About Us

Medical Center LibraryThe Duke University Medical Center Library & Archives' mission is to provide biomedical information for inquiry, discovery, and innovation. We provide strong collections, innovative services, engaging educational programs, archival preservation, knowledgeable staff, and collaborative spaces. We are located in the Seeley G. Mudd building and also offer extensive online services and collections.

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

    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 2024-2025

    Cultivate an inclusive staff environment that prioritizes teamwork, mutual respect, curiosity, and professional growth.

    • Foster a workplace culture that champions and extends Duke's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through individual and collective professional development.
    • Encourage deliberate opportunities for staff interaction, including co-working, cross-training, wellness activities, and utilizing cross-functional teams in committees and project-based work.
    • Build a learning organization culture, providing resources and opportunities for skill development to promote the growth of both individuals and the entire team.
    • Review administrative processes and committee structures to promote equitable participation among all staff, fostering a more inclusive and accessible organizational framework.

     

    Develop an innovative and holistic plan to reimagine library spaces to meet the evolving needs of patrons and staff.

    • Proactively collaborate with stakeholders across the academic medical center to assess evolving and unmet needs that are complementary with library mission and goals.
    • Identify and address short- and long-term accessibility problems to strengthen equitable access to resources, services, and spaces for all Duke Health faculty, staff, and students.
    • Evaluate physical collection and develop a comprehensive plan for on-site access, off-site storage, and management of materials.
    • Promote institutional values for sustainability and inclusion as foundational drivers for renovations to library spaces.
    • Work with institutional partners to identify opportunities for funder engagement in planning processes.

     

    Implement innovative technologies to optimize staff workflows and enhance the overall patron experience.

    • Implement Alma as the new integrated library system: prepare data, design workflows, create documentation, train staff, and communicate any changes to patrons.
    • Pilot Alma's course reserves system for electronic and print materials in fall 2024. Evaluate staff workflows and user experience prior to expanding to additional education programs.
    • Explore opportunities and barriers for using generative AI for information management in conjunction with patron requests.
    • Explore opportunities and barriers for using generative AI to streamline internal workflows or to extend services.

     

    Collect, preserve, document, and celebrate Duke's history through Centennial activities, exhibits, and events.

    • Collect archival materials from under-represented individuals, departments, and groups to deepen and enrich the historical record of the institution.
    • Explore options for preserving email and other born digital items; evaluate barriers and opportunities to plan for staff workflows and institutional partnerships.
    • Utilize Duke's Centennial to prepare for the 2030 School of Medicine anniversary by identifying collection gaps, anticipated research needs, and opportunities.

     

    Empower the Duke Health community with skills and knowledge that will further their ability to navigate scholarly communication and to use information resources for research, teaching, and patient care.

    • Create and share instructional videos on foundational topics that can be viewed asynchronously, extending the reach of library teaching.
    • Implement a coordinated library communications plan that enables both targeted and broad awareness-raising, assessment of key performance indicators, and continuous improvement.
    • Forge collaborations with institutional partners to design mission-related programming, training, and events that leverage collective strengths and expertise.

     

    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.