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Continuing Medical Education

Community > Medical Staff Library
Medical Staff Library
Request and Recommendations

Kindly send requests or recommendations for books, audiobooks or other media that enriches a physician practice to Jessica Adamson, CME Coordinator, via email at jadamson@lmhealth.org or by calling 220-564-4013.


Ralph Pickett Medical Library – Historical Note
Prepared with assistance from Kurt Fleisch, M.D.
The Newark City Hospital was built in 1899 on the corner of Buena Vista and Everett Avenue.  A small collection of materials donated by physicians was available, and in 1940 with a $100.00 donation by Fleek Miller, M.D., a formal Medical Staff Library was begun.  Mrs. Helen Van Roden, the Director of the Medical Records Department supervised the Medical Staff Library at that time.

Following Mrs. Van Roden, the Medical Staff employed Mrs. David Allen to supervise and maintain the library.  (At one point her salary was $1.50 per hour and in 1954 it was raised to $1.75 per hour.)  In 1969 Mrs. Allen was replaced by Mrs. Lois Engleman, a volunteer and retired librarian from Denison University who assumed the cataloging duties and journal collection maintenance.  In the mid 1970’s Mrs. Engleman was replaced by Mrs. Jo Moss, also a retired librarian from Denison University who volunteered her services, and Mr. John Emmerson.  Mrs. Moss catalogued books, and Mr. Emmerson maintained the journal collection.  In July 1975 Mrs. Marybelle Neal assumed the duties of the journal collection.  Mrs. Moss retired in 1979.  In approximately 1967 the general maintenance and supervision of the Medical Staff Library was assigned to Mrs. Dorothy Watson, Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Staff.  The general maintenance and supervision of the library was assigned to Mrs. Lindsay Freytag in 1978.  From 1982 to 1986 the library duties were assigned to Mrs. Kitty Martin.  Mrs. Freytag again assumed the duties in 1986.  Mrs. Freytag retired in 2019 and Jessica Adamson assumed the duties.

Records of Library Committee activity begin in 1949 with a list of journals that were available in the library.  The first Chairman of the Library Committee was Kurt J. Fleisch, M.D. who served from 1942 to 1969.  Briefly, in 1969, Paul Montalto, M.D. served as chairman, and later in 1969 he was replaced by George Morrice, M.D. who served through December 1980.  From 1981 to 2004 Gerald Ehrsam, M.D. served as Chairman of the Library Committee.  In 2004 the Library Committee was combined with the Medical Education Committee and Craig Cairns, M.D., Vice President Medical Affairs became the chairman.

In 1966 when the Licking County Memorial Hospital (now Licking Memorial Hospital) was built, the Medical Staff Library was located in what is now the front section of the Medical Records Department.  In the spring of 1971 the library was moved to the fifth floor conference room, and in 1972 when the new administrative wing was built, the library was located next to the Doctors’ Lounge, which is the present location. 

On October 23, 1987 the library was named the “Ralph Pickett Medical Library” in honor of Ralph Pickett, M.D., Vice President Medical Affairs.
 
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