Hours
Texas Department of State Health Services Medical and Research Library Hours: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday except for State of Texas holidays.
Location/Contact Information
The Medical and Research Library (MRL) is located at the Texas Department of State Health Services (TX DSHS) main campus in Austin, TX. (See Visitor Information)
MRL Contact Information:
Telephone number: 512-776-7559
Toll-Free: 1-888-963-7111 ext. 7559
Fax: 512-776-7474
Email: library@dshs.texas.gov
Physical Address:
Medical and Research Library
Texas Department of State Health Services
1100 W. 49th St., Moreton Building, M-652
(see Central Campus-Austin map)
Austin, TX 78756-3199
Mailing Address:
Medical and Research Library, MC 1955
Texas Department of State Health Services
P.O. Box 149347
Austin, TX 78714-9347
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Mission Statement
To fulfill the health-related information needs of researchers, counselors and medical practitioners working for or through the Texas Health and Human Services enterprise (TX HHS), enabling them to make knowledgeable decisions, resulting in better health for Texans and good stewardship of public resources.
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Stakeholders
Medical and Research Library (MRL) main stakeholders are employees of TX HHS enterprise. Other stakeholders are other public health professionals, the library community and Texas citizens.
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Library Staff
Anne Tarpey, MSIS
Senior Librarian/Team Leader
anne.tarpey@dshs.texas.gov
David McLellan, MLIS
Librarian
david.mclellan@dshs.texas.gov
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Book Collection
The book collection has over 5,000 book and ebook titles.
· Book topics include public health, medicine, and business leadership and management.
· Books are borrowed for four weeks.
· Only Health and Human Services (HHS) employees can borrow library books and ebooks.
· Books not owned by the MRL are borrowed from other libraries using the inter-library loan service.
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Journal Collection
The journal collection has over 230 electronic journals and five print journals.
· Journal topics are mainly public health and medicine.
· Only HHS employees may use the journals.
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Reference Services
MRL librarians answer reference questions using electronic and print resources. They refer library users to TX HHS experts and other partners. MRL librarians do not give medical or legal advice.
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Literature Searches
HHS employees needing help to find literature ask the MRL librarians to search for them. This is how the literature search is done:
· HHS employee(s) fill in a literature search request form or emails the literature search request to the MRL librarians.
· A list of book titles and/or journal article citations with or without abstracts is made.
· The list is sent to the HHS employee(s) to review.
· HHS employee(s) select titles and/or citations from the list.
· HHS employee(s) email the selected titles/citations to the MRL.
· Them the MRL librarians send the selected titles/journal articles to the HHS employee(s).
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Document Delivery
The MRL gives free document delivery services for books and journal articles to TX HHS employees. This is how document delivery is done:
· HHS Employee(s) fills out a document delivery request form or emails the MRL librarians with the request(s).
· MRL librarians check the MRL collection first.
· If the MRL doesn't own the requested item(s), an interlibrary loan request to borrow from other libraries is made. The MRL is a Network of National Library of Medicine (NNLM) member and DOCLINE participant.
· When the items are ready, the MRL librarians send them to the HHS employee(s) who made the request.
· The MRL follows the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, US Code).
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Newsletter
The Medical and Research Library News is a a monthly newsletter on medical and public health websites, reports, journal abstracts, new MRL resources and services, and upcoming events and trainings. Go to join email list to sign up.
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Current Awareness Services
MRL librarians provide two current awareness services to support the research activities of Texas HHS employees.
• Electronic Search Service: Employees involved in ongoing research request the MRL librarians to do electronic searches on topics of interest, which creates a list of newly published materials.
• Tables of Contents Service: MRL librarians will send Table of Contents (TOCs) from journal titles pre-selected by HHS employees to their HHS email addresses. To subscribe, go to the table of contents request form.
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Tours and Training
HHS employees get in-person or virtual MRL tours and resource training sessions. Email the MRL to set up tours and/or trainings.
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External links to other sites are intended to be informational and do not have the endorsement of the Texas Department of State Health Services. These sites may also not be accessible to people with disabilities.