A Year of Change for the Brooke Army Medical Center Library
By Beverly Rakowitz
The Medical Library, Brooke Army Medical Center, (Army) has undergone a year of change. In March 2008, the library was downsized and merged with the Medical Library at Wilford Hall Medical Center (Air Force). The collection at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) was trans-ferred to Wilford Hall and other libraries; downsizing the collection to fit into a 400 sq ft “library office”. The librarian and a technician remained at BAMC providing a “virtual library” to personnel with back-up support from the Wilford Hall library. The other three library technicians relocated to Wilford Hall library providing support to BAMC and working to merge the collec-tion for the Army and Air Force into what is to become SAMMC-North and South. In July, a separate 250 sq ft computer room was added to provide public computers for hospital personnel. By fall 2008, it was determined that the library would have to move again and a larger space was needed. The current collection was 800 books and 2000 bound journals. Mobile shelving was purchased and installed allowing the library staff to move again at the end of October 2008. Now the Medical Library is a 1500 sq ft area with desks, shelves and computers for personnel use 24 hours a day. A “real library” once again.