National Medical Librarians month with a photo of Anu

Meet Anu: National Medical Librarians Month

Every October we celebrate medical librarians for their invaluable contributions to furthering the work of healthcare providers, researchers, and medical educators. In this fast-paced, quick information, AI world, health science librarians are the best resource for timely, verified health information. In this blog series, we delve into the experiences and insights of some of our outstanding Lane Librarians.

This week we are highlighting Anu Moorthy, our Electronic Resources Librarian. Learn more about how Anu works to protect the privacy of our library users and make sure digital resources are accessible to everyone who should have access.

Learn more about Anu!


What inspired you to become a medical librarian, and how long have you been in this field?

I was volunteering at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Library, working on library research guides. Then an electronic resources librarian position came up, and I applied and got the role. After 12 years, I still am very fond of electronic medical journals. I like the dynamic nature of librarianship in the medical library setting and the ongoing need to stay current with new technologies, research, and clinical practices. By providing access to electronic resources gives me a sense of purpose and gratification that my work is useful to health professionals.

Can you describe a typical day in your role as a medical librarian?

There are no typical days, every day is different and fun! I work on electronic resources, which means electronic journals, databases, and electronic books. My job involves making access easier for users, so they don’t have to click through multiple systems. It also includes troubleshooting, finding creative workarounds for vendor issues, communicate with the vendors about issues. Every day is different, and I enjoy the complexity of problem solving that arise in various areas. I absolutely love my job because of the complexity and variety it brings everyday!

How has technology changed the way you provide library services?

When I started, the library resources were all in print. Over the years, there has been a rapid shift towards electronic resources. This has helped the medical librarians to adapt to changes and explain the nuances to the users. Technology has also brought in more challenges, some of the challenges are user privacy, the impacts on user data. Technology helps provide seamless access to electronic resources. Users may not know that there are multiple systems working in the background for that one click PDF. Managing complex eco-system of Institution and the vendor needs constant collaborative efforts with both the vendors and the internal staff.

What emerging trends in medical librarianship do you find most exciting or impactful?

AI is a huge topic right now. I am excited that AI can help us with various tedious tasks, including editing catalog records and helping with different areas of technical services in libraries. Secondly, Accessibility is getting the much-needed attention with electronic resources. We are working with the vendors to comply with accessibility standards. The integration of discovery tools, evidence based resources, and data management, and customized user experience will continue to grow!

What are your go-to resources or databases that you would recommend to healthcare professionals?

Of course, my go-to resource is Lane Medical Library website. Lane Library website elegantly curates the resources we license and provides seamless access!


Want to connect with a librarian for help? Find out who your liaison librarian is and how to reach out on our liaison webpage.

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