INTELLECTUAL / SCIENTIFIC ENVIRONMENT

Johns Hopkins is relatively small, so there is easy interchange between departments and divisions of the University, yet it is large enough to provide opportunities for stimulating consultation in virtually every area of intellectual curiosity. At the School of Medicine, most basic science research laboratories are grouped together in a cluster of five buildings that, together with the Welch Medical Library, surround a large landscaped courtyard, especially active at lunchtime. Weather permitting, Restriction Courtyard (named to honor the discoveries of Nobel laureates, Hamilton Smith and Daniel Nathans) plays host to open air classes, lab group meetings, a Fall wine tasting organized by the GSA, and any number of informal TGIF events.

The Baltimore-Washington corridor is one of the most research-intensive areas in the country. Here, the combined presence of Johns Hopkins, the National Institutes of Health, Walter Reed Army Research Center and the University of Maryland has made the area attractive to many biotechnology companies. Our proximity to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda is especially advantageous, allowing frequent exchange of speakers and visitors. The National Library of Medicine (Washington, D.C.) serves as an invaluable resource.

As a major research University, Johns Hopkins maintains one of the nation's finest library systems. The William H. Welch Medical Library provides medical and health information resources that supports the teaching, patient care, and research goals of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.  The primarily electronic collection includes more than 5440 electronic journals, 1356 electronic books, and 403 databases available to users around the clock.  Among the many available resources are PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, UpToDate, MDConsult, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, EBSCOHost, LEXIS NEXIS, Micromedix, FirstSearch, Proquest, etc.  The Welch Library system includes the Abraham Lilienfeld Library of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, also a full-service site, providing access to e-resources, print collections, microcomputers and the internet. 

By registering as a library user, Hopkins students and fellows gain access to this huge variety of resources.  More than 90% of the joural collection is online as is much of the reserve collection, and PubMed links provide access to more than 80% of the Welch collection.  Users can also reach the library online through a customized portal to resources and services called MyWelch.  Welch has pioneered the development of several Welch Information Suites bringing a constellation of services, digital and personal, to the medical institutions.  Welch Information Suites with digital collections and specialized services exist in the Broadway Research Building (Basic Sciences), the Population Center of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and in the Meyer Building for the departments of Psychiatry, Neurosciences and Critical Care.  The Oncology Department has two virtual Inforrmation Suites, lacking physical spaces but driven by specialized, tailored services.  Special library services include Liaison Librarians assigned to specific departments who identify user needs and collaborate on solutions. 

On the Homewood Campus, the Milton S. Eisenhower Library, the university's principal research library, houses well over 2.6 million books and more than 30,000 print and electronic journal subscriptions, over 600,000 e-books, over 7,000 videos and DVDs, 215,000 maps, and 4.1 million microforms.  At the Applied Physics Laboratory located in Howard County, the R.E. Gibson Library sustains the research efforts of engineers and scientists.