The Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library (LSHSL)

The LSHSL is a health information resource for the University's medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, and allied health science students and faculty, and also a resource for individual patients, healthcare providers, the community, and researchers in general.

Towering on four levels of one of the most iconic buildings on campus, the library has two elevators and offers space to meet various needs of the Howard community. There are meeting and conference rooms, some of which are fully equipped to broadcast presentations and discussions that foster collaboration between internal and external stakeholders.

The library is affiliated with the Medical Library Association as well as the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL). AAHSL comprises the libraries serving the accredited U.S. and Canadian medical schools belonging to, or affiliated with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). It includes other related libraries and organizations that lead in resolving information and knowledge management problems in the health care environment.

Staffing
The library is staffed by six (6) librarians (including the Executive Director), and four (4) technical assistants. The Executive Director reports to the Provost and Chief Academic Officer of the University.

Information Resources

The LSHSL collection transitioned from print-based to electronic in 2014 to provide online access to high quality digital assets. Access to 6,056 electronic journals, 89,467 eBooks, and 61 fee-based databases are available on-campus and remotely. The library provides immediate and multiple routes of access to electronic resources including full-text journals, full-text books, evidence-based practice tools, indexes, and databases.

Currently, the LSHSL opens for 114 hours per week. In addition, three large rooms are made available for Health Sciences students to use after the library closes.

The LSHSL Facilities:

• There is seating for 600 (including study carrels, club chairs) throughout the LSHSL in traditional and non-traditional setting. In addition to campus-wide wireless connection, power and data ports facilitate easy laptop computer use and data retrieval.
• A total of 14 group, and single study rooms are furnished with 14 tables and 56 chairs.  A white board is mounted in each room.

Ground Floor

• The university seal on the floor of the Gallery welcomes all patrons to the Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library. The Gallery is adorned with memorabilia of Louis Stokes and accommodates up to 75 people.
• Equipped with a projector, portable video equipment, retractable screen, white boards, and desktop network ports for laptop computers, the Video Distance Learning allows students and instructors to interact with other medical universities and hospitals.
• The networked Telemedicine Room enables health professionals to share data and discuss cases with physicians at remote sites.
• The Harold J. Kaplan Multimedia Room is equipped with 23 computer workstations and seats 30. On the 2^nd floor, the eLab has 24 computer workstations. There are whiteboards and dropdown screens and projectors in computer labs.
• In addition to PCs in the computer labs, 12 MAC computers are available for patrons.

Second Floor

• Eight Problem-Based Learning rooms are used for seminars and group study spaces. There is a total of 96 chairs and 48 tables.
• With seating for 23, the Faculty Reading Room offers a tranquil venue for reading, writing, or relaxing.

Third Floor

• The Special Collections Reading Room provides a pleasant, secure, and controlled environment for the display and use of special collections devoted to health issues and the contributions of African American health practitioners to the history of medicine. It is also a repository for rare books and artifacts.
   
• The 4th floor Reading Room accommodates 200 persons. This popular room is used for special events and also converts into a study area.  Adjacent to this space, is the intimate Dr. George Jones Conference Room with scenic views of the Freeman’s Square.
   
• The Health Science Testing Center is located on the 4^th floor of the LSHSL. There are 130 work stations on study carrels and a monitoring system.

Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library

2016 Annual Report

Off Campus Access

1. Go to http://www.hsl.howard.edu

2. When you select a library database or find an e-journal, you will be prompted to login.

• Click "Network Access"
• You will be redirected to an Office 365 screen.
• Enter your Howard email address.
• Enter the password that is associated with your email account..

This is the same information that is used to log on to HU domain desktops.

3. Click "Sign in."

If you are denied access, call 202-884-1521 or email healthscienceslibrary@howard.edu