Library Resources
We are the health sciences library for Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
Mission
The mission of the Libraries of Massachusetts Eye and Ear is to provide the highest quality information resources and services available for evidence-based decision making. Guided by the mission of the hospital, the library supports the patient care, educational, and research needs of the Mass Eye and Ear community. Through its Archives and Rare Book Library, the library also preserves and promotes the rich heritage of the hospital.
Vision
The Libraries will continue to be the intellectual hub of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear community, providing access to resources and services which will support the information needs of all hospital staff and patients.
Staff
Director – Louise Collins – 617-573-3664
Reference Librarian – Deborah Goss – 617-573-3196
Archivist – Vanessa Formato – 617-573-3664
Hours
Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-5:00 pm (closed weekends)
Library Information
Register for an Open Athens account
In order to access any MEE e-resources from off-site, you need an Open Athens account. You must use your MEE email address to register. After you complete the registration page, Open Athens will send a confirming email to your MEE email account with instructions on how to set up a password.
eJournals
Howe Library eJournals (MEE username and password required)
eBook:
- Ophthalmology eBooks
- Otolaryngology eBooks
- Guide to Accessing eBooks through the Howe Library
- eOtolaryngology.thieme.com (For access to eOtolaryngology on a mobile device or offsite, please first register on the site from a hospital computer, link on the upper right corner.)
Covidence
Covidence is a web-based software platform that streamlines the production of systematic reviews. Join the Howe Library institutional account here. You must use your MEE email address to register. The librarians at Mass Eye and Ear can assist with planning, conducting, and reporting systematic reviews and other types of research reviews. To learn more about getting help conducting a systematic review, contact Library Director Louise Collins
Nursing Resources
Print and e-books
Mass General Brigham Handbook
Mass General Brigham Handbook (Mass General Brigham login required)
LibGuides
Learn more about our collections on LibGuides
Search our collections on HOLLIS for Archival Discovery
The Howe Library is the intellectual hub of Mass Eye and Ear. A quiet oasis across from the Meltzer Auditorium on the third floor of the main hospital, the library has 12 study carrells for individual work. There is also a table for group projects and a small room suitable for Zoom meetings. With a coffee machine, microwave, and small refrigerator, library patrons can stay energized and focused during long study sessions.
The library collection focuses on ophthalmology and otolaryngology—head and neck surgery, with some plastic surgery, neurology and general medicine. All of our journals and many books are available electronically, ensuring 24/7 access, even for our many satellites. As a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, our holdings are supplemented with the extensive digital collections of Harvard University.
We offer comprehensive support for our staff, including literature searches, topic reviews, article retrieval, and book loans. When items aren’t in our collection, we leverage our consortial agreements to obtain them promptly.
Our robust Systematic Review Service spans all phases of the process—from protocol development and search strategy design to data extraction, bias assessment, and PRISMA-compliant reporting. Inclusion of librarians on review teams can improve the research methodology, search quality and reporting transparency. To inquire about reference assistance or initiate a systematic review, please contact our Systematic Review Librarian, Deborah Goss.
Our library is open to anyone with educational or research needs including MEE employees, students, patients, patient families, and visiting professionals. We provide eight computers for patrons with MGB credentials. One computer is ZoomText–enabled, equipped with magnification (up to 60×) and screen-reading tools tailored for low-vision users. It enlarges and enhances screen content, echoes keystrokes/mouse actions, and reads aloud text, email, and documents. There are two large-screen monitors available which improve readability and reduce eyestrain while working with large data sets or text heavy documents. We also have universal wireless charging stations and color printing and scanning capabilities.
The Charles Snyder Rare Book Room houses more than 2,000 volumes, dating back to 1490. This remarkable collection includes early medical texts, anatomical atlases, and other historical works that chronicle the evolution of medicine over centuries, with a focus on the history of ophthalmology and otolaryngology—head and neck surgery. Offsite, the Harvard Depository holds an overflow of an additional 2,000 volumes. The Rare Book Room is a powerful testament to Mass Eye and Ear’s commitment to history, education, and legacy: by preserving these works and making them accessible to scholars, clinicians, and curious minds alike, the hospital affirms that understanding the past is essential to shaping the future of medicine. Please visit us in the library or contact us to arrange a research appointment.
The Abraham Pollen Archives collects, preserves, and provides access to a wide variety of unique records and artifacts that document the history of Mass Eye and Ear and its community. The archives holds more than 150 collections that reflect the activities of the hospital and its faculty and staff dating back to 1824. These collections encompass a wide variety of material, much of which cannot be accessed anywhere else in the world, including meeting minutes, correspondence, photographs, logbooks, research files, and more. The Abraham Pollen Archives is also home to a collection of more than 2000 medical instruments and artifacts which provide a valuable window into the history of the practice of ophthalmology and otolaryngology—head and neck surgery. In addition to caring for these collections, our full-time archivist is available to assist with research by email or appointment, source historical information and images for publications and presentations, curate displays, and lead tours and other educational activities upon request. Please contact Vanessa Formato for more information.
The Archives Gallery was established in 2024 in celebration of Mass Eye and Ear’s 200th anniversary. Each year, library and archives staff curate a special exhibition related to the history of medicine, with a focus on ophthalmology and otolaryngology—head and neck surgery, drawing on our rich archival and special collections. Please find us in the Howe Library on the 3rd Floor across from the Meltzer Auditorium.
Now on View: The Art of Anatomy
A legacy of healing. A future of cures.
Throughout 2024, Mass Eye and Ear celebrated 200 years of serving patients locally and throughout the world. As we recognized this milestone, we did so with a promise that this is only the beginning. Our mission remains clear: more cures found, more transformations enacted, more lives improved, and more hope fulfilled.
Learn more