VCU news

The Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University has received the 2020 Research Advancement in Health Sciences Librarianship Award from the Medical Library Association. 

“Tompkins-McCaw Library is one of the nation’s most outstanding health sciences libraries,” said John E. Ulmschneider, dean of libraries and university librarian for VCU Libraries. “It has an extraordinary collection and a distinguished, and much-honored, team of faculty and staff. This honor confirms that stature and the respect with which our library is held by its colleagues in the Medical Library Association.” 

According to the association, the award recognizes organizations whose exemplary actions have served to advance health information research and evidence-based practice in health sciences libraries. Honorees have created and sustained a culture of research that enables and recognizes the research engagement of health sciences librarians whose involvement has contributed significantly to clinical, educational, research or administrative outcomes in their institutions. The Medical Library Association selects awardees only on occasions when the merits of an organization clearly recommend recognition.

“This award recognizes the outstanding work of our library faculty who engage in research that advances health sciences librarianship and who partner with VCU faculty on research projects designed to inform innovation and discovery. Library faculty engage in a wide range of research from evidence-based practice to quality improvement to systematic reviews that improves human health,” said Teresa L. Knott, associate dean and director of Tompkins-McCaw.

The MLA Research Advancement Award recognizes the research efforts of the entire Tompkins-McCaw Library. Two letters of support showcase just two examples of the extraordinary research support offered by the faculty and staff at the library.

“The excellent work achieved by the librarians of Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences has contributed significantly to the culture of research we prioritize at VCU,” Sally A. Santen, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Office of Assessment, Evaluation and Scholarship and professor of emergency medicine in the School of Medicine, wrote in her letter supporting the nomination. 

“Educational scholarship faculty and staff reach out to John Cyrus [research and education librarian] on a nearly daily basis to ask for help on various easy and difficult literature searches. I have sent countless people to work with him as they do a background review, look specifically at methodology and work on the discussion of papers. He is always thorough, timely, helpful and insightful with his reviews,” Santen wrote. “As I look at the submissions or new projects I have worked on – he has supported at least 20 of them over the past year. He demonstrates in his role as a librarian that they are essential research partners in achieving clinical and institutional goals.” 

Jo Robins, Ph.D., an associate professor and interim director of Ph.D. programs in the School of Nursing, also wrote in support of the nomination, noting, “The sustained commitment of VCU Libraries to our research mission is evident across the university and health system through their support of collaborative relationships between librarians, faculty, students and clinicians.”

While library faculty in the Research and Education Department plays a large role in advancing the research mission of VCU and VCU Libraries the efforts of staff and faculty in all departments including Archives and Special Collections, Collections, Operations, and Resource Sharing and Delivery have equally contributed to this significant recognition, said Emily Hurst, deputy director of the library and head of the Research and Education Department.

The Medical Library Association is a global, nonprofit professional development organization with members from more than 400 institutions and 3,000 professionals in the health information field.