“Chaos is a friend of mine”: Creating and planning services for a new medical library space

Objectives: This paper will discuss the implementation of a new medical library location in a newly-constructed building at a Carnegie-designated R1 university in a major metropolitan area. The medical library staff report up through the university libraries; however, the building is managed by the medical school. Establishing this new space requires many considerations including effective methods of co-administration, usage, and the provision of shared services. This paper will include strategies, lessons learned, and foster dialog on the creation of library services at a new location.

Methods: Establishing a medical school focused on community health and primary care took many years of planning. In conversations with medical school leadership and the university libraries, planning for a new medical library space began in 2018 with completion of the physical space occurring in September of 2022. Multiple meetings focusing on budgets, services, and planning took place and informed the collaborative approach taken in setting up the medical library. The authors co-wrote a planning proposal that went through several iterations and incorporated feedback from both university libraries and medical school administration. The authors will discuss how flexibility has been an essential component of their process, both for the planning proposal and throughout the implementation of the new medical library space. Factoring in personnel, budgetary, and construction delays has been necessary to certify that the establishment of the space and new services align with the needs of the medical school and the capacity of the new medical library team. The creation of a staggered timeline for the medical library space has been crucial and the authors will share lessons learned along the way, along with strategies for assessment of both the services and the space.

Results: The medical library space is new, with services being approached in a collaborative manner by the health sciences libraries team, consisting of both librarians and circulation staff. Mirroring collections and services offered at the larger health sciences library while identifying and addressing the unique needs of the medical school, and taking a staggered approach to purchasing, personnel, and deployment of services and programming, has been key to ensuring a successful opening without overstretching the capacity of those involved.

Conclusions: Medical library spaces are common additions to new buildings and are necessary for medical education success. The manner in which these spaces are used has evolved over the years and will continue to change with advances in curriculum, technology, and remote learning. With this constant change in mind, planning for and establishing a new medical library requires hard work, clear communication, and a phased planning approach. Being prepared for multiple contingencies is helpful; however, it will be necessary to embrace the chaos as plans inevitably fall through and new strategies must be created on the fly. Flexibility and patience are required, and the evolving needs of students, faculty, and staff should be at the forefront of planning and execution.