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The Gibson D. Lewis Health Science Library supports the education, research, patient care, and community service missions of the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC) by meeting the information needs of students, faculty, staff, and the local health sciences community. The library offers a full complement of services, including 24x7 worldwide access to scholarly bibliographic and clinical resources, borrowing privileges, use of individual and group study areas, photocopying and printing, document delivery/interlibrary loan, expert instruction in the use of information resources, and access to professionally trained librarians for research and patient care related literature search assistance.
The library’s staff of 32.5 FTE employees provides traditional in-person assistance along with remote help via virtual reference and chat services. The library spends approximately 2.8 million dollars each year acquiring scholarly resources and its collection contains approximately 25,000 electronic journals, 28,000 print and electronic books, and 162 searchable databases in the biomedical sciences, clinical medicine, public health, and affiliated fields. All electronic resources can be accessed through the Lewis Library web site at https://library.unthsc.edu and are available to HSC students, staff, and faculty from anywhere at any time. For those wishing to study, collaborate, and socialize in person, each of the library’s three floors is available for student and faculty use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Lewis Library manages the HSC Fort Worth Data Repository, a research data hosting service for HSC-affiliated faculty, staff, and students. The repository provides convenient tools that allow researchers to deposit, publish, and manage datasets, key functions regarding meeting funder mandates for the secure archiving and sharing of research data. HSC’s data repository uses an open-source application called the Dataverse software, developed by Harvard University, and is hosted by the Texas Digital Library.
Lewis Library maintains the UNTHSC Scholarly Repository, known as UNTHSC Scholar, an online resource that preserves intellectual works created by HSC faculty, staff, and students and enables discovery of these works by the international scientific community. You can view repository items, including student theses and dissertations, at https://unthsc-ir.tdl.org/. In addition to working on digital content creation and preservation, Lewis Library operates the University Archives, which includes rare books and other UNTHSC historical artifacts. The archives give users the opportunity to access historical material in osteopathic and physical medicine, as well as items related to the founding and administration of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.
Lewis Library uses OCLC’s online resource management system known as WorldShare Mangement Services (WMS) to acquire, process, and provide access to its collections. Students and faculty may obtain books and journals not held in the library by using the Tipasa web-based order and delivery system. Additionally, the library participates in TexShare, a state of Texas cooperative library program. TexShare allows HSC students, staff, and faculty physical access to and borrowing privileges from all public libraries as well as various public and private institutions of higher education in Texas. As a member of the University of North Texas System, the library is able to gain access to a wide array of electronic resources outside the health sciences. Lewis Library has also been an active participant in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine since the 1980s and is, additionally, a member of the South Central Academic Medical Libraries Consortium (SCAMeL), a group of 22 academic medical/health science center libraries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. The library’s participation in these collaborative endeavors ensures that HSC students and faculty have access to the world of information beyond the walls of Lewis Library.
Lewis Library has been home to a Regional Medical Library (RML) of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM SCR) since May 2016. The RML originally served the South Central Region of the Network and, as of May 2021, is serving as the coordinating body for Region 3. The library’s service as the RML is based on a National Institutes of Health award, Cooperative Agreement 1UG4LM012345-01. As a unit of the National Library of Medicine, the Region 3 office aims to advance the progress of medicine and improve public health through increased access to health information within the states of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. The RML extends the services and programs of the NNLM and the National Library of Medicine by partnering with health information agencies and organizations, public health entities, community based organizations, libraries, and the general public to offer outreach, funding opportunities, and educational programming throughout the region.
In addition to its traditional services to the HSC community and its role as host to a regional office of the National Library of Medicine, the library administers a handful of other important programs. Since 2017, Lewis Library has managed the John S. Marietta Memorial Medical Library for the JPS Health Network, the public hospital and clinic system based in Fort Worth and the surrounding county. In cooperation with JPS Administration, Lewis Library provides professional clinical librarian support throughout the main hospital facility along with electronic access to a robust collection of clinical care information resources. Beginning in 2018, Lewis Library assumed responsibility for maintaining HSC’s records program to preserve and protect information that is vital to the essential functions of the organization. In compliance with the Texas State records management program, the HSC records program ensures that state government information is retained and accessible to the people of Texas.
Information Technology Services provides quality computer services to all academic and administrative areas at HSC. The departments of Information Technology Services that provide services to students are Helpdesk & Client Services and Infrastructure & Security. These departments are located in Room 202 of the Library building and can be accessed through the Student Support helpdesk. For more information on Information Technology Policies, please visit the policies website at https://www.unthsc.edu/administrative/institutional-compliance-office/unt-health-science-center-policies/.
Helpdesk and Client Services provides consultation and user assistance to computer users relative to hardware and software use, communications, printing, email, and provides computer purchase recommendations. In addition, the helpdesk resells certain software to students under academic purchase agreements. It manages and provides warranty support for the student laptop one-to-one program. All student laptops are supported by this office located in the Library main floor, Room 219. Other services include classroom lecture capture, setup of audiovisual equipment for classroom use, and equipment checkout for faculty and staff.
Infrastructure and Security is responsible for the design, installation, and maintenance of academic and administrative local-area networks (LANs), wireless networks on campus, email systems, servers, data storage, user access, and accounts. Computer users connected to the HSC network have access to a variety of software programs and are able to exchange data and e-mail with users across the institution and off-campus. VPN access is available for both PC and Macintosh platforms.
The HSC records management program is managed by the Gibson D. Lewis Health Science Library and is designed to assist all non-clinical departments with management of a record’s entire lifecycle, i.e., from creation to final disposition. The program helps to reduce cost and liability by promoting adherence to State of Texas record management guidelines, but it is also supports university operations and managerial decision making through the provision of timely access to needed material. As part of the program, training and support are provided to campus departments in all areas of records and information management.
The Research Office is responsible for all basic and applied research, clinical trials, and biomedical technology programs. Programs that promote these activities include seminars, workshops, faculty research programs, collaborative and community outreach activities, and a variety of programs to encourage students to pursue careers in research.
The Research Office develops policies and administers programs to enhance research and scholarly activity and to assure institutional compliance with all mandated requirements related to research. The office assists in proposal development, identification of and negotiations with potential sources of support, and post-award management of research funds. The office manages intellectual property (patents and copyrights), institutional policies, and research contractual matters.
The Division of Academic Innovation is a collaboration of experts focused on cutting edge innovation that synthesizes and delivers novel learning experiences for all learners. With a commitment to excellence, relevance, and authenticity, the Division of Academic Innovation supports the HSC through:
- Faculty and staff development of teaching skills
- Online and classroom education support
- Educational technology
- Educational media services and the One University Studio
- Accredited continuing education for many clinical professionals in HSC Learning Plus
- Microcredential and short course creation in HSC Learning Plus
The Division of Academic Innovation (DAI) supports faculty, staff, and students by providing a wide variety of services to improve teaching and learning. DAI specializes in educational technology, course and instructional design, faculty development, Canvas learning management system, and instructional media including the One University Studio.
DAI provides support to programs, faculty, and students for academic instruction that is provided through online tools and resources. It partners with academic departments to develop programs and deliver face to face, hybrid, and online education.
The DAI Department of Continuing Education and Accreditation connects the colleges, providers, and administrators to outcomes‐driven, continuing education solutions. It develops new ways to engage practicing providers, researchers, and leaders in continuing education activities, community programs, and internal and external collaborations that focus on improving outcomes. It does this through discipline-specific and interprofessional conferences, quality improvement initiatives, online programs in HSC Learning Plus, and other types of continuing education for HSC providers and health care professionals in Tarrant County and beyond. HSC Learning Plus provides a convenient way for students and providers to access learning, retrieve participation records, and stay connected to HSC as their academic home as they enter their professions.
In 2012, the University of North Texas Health Science Center created the Department of Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPEP) to address the need for a new kind of training for health professions. Leaders across the globe recognize this need as being for team-based and collaborative care models to improve health systems. Interprofessional teams are a factor in ensuring the highest quality of care, intervention, and response with the lowest cost in all settings and professions. High-functioning teams improve the experience, outcomes, and costs of health.
The most common definition of Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE) is penned by the World Health Organization and is education that “occurs when two or more professions (from traditional students to professionals actively in the workforce) learn with, about, and from each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes”. Students, faculty, staff, and working professionals from HSC’s five colleges/schools are provided opportunity, embedded within the curriculum, to experience and engage in IPE. All levels and types of learners are trained together to achieve interprofessional collaborative practice competency in four key areas: (1) Interprofessional Values and Ethics; (2) Roles and Responsibilities; (3) Interprofessional Communication; and (4) Teams and Teamwork.
The HSC holds IPE-specific partnerships with regional institutions to broaden training opportunities to include health and health-related professions beyond those represented at our university. To date, these partnerships include, but are not limited to, Texas Christian University, Texas Woman’s University, University of Texas at Arlington, Tarrant County Community District, Weatherford College, John Peter Smith Hospital, Texas Health Resources.
SaferCare Texas is comprised of interprofessional, patient-safety subject matter experts committed to creating a new culture of safety in health care for Texas. The mission is to challenge traditional thinking to eliminate preventable harm. SaferCare Texas is focused on reducing medical errors and assuring Texans receive the highest quality of health care. SaferCare Texas is expanding its profile and raising state and national awareness through education, health literacy, community outreach initiatives, and quality improvement programs. SaferCare Texas’ efforts are integrated into the Texas State Health Plan and other state agencies to facilitate the awareness and elimination of preventable harm. A few of the key focus areas include Health Literacy, Geriatrics, Pediatrics, Rural Health, and Medical Education. IHI Open School, Fort Worth Chapter is a global learning community supporting students and teams in providing the best possible care through online patient safety education, project-based learning, and interprofessional networking. It is supported and facilitated by SaferCare Texas. For more information, please visit safercaretexas.org.
The HSC Regional Simulation Center provides training and education for students in all HSC academic programs, as well as for community healthcare providers, by offering realistic simulated patient experiences and deliberate practice of procedural skills in a safe learning environment. The Simulation Center provides opportunities to apply knowledge acquired in pre-class and in-class activities to prepare students for the provision of safe patient care. Learning experiences include faculty feedback, opportunity for repeated performance, and facilitator guided self-reflection. Through participation in simulation learning activities, students develop confidence and competence in psychomotor skills, clinical decision making, effective communication, and teamwork. The Simulation Center offers students the opportunity to practice skills required for licensure exams and to prepare for clinical practice settings. In addition, simulation courses are available to experienced healthcare providers on an array of topics.
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