UW Libraries Blog

November 2, 2021

A New Library for UW Health Sciences

UW Libraries

Updated 5/31/22

Today’s health sciences curriculum emphasizes the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration, and tomorrow’s healthcare professionals require a range of flexible spaces and access to expertise and resources purpose-built for integrated learning. Digital resources provide the majority of research and reference information, and in turn, libraries have long been evolving to adapt and meet the needs of the healthcare community. 

The Li Lu Library is an open concept space with 6 zoned areas  including group and quiet study areas, reservable offices for faculty or students, digital video and presentation technology, and a staffed service desk. The entire space is flooded with natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows facing out onto Pacific Avenue. Image credit: Miller Hull Partnership, Lease Crutcher Lewis, GGN, S/L/A/M Collaborative)

The ability to work effectively in teams, particularly in the healthcare setting, is the foundation of Interprofessional Education (IPE) and the design of both the new health sciences education building (HSEB), including a new UW Library; the Li Lu Library. Named after the donor who gave the first major philanthropic gift toward the new HSEB, the Li Lu Library will provide students with flexible, innovative and connected spaces for accessing information and working in teams. 

Currently in construction and scheduled to open in May 2022,  the new building will be one of the State’s first integrated training facilities, where students studying to become nurses, dentists, social workers, physicians, pharmacists and public health professionals train and learn together.

As health care evolves toward an interprofessional approach, training for this integrated model must also evolve. Such learning requires more than a classroom — it requires a learning ecosystem with robust library resources that will prepare students to communicate, work and lead in an integrated, collaborative environment.

The Li Lu Library is centrally located on the third floor, just steps away from lecture halls.  The new library is an extension of the  services provided through the existing Health Sciences Library. The location represents an intentional effort to integrate libraries into learning environments — meeting students where they are, and providing interactive and collaborative space to make connections and support active learning. The building’s focus is on modern active learning pedagogy, creating a space for gathering and interacting, enhanced by a design that enables high visibility from Pacific Avenue, revealing the inner activity and life from the street.

With more than 98% of health sciences library resources already online/digital, the Library prioritizes innovative study spaces over physical materials, facilitating the type of interactive study opportunities that students want and need in today’s academic setting. 

The UW Health Sciences Library (HSL) facilitates research and learning support at the local, regional, national and international level through its partnerships with IHME, UW Medical School’s WWAMI program, and as the virtual Regional Medical Library for Region 5 of the Network of the National Library of Medicine. Through these partnerships, UW Health Sciences Library facilitates distance-learning and access to critical clinical resources for students and clinicians alike in nine states and U.S. Territories throughout the region (WA, AK, OR, NV, CA, MT, WY, ID, HI), including many rural and underserved communities.  The new library is an extension of this work, making HSL support and resources more accessible to all health sciences students and faculty.  

“Knowing how to access and utilize the most current health science research and reference tools is an essential skill for any medical professional, and especially for those in resource-poor settings where the ability to get critical diagnostic information on-demand may be challenging,” says Tania Bardyn, Associate Dean for Health Sciences and Director, Network of the National Library of Medicine, Region 5.   “UW Health Sciences Library has always been integral to training UW health sciences students with best-in-class information literacy programming, tools and resources, including spaces for active learning and collaboration.  Through the new Li Lu Library, an extension of the UW Health Sciences Library, UW students and faculty will have even greater access to the spaces, tools and expertise that are essential to train tomorrow’s health science leaders.”

“UW Health Sciences Library has always been integral to training UW health sciences students with best-in-class information literacy programming, tools and resources, including spaces for active learning and collaboration.”

Image credit: Miller Hull Partnership, Lease Crutcher Lewis, GGN, S/L/A/M Collaborative)

While the final design for the Library is still being developed, preliminary concepts feature a multi-faceted space with areas for group work, resource sharing and information gathering as well as space for self-reflection and connecting with other students before or after classes.  The library will also offer several tech-enabled spaces with multiple LCD screens and digital video equipment to support remote learning and presentations.  Adjacent to several classrooms and a food service area, the library offers convenient access to study, connect, learn and reflect. With a dedicated service desk staffed by Health Sciences staff, students from all health sciences disciplines will have access to resources, tools and support to build the cross-discipline collaboration skills required to succeed in today’s healthcare environment.

Initial planning for the new health sciences education building began in 2014. UW Health Sciences Library staff have been closely involved since the beginning, helping to inform the design for the library based on assessment data and faculty focus groups that indicated a clear need for interdisciplinary collaboration space and resources.  

The Washington State Legislature committed to provide $70 million toward the $100 million building project. The University is seeking an additional $30 million in private support from community members and foundations. 

To learn more about the Li Lu Library and/or to inquire about a tour of the building site, please contact:

  • Julie Knorr, UW Project Manager
  • Tania Bardyn, Associate Dean for Health Sciences Director, Network of the National Library of Medicine, Region 5
  • Sheryl Stiefel, Assistant Dean of University Libraries for Advancement

About UW Health Sciences Library

The mission of the Health Sciences Library (HSL) at University of Washington (UW) is to advance scholarship, research, education and healthcare by anticipating information needs; providing essential resources and services; and facilitating learning for the greater health sciences community.  HSL staff support and collaborate with a wide set of users from inside and outside UW — students, faculty, researchers,  librarians, health professionals and community members throughout the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest. HSL supports all six health sciences schools at the university as well as the 25,000 employees of UW Medicine including 4,683 faculty across the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) region and over 4,700 medical students and trainees. Learn more.

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