About Us

Medical Center LibraryThe Medical Center Library & Archives provides the services and collections necessary to further educational, research, clinical, and administrative activities in the medical field. Services are available to Duke Medicine faculty, staff, and students in the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, allied health programs, and graduate programs in the basic medical sciences. The Library also serves Duke Hospital and Health System.

10 Searle Drive; DUMC 3702; Durham, NC 27710     DIRECTIONS

  • Duke’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

    Duke University Community

    Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

    Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas - an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

    Medical Center Library & Archives

    Recognizing that diversity sparks creativity and enhances innovation, the Duke Medical Center Library & Archives is committed to advancing diversity, inclusion, and equity throughout our organization. We strive to establish a climate that welcomes and affirms the contributions of all our staff and the Duke community.

    This is ongoing work: we commit our organization and ourselves to diversity, inclusion, and equity – values that make us a better, more effective library. Through continued dedication to these values, we seek to sustain a welcoming community that fosters inquiry, discovery, and innovation.

    If you have comments, suggestions, or feel that the Library could make improvements to better meet your needs, please contact Megan von Isenburg, Associate Dean for Library Services and Archives.

  • Annual Snapshot

    Annual Snapshot 2021

    The Medical Center Library & Archives annually collects facts, figures, and accomplishments of the Library and staff members and produces an annual snapshot.

  • Our Mission, Vision, and Goals

    Mission

    Biomedical information for inquiry, discovery, and innovation

    Vision

    The Medical Center Library & Archives will further inquiry, discovery, and innovation through:

    • Biomedical information integrated into the users’ clinical, research, and learning environments
    • Innovative services that address the challenges and opportunities within Duke Health
    • Educational programs that build life-long knowledge management and evidence-based practice skills
    • Archival and preservation services that capture the institution’s knowledge, history, and prominence
    • Knowledgeable, progressive, and responsive staff that deliver essential services and resources
    • Collaborative spaces for shared expertise, learning, and discovery

    Goals for 2022

    Develop scholarly communication expertise and establish the Library & Archives as a reliable and accessible resource for Duke Health faculty, students and staff seeking guidance in this area.

      • Collaborate across campus to partner in educating faculty, students, and staff on issues that intersect with scholarly communication, including open science, open access, and bias and disparities in research publishing.
      • Develop and deliver communication plans for faculty, students, and staff related to significant changes in resources, including large cuts (changes in over 50 titles or core resources) or new transformative agreements.
      • Develop and deliver publication tracking and research impact services that leverage Elements data to address the needs of departments, grants, and other Duke entities.
      • Collaborate with Duke University Libraries on scholarly communication initiatives: stay current on DUL and TRLN activities and share these with our staff.

    Facilitate patrons' ability to learn research skills online any time.

      • Review and revise existing tutorials and tipsheets for a digital-first environment. 
      • Develop processes to simplify tutorial design and maintenance, including templates, best practices, and when to leverage vendor-supplied content.
      • Promote online learning options on website and throughout Duke to facilitate greater awareness.

    Build inclusive archival collections to reflect and capture the diversity of roles and thought that shape the history of Duke Health.

      • Assess existing collections for inclusion of under-represented groups and firsts of all kinds.
      • Identify and build connections to Duke Health groups that are historically under-represented in the Archives.
      • Identify materials to add to the archival collections and to use in digital and in-person exhibits.
      • Explore and implement inclusive archival practices in order to facilitate the authenticity of voice in archival materials, such as identifying Black oral historians and utilizing inclusive and anti-oppressive subject descriptors for materials.

    Foster an environment where our staff work together to deliver excellent and responsive services.

      • Implement best practices for identifying, recruiting, and retaining a diverse and inclusive staff.
      • Develop opportunities for staff to cross-train, specifically within departments; determine where cross training might be appropriate across departments.
      • Develop ongoing professional development for staff, including job skills, interpersonal skills, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and wellbeing training opportunities.
      • Foster teamwork, respect, and camaraderie among staff, including reviewing current activities and making recommendations for improvements.

    Create new opportunities for diverse exhibits that offer lifelong learning to and engagement with Duke Health.

      • Partner with Archives to develop a schedule for creating exhibits that share the history of Duke Health with a consideration to sharing diverse perspectives.
      • Revise and update online exhibits about Duke Health history and assess opportunities to promote within library spaces and across the institution.
      • Assess Nashold exhibit for potential relocation and storage of select items.

    Expand and enhance Library & Archives marketing and communications efforts to promote increased awareness of resources and services across Duke Health.

      • Inventory and identify methods for evaluating current marketing initiatives within Library & Archives, including newsletter, blog, Web homepage, social media, and on-site signage.
      • Identify and share best practices for marketing and communications from other groups within Duke, including other libraries, institutes, and support offices, as well as best practices from libraries in general.
      • Make recommendations for changes to Library & Archives marketing and communications, including channels of communication, schedules, roles and responsibilities, and methods for ongoing assessment.

    We welcome comments about these goals and future directions for both the Library and Archives. Please send your suggestions and ideas to Megan von Isenburg, Associate Dean for Library Services and Archives.

  • Privacy Policy

    The overarching goal of the Medical Center Library & Archives (MCL&A) is to respect your rights to freely access information and to protect your privacy in terms of the information that is used or accessed.

    In achieving this goal, MCL&A strives to collect the minimum amount of information required to deliver services or resources to you, the user. When such information is collected it is treated as confidential private business records and is not available or released to individuals not employed by the MCL&A unless through a legal court order. You can review the Library's full privacy policy here.

    For more information, see Duke University Privacy Policy

  • Service Animals Policy

    The Medical Center Library & Archives is committed to providing an open and accessible environment to all members of the Duke community. This includes welcoming service animals that are assisting individuals with disabilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other applicable state and federal law.

    Emotional support animals and pets are not allowed in the library or archives facilities, except when invited as part of a library-sponsored program.

    For questions regarding this policy, please contact Megan von Isenburg, Associate Dean for Library Services and Archives or connect to the Services and Assistance Animals Policy for Duke.

  • Duke University Library Profiles

    This overview of profiles from the Duke Faculty Handbook describes services available at Duke libraries and is useful when library summary information is needed for grant submissions.