Lamar Soutter Library

Location: First Floor of the Medical School
Telephone: Library Service Point (LSP) 508-856-6099, Inter Library Borrowing 508-856-2080, Administration 508-856-2205
URL: http://library.umassmed.edu
Hours: Sunday 10 a.m.-12:00 p.m.; Mon - Thur 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
The library doors will close 15 minutes prior to closing time.

24/7 Access: UMass Chan students, residents, and faculty can enter the library 24 hours per day, seven days per week by swiping their UMass Chan ID cards at the front door. The library will not be staffed after regular hours.

The library is closed New Year’s Day, July 4, Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving, the day before Christmas and Christmas Day.

MISSION: Our mission is to provide you with the information resources you need during your medical school career, to provide information for researchers and clinicians, and to serve the health information needs of the general population in Massachusetts. We will assist you in locating information within the library and through other available resources, including other libraries, electronically, and over the Internet. We also offer hands-on training sessions to facilitate your skills in searching library databases.

You will often be aware of tours, training sessions and orientations going on around you as you are working on your own research and studies. The library at the Medical School is the largest health information resource in Central and Western Massachusetts, and is the only public academic health sciences library in the state. It is the Regional Medical Library for New England. For these reasons it is used by health care professionals, researchers, other students and health care consumers in increasing numbers.

Still, in the midst of the hustle and bustle, you will find that the library is a good place to study and to discuss your classes and your patients; there are quiet areas and tables available for study groups; and there are computers for word processing, literature searching, computer-assisted instruction, e-mail and Internet access. In addition, the library has nine group study rooms equipped with white boards to facilitate group work; five of the rooms also have large screen monitors for group viewing.

Library Card: A library card entitles you to full borrowing privileges. Applications for cards are available at the Library Service Point or on line at the libraries website.

Access to the Lamar Soutter Library Collection When Off Site: Access to electronic resources is available off campus via a proxy service.  You will log on with your borrower’s card barcode and a password that you choose.

The Lamar Soutter Library has a Pull & Copy Service which is free of charge for medical students assigned for training and/or study at remote sites. All requests must be sent electronically via the “Interlibrary Loan/Pull and Copy Request Form” on the Library’s Web site. The Pull & Copy Service will fill only requests referencing a verifiable UMass Chan Medical School student name. Requests will be filled through the Pull & Copy Service only for materials owned by the Lamar Soutter Library. No charges will be submitted to the medical student for this service. The Pull & Copy service is available to students on the main campus for a fee of $13 per article.

Medical Instruments and Anatomical Models: Medical Instruments, including stethoscopes, otoscope/ophthalmoscopes, tuning forks, and blood pressure kits are available for check out at the LSP.  Anatomical models are available at the Reserve Collection for in-house use.

Reserve Collection: Reserve materials are accessible on the first floor of the library. Consult the online catalog for the call number for each item you need. You are not required to check out reserves at the Library Service Point. However, please consider your fellow student and return the reserve material within 2 hours. Reserves must be used in the library.

Reference Collection: The collection contains directories, statistical sources, dictionaries and handbooks in the health sciences.  It is located on the First Floor. These books, while generally non-circulating, may be checked out for two hours when permission is granted by a librarian or an LSP staff member. Reference Librarians are available to assist you Monday through Friday.

Web Resources: The Library’s Web site hosts more than 400 searchable databases, as well as more than 8000 electronic text books and journals.

Internet Access: The Library’s computers connect you to the Internet. The Lamar Soutter Library Web site: (library.umassmed.edu) gets you started.

E-Mail: You will receive an e-mail account as you enter as a first-year student. The accounts are issued by the Information Technology. Students may access their e-mail from the library.

Library Computing Area: The library supports and administers the only public student computing area on campus. Word processing, spreadsheets and computer-assisted instruction are available on the library computers. The computers are used on a first come, first served basis. There are many times during the year when every seat in this area is taken. Be considerate of your peers: when not working at the computer, log out and let the next person log on. Laptop computers are available at the LSP for use within or outside of the library (one-week loan.) The library also circulates bamboo tablets (two-week loan.)

Training/Education Sessions: The Lamar Soutter Library offers a wide array of classes on an appointment basis for groups or individuals.

Classes are taught in:
The Computer Training Classroom (hands-on) in the Lamar Soutter
Library (University Campus)
The Computer Training Classroom (hands-on) in the Homer Gage
Library (Memorial Campus)
In your department (demo or hands-on, based on computer availability) across the multiple campus locations of the UMass Chan and UMMHC network.

All classes are free of charge to UMass Chan and UMMHC students, faculty and staff. Use the Library’s web site to view the class offerings, to register and/ or to discover a wide variety of online sites offering tutorials and tips.

Journals: The library subscribes to more than 5,300 electronic journals and maintains an active core print collection of 16 titles. Unbound, current core journals are located on the first floor of the library. Bound journals are located on the second and third floors. The journals are arranged alphabetically by title. They do not circulate outside the library. Journals older than 1978 are in storage and are retrieved once a day, Monday - Friday; request forms are available at the LSP.

Books and Audio-Visuals: Books and audio-visuals may be checked out or used in the library. See the information sheets at the LSP or the library’s website for specific policies and procedures. Books, and audio-visuals are located on the first floor, along the long-windowed wall, and are shelved according to the National Library of Medicine classification. Viewing equipment is available for in-library use. The library also circulates Kindles (two-week loan.) Each is loaded with titles from four categories – Medical Thrillers, History of Medicine, Humanities in Medicine, and Leadership.

Fines, Overdue or Lost Materials: Currently, overdue fines are not charged for books. Lost items are billed at the replacement cost, plus a processing fee of $50. Notices are sent out for overdue materials. Overdue or lost items will result in interruption and potential loss of ALL borrowing privileges.

Photocopiers: There is a photocopier on the first floor of the library. A debit card system is used with the copier. The cost is .20/page with a card and .25/page with coin.

Printing: Two networked printers are located on the first floor.  A debit card system is used.  The cost is .20/page.

Phones: Paging phones are located on the first floor and second floor.

Study Carrels: Study carrels are available for quiet, individual study on the second and third floors of the library. See the library website for details of the current study carrel policy.

Security System: An electronic security system is installed near the LSP exit and the rear fire exits to help prevent theft of library materials. The gate at the LSP beeps if the system is activated.

Food & Beverages: Food and beverages are allowed in all areas of the library except the computer lab on the first floor, providing you dispose of all trash and containers and work surfaces are kept clean. Please be sure your drinks have a cover when working at a computer.

Closing: The library staff flashes the lights on all three floors 15 minutes prior to closing, and again five minutes before closing. Doors are closed 15 minutes prior to closing. UMass Chan students, residents, and faculty can remain after closing and can enter the library 24 hours per day, seven days per week, by swiping their UMass Chan ID cards at the front door.

Use of Other Libraries: The Lamar Soutter Library is a member of the Boston Library Consortium. Through our membership, you may make use of the other member libraries. The Boston Library Consortium includes: MIT, Wellesley College, Northeastern University, Boston College, Boston University, Tufts University, Williams College, Brandeis, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, University of Connecticut, University of New Hampshire, the Massachusetts State Library and all campuses of the University of Massachusetts. To apply for card privileges, ask for more information at the LSP. The Countway Library, Harvard’s Medical School library, also makes its resources available to you. As a medical student, your name appears on a listing at the main entrance of the library. Upon showing identification, you may enter the Countway Library with no fee.

Interlibrary Borrowing: You may request that the Interlibrary Borrowing staff request materials (books, copies of book chapters and/or journal articles) from other libraries. All requests must be sent electronically via the “Interlibrary Loan/Pull and Copy Request Form” on the library’s website. Generally articles are received within two days and books within one to two weeks, depending on availability. There is no charge to students for this service.