Yumi Yaguchi, MSIS, AHIP 
Director of Library Services 
University of the Incarnate Word 
School of Osteopathic Medicine 

Editor’s note: This month, we are celebrating Yumi Yaguchi, who has started as a Librarian Selector for Doody’s Core Titles in 2016 and joined the Doody’s Library Board of Advisors in 2023.   

Where do you currently work and what is your position?  

I am the Director of Library Services at the School of Osteopathic Medicine, University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX. I have been in my current role for three years.  

Provide a brief description of your library and its services.  

The School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM) Library, one of the University of the Incarnate Word Libraries, provides evidence-based medicine resources and research support to SOM students, faculty, staff, residents, and the university community. The SOM Library is a small but mighty team, creating an accessible and inclusive learning environment and providing excellent customer service. 

When did you start in health sciences librarianship? What was your position? With what institution?  

In 2010, I started my professional librarian career as the Assistant Director at the Harrington Library and as a Faculty Associate at the School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) at Amarillo. I performed various functions from research services to collection development, community outreach, and supervision of the Serials, Acquisitions, and Interlibrary Loan Department. As a Faculty Associate of the School of Medicine, I taught an evidence-based medicine curriculum, both in the classroom and in clinical settings such as Surgical ICU Trauma Rounds. 

Name two of the most important issues facing the profession today.  

Budgetary control has been a huge challenge for our profession. It will be a continuing trend when considering the rising cost of university operations and the declining college-age population. Budget constraints affect keeping up-to-date with the latest library resources and technology as well as maintaining current core collections. This trend also affects the recruitment of qualified health science librarians and staff, which is heightened by the nationwide staffing shortages affecting the health sciences library community.  

Constant development of a publisher’s business model in the digital library market also requires libraries to keep revising the library’s process for resource acquisitions. We have observed the gradual change from a simple site license to individual user number-based licensing. The era of the “full-text big package deal” has been slowly transforming into “read and publish” agreements in the movement of Open Access and Open Educational Resources. The possibility of controlled digital lending has been discussed. Artificial intelligence application could be next. All these evolutions must be accommodated within a tight financial and human resource-challenged environments of the library community. 

What is one innovation, product, or service in your library that you’re excited about?  

The SOM Library is a digital library with a unique blend of “personal touch” customer service. My library team members strive to provide an approachable, open-communication atmosphere in the SOM Library. As Library Director,I value that our circulation staff and library users, especially students, often discuss their suggestions regarding the library facility and on-site service then bring them to my attention.  

Our SOM Liaison Librarian is deeply embedded in SOM courses, providing direct, in-class support to faculty and students for their active learning and their educational course software such as Canvas. 

Why do you volunteer with Doody’s as a Librarian Selector and Board Member?  

In my tenure at TTUHSC, one of my responsibilities was to review approval plan titles (100+ titles per week) with my supervisor and colleague. This was the beginning of my interest in collections and knowledge resource development and management. I also learned about Doody’s Core Titles’ authoritativeness in our professions. I wanted to get involved in the selection side as a Librarian Selector with Doody’s.  

In regards to being a Board Member, I thought that my unique work experience and perspective could contribute to Doody’s future development. Osteopathic medicine has not yet been fully explored in Doody’s Core Titles, while over the last decade, the number of students attending osteopathic medical school has grown by 77%. Osteopathic medicine takes a “whole person” approach to medicine — treating the entire person rather than just the symptoms, with a focus on preventive health care. I hope my contribution will help promote understanding of the philosophy and practice of osteopathic medicine.  

Anything else you’d like to share?  

My current institution, the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), previously Incarnate Word School, was established in 1881. UIW is the largest Catholic university and the fourth largest private university in Texas. The School of Osteopathic Medicine is UIW’s fifth health professional school that opened its doors in 2017.