Duke Medical Center Library & Archives News

Happy Veterans Day! On this day, we honor the service of all military veterans in the United States Armed Forces. Currently at Duke, approximately 2,200 employees and 450 students identify as military veterans.

As we celebrate this federal holiday, we invite you to revisit our digital exhibit Remembering the 65th: Duke’s General Hospital Unit, which documents the staff, activities, and accomplishments of the 65th General Hospital, Duke's World War II unit.

Remembering the 65th features artifacts, photographs, and documents from the Medical Center Archives collections. Items include medical instruments used by hospital staff, an…

Categories: Events, History & Archives

At Your Service: Duke's Civilian Public Service Camp #61    
The Josiah Charles Trent History of Medicine Room    
On Display October 21, 2025 – May 3, 2026

On October 16, 1940, the Civilian Public Service (CPS) was established as an alternative to military conscription for conscientious objectors. These men who declined military service due to religious beliefs were placed in CPS camps, or units, across the United States and given jobs on the home front to help support the war effort. They worked in soil conservation, forestry, firefighting, agriculture, social services, and mental health. In all, there were…

Categories: History & Archives

The Duke Community was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Dr. E. Harvey Estes. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of leadership, advocacy, and commitment to care.

Dr. Edward Harvey Estes Jr., MD was born May 1, 1925 in Gay, Georgia. He graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia (1944, BA; 1947, MD). He began his medical internship at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and completed it at Duke University Hospital. Prior to joining Duke's staff in 1953, Estes served in the United States Navy from 1950 to 1952. He became chief of the cardiology service at Durham Veterans Affairs Hospital from 1953 to 1954 and chief of the medical service at the Durham Veterans Affairs Hospital from 1956 to 1962. In 1966, Estes was appointed Chair of the newly created…

Categories: History & Archives

2025 brought numerous challenges for researchers and authors in our community, one being the implementation of changes to the NIH Public Access Policy. While we don’t have all answers, here is the guidance we’ve gathered from authors, publishers, and colleagues over the past 3 months.

• Investigate a journal’s policies prior to submission, especially using the “For Authors” page on the journal’s website.
• Pay attention to what boxes you check or what you agree to during the initial submission process, especially related to “other licenses” on your work.
• Communicate with Journal Managers & Editors along the way; ask questions and communicate your challenges.

If the…

Categories: For Researchers

Did you know there is a lactation room available in the Medical Center Library? This dedicated space provides a clean, secure, and user-friendly environment for nursing parents who need to pump or nurse during their time on campus. The room is equipped with comfortable seating, electrical outlets, and privacy features; users must bring their own pumps. This initiative aligns with the library’s commitment to supporting the health and well-being of the Duke community.

The lactation room is 104B Seeley Mudd building. This is Level 1 of the library, located near the computer classroom. 

To register for lactation room use, follow these steps:

1. Set up your DukeCard ID for access: Submit the access…

Categories: Alerts

Tags: space

October is National Medical Librarians Month.

This is the perfect opportunity to pause and celebrate the contributions of the people at the medical library. We curate reliable and trustworthy information resources, making them easier to find and use. We capture and provide research into the history of the institution. We leverage technologies to simplify systems and tools. We design spaces that inspire, connect, and support. We teach in the classroom and at the point of need. We find the seemingly unfindable piece of information.

I am frequently asked which of our many resources is “the best.” While we do have fantastic book collections, clinical reference tools, and e-journals, there is no contest: our best resource is our staff.

An academic medical…

Categories: Events

Open Access Week is a yearly, international event that brings the scholarly community together in the hopes of making Open Access a new norm in scholarship and research. Every year has new theme and this year the theme is Who Owns Our Knowledge? which obviously hits home given our current moment in time. The theme prompts us to reflect on "not only who has access to education and research but on how knowledge is created and shared, where it has come from, and whose voices are recognized and valued.”  

A great way to participate is to join the final session of the Duke University Library's online workshop series on Open Access Publishing in the Sciences, happening…

Categories: Events

Are you searching for biomedical datasets to support your research? Then check out the newly relaunched National Library of Medicine (NLM) Dataset Catalog. (NOTE: Use Chrome to access this website.)

Originally introduced as a beta product in early 2024 and dubbed the “PubMed of datasets,” the NLM Dataset Catalog has undergone significant enhancements since its initial release. This centralized, searchable platform now connects researchers to over 2 million biomedical datasets from a wide range of repositories, including Figshare, Johns Hopkins and Dartmouth Dataverses, Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP), and the Immunology and Analysis Portal (ImmPort). See the complete list of included data repositories…

Categories: For Researchers, Resources

Giddy up, folks—guess who’s trotting back into town? 🐎

The beloved miniature horses from Stampede of Love are galloping their way back to the Medical Center Library on November 5th from 12pm to 2pm! These pint-sized ponies are ready to offer a moment of calm, connection, and joy in the middle of your busy day.

Stop by to say hello, take a photo, and enjoy a little stress relief with our four-legged guests. Whether you’re a longtime fan or meeting them for the first time, it’s a great opportunity to pause and recharge.

Don’t rein in your excitement—circle the date and canter on over! It’s bound to be a hoof-stomping good time you won’t want to miss.

Categories: Events

Duke became more interested in global health issues following World War II. It saw an opportunity to learn more about cultural and medical practices in developing countries, to influence physicians through training, and to provide its expertise. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Medical Center Archives wishes to highlight a few programs and projects that Duke physicians undertook in several Latin American countries.

Starting in 1941, Duke began offering post-doctoral training to physicians from outside of the United States. The Rockefeller Foundation, the Institute of Inter-American Affairs, the Pan American Sanitary Bureau, as well as the U.S. Department of State, were the primary…

Categories: History & Archives

Are you looking for a fun, spooky book to read this fall?! We’ve got you covered! 

Whether you prefer to lounge on the couch with a cup of tea and thrilling book about skeletons or prefer to listen to a spooky horror story while walking among the fall leaves, you have come to the right place! The Duke Medical Center Library Engel Collection is filled with titles that explore skeletons, ghosts, and medical mysteries, and Duke University Libraries makes your spooky season walks easy with a great selection of e-books and audiobooks. For ease of access to…

October 6-12 is PA Week! This week is a time to celebrate physician assistants (PA), the care provided by PAs, and the legacy of the profession. The birthplace of the profession was here at Duke. The first PA program was established in 1965 at Duke thanks to the efforts of Dr. Eugene Stead, then Chairman of Duke’s Department of Medicine. The program aimed to address the problem of the physician shortage, particularly in rural areas throughout North Carolina. While the initial recruitment was targeted at ex-military corpsmen who possessed some medical experience, Duke’s PA program soon attracted a wide range of applicants. Today there are nearly 190,000 PAs practicing in the US. The success of the profession during the second…

Curious about how artificial intelligence can support your research or help troubleshoot technical challenges? The Medical Center Library is excited to offer two sessions designed specifically for faculty, students and staff. These classes emphasize the responsible and ethical use of AI tools with practical strategies you can apply right away. Check out the descriptions below:

📚 AI Tools for Research Queries & Literature Searches: Discover how AI can enhance your research endeavors and literature reviews. This session introduces Copilot and Elicit—two powerful tools that can help you craft better queries and generate insights. We’ll also discuss how to create effective prompts as well as ethical considerations to ensure your use of AI aligns with academic integrity and…

Categories: Classes

Archives Month is an annual, month-long observance of the agencies and people responsible for maintaining and making available the archival and historical records of our nation, state, communities, and people. Archives serve as the memory of our nation, and by celebrating, we recognize and give legitimacy to the enduring value of American records and America’s archives.

  
We encourage you to check out our Instagram account where we'll be highlighting treasures from the Medical Center Archives collection all month long.

This year the Society of North Carolina Archivists' theme for Archives Month is “North Carolina's 250th”. As the nation approaches its 250th birthday, North Carolina archivists are celebrating the…

Categories: History & Archives

Explore the landscape of open access publishing in the sciences from its historical roots to today's funding models and challenges. Register for one or all three Zoom workshops in this three-part series!

OA in the Sciences Workshop #1 Navigating Open Access Scholarly Publishing in 2025 
Thursday, October 2, 2025 
3:30pm – 4:30pm 
This workshop empowers graduate students and faculty to navigate OA options with confidence, understand article processing charges (APCs), and make informed choices about where and how to publish their work.

OA in the Sciences Workshop #2 U.S. Federal Public Access Policies,…

Categories: Classes, Events