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Library Policies

MISSION

To provide health information in support of the goals of the core mission set forth by the Medical Center.

VISION

In order to accomplish this mission, the Library will maintain a competent and well-motivated staff dedicated to providing access to appropriate information resources, develop and conduct educational programs, preserve and organize a permanent record and investigate new information technologies.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

As an integral part of the institution, the Library will expand its teaching and training role by incorporating various classes into its offerings.  These classes will go beyond the traditional courses offered by the Library in order to better serve the faculty and students of WFUSM.

The Library will continue to develop an affiliates program in order to improve the health and well-being of all people; therefore, allowing the access to information and teaching to reach beyond the walls of the institution.  

The Library will invigorate its campaign to inform users, and potential users, of the wealth of information available at the Coy C. Carpenter Library and the Dorothy Carpenter Medical Archives.  In doing so, the Library will serve as a conduit for improving access to health information.

The Library is committed to providing an ideal physical environment in which to promote learning, research, and improved patient care.  It is important that the Library’s physical environment be equivalent to that of a top research institution in the 21^st century, and accommodate the clinical, education and research goals stated within this strategic plan. 

HISTORY OF COY C. CARPENTER LIBRARY

MEMBERSHIP

The Coy C. Carpenter Library’s users are composed of the following groups:

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Faculty Emeritus Faculty Physician Assistant Students

Part-Time (Volunteer) Faculty Medical Students Graduate Students

North Carolina Baptist Hospital

Staff House Staff (Residents)

Volunteers (Do not have borrowing priviledges) Pastoral Care (staff and students) Students - Medical Technology, Nurse Anesthesiology

Rotating Pharmacy Students from Campbell University and AHEC Pharmacy School

Wake Forest University Reynolda Campus

Faculty Staff

Students - Undergraduate and graduate/full-time and part-time

Regional Integrated Delivery System Users

Aegis Family Health Centers Amos Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital Dr. J.R. Jones Medical Center Hawthorne Inn and Convention Center Home Care of Western North Carolina Home Health Solution Home Health Specialists

Hoots Memorial Library Management Directions of North Carolina Nursing Center at Oak Summing Piedmont Dialysis QualChoice of North Carolina Stokes-Reynolds Memorial Hospital Triad Radiographic Imaging

Affiliated Users

Forsyth Technical Community College	Faculty Students - Associate Degree Nursing, Medical Sonography, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Practical Nursing, Radiologic Therapy Technology, Respiratory Care Technology, Vascular/Cardiovascular Interventional Technology
Winston-Salem State University	Faculty Students - Nursing Students - Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy

Community Memberships - For those not included in any of the preceding categories and not served by a Northwest AHEC Library membership can purchase a community membership. (Includes Alumni and spouses of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, North Carolina Baptist Hospital, and Wake Forest University staff, residents and students.)

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EDUCATION GOALS

The Library will support the institutional goals of WFUSM which are stated as: Produce graduates with enhanced critical thinking, problem-solving, inquiry, and self-assessment skills necessary for self-directed, lifelong learning. Instill a value for professional and ethical attitudes among students, faculty, and staff that demonstrates a respect for human dignity in the practice of medicine and health promotion. Establish a system to provide a strong environment for education by supporting a core of committed and outstanding educational faculty who will lead efforts in curriculum development, teaching, faculty development, and educational research. Gain national prominence and recognition as innovators in educational program design, implementation, and success.

To do so, the Library will:

1.   Expand the Library’s educational programs.

• Increase the Library’s role in the School of Medicine curriculum.

• Partner with CME to offer educational workshops on information management topics.

• Offer department-based conferences or one-on-one instruction on information management topics.

• Collaborate with the School of Library and Information Science at UNC-G on teaching medical librarianship courses.

• Continue to market the services offered by the Library by promoting classes taught by the librarians.

• Promote orientation sessions for new faculty, staff, residents and students.

• Continue to integrate new technologies.

• Update the Library staff in the use and training of others in these new technologies.

• Continue to provide Web tutorials, print guides, viewlets, pathfinders, and video conference options in order to help users develop better searching techniques.

2.   Build and strengthen partnerships with local and regional libraries and associations.

• Build stronger relationships with the three other NC medical schools, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, and the National Library of Medicine.

• Partner with the Forsyth County Public Library and the Forsyth County Health Department on consumer health information projects.

• Develop an affiliates program to ensure that the Library is involved with the new Research Park.

• Publicize the Dorothy Carpenter Medical Archives more extensively.

3.   Gain national prominence and recognition for the institution.

• Increase professional publication levels of the librarians in the areas of health librarianship, medical informatics, education, and computer science.

• Increase faculty and staff  participation in various organizations and attendance at meetings.

• Seek extramural funding where appropriate.

• Continue to benchmark resources with other health science libraries, taking special notice of services and facilities.

• Identify and incorporate the best practice areas of librarianship.

• Improve the Library’s physical environment for study and faculty interaction so it is competitive with top health science libraries.

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RESEARCH GOALS

The Library will support the institutional goals of WFUSM which are stated as: Move this medical school into the top tier of medical   universities in the nation as designated by an exceptional level of research funding from the National Institutes of Health and other peer-review-based extramural sources. Promote an environment that enhances our ability to  increase the level of research funding from all sources. Promote an environment that enables individual researchers to increase significantly their contribution to biomedical science by assuring the availability of enabling and cutting-edge technologies. Develop decision-making and implementation processes that allow for rational allocation and efficient use of resources for research and increase our investment in research. Integrate undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral education into our research programs to increase the participation of students and faculty in research. Cultivate an environment that lends itself to innovation and to increasing the transfer of intellectual property.

To do so, the Library will:

1.   Continue to build a library that is accessible to any users at any time.

• Aggressively refine and expand the Library’s collection based on new areas of research.

• Work with the faculty to examine the costs and benefits of replacing selected print subscriptions with electronic access.

• Continue to perform joint purchasing of electronic information resources with the Reynolda Campus Library and various consortia.

• Work with computer and communications resources to implement a wireless network in the Library.

• Enhance access to information resources not held at the Library through the delivery of electronic documents by keeping up-to-date with the latest technology within the document delivery service.

• Consider implementing a staffed virtual reference service point in the Library.

• Investigate establishing satellite library service in the downtown Research Park.

• Create a physical environment conducive to the exchange of ideas and collaboration amongst faculty within the institution.

• Increase the physical presence of Dorothy Carpenter Medical Archives.

2.   Improve access to research literature.

• Advocate and communicate the library information needs of researchers to publishers and vendors.

• Promote and support alternative publishing resources such as University Presses, PLoS, Biomed Central, SPARC, etc.

• Increase the functionality and appearance of the Library’s Web site.

• Promote institutional research through the Faculty Publications database and e-theses.

• Maintain the institutional history.

• Dorothy Carpenter Medical Archives will work to maintain an organized and accessible collection easily accessed by patrons.

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CLINICAL GOALS

The Library will support the institutional goals of WFUSM which are stated as: Continually improve patient care by re-engineering health systems and implementing evidence-based clinical practice programs. Optimize patient satisfaction by providing excellent service in an atmosphere centered on the individual patient’s needs. Identify and develop strategic partnerships to address management of clinical demand, capacity, and community relations. Manage capacity and financial resources to allow growth of national programs while meeting our regional obligations.

To do so, the Library will:

1.  Provide effective and efficient resources to the practicing healthcare provider and affiliates.

• Increase the ease of remote access to electronic information.

• Create a more concerted effort to publicize Library resources.

• Offer affiliate memberships to the Carpenter Library to healthcare practitioners and alumni.

2.   Provide healthcare professionals with information resources which affect patient care.

• Continue to involve the librarians in the clinical setting.

• Provide evidence-based medicine resources and tools.

• Advocate and communicate the library information needs of the healthcare professionals to publishers and vendors.

3.   Assist with improving the quality of patient care.

• Position the Library to serve as a consumer health information resource by reorganizing and promoting a core collection of consumer health information resources.

• Educate clinicians about consumer information that is available in the Library, and on the Internet, to share with patients.

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