Now that Medical Library has moved to the new Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM) since December 2011, and opened a 24-hour reading area in January 2012, what are the Medical Librarians up to?

Well, suffice to say, we’re not resting on our laurels but working with great zest! We followed up on outstanding building and facilities matters, and continued on our efforts to build good working relationships with our staff and students. With the support of various parties, we even installed a water-cooler in the 24-Hour Reading Area, which fulfilled a wish that many students had.

In April, we organised a Welcome Tea for Academic Staff, as well as a hands-on training session on the drugs database, Micromedex. We also implemented an online booking system for Discussion Rooms 1 and 2 via the Facilities Booking System, which greatly increased convenience for staff and students. At the same time, the selection and purchase of both print and electronic materials for the Medical Library’s collection went on full-steam. Notable additions include e-books like Core Pathology (3^rd edition, by Alan Stevens, 2009), Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology (12^th ed., 2011) and Wheater’s functional histology (5^th ed., 2006).

In July, four NUS Librarians were invited to the Official Opening Ceremony of the CeTM. The Medical Library Reading Area was temporarily transformed into the reception area for the Ceremony. Within the same month, Medical Librarians welcomed new students by conducting orientation talks. We have also been continually conducting information literacy (also known as “library tutorial”) sessions. On top of all that, we also created a set of short videos on finding information, so as to share search techniques and resources with our students.

So what do our NUS staff and students think of all our efforts? Here are just two of the accolades which we have received recently:

“… greatly appreciate the help that you and your staff have rendered us over the years whenever we needed any help in the library. We also enjoy the electronic access to journal papers which the library now provides, a facility which became a reality as a result of efforts you and colleagues have made. …” – from an academic staff

“…On behalf of the students, we’d like [to] thank you and your team for all the effort put in to make the study area open 24/7 as soon as possible for the students! … We really appreciate your efforts and thank you for providing a conducive environment for us to study and prepare for our training to be good doctors!” – from a medical student

We would like to thank all NUS staff and students, as well as our  library colleagues, for your unwavering support. We look forward to serving, learning and growing with you!

Medical Librarians