About Us: About the Library

The RUSH University Library and Archives is a collaborative learning and research commons with a strong teaching mission. Our knowledgeable and engaged staff provide access to authoritative health sciences resources, and teach our students, faculty, and staff how to use them effectively. We fully commit to providing high quality instruction, services, support, and space for our diverse community, as we connect our work in the library to the RUSH University Medical Center mission of delivering the best patient care possible.

The Library of RUSH University Medical Center enjoys a rich history of serving the education, patient care and research needs of all students, faculty and staff at RUSH. In addition to a comprehensive collection of printed materials, the Library offers a wealth of electronic information tools. Today, through the Library home page and online catalog, RUSH users have access to over 9,200 full-text electronic journals, 115 databases and 8200 electronic books. Off-campus access to these resources is available through the Library's proxy server.

In addition to identifying our electronic resources, our online catalog shows physical items held in our collection, their location and circulation status. This includes items located in the McCormick Educational Technology Center (METC) on the ninth floor of the Armour Academic Center.

Our electronic reserves system allows students to access their required readings online, via our home page. Items may be read online or downloaded for future use. Reserve materials are also available at the circulation desk on the fifth floor of the Armour Academic Center.

Public Services staff, including reference librarians, are available to answer your questions in person, via phone, e-mail and online chat. The reference department provides personalized information services to all members of the RUSH community. They offer frequent workshops on using electronic information resources, such as database searching, bibliographic software and many others. The reference department also sponsors InfoConsults: One-hour private consultations focused on the individual's specific needs and area of concentration. Reference librarians are also available to perform online computer searches, and attend clinical conferences for the purpose of providing medical literature to attendees.

Materials such as books, or copies of journal articles not held by the Library may be ordered through the interlibrary loan department. The Library also provides document delivery service for materials held in house. All interlibrary loan/document delivery requests should be submitted via ILLiad, the Library's electronic interlibrary loan request system.

The RUSH University Medical Center Archives is the official archival agency of RUSH University Medical Center and RUSH University. Our collection holds almost 3000 linear feet of material from these two institutions and their predecessor schools and hospitals going back to the founding of RUSH Medical College in 1837, two days before the city of Chicago was incorporated. The RUSH Archives also includes the personal papers of many individuals related to those institutions. Photographs, audiovisual material, paintings, artifacts, nursing school uniforms and caps, and digital assets document the history of RUSH, also.

The RUSH Archives preserves, identifies, organizes, and provides access to records of long-term historical, evidential, and administrative value to the institution. We strive to tell the story of RUSH and its esteemed history of education, research, and patient care in a meaningful way through our collections.