Duke Medical Center Library & Archives News

The annual celebration of National Nurses Week, which always begins on May 6 and culminates with the observance of Florence Nightingale’s birthday on May 12, is the perfect time to celebrate the tremendous contributions of nurses and educate the public about nurses’ role in health care.

Thanks for the work you perform every day to care for patients, their loved ones and each other.

Categories: Events & Classes

A significant collection of 63 early modern Japanese medical manuscripts from the Rubenstein Library is now digitized and publicly accessible.

Dating from roughly 1810 to 1849, the collection includes transcribed lectures, demonstrations, and handwritten manuals by notable physicians such as Hanaoka Seishū and Takenaka Bunpō. Topics span herbal medicine, ocular disease treatment, surgical techniques, osteopathic care, wound treatment, obstetrics and pediatric medicine.

The manuscripts feature more than 100 full-page, hand-drawn illustrations—many in vibrant color—depicting medical techniques, conditions, and instruments.

One example, Shunrinken kasho (1810, 1828), includes detailed illustrations of osteopathic manipulations, bandaging techniques, and surgical…

Categories: Archives & Collections

May is Jewish American Heritage Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the rich history, culture, and contributions of Jewish Americans.

Jewish identity encompasses far more than religious practice. It reflects a shared peoplehood shaped by history, traditions, language, and cultural connection across generations and communities around the world.

This month offers an opportunity to explore diverse Jewish identities and perspectives, deepen understanding, and contribute to a more inclusive and compassionate community. At Duke, there are opportunities to learn, connect, and engage with the Jewish community through Jewish Life at Duke.…

Categories: News & Announcements

During the month of May, we recognize Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and the many contributions of those whose roots span East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Pacific Islands, and beyond. 

At Duke and in communities across the country, our AANHPI colleagues serve as leaders, researchers, caregivers, educators, and community health advocates. Their diverse perspectives and lived experiences enrich our mission, drive innovation, and help create a more inclusive and equitable healthcare landscape. Through their work, we are better equipped to deliver culturally responsive care, mentor future generations of health professionals, and build an environment where everyone can thrive. 

The…

Categories: Events & Classes

Library staff members Beth Blackwood, Lead for Research Impact, Lesley Skalla, Lead for Data Management, and Hope Riffee, Digital Projects Analyst, received the inaugural Research Integrity Award from the Duke Office of Research and Innovation. This award honors those who promote ethical, rigorous, and responsible conduct of research in their departments, labs, or across the institution. Beth, Lesley, and Hope won for their dedicated work to support Duke researchers navigating the changes to both the NIH Public Access Policy and sciENcv.

In response to major 2025–2026 changes to the NIH Public Access Policy, sciENcv, and grant reporting requirements, the team led a coordinated, institution-wide effort to help Duke…

Categories: News & Announcements

Feeling like you could brush up on your searching skills? Need to search a new-to-you database? The Medical Center Library has you covered. On our Database Search Tips Guide you'll not only find tips on getting started with your search, you can also discover database-specific search tips. As always, medical librarians would be delighted to assist you with literature searches and provide tips on improving your search strategies. Reach out to us at medical-librarian@duke.edu

Categories: Resources & Tools

Spring brings important updates to data management and sharing plan requirements from both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Below is a summary of what’s changing and when it takes effect.

New NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan Format Now Available
On February 25, 2026, NIH released NOT-OD-26-046 announcing a new, abbreviated Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) format. The 2026 Pilot DMS Plan format is available for immediate use and will be required for all applications with due dates on or after May 25, 2026.

The updated…

Categories: Alerts

Administrative professionals are an important part of the Duke Health community. Across the Health System, they provide essential expertise and invaluable organizational support for the daily operations at Duke Health. 

The Duke Administrative Professionals Affinity Group (APAG) is Duke's first affinity group for administrative professionals. During COVID, the need to connect with and support one another became more important than ever, and the group officially launched on July 1, 2021. As of 2024, the group has over 2000 members.

The Archives is proud to have some of their materials preserved in the Duke…

Categories: Archives & Collections

The Duke University School of Medicine and Hospital was dedicated 95 years ago today on April 20, 1931. This anniversary is a great chance to highlight several digitized publications from this day that are available to view on MEDSpace, our digital repository!

Order of Exercises for the Dedication of the Duke University School of Medicine and the Duke Hospital 
This program outlines the order of events for the day. It was quite a busy day with several events and many speakers!

Acceptance of the Buildings 
One…

Categories: Archives & Collections

National Library Week (April 19–26) invites us to Find Your Joy ... and the library is full of it. Joy can be found in beautiful, light‑filled study spaces, in quiet moments of focus, or in working alongside colleagues who inspire new ideas. It’s there when you uncover just the right article to move a project forward, or when a quick conversation opens up a new possibility.

Most of all, joy lives in our connections: with the knowledge we discover and with the amazing library staff who are always ready to help. Come find your joy at the Medical Center Library, this and every week.

Categories: News & Announcements

Recently, our staff had the opportunity to visit the Nasher Museum of Art for a group outing focused on the work of artist Silvia Heyden. The visit centered on the exhibit Silvia Heyden: Weaving Notes & Nature, giving staff a chance to learn more about her artistic practice, materials, and creative context. 

 
Staff visiting Weaving Notes & Nature at the Nasher Museum of Art

This trip was especially meaningful for our library, as we are fortunate to have one of Heyden’s tapestries in our own collection. Seeing her work…

Categories: News & Announcements

At the beginning of every new year, there are often changes in journals which may include additions, platform changes and cancellations. Below please find updates to our collection at the Medical Center Library.  

Cancellations

Due to recent budget cuts, Duke University Medical Center Library must make difficult decisions regarding our subscription resources. After a thorough review of multi-year usage data and subscription costs, we have decided to cancel the journals listed below. More info can be found here. 

• AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses
• Antioxidants & Redox Signaling
• Biochemical Journal (including index)
…

Categories: Resource Outages, Resources & Tools

The Archives has many publications created over the course of Duke University Medical Center's history. One we're especially fond of is Shifting Dullness, a newsletter produced entirely by Duke medical students.

When Shifting Dullness began in 1968, its earliest issues were often a single page of announcements and events. Over the years, though, it grew, and by the 1990’s the publication had become a space for medical students to discuss professional issues as well as personal interests. Issues averaged 16 pages and included a wide variety of content: articles about the student code of conduct and changes in curriculum ran alongside artwork, humor writing, and…

Categories: Archives & Collections

Have you ever struggled to keep track of your publications or differentiate your work from others with similar names? ORCID, a global non-profit organization, is here to help, offering a unique digital identifier that ensures you are always connected to your research and that it is always correctly attributed.

What is ORCID?
ORCID (pronounced ORKID or ORK ID) provides unique identifiers designed to distinguish authors across the publishing landscape. By adding and configuring your ORCID to your scholarly profile, you can automatically push updates to and from various data sources, making your life easier.

Benefits of ORCID

Universal Identifier: Your ORCID iD is not restricted to…

Categories: Resources & Tools

From our colleagues at the Friends of the National Library of Medicine:

Proof Positive: Navigating Trust and Reproducibility in Science

What does it mean to trust science—and how do we ensure that trust is well placed?

In the second episode of FNLM In Focus: Conversations in Health and Science, FNLM President Dr. Andrew Balas sits down with Nobel laureate Dr. Robert Lefkowitz for an engaging and insightful discussion on one of the most pressing issues in modern research.

Together, they explore:

• The challenges of reproducibility in scientific studies
• The standards and systems that safeguard research integrity
• How scientists—and society—can maintain confidence in research…

Categories: News & Announcements