FY 20 Annual Report
The Health Sciences Library System
Programs and Activities
Special Collections and Rare Book Room
The HSLS Special and Historical Collections and reading room continue to be a popular attraction for the library. The rare and interesting artifacts within our collection has made Falk Library a frequent stopping point for international visitors, Pitt and School of Medicine alumni visits, and Pitt health sciences groups. HSLS’s special collections have continued to successfully provide historical information, photos, high quality digital images, media clips, and other support documentation for a wide variety of University initiatives across the schools of the health sciences, the larger University Community and medical researchers across the nation.
Exhibits at HSLS
HSLS exhibits and events programming provides educational and thought-provoking experiences, new outreach and partnerships opportunities for the library, and increased visibility amongst the schools of the health sciences, the Pitt community, and within the Greater Pittsburgh region.
Due to construction and space constraints, HSLS hosted only one large exhibit from August-September 2019. NLM’s Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived and Well-Drawn! exhibit was a 6-week display of how comics and graphic arts integrate into the health sciences. Jay Hosler, Chair of the Biology department at Juniata College, presented a guest lecture titled, “The Art and Science of Sciences Comics.” The lecture was well attended and the exhibit attracted a total of 650 visitors to Falk Library.
Smaller displays included Readings for a Medical Student from the 1886 Syllabus, an exhibit and contest for library visitors to identify some of medical artifacts from our collections called What Is This, and Medical Education Technology from the 20th Century. A Valentine’s Day event included Rare Book Room tours for visitors to browse historical and rare anatomical atlases.
