On the rainy afternoon of May 2, 2024, guests gathered on the fourth floor of the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences to celebrate its first 50 years and to observe the sleek renovations that signal its future. It was also an unofficial reunion; for the first time, all four of the library’s living directors—current director Janna Lawrence, retired directors Linda Walton and David Curry, and retired interim director Ed Holtum—were in one room. 

“Thousands of people have been impacted by the service offered by the Hardin Library and its great staff,” says Lawrence. “It was amazing to be able to share this moment with my colleagues who have also helped steward Hardin from strength to strength over the last half-century.”

“This renovation was made possible by a generous grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, and we are extremely grateful for its continued partnership in supporting the work of the Libraries.”

John Culshaw, Jack B. King university librarian

The look and function of the fourth floor have undergone many shifts over the past 50 years but perhaps none as seismic as the renovation unveiled in the spring.

“These transformational changes allow us to continue helping students thrive, graduate, and launch their careers, as well as support the success of our faculty,” says John Culshaw, Jack B. King university librarian. “This renovation was made possible by a generous grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, and we are extremely grateful for its continued partnership in supporting the work of the Libraries.”

The new design is responsive to student needs, given the changing nature of study and the environments that support it. A half-century of technological advancement means that library users now work more collaboratively than they once did, and students spend less time browsing the physical stacks for relevant materials, opting to pinpoint their research needs with the help of librarians and through a sophisticated online catalog, InfoHawk+. The 50th anniversary year provided an opportunity to recalibrate the physical space to match.

“Visitors can now choose among a variety of seating options and group study rooms that cover the spectrum between individual and collaborative work,” says Lawrence. “The space is bright and versatile, illuminated by skylights in the vaulted ceiling. It creates a sense of openness and possibility.”

Those who value solitude and quiet still have many options on the fourth floor, including comfortable “pods” with retractable footrests and built-in privacy screens. For students and researchers looking to discuss ideas, the bright and sound-dampened study rooms along the perimeter of the space ensure that their conversations are contained. 

Amid all this change, there’s been one constant: Hardin’s users, past and present, express a distinct sense of gratitude for the library and its staff. Those users include Dr. Vijay Kamalumpundi, who received an MD in May and is headed to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to begin his residency in internal medicine.

“When I think back to my eight years at Iowa, there’s always been one point of continuity for me, and that’s been the library services offered at the Hardin Library,” says Kamalumpundi. “Having a space for students to be able to gather and have a sense of community is really the basis behind every strong academic institution.” 

The renovations also included creating a new reading room for the John Martin Rare Book Room (JMRBR), which houses more than 6,500 volumes of medical texts from the 15th through the 21st centuries. The new space is designed to provide an optimal environment for delicate materials, as well as enough space for classes and visiting researchers from the university and all over the world to interact with rare items from the collection. These updates were made possible through support from the Friends of the Libraries and other sources. 

“We have one of the premier history of medicine collections of printed books in the United States and are grateful to Dr. John Martin, whose gift more than 50 years ago constitutes its core,” says Damien Ihrig, curator for the JMRBR. “We’re now able to increase the engagement outreach on campus and to the larger community. This, in addition to our growing digital presence, continues to make the collection accessible to even more people in Iowa and around the world.” 

Among the first visitors to experience the JMRBR’s new space was the celebration’s featured speaker, Dr. Andrew Lam, author of The Masters of Medicine: Our Greatest Triumphs in the Race to Cure Humanity’s Deadliest Diseases. As a retinal surgeon and medical historian, Lam feels a particular connection with the materials housed in the JMRBR. “I’ve done a lot of research on medical history, but it’s not that common that I actually get to see books like this,” Lam told the crowd. “I was blown away.”

The four directors who reconnected at the event have witnessed a whirlwind of growth in the field of medical librarianship. Each of them has done their part to carve the path from 1974 to 2024, and often the curve has been steep. But the goal of Hardin’s librarians and leaders has never wavered: their dedication to providing the best services and resources for those who seek them. Whatever the next 50 years bring, that polestar remains.

“It’s difficult to quantify the true impact of the Hardin Library’s services,” says Lawrence. “We can try to count the users who have passed through our gates, the number of publications for which our librarians are listed as co-authors, or the resources visitors use. But ultimately, what this place has accomplished reaches so much further than that. Our users go on to become health care providers, researchers, and leaders in their fields. Every life they touch is part of Hardin’s legacy, too.”

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