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Author: jlt

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Brain inflammation illustration from Alzheimer's disease image from NIH Image Gallery
Image credit National Institute on Aging, NIH: Brain Inflammation from Alzheimer’s Disease (CC BY-NC2.0)

Last month, Science published a story describing how images used in some highly cited Alzheimer’s research papers were discovered to be manipulated.1 These publications supported the amyloid beta (Aβ) hypothesis of Alzheimers which links the disease to protein deposits forming plaques in brain tissue. The research spurred drug development targeting Aβ oligomers. Many of the manipulated images were the work of a neuroscientist named Sylvain Lesné who discovered the Aβ*56 oligomer and claimed that it caused dementia in transgenic mice in a landmark Nature study published in 2006.2

The Nature paper has been cited in about 2300 scholarly articles—more than all but four other Alzheimer’s basic research reports published since 2006, according to the Web of Science database. Since then, annual NIH support for studies labeled “amyloid, oligomer, and Alzheimer’s” has risen from near zero to $287 million in 2021.

Piller, C. Blots on a field? Science 377:6604, 360 (2022).

The image manipulation was first discovered by a fellow Alzheimer’s researcher named Matthew Schrag who was hired by an attorney investigating possible fraud in the development of Simufilam, an experimental Alzheimer’s therapy. Schrag found altered or duplicated Western blot images in dozens of research articles on the drug and its underlying science, including the Nature study. He stopped short of calling the manipulations deliberate misconduct, saying he would need the original unpublished images to prove that. Shrag reported his findings to the NIH which had funded much of this research, and the journals that published the works. 

Schrag also reached out to Science Magazine, fearing that the NIH and the journals would not conduct their investigations fast enough to prevent more potentially wasted grant funding and research. Science conducted a 6 month investigation led by independent image analysts and several Alzheimer's researchers who concurred with Schrag’s findings. They describe “shockingly blatant” instances of image tampering, including piecing together images from different experiments.

More than 20 suspect Lesné papers have been identified. Lesné submitted corrected images for a few, but even those corrections have shown signs of manipulation. 13 papers including the Nature study are now under investigation by the journals they were published in. Schrag and others have been critical of Karen Ashe, the head researcher where Lesné did his initial work on Aβ*56, saying she did not do enough to ensure the integrity of the research coming out of her lab.

Journal publishers do not typically use sophisticated image analysis to determine if images have been tampered with. The Materials Design Analysis Framework was developed by several publishers in 2021 to improve data transparency and help prevent image manipulation. The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) provides standards for publishers to follow on data and reproducibility and how to handle allegations of misconduct, but it does not sanction members who don’t follow guidance, as outlined in this Scholarly Kitchen editorial. The new NIH Data Management and Sharing policy which goes into effect in January 2023 should improve access to data and original images in NIH grant funded research, encouraging further scrutiny and reproducibility.

Retraction Watch can help you identify papers that have been flagged as retracted or under investigation. Our article on Searching for Retractions outlines sources and methods for finding retracted or corrected works so flawed findings are not included in future research or systematic reviews. Schrag used PubPeer in his investigations, a discussion space where researchers can report suspected issues with publications.

You can listen to an interview with Charles Pillar, the author of the Science article, detailing the magazine’s and Schrag’s investigations on the Science Magazine July 21 podcast.

  1. Piller, C. Blots on a field? Science 377:6604, 358-363 (2022).  https://doi.org/10.1126/science.add9993
  2. Lesné, S., Koh, M., Kotilinek, L. et al. A specific amyloid-β protein assembly in the brain impairs memory. Nature 440, 352–357 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04533

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Hands typing on laptop image

The Library Search Box, also known as Health Information @ Himmelfarb, searches the library’s physical and electronic collections simultaneously. It can also search the holdings of GW’s Gelman Library and Jacob Burns Law Library, and all the libraries in the Washington Research Library Consortium! Here are some tips for getting the most out of your search experience.

Refine Your Results

Health Information @ Himmelfarb searches millions of records and searches frequently return very large results sets. The service uses relevancy ranking to bring the best content to the top of results. You can use Refine Results to further narrow the results group to the best matches for your search. Refine options are listed on the left side of the results page.

Refine results screen in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

You can refine by date, content type, subject or availability. Under Availability there are filters for open access and peer reviewed content.

Conversely, you can widen your search to include items outside of Himmelfarb’s collections by using the Expand My Results option at the top of Refine Results.

Expand My Results screen in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

The Search Box Can Fetch!

Want to quickly retrieve an item with just one or a few pieces of information?  Use the Find Item Citation Linker. Select Find Item from the top menu, select your item type (Article, Book or Journal) and input as many pieces of information as you know. If you have a PMID, DOI, or ISBN, that’s all you need.

Find Item Citation Linker screen in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

 Use Shortcuts to Full-text

Records for journal articles in the results list frequently include links to Download PDF or View Issue Contents. 

Download PDF option in brief record screenshot from Health Information @ Himmelfarb

These links use the LibKey service to provide shortcuts directly to full-text or to view the full journal issue in Browzine. To learn about other Browzine features, check our Research Guide. LibKey offers a browser extension called Nomad to get to full text faster in PubMed, CINAHL Complete, and Scopus. See this article for more on how to download and use Nomad.

Search and Request Items from Other Libraries

Use the drop down menu next to the magnifying glass on the search box to change the content from just Himmelfarb resources to content from the Washington Research Library Consortium. This will include content from the other GW libraries.

Change search scope screen in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

Once you find your item, you can request it from another library in the consortium by signing in with your GW User ID.

Sign in prompt on full record screen in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

Then select the Consortium Loan Service Request.

Consortium Loan Service Request link screenshot in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

Your email and the book data should automatically populate the form. Select your pickup library (Himmelfarb or Virginia Science and Technology Campus Library) and indicate if there is a date you no longer need the item after. You will receive an email notice when the item is available for pickup.

Check the Health Information @ Himmelfarb FAQ for more tips and instructions on searching, requesting items, and managing your results.

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Chemical experiment illustration by mohamed hassan on Stockvault
Image from mohamed hassan on Stockvault, CC0

Starting in January of 2023, NIH will put into effect a new Data Management and Sharing Policy for grant applications due on or after the 25th of that month. This will replace the existing policy which has been in place since 2003. The purpose of the new policy is to ensure that the data from NIH funded research is accessible and transparent, both to enable validation of research results and to make the data available for reuse. To see specifically what has changed, this NIH web page outlines the current and new policies side by side.

In order to help researchers prepare for the new policy, the NIH has a new website on data sharing. The website is meant to help researchers determine which policies apply to their projects and provide tools and resources to aid compliance. Below is a video which introduces the new website and how it can be used:

NIH will also present two webinars on the policy, starting with: 

GW’s Himmelfarb and Gelman Libraries are preparing to assist researchers with questions about compliance. At Himmelfarb, you can contact Sara Hoover (shoover@gwu.edu), Metadata and Scholarly Publishing Librarian, and Paul Levett (prlevett@gwu.edu), Reference and Instructional Librarian.  At Gelman you can contact Megan Potterbusch (mpotterbusch@gwu.edu), Data Services Librarian. 

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Himmelfarb Library congratulates Laura Abate who was promoted to Library Director on July 1, 2022. Laura had been serving as interim Library Director since Anne Linton retired in January.

Laura Abate, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library Director

Laura first joined Himmelfarb Library’s staff in 1999 as a reference librarian. She developed materials supporting medical informatics instruction for medical students and created a database and web interface for managing access to the library’s growing number of electronic resources. In 2003 Laura became Electronic Resources and Instructional Librarian and served in this role for 16 years. She managed the library’s electronic resources during the time that Himmelfarb made the transition to mostly electronic collections. She also played a key role in developing the curriculum for informatics for first and second year medical students in problem based learning. At the same time she expanded her role as a clinical librarian, frequently attending rounds for internal medicine residents and providing real time clinical information support for them. She was awarded Non-Medicine Attending of the Year by the Department of Medicine Housestaff for 2018-19.

In 2019 Laura was promoted to Head of Library Operations and the position was expanded to Associate Director of Library Operations in 2020. Laura oversaw all aspects of the Library’s web services and collections management, including budgeting and contract negotiations. She maintained her teaching role serving as an Adjunct Associate Professor for the Department of Medicine and Co-Director of the Informatics in the Health Sciences and Introduction to Systematic Review courses.

Let’s hear from Laura about her promotion and plans to lead Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library.

What inspired you to apply for the position and what are you most enjoying in your role as Library Director?  

During my time at Himmelfarb Library, I’ve had several positions, worked my way through a lot of different duties, and seen major changes in our collections, services, and access.  I don’t identify myself as someone who loves change, but I do like to solve problems, love to identify ways to improve our services and collections, and want to keep growing, learning, and honing my personal knowledge and skills.  In short, being library director seemed like a big challenge and one that I was ready to take on.  In terms of what I’m enjoying the most in this role, I love working with Himmelfarb’s staff and their creativity in continuously identifying ways to improve the library and to reflect the needs of the GW health sciences community.

What are your top priorities for the coming year?

Himmelfarb Library has seen major changes over the past two years and as I think about what comes next, I think about both renewal and assessment.  I’m anxious to renew the library as a place for the GW health sciences community to meet, work, study, and socialize (not too loudly?).  I am excited to continue to rebuild and hone our collections, and want to explore new ways that we can support teaching and learning, research and scholarly publishing, and clinical care.  But, I also want to assess and continue to evolve - i.e. do we want to keep doing things as we do now or did prior to the pandemic, or are there alternative approaches that we should consider and explore.   We take feedback from our user community seriously so please share your thoughts.  I’m available in Himmelfarb 101 and can also be reached at leabate@gwu.edu or 202-994-8570.

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Hands forming a heart with setting sun Image from pxhere
Photo from pxhere https://pxhere.com/en/photo/335

On June 19th, look for buildings lit in red to raise awareness of sickle cell disease and the challenges experienced by patients, their families and caregivers. The inherited blood disorder occurs in more than 100,000 people in the US, resulting in serious chronic disease and 75,000 hospitalizations annually. 

The Sickle Cell Anemia Act of 1972 raised awareness of the disease and increased screening so that early intervention is now common. 20 years ago the introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine helped to reduce the mortality rate for children under 4 with sickle cell disease by 42%. Today, patients are best managed in a comprehensive multidisciplinary program of care that can include penicillin prophylaxis in those under 5, hydroxyurea, blood transfusions and opioids for pain management. Since 2017, three additional medications are now available to help manage symptoms: L-glutamine, crizanlizumab and voxelotor. Still most management of sickle cell disease is palliative and not a cure.

 “…unfortunately, patients still have a poor quality of life because of extreme pain episodes, end-organ damage, and also a reduced life expectancy.”1

Starting in 1984, bone marrow transplant has been used as a therapy in patients with disease serious enough to outweigh the risks of the procedure, and for whom a good donor match can be found. About 1,200 of these procedures have been reported. In 2018, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute at NIH launched the Cure Sickle Cell Initiative to advance gene therapy for sickle cell disease; a number of clinical trials are currently underway. The CEDAR study in phase 1 clinical trials uses gene correction, a combination of gene editing and addition. You can learn more about current therapies, including gene therapies, in this article from the American Society of Hematology Education Program.2

Though gene therapy is promising, we are still far from a cure for this debilitating chronic disease. To learn more about the Shine the Light campaign and what you can do to advance research visit the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America site.

  1. Ashorobi D, Bhatt R. Bone Marrow Transplantation In Sickle Cell Disease. [Updated 2021 Jul 12]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538515/
  2. Kanter, J., & Falcon, C. (2021). Gene therapy for sickle cell disease: where we are now?. Hematology, 2021(1), 174-180. https://doi.org/10.1182/hematology.2021000250

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Figure slumped over laptop
Image by mohamed hassan on PxHere CC0

Rates of physician and nurse burnout have risen dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are multiple causes including chaotic and emotionally draining work environments and high work loads exacerbated by staffing shortages. But another contributing factor predates the pandemic, excessive documentation burden.

Excessive documentation is a byproduct of electronic health record (EHR) systems. And it may be particularly burdensome in the US healthcare system. A 2018 article by Downing, et al in the Annals of Internal Medicine noted:

“The highly trained U.S. physician…has become a data-entry clerk, required to document not only diagnoses, physician orders, and patient visit notes but also an increasing amount of low-value administrative data. To justify billing to such payers as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, physicians must specify diagnoses from long and confusing arrays of choices relating to each test or procedure and document a clinically irrelevant number of elements for the history of present illness, review of systems, and physical examination.“1

Along with complex documentation requirements, high email message volume and poor usability of EHRs are other factors in clinician frustration with the systems.2

This past year the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) launched an initiative with Columbia and Vanderbilt Universities funded by the National Library of Medicine to reduce clinician documentation burdens by 75% in five years. A virtual symposium of experts was held in January and February of 2021 and this spring they released their 25x5 Symposium Summary Report. The report identified over 80 action items to streamline workflows and eliminate or automate wherever possible billing, legal issues, and regulatory requirements. “The Symposium activities were informed by one key theme: clinician documentation is for patient care delivery and clinician-patient communication.”3  Confirming the 2018 Annals paper, the symposium found that US clinicians spend 75% more time with EHR documentation than clinicians in other economically developed nations. 

The report includes calls to action for providers/health systems, policy/advocacy groups, and vendors. Each will play a role in finding solutions. For example, providers and health systems are tasked with providing better training and supporting real-time information retrieval, while vendors are asked to promote an ecosystem of interoperable systems. The action items will be  divided into short, intermediate, and long-term goals that will be implemented by a network of allies and working groups. You can follow developments in the 25x5 effort on the AMIA web page.

  1. Downing, N. L., Bates, D. W., & Longhurst, C. A. (2018). Physician burnout in the electronic health record era: are we ignoring the real cause?. Annals of Internal Medicine, 169(1), 50-51. https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0139
  2. Poon, E. G., Trent Rosenbloom, S., & Zheng, K. (2021). Health information technology and clinician burnout: Current understanding, emerging solutions, and future directions. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 28(5), 895-898.https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocab058
  3. Rossetti, S. C., Rosenbloom, F. S. T., Detmer, D., Kevin Johnson, M. D., Cato, K., Cohen, D., ... & Sachson, C. Report from the 25 By 5: Symposium Series to Reduce Documentation Burden on US Clinicians by 75% by 2025. https://www.dbmi.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/DRAFT_25x5_Executive_Summary.pdf

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Loaded dice image by Candace McDaniel on Negative Space
Image by Candace McDaniel on Negative Space

In a 1955 Science article, Eugene Garfield proposed a citation index for the sciences (Garfield, 1955). The purpose was to make it easier to see which works cited or criticized a research paper, enabling researchers to find both frequently cited works and those that had flaws. The idea was that this would root out bad research and elevate that which had merit.

The first Science Citation Index was published in 1964. The indexes quickly became a staple tool for science and social science researchers, existing in print for decades and then going online and evolving into the present day Web of Science database. Researchers and faculty members in the sciences are now very cognizant of their h-index factor, a measure of the relevancy of their published works based on citation counts (this site explains how to calculate your h-index and the difference between Google Scholar’s and WOS indexes). Similarly the Journal Impact Factor emerged as a way to calculate the relevance of a scientific journal. Publishing in a high impact factor journal means more prestige for the author and the journal impact factor is a measure that librarians frequently use to make subscription decisions.

Some publishers and researchers have figured out ways to game the system over the years. Puffing up your h-index factor can win you grants and tenure. Similarly, inflating a journal’s impact factor means it will attract top researchers who want to publish their findings in it, as well as more subscriptions and revenue.

In 2013, Nature revealed a group of Brazilian journals had arranged to cite works from each other’s publications in a citation stacking scheme (Van Noorden, 2013). Journals have also found ways to manipulate impact factors by exploiting the types of content published. A recent analysis of the British Journal of Sports Medicine which had a sudden rise in impact factor found that there was a corresponding “exponential rise” in editorials published (Heathers, 2022). Publishing a large number of small citable items, like editorials, can boost impact factors due to the way they are calculated and this worked for BJSM, making it the top ranked sports medicine journal. Publishers also game the calendar by publishing items digitally and allowing them to accumulate citations before giving them an official publication date or “front loading” by publishing more research early in the year to accumulate additional citations when the impact factor calculation is run at the end of the year.

Richard Phelps at Retraction Watch recently wrote a brief article on citation cartels. Established scholars in a field cite each other’s works in an ‘I’ll scratch your back, you scratch mine’ type arrangement that is mutually beneficial. His analysis revealed how a group of ‘strategic scholars’ could boost their impact factors by three times over ‘sincere scholars’ over the course of a few years. This increases their influence and mutes the voices of others. It reinforces the old boys’ club aspect of scientific and medical research and is particularly problematic in light of diversity and equity concerns. 

The fairness and effectiveness of impact factors has been addressed by the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). The declaration came out of the 2012 meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco. It is now an international initiative covering all scholarly disciplines. DORA confronts issues of consistency, transparency and equity in research assessment and calls for:

  • the need to eliminate the use of journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, in funding, appointment, and promotion considerations;
  • the need to assess research on its own merits rather than on the basis of the journal in which the research is published; and
  • the need to capitalize on the opportunities provided by online publication (such as relaxing unnecessary limits on the number of words, figures, and references in articles, and exploring new indicators of significance and impact).

You can read the entire declaration here. 

Garfield. (1955). Citation indexes for science; a new dimension in documentation through association of ideas. Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 122(3159), 108–111 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.122.3159.108

Heathers and Grimes. (2022). The Mechanics Behind A Precipitous Rise In Impact Factor: A Case Study From the British Journal of Sports Medicine. OSFPREPRINTS  https://osf.io/pt7cv/

Phelps. (2022). How Citation Cartels Give “Strategic Scholars” an Advantage.  Retraction Watch https://retractionwatch.com/2022/05/17/how-citation-cartels-give-strategic-scholars-an-advantage-a-simple-model/

Van Noorden. (2013). Brazilian Citation Scheme Outed. Nature (London), 500(7464), 510–511. https://doi.org/10.1038/500510a

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Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking is the premier textbook for instruction on physical exam, patient history taking, and assessment concepts and is currently in its 13th edition. Himmelfarb also subscribes to the audiovisual complement to Bates which includes substantial video content on physical examination, OSCE clinical skills, communication and interpersonal skills. Videos demonstrate head to toe exams and systems based exams.

Screenshot from Bates Visual Guide to Physical Examination
Screenshot from Bates Visual Guide to Physical Examination

Over twenty new videos recently became available which provide training on communication skills and working with specific patient populations!

  • Technique: Active or Attentive Listening (1:47)
  • Technique: Guided Questioning (5:20)
  • Technique: Empathic Responses (3:31)
  • Technique: Summarization (2:03)
  • Technique: Transitions (2:03)
  • Technique: Empowering the Patient (3:14)
  • Technique: Reassurance (1:53)
  • Use of Understandable Language (3:41)
  • Use of Non-Stigmatizing Language (1:57)
  • Appropriate Nonverbal Communication (3:37)
  • Use of Preferred Title, Name, and Gender Pronoun (3:42)
  • Interprofessional Communication (3:12)
  • Patient-Centeredness in Computerized Clinical Settings (4:45)
  • Teach-Back Method (4:06)
  • Rapport: Newborns and Infants (1:58)
  • Rapport: Young Children (2:08)
  • Rapport: Adolescents (2:55)
  • Rapport: Older Adults (2:48)
  • Rapport: Patients with Physical and Sensory Disabilities (5:50)
  • Rapport: LGBTQ+ Adults (8:58)
  • Broaching Sensitive Topics (2:59)
  • Obtaining Informed Consent (3:47)
  • Discussing Advance Directives (3:38)
  • Working with Medical Interpreters (6:48)
  • Disclosing Serious News (3:57)
  • Responding to Emotional Cues (3:09)
  • Motivational Interviewing (7:49)

Bates’ Visual Guide to Physical Examination, including the videos, is available in on campus locations. To access this content while off-campus, log into the GW VPN with your GW NetID.

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Have you noted some new faces at the Information Desk on the Himmelfarb Library first floor or manning our library chat service? We are pleased to introduce you to Rachel Brill, Reference and Instruction Librarian, and Corinne Petro, Evening/Weekend Reference Specialist.

Rachel recently completed her Masters in Library Science at Indiana University and worked previously as a reference assistant at Wells Library at Indiana University. She also has instructional and scholarly publishing experience, including utilizing NVivo for qualitative analysis. At Himmelfarb, she joins our team of reference and instruction librarians who provide research support and online database search services, and instructional services, including serving as embedded librarians in the first and second year MS Practice of Medicine curriculum. You can reach Rachel at rgbrill@gwu.edu.

Here are some more things to know about Rachel!

What are you enjoying most about your experience at Himmelfarb Library so far?

That everyone has been so friendly! The Himmelfarb staff was so welcoming to me. I feel like I’m already a part of the Himmelfarb family. I’m also really excited to start working with med students in the POM class.

What has surprised you?

That we have a real human skeleton on the 3rd floor!

Tell us a bit about your background.

I hail from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, outside of Philadelphia. I got my bachelor’s degree in classics at Princeton University, and then I got master’s degrees in library science and history from Indiana University. I have always wanted to be a librarian, especially in a role in which I could assist students and scholars conducting research. It is a dream job for me because I get to learn new things all the time.

What do you like to do in your free time?

You can usually find me reading a book, watching a funny TV show, or listening to show tunes.

Corinne is currently working on her Masters in Library Science at San Jose State and has a Bachelor in Philosophy and Women and Gender Studies from Colorado State. Corinne has extensive experience in educational settings, including work as a tutor and parent liaison at tutoring and child care services. She also has experience as a writing instructor and as an office administrator. Corinne will primarily staff the first floor information desk and the library chat service at Himmelfarb in the late afternoon and evenings during the week and on Saturday afternoons. You can reach Corinne at corinnepetro@gwu.edu.

Here are some more things to know about Corinne!

What are you enjoying most about your experience at Himmelfarb Library so far?

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my coworkers, everyone is very helpful and kind. I’m also just happy to be working at the reference desk so I can put what I’m learning in my classes into practice.

What has surprised you?

I’m happily surprised about the many 3-D printed frogs that live here.

Tell us a bit about your background.

I studied Gender Studies and Philosophy during my undergrad at Colorado State University. Now I am studying for my Master’s in Information and Library Science at San Jose State University. I also work part time as a teacher and as a pet-sitter.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like spending time with my pets, reading, writing, and playing games. I also enjoy hiking.

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National Library Week (April 3 - 9, 2022) celebrates our nation's libraries and library workers' contributions, and promotes library use and support. This year’s theme is Connect With Your Library!

Connect with Your Library poster, ALA

National Library Week was created by the American Library Association in 1958 to promote reading. Research in the mid 50’s documented the rising popularity of radio and television and librarians and book publishers feared they would displace books and reading as leisure activities. Today social media, gaming, streaming television and other electronic media are an even greater threat to reading. From 2003 to 2018, the average amount of time Americans spent reading for personal interest per day fell by six minutes, to less than 16 minutes per day (American Academy of Arts and Sciences). But there is also evidence that suggests the pandemic fueled a resurgence in reading. The American Time Use Survey by the Department of Labor found a 25% increase in reading among American adults in the second half of 2020. And Publisher’s Weekly reported an 8.9% rise in print book sales in 2021, with the biggest increases in fiction books, especially young adult fiction.

At Himmelfarb Library, the Consortium Loan Service supports the lending of books from any Washington Research Libraries Consortium (WRLC) library to our users for free. This opens a vast world of literature and non-fiction to all our library users. To search for books owned by all the WRLC libraries, use Health Information @ Himmelfarb and change the search scope to Articles + GW & Consortium as shown below.

Screenshot of Health Information @ Himmelfarb search box
Then search for any book title desired and if located at a WRLC library, you can place a Consortium Loan Service Request. CLS service usually delivers the item by courier to Himmelfarb Library in 2-5 days. You’ll be contacted when the book is available for pickup. You can view a brief instructional video on placing CLS requests on our YouTube channel.

Did you know that Himmelfarb has a Humanities and Health collection with novels and popular non-fiction titles? The collection is housed on the first floor in the nook area. Books have a 3 week checkout period and can be renewed up to two times. We’ve also recently introduced a free little library leave one/take one shelf in the same area.

Beyond CLS and our collections, we encourage our users to support the public libraries in their community. The DC region has many excellent public library systems and these days public libraries offer much more than just print books. You can loan books for your ereader with services like Overdrive or even get audio books! DC Public Libraries offers streaming audio services and Arlington County Public Libraries has a digital magazine service. Montgomery County Public Library’s Hoopla provides access to ebooks, audio books, TV, comics and more. Visit your local library’s website to find out about all the services being offered.

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