John A. Prior Health Sciences Library

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John A. Prior Health Sciences Library
Prior Health Sciences Library.jpg
Library building facade
Country United States
Type Health sciences library
Established 1972
Location Columbus, Ohio
Other information
Director Pamela Bradigan, Assistant Vice President and Director
Website hsl.osu.edu.

The John A. Prior Health Sciences Library is the medical library at Ohio State University.

Contents

History [edit]

2003 - To meet the needs of diverse user communities, the Center for Knowledge Management was created in 2003 as a unit within the John A. Prior Health Sciences Library, The center's goal is to leverage the strengths of people, processes, data, and technology to foster the creation, analysis, and dissemination of new knowledge.

2009 - A coffee bar named The Caffeine Element opened on the first floor. Construction began on the second floor to house the Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

Points of interest [edit]

THE Randtriever [edit]

The Randtriever was a first generation automated storage and retrieval system, and the first installed in a library in the United States.[1] The system, built by Sperry Rand, was designed to have twelve aisles, but only eight were installed, along with four calling stations/circulation desks located at both ends of the machine on each of two floors of the library. The system, which originally cost $811,799, required constant maintenance resulting in expenditures of $889,191 through June 1990, plus $139,575 for conversion/renovation of the system. In 1989, the university made the decision to remove the Randtriever in conjunction with anticipated expansion and renovation of the library.[2]

OSU:pro [edit]

OSU:pro is a knowledge management database tool, which helps to organize scholarly activities, and streamlines the building of faculty dossiers. The tool is used to communicate professional accomplishments to visitors searching for local expertise, thereby expanding opportunities for the community to interact and engage with the university.[3]

In 2007, OSU:pro was awarded the inaugural Innovation Award by the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries.

The Mural [edit]

1st Floor Mural: Printing Press

The mural on the first floor of the Prior Health Sciences Library was created by Marguerite Gaudin of the Willet Studio in Philadelphia.  Artists for the mosaic were Costante Crovatto, Giovanni Travisanutto, and Nicky Milanese.  Installed in 1974, it is the centerpiece of the first floor.  The mural shows the development of human communication across time.

The theme was developed by a committee within the College of Medicine composed of Georgr Hahn, Dr. Richard Meiling, Dr. Karl Klassen, Dr. John Prior, and Dr. Donald Westra.[4]

Measuring sixty-seven feet long and nine feet tall [5] the colorful mural uses marble, colored cubes of silica metallic oxides, glass cubes with gold leaf veneer and onyx.  Before the building renovation in 1996, the mural was along a dimly lit exterior walkway.  Part of the renovation process involved cleaning and restoring the mural.

1st Floor Mural: Typesetter

The Medical Heritage Center [edit]

Occupying the 5th floor of the Prior Health Sciences Library at The Ohio State University, The Medical Heritage Center (MHC) recognizes and celebrates historical health and medical personalities and events; collects, displays and archives artifacts; provides a venue for historical medical research; and supports medical history education. The MHC also serves as the repository of data, artifacts, and historical information relating to the health and medical education and the medical profession in central Ohio.

The foundation of the MHC was made possible by a grant from the Columbus Medical Association (CMA) Foundation and the Ohio State University Medical Center. It grew from a vision held by Barbara VanBrimmer. These organizations saw the need to preserve and celebrate the region's medical heritage. From its establishment in 1997 to today, the Center stands as a testament to a unique collaboration between the CMA, the region's professional medical society, and the OSU Medical Center.

The MHC is the only scholarly facility in Central Ohio concentrating solely on the accomplishments of the people, organizations and institutions at the forefront of the development of health care and medicine in the region. It is the only institution dedicated to researching and collecting the region's health and medical past and sharing the information through exhibits and scholarly publications for the educational benefits of scholars, students and the general public.

References [edit]

  1. ^ ASRS(Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems) in Academic Libraries Accessed February 6, 2009
  2. ^ VanBrimmer, Barbara and Elizabeth Sawyers. THE Randtriever: Its use at the Ohio State University Library Hi Tech 1990 8(3):71-81
  3. ^ Timothy J Cain, Joseph J. Branin, and W. Michael Sherman. Knowledge Management and the Academy Educause Review 2008 Number 4:26-33.
  4. ^ Columbus Dispatch Magazine 1974, September 1
  5. ^ Ellwood, V. (1997). Past and Future Meet in New Health Sciences Library. College of Medicine Journal 46(2):12-14

(Dead link as of 12-13-2012).

External links [edit]

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