At the Health Sciences Library, we power curiosity, discovery and connection. We take a collaborative approach to advance interprofessional education through our expertise, engagement, critical content, and cutting edge technologies that advance teaching, learning, and research, and prepare the next generation of health care providers. Together we make the difference.
Erinn Aspinall
Director, Health Sciences Libraries
The history of the Health Sciences Libraries began in 1892 when the Board of Regents approved $2,000 for the development of a book collection for the Medical School Department. Each year since, our expertise, spaces, and resources have transformed to mirror the needs of our vibrant community.
As we enter our next 130 years of collaboration, we are bringing the world of health information to your fingertips to advance informed practice, shine a light on the social determinants of health, and center interprofessional innovation for the future of care.
Exhibits at the Wangensteen Historical Library spark curiosity and showcase their renowned collection that spans 5 centuries.
Explore a newly acquired nineteenth-century manuscript titled “Shichito no Shiori.” This ten-volume set is an illustrated guide to the seven famous hot springs in Hakone, Japan, located 50 miles southwest of Tokyo. Stop by to experience the text’s stunning illustrations, learn about the medicinal properties of hot springs, and find out how this new acquisition fits into the Wangensteen’s stellar history of medicine collection!
See student success in action! This exhibit highlights examples of the variety of student work done in 2022 using the Wangensteen’s collections.
This exhibit seeks to examine the historical underpinnings of graphic medicine through collections held at both the Wangensteen Historical Library and the Children’s Literature Research Collections, and explores the historical and contemporary use of visual narratives to communicate about health and medicine.
This exhibit showcases some of the most important examples of the Wangensteen’s vast collection of historical anatomical illustrations and features three of the collection’s flap anatomies, reproduced and made larger so that viewers can interact with them.
This two-part exhibit explores how students use Wangensteen materials in coursework both as individuals and as part of class assignments.
• Anatomy Illustrated
• Tamper-Proof Packaging
• Halloween@Wangensteen
• Big Books & Little Books
• Wangensteen in Bloom
We're putting information into practice every day as we connect students with new modes of learning and increase the impact of research.
Innovations in Dentistry
What's old is new again in Dr. Karin Quick's Dental Professionalism course. Through our partnership, all Year 1 DDS students interacted with rare books and artifacts to understand how the items have shaped attitudes towards patient care and how this knowledge can inform and strengthen dental practice.
Global access to artifacts
Thanks to a $103K Legacy Grant from the Minnesota Historical Society, the artifacts we use to enhance local scholarship through course integration, including in Anatomy 7800 (right), are being cataloged for greater access. A technique called photogrammetry will make our most delicate and rare items accessible to anyone around the world — and even in virtual reality.
Building empathy through virtual reality
New funding is opening opportunities for students and educators to understand the patient experience. Visitors to our Virtual Reality Studio can now walk in the shoes of individuals with macular degeneration, hearing loss, and Alzheimers (among others) so they can place course content in context.