Meet the Special Library
The University of Massachusetts Medical School’s 
Lamar Soutter Library
by Dorothy Barr, Dorothy.Barr@umassmed.edu

UMass Medical School in Worcester is the only public medical school in Massachusetts. Each year it admits just 100 students, all Massachusetts residents, to the Medical School, and a similar number to the Graduate School of Biological Sciences and the Graduate School of Nursing. The library, named for Dr. Lamar Soutter, the founding Dean of the institution, serves all three schools plus the associated hospitals, and is the only medical library in Massachusetts that is open to the public.

This combination makes it a truly unique place to work. One never knows what sort of questions will come to the reference desk. For instance, some examples of questions include the following:

• A clinician is trying to find research articles about an obscure disease
• A researcher is looking for an article with an incomplete citation
• A nursing student who is returning to graduate school after a number of years needs to develop her computer skills
• A staff member wants to learn how to use PowerPoint more effectively
• A student from one of the other colleges in the area wants to use our resources for a class project
• A patient in a wheelchair comes down from the hospital to research his condition and check his email
• A lawyer has come from Boston to search for case studies
• A med student wants to find out more about a patient’s condition
• A local policeman needs information and statistics on prostitution
• And the list goes on – there certainly is never a dull moment!

To meet the disparate needs of our diverse patrons, we have 86 public computers; a reserve collection that includes not only books and other printed materials such as copies of tests but, also videotapes of the lectures presented in the different schools; an extensive collection of medical journals, both print and online; reference and other medical books, again both print and online; government documents (we are a Federal Depository, collecting all health-related government documents); a consumer health collection; and more. We provide many handouts (which are constantly being revised) and offer classes to faculty, staff and students on subjects ranging from searching in PubMed or the ISI Web of Science, to using reference management tools such as EndNote and RefWorks, to Advanced PowerPoint.

In addition, we maintain and staff a Pediatrics library in the adjacent hospital, and reference librarians go out to Chart Rounds at local hospitals, to the Institutional Research Board, to student sessions, and even to people’s offices (we have laptops and will travel!).

The Library Director is Dr. Elaine Martin. Dr. Martin and the management team foster an atmosphere of teamwork and caring. We work hard to keep up with new technologies and resources, and also to dispel any typical librarian stereotypes. The LSL is often a challenging place to work, but it’s always stimulating and even fun. Come visit us!