Duke Medical Center Library & Archives News Category: News & Announcements

We’re so glad you’re here! The Duke Medical Center Library & Archives is more than just a place for books—it’s a hub for discovery, collaboration, and support. Whether you need evidence-based resources, expert help with research, or a quiet place to study or work, we’re here to help you succeed. 

As you get started, here are our top tips.

💻 Bookmark our website. It’s your gateway to journals, eBooks, databases, and more—no paywalls! If you're off-site, just log in with your NetID. Look for the GetIt@Duke button in databases like PubMed and CINAHL to access full-text articles.

👋…

Categories: News & Announcements

Want to know what's happening at the Medical Center Library & Archives? 

Our newsletter is one of the easiest ways to stay connected. We share updates on new and trial resources, upcoming classes and workshops, welcome events, library services, practical tips and tricks, and even the occasional fun surprise. (If you missed the miniature horse visit, you know exactly what we mean.) Whether you're new to Duke or have been here for years, the newsletter is an easy way to stay up to date on library news, resources, services, classes, and events. 

We publish our newsletter quarterly, with occasional special updates when there's something worth sharing. It's an easy way to stay informed without filling your inbox.

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Categories: News & Announcements

The Medical Center Library & Archives will be closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day. Building access is limited to School of Medicine students and faculty, School of Nursing students and faculty, Watts College of Nursing affiliates, and Graduate Medical Education trainees with a valid DukeCard. While the library is closed, our library resources remain available online. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. 

Throughout the weekend, the library will remain accessible to School of Medicine students and faculty, School of Nursing students and faculty, Watts College of Nursing…

Categories: News & Announcements

We are proud to recognize four colleagues whose combined 45 years of service reflect exceptional dedication to the library and Duke community.

• Brandi Tuttle, Research, Education, and Web Services Librarian – 20 years
• Lucy Waldrop, Assistant Director for Archives – 10 years
• Rebecca Williams, Archives Librarian for Reseach, Outreach and Education – 10 years
• Lesley Skalla, Research and Education Librarian – 5 years

Each of these individuals has made meaningful contributions through their expertise, commitment, and daily work in support of our patrons. Their collective impact strengthens the library’s ability…

Categories: News & Announcements

Many researchers at Duke have shared concerns about the rising cost of publishing NIH‑funded work under the recently updated NIH Public Access Policy. An opinion piece by Elizabeth Selvin, PhD, MPH, recently published in STAT (Selvin 2026), captures this challenge with striking clarity. Selvin describes how her team published in Nature Medicine at no cost in 2025 but had to pay a $12,850 open‑access fee for a similar NIH‑funded article in 2026, solely to comply with the new zero‑embargo requirement for PubMed Central.

Her reflections echo what many of you have…

Categories: News & Announcements

The Medical Center Library & Archives launched an AI Library Chatbot to assist you with reference questions! You can still chat with a librarian during our staffed hours, but the AI Library Chatbot is available 24/7. 

Created with Duke's MyGPT Builder and using a GPT-5 Model, the chatbot is hosted on secure Duke servers. You will be prompted to enter your NetID/pw to prevent malicious bot spamming, and no data will be collected from you. 

As always, sometimes the best way to receive personalized, dedicated support is to reach out directly to the medical librarians at medical-librarian@duke.edu.…

Categories: News & Announcements

We’ve upgraded the library search platform (the Journals, Books, and Catalog searches on our homepage) to a new system called Primo. This change makes it easier to discover books, articles, media, and digital resources—all from one simple, modern search interface.

Primo offers a cleaner design, improved search results, and better tools for managing your library account. We’re excited to bring you a faster, more intuitive way to explore everything the library offers.

Please contact mclibrary-collections@duke.edu if you have any questions. More information can be found on Duke Main Library website.

Frequently Asked Questions…

Categories: News & Announcements

Summer is right around the corner, and with it come a few updates to Library Service Desk and online chat hours. Our service desk and librarian chat hours will shorten during the summer months, so please plan ahead for your visits and book pickups.

Updated Hours for Desk and Online Chat Reference

• Starting June 1: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Book Pickup and Checkout

• Please plan to pickup hold and interlibrary loan books during desk hours. Book pickups are not available outside desk hours.
• Self-checkout will be available for checking out materials in the level 1 reading room from our on-site collections from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

What About Study and Meeting Spaces?…

Categories: News & Announcements

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

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

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

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