Effects of a Change in Hospital Affiliation on an Academic Medical Center Library

ABSTRACT

This article reports the story of a school of medicine separating from its university-owned hospital, and partnering with a biomedical research foundation to manage the onsite teaching hospital served by the school’s academic library. The tale is not a pretty one, and the Library was definitely affected in ways both large and small by the transition. The saga is not yet over, and it remains to be seen whether or not the ending is a happy one. In the meantime, the Library continues to provide services and vital resources to constituents of the university and the medical center.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic medical centers
• hospital libraries
• library services
• medical libraries
• public-private partnerships
• teaching hospitals

Acknowledgment

This article is based on a poster presented at the Joint Meeting of the Medical Library Association (MLA), the Canadian Health Libraries Association/Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada (CHLA/ABSC), and the International Clinical Librarian Conference (ICLC); 2016 May 15; Toronto, ON, Canada.