As Things Change

SHIFT IN TIME AND TECH: Libraries have always had to shift with technology. Think about film. Initially, its primary purpose was for entertainment. People went to the movies to be entertained. But eventually we realized that people learn something when they watch a film, so film became part of the educational process. We began to ask questions, offer critiques, and conduct research. The same thing is now true for virtual reality and video gaming. They were once considered purely entertainment until we realized once again that people learn something as they use this new technology. As a result, it's becoming more integrated in education and utilized as a research tool. Even with these evolutions, the core activities of the library remain the same. We collect content, we organize it, we provide access to it, and we provide experts to help you with it. What's changed so significantly is the format of what we're collecting. We carefully watch technology trends because it shifts how people work, how they learn, what they research, and how they reach their patients.

NO VIRTUAL LIBRARY: People ask, “Isn't everything digital? Why do we need a building?” But the truth is we get more than 150,000 visitors every year. Our library is a regional resource and a space that fosters community. The building is currently undergoing a renovation, and one of the primary aspects of that renovation will be to incorporate more group study spaces, as well as individual spaces, all of which will be outfitted with the ability to easily video conference. Much of the work conducted by our faculty, staff, students, and clinicians is collaborative, so the renovation will help us accommodate how people work today.  The renovation will also provide informal places for people to gather and to get a cup of coffee to fuel their activities.

REGIONAL RESOURCE: We received a national grant in 2021 from the National Library of Medicine—one of the institutes at the National Institutes of Health—that totals $10 million over five years. As part of that grant, we are one of seven regional medical libraries, and we are the only national training office in the country to have received this grant. As the medical library serving Region 4, we provide outreach, education, and small grants that enable better access to evidence-based health information for hospitals, libraries, and the public in nine states.

FAVORITE SPOT: We host several exhibits of historical materials in the library’s Museum Corner. The current exhibit has two items in it that I love. One is a visual timeline of how anatomy has been taught over the centuries. We have one of the very first accurate books on human anatomy: “De humani corporis fabrica libri septem,” (translated: Fabric of the Human Body), published in 1543 by Andreas Vesalius. Additionally, we have old medical mannequins from which you can remove organs to study. We’ve progressed from books to plastic models, then to 3D objects, a 3D anatomy table, and now virtual reality simulations in a digital environment. The whole journey from 1543 to 2023 is available in the EHSL.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE: Beyond the Vesalius book from 1543, one of my favorite items is a surgical kit from the Civil War era. The kit is about the size of a bread box, but when you open it, there are layers of instruments. It's very compact and meant for ease of transport. Some of the tools—we blike the retractors—are identical to what's being used today.

TRANSFORMATION: The Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library has a direct impact on the delivery of health care, the education of health science students, and the research conducted at the University of Utah. We believe that every student who graduates from the University of Utah should be able to find evidence-based information, evaluate it, and use it ethically. Those three pieces are key to continuous learning throughout a profession that demands we keep up to date. We aim to create a world in which everyone has access to reliable health information and information professionals.

Transformation: We believe that every student who graduates from the University of Utah should be able to find evidence-based information, evaluate it, and use it ethically.