UF HSC Libraries

The UF HSC Libraries includes 2 facilities that encompass 69,662 square feet of space, including computer laboratories that total over 3,386 square feet. Users may access 72 public-use computers throughout the HSC Libraries, including 30 computers in the public areas, 27 in the computer laboratories, and 15 in the electronic classroom. Twenty-two librarians and professional staff and 43 additional support staff serve the academic, research, and clinic information needs of the six UF health science colleges. The primary users of the HSC Libraries are faculty (1,895), staff (5,590), and students (5,833) of these colleges; Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) program offices in North Florida; and 8,350 SHANDS Hospital employees. Seating and study space for 556 patrons is available on three floors. The HSC Libraries are open an average of 100.5 hours per week, with approximately 300,000 people entering the doors during the least fiscal year. Reference assistance and search help is available at the Reference Desk, which is open an average of 42 hours per week.

The UF HSC Libraries’ collection includes reference materials, journals, books, audiovisuals and electronic resources. On 30 June 2004, the Libraries’ collection totaled 352,019 volumes including 86,518 monograph volumes, 245,386 journal volumes and 8,430 audiovisual resources. The collection contains about 2,500 current journal subscriptions both print and online. Total expenditures for the collection in FY 03-04 were $1,868,434. In addition, the Libraries are members of the Research Libraries Group, the Center for Research Libraries, and other organizations, which give UF faculty and students access to many major scholarly collections. Interlibrary loans (ILL) may be placed through email–it is not necessary to go to the ILL unit in person. Beyond specific programs, the libraries are linked to major national and international databases such as RLIN, OCLC, NEXIS/LEXIS, DIALOGUE, and QUESTEL through which most materials that are not held at UF can be quickly located. The HSC Libraries provide online access using these three methods: via computers within the library; remote dialup access via a campus internet account; and via a pioneering proxy server method (‘EZ Proxy’) implemented by the libraries own Information Systems office. These resources are available to students and faculty who use them to prepare grants, IRB applications, search for appropriate publication outlets, and examine potentially competing data collection instruments.