andre
  Nault, head librarian, University of Minnesota
  Veterinary Medical Library
• phone interview conducted 12/1/05 with Norma
  Funkhouser, Associate Professor, Texas A M
  Medical Sciences Library
• phone interview conducted 12/3/05 with Pat
  Vader, Library Director, Western University of
  Health Sciences Pumerantz Library
• Murphy, Sarah et. al. Standards for the academic
  veterinary medical library. Journal of the
  Medical Library Association. January 2005,
  volume 93(1). p130-132.
• American Veterinary Medical Association website.
  Accreditation Policies and Procedures of the AVMA
  Council on Education (COE). Retrieved 11/27/05.http//www.avma.org/education/cvea/coe_standard.as
  p