The Campbell F. Watts, M.D. and Doris J. Watts Medical Library & Patient Resource Center
Patient-Centered. Evidence-Based. Spiritually Grounded.
Watts Medical Library & Patient Resource Center provides library services that support excellence in patient care, health education, hospital administration, and medical research. Our work is guided by the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. The library is open to the public and area health professionals.
Who Can Use the Library?
Who can use the Watts Library? Are there any restrictions?
The Watts Library is open to all Mercy employees, area health professionals, patients, and family members or visitors of a patient. We attempt to keep our resources available for those individuals receiving care, offering support or providing care.
I live nearby and am not a patient, employee or visitor; can I use the computers, printer and copier in the library?
Because our resources are limited, we need to keep these available to our employees, area health professionals, our patients and their family members and those individuals actively seeking health information. If you do not fall into one of these patron groups, consider using the Cedar Rapids Public Library.
Using the Library
Does the Watts Library have wireless Internet connection?
Yes, wireless services are available throughout the entire hospital.
Are food and drink allowed in the library?
Yes, food and drink are allowed in the library. Please respect other visitors and the library staff by cleaning up after yourself. If an accidental spill or mess is made, please let us know so we can get it cleaned promptly.
What do I need to do to check out materials? What if I'm not a staff member?
Materials can be checked out using your Cedar Rapids/Marion/Hiawatha Library card. Materials can be placed on hold and routed to any of the Metro library locations. Items labeled as Reference/Medical are restricted for Mercy employees or in-library use only.
Requesting Information
I'd like to request some health information; what do I need to do?
Health information can be requested in person, by phone or e-mail. Please let us know the health topic you are interested in, as well as specific treatments, therapies, complications, clinical trials or resources you would like to know more about. Also, be sure to let us know the best way to contact you with results.
- Phone (319) 398-6165
- Email
I would like some help with a literature search; what information do you need?
Literature searches can be requested in person, by phone or email. The more information we have, the better the results will be. The types of questions we may ask include:
- What is the topic? What aspect of the topic are you trying to focus on?
- How current do the results/articles need to be?
- Are you interested in review articles, evidence-based resources, case studies, etc.?
- How soon do you need results?
- How can we contact you?
I have specific journal articles I'd like but don't know how to get them. Can you help?
Requests for articles can be made in person, by phone or email. We have resources available to help us locate hard to find or pay-per-view articles free of charge. Please provide us with as much of the citation as possible.
Donating Books
I have books I'd like to donate to the library. Will you take them?
Due to our limited budget we are always interested in donations. However, due to space restrictions, we are not able to accept everything. Following is a list of criteria:
Medical:
- Reviewed on a case-by-case basis
Non-fiction:
- Hardcover in good condition (no tears, broken binding, spills)
- Timely topics
- New and popular (within last 2 years)
Fiction:
- Hardcover in good condition (no tears, broken binding, spills)
- New and popular (within last 2 years)
- Classics
- Adult and some Young Adult
