Evolution of the Health Sciences Library Over the Years

An exhibition dedicated to Ms. Arlene Greenberg, retired Chief Medical Librarian at the Health Sciences Library (HSL, previously known as the Medical Library), who has enjoyed her 45+ years of service at the JGH and is still contributing by serving on various committees at the hospital.

Photo gallery

Chief Medical Librarian Arlene Greenberg (2nd to left) and her very first staff are all smiles after moving into the new premises in Pavilion A, Room 200 which was created on the top part of the Auditorium. 1978. 1-3-2.9.1.2
The Health Sciences Library (then Medical Library) one year after moving into the new premises which was created by adding a Mezzanine floor in the Samuel Cohen Auditorium. The library has remained in the location ever since. The picture depicts the layout of the library with journal display shelves standing on the left, book stacks in back end, individual study carrels (desks featuring high sides to isolate the users for private study), a group study area in the front-middle and staff offices on the right-hand side. 1978. 1-3-2.9.1.1
Dr. Benjamin Mitmaker, surgeon, browsing a journal in the library in 1983. The layout of the library was rearranged that year by switching the journal stacks with the carrels (desks featuring high sides to isolate the users for private study) allowing more sunlight to come in. 1-3-2.9.2.7
Chief Medical Librarian Arlene Greenberg is running a Medline search for a JGH doctor. Back in the 1980s, a Medline search could only be conducted by a trained librarian. The picture depicts the typical scene of a librarian running a Medline search with the essential information provided by a health professional. 1983. 1-3-2.9.2.13
Chief Medical Librarian Arlene Greenberg is consulting the McGill microcatalogue at the dawn of the digital information age in the early 1980s before the prevalence of online catalogue. 1983. 1-3-2.9.2.14
Library volunteer, Connie Chodos is using the library’s card catalogue, the ancestor of online catalogue. 1983. 1-3-2.9.2.3
Chief Medical Librarian Arlene Greenberg presenting with Dr. Eddy Lang at the JGH Mini-Med School on the topic of patient information. [2002] 1-3-2.9.4.7
The two photos depict the library’s transition from print to digital. While computers are replacing the old card catalog cabinets, the old study carrels can still be seen on the other side of the library. 2002. 1-3-2.9.4.6, 1-3-2.9.4.5
Year 2007 saw a major renovation of the HSL since 1977 with the aim to provide more technologies for its users in a rapidly evolving digital environment. The number of computer workstations was increased, study tables were wired for users’ laptops, and two new conference rooms were built. 1-3-2.6-1.9.1
(L to r) Francesca Frati and former HSL staff members Shiri Alon and Elena Popova, posing with their artworks at the Galerie 3755, the JGH staff art exhibit. 2010.
Library staff member Francesca Frati (far left) working with her Green Belt team during Lean Six Sigma training. The team’s project was to improve the process of biomedical equipment commissioning for the hospital. 2013. 1-3-2.9.5.4
The new mobile display cases, an initiative of the Historical Archives, have been set up in the main lobby since 2013 to showcase the rich and unique JGH history to the staff, the patients and the visitors to the hospital. The Historical Archives, a branch service of the Health Sciences Library, was set up in 2008 with a mandate to better preserve the history of the hospital and make it more accessible to the staff and the public. 1-3-2-3.9.2.1
Linda Lei, Archivist, posing in front of a poster that is presented by the Historical Archives to celebrate the JGH 80th anniversary. 2014.
HSL librarians Jacynthe Touchette, Francesca Frati, Julia Kleinberg (from l to r) attend the hospital’s Annual Patient Safety Week organized by the Quality Program. 2014, 2015. 1-3-2-2.9.2.1, 1-3-2-2.9.2.2
Patient and Family Resource Centre (PFRC) of the Jewish General Hospital. The idea of having a health information service for the JGH patients and families was conceived through the collaboration between the HSL and the Hope & Cope in providing much needed information for cancer patients and their family members. It became official in 2002. In 2012, the Patient Education Network (PEN) database was launched, allowing keyword search in a growing number of trustworthy patient educational materials created within the hospital and beyond. 2015. 1-3-2-2.9.1.3
The Samuel & Gertrude Drazin Memorial Collection for Judaica and Medical Ethics housed in the HSL. The Drazin collection was inaugurated by the Drazin family in memory of their parents and officially opened on Sept. 11, 1986. It includes over 1700 volumes covering topics on medical ethics and Judaica including Jewish history, the history of the Holocaust, the growth of the State of Israel, Canadian and Quebec Jewry, and the Jewish History of Montreal. 2015.
Former Chief Medical Librarian Arlene Greenberg (2nd to left) receives her 45 Years of Service certificate from the senior management of the JGH at the Long Service Reception on March 18, 2015. Also seen from the photo (l to r): Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, Chief Executive Director, Dr. Mark Wainberg (recipient of the 40 Years of Service certificate), Mr. Allen Rubin, President of the JGH Board of Governors, Dr. Joseph Portnoy, Former Director of the Professional Services. 1-3-2.9.5.5

HSL Over the Years - Textual Material

 Medline on CD-ROM Now Available at the Medical Library! 1992
 Medical Library joins McGill Library Consortium. 1992
 Medical Library's First Automated Catalogue. 1993
 HSL Collaborates with Hope & Cope to Offer Patient Health Information. 2002
 Testimonial by Dr. B. Mitmaker After Library's 2007 Major Renovation. 2011
 Arlene Greenberg Featured in JGH News. Spring 2011
 New Patient Education Network Database Soon to Launch! 2011
 Historical Archives Celebrate JGH's 80th Anniversary. 2014
 HSL Staff Gets Vocal on Open Access Journals. The Gazette, February 13, 2015.

For more information about the evolution of the library and Ms. Arlene Greenberg's career at the JGH, please click  here. 

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