I am grateful to Dr Caitlin Dunne for her editorial[1] and to Dr Ian Gillespie for his letter[2] in the May BCMJ regarding the recent closure of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSBC) medical library. As a psychiatrist in private practice, I have relied on the CPSBC library for several decades, as I have not had access to either a hospital or a health authority library. The closure of the library, with no warning to registrants, caused me to feel not only shock but also a sense of significant loss. I echo Dr Dunne’s insightful comment: “In losing the CPSBC library, I believe we’ve lost a valuable member of our health care team.”

On the other hand, the CPSBC’s rationale for the closure (“significant decrease in library use over the years”) did not make sense to me. In medicine, we continue to offer treatments we deem important, such as immunizations, even when uptake in some areas may be decreasing. The CPSBC library provided a valuable service. In particular, the assistance from the librarians and library technicians was exceptional. The fact that usage had declined does not justify the closure.

I relied on the library to provide literature searches for complex and challenging clinical situations. I took advantage of two literature search trainings provided by the library, and even still—not surprisingly—the librarians were much more skilled in finding relevant information in a timely manner. I also regularly read the monthly Cites & Bytes newsletter, which helped me stay informed about areas outside my specialty. At a time when there is a physician shortage, it does not make sense to add to the workload of physicians by terminating library services.

The CPSBC’s 2021–2024 strategic plan includes, under the “engagement” theme, “to provide ongoing education and access to resources to support [registrants] in practice.”[3] Closing the library is a short-sighted decision and runs counter to this goal.

I had the pleasure and privilege of serving on the CPSBC Library Committee about 10 years ago. This experience only strengthened my respect and admiration for the library staff, under the wonderful leadership of Dr Karen MacDonell. Another specialist on the committee commented that he would not have been able to fulfil his professional role without the support of the library. I feel the same.

Moving forward, I fully support Dr Gillespie’s suggestion that Doctors of BC take over the operation of the library.[2] This is an excellent suggestion that I hope is supported by many of our medical colleagues. The library is a wonderful resource that needs to be protected and nurtured, not only for our benefit but also for the benefit of our patients.
—Teresa Marie Kope, MD, FRCPC
Vancouver

This letter was submitted in response to “The CPSBC closed our medical library” [10] and “Closure of the College Library: A proposal.” [11]

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License [12].

References

1.     Dunne C. The CPSBC closed our medical library. BCMJ 2024;66:104-105.

2.     Gillespie IA. Closure of the College Library: A proposal. BCMJ 2024;66:106.

3.     College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC. Strategic plan 2021–2024. Accessed 15 May 2024. www.cpsbc.ca/about/corporate/strategic-plan [13].