WRNMMC, Bethesda, MD  –   The Darnall Medical Library at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) has been selected as one of the recipients of the 2022 Research Advancement in Health Sciences Award.
The announcement was made by the Medical Library Association, the umbrella body of medical libraries, for its dedication and efforts to advancing health information research and evidence-based health science practices.
The Darnall Medical Library, located on the 3rd floor of the WRNMMC admin building, is named after Navy CAPT William L. Darnall Sr. He served as Officer in Charge at the National Naval Dental Center from Jul 1923 to Oct 1927, and as Dental Officer in Command from Aug 1939 to Apr 1941.
In a letter to the library director, the association said, “It is with great pleasure that the Board of Directors of the Medical Library Association joins us in offering our heartfelt congratulations on your library’s selection as one of the recipients of the 2022 Research Advancement in Health Sciences Librarianship Award. Being chosen to receive this award shows your institution’s great dedication and efforts to advancing health information research and evidence-based practice in health science libraries. We look forward to honoring you as part of MLA’22 where your library will be recognized for making outstanding contributions to the field of health sciences librarianship.”
Ann Holman, Director of the WRNMMC Darnall Medical library, said, the library opened following the merger between the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center in 2011. It was rebranded with a renewed mandate of being a collection point for medical books, maximizing the use of resources, and emphasizing the role of technology in library applications.
“We believe information is central to quality healthcare delivery,” said Holman. “That’s why we make sure library services and resources are available to healthcare providers at this hospital and command through electronic journals and databases. We also provide librarians to accompany doctors doing patient visits to help them with research to respond to key questions and assist researchers writing for publications,”
Holman expressed her excitement over the award, adding that this recognition shows the library’s impact of helping health providers do their jobs quickly, efficiently and help in saving lives and support research to exhibit their part in the ‘military medical readiness’ broader mission.
According to a report from the Chartered Institute of Public Accountancy, figures on public library closures are high. In the past five years almost 350 public libraries have closed. During that same period, librarian numbers have decreased by a quarter due to a loss of 8,000 jobs. Public use of libraries has fallen by 16%, and in some places, book borrowing has dropped by half.
But Holman noted that within the military and medical contexts, there is still the need for professionals to use libraries, adding technologies now exist to provide around-the-clock library services.
“During the pandemic (March 2020-March 2022), we reached an average of about eight thousand views a month through our content management system, allowing our consumers to conduct their research, and our staff to respond to numerous questions online. It includes a patient health education portal, intended to aid beneficiaries by providing them with authoritative health information needed to help in their recovery,” she said.
Sarah Clarke, a librarian who supports research at the library, said they first read the criteria for the award months ago, and quickly realized the WRNMMC library was a great candidate because of the wonderful services it provides to the organization. “We support health knowledge and   research daily in and out of the hospital,” said Clarke. 
“Our team within the library also assists evidence-based medicine sessions, ensuring practitioners have the knowledge they need to perform their jobs well. We also support research to help publish content to guide patients and health providers who need our help,” added Emily Shohfi, another researcher at the library.
The Medical Library Association (MLA) is a global, nonprofit educational organization, with a membership of over 400 institutions and 3,000 health professionals. Since 1898, MLA has fostered excellence in the professional practice and leadership of health science libraries to support health care, education, and research.
For more on the Medical Library Association and the award, click on the following link: https://www.mlanet.org/aim