The medical library that now serves a vital function for professionals at Salem Health was, according to legend, started in the bathroom of a doctor’s office sometime in the midcentury.
Now, the operation features library services not only for inquisitive medical professionals but local citizens as well – including children.
The development of this unusual library rests in the hands of Paul Howard, Salem Hospital’s medical librarian.
The library is a hub for knowledge about patient care, medical conditions and health-related topics, all backed by the latest research and available for both staff and the public.
The community health library at Salem Hospital. (SALEM HEALTH photo)
The library is part of Salem Health, a nonprofit health care system including Salem Hospital that was founded in 1896. The organization is the major health care provider in the Mid-Willamette Valley, operating one of the busiest emergency rooms on the West Coast and several outpatient clinics.
For Howard, the library duty is a passion – but it wasn’t his first career choice.
A native of Chicago, Howard moved to Salem in 1998 to work as a history professor at Willamette University. But after five years, and overwhelmed with the demands of academia, he decided when he was in his 40s to go back to school.
That was “a painful decision, but it was the best decision I ever made because I realized I moved into something that I loved even more,” Howard said.
Motivated to be in a “helping profession” and inspired by positive experiences with librarians as a child and as a graduate student, Howard pursued librarianship.
He first encountered the Salem Hospital library in 2004, when for a school project he interviewed Carol Jones, then the medical librarian. Howard would later succeed her, but about a year after that visit, he started volunteering.
At that time, the library was stocked by rows of hard copy journals and reference books, while articles were stored on microfilm or microfiche readers – a few of which Howard still has.
He was hired as the librarian in 2009 as the world went digital. Now he searches expansive electronic databases to track down the latest information sought by Salem Health staff.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, doctors came to Howard for evidence about “prone positioning,” where one lies on their chest, for patients on ventilators. With Howard’s research assistance on the topic, the position was found to be beneficial for patients, allowing them to be weaned off of ventilators sooner.
When he’s not quietly filling the shelves with books, Howard can be found helping patrons, doing literature searches, delivering digital documents or managing electronic databases. His excitement for the job is evident when speaking with him, listening to fun facts about the hospital or learning about the library’s offerings.
“Coming to talk to me is like drinking from a fire hose,” Howard joked.
Paul Howard looks through a document pertaining to old medical instruments. Howard keeps old medical literature and is responsible for stored hospital artifacts, such as those displayed. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)
From the early beginnings until Howard’s arrival, the hospital library was intended primarily for physicians. According to an historical account of the library’s history that Howard found, the earliest organized library was called the “Doctors Library.”
“Most of our materials were written by doctors for other doctors,” Howard said.
His “initial gut reaction was that the library should not just serve physicians.”
He set out to expand its materials to include staff across Salem Health’s network of nearly 3,000 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals.
Now, the staff library is stocked with materials for nurses, physicians, occupational therapists and others. Its collection of some 1,800 items, including medical and self-care books were largely selected by Howard. He frequently asks staff for recommendations to get what they need.
Howard closed another gap service in 2008 after doctors and citizens expressed an interest in having a public health library, open for anyone to find books about grief, mental health, pregnancy, healthy living and a range of medical conditions.
That led in 2010 to the formation of the Community Health Education Center to establish a community library. The center has a teaching kitchen, private rooms for classes and support groups, as well as community outreach programs.
Howard selected nearly every item in that library – 2,500 books, DVDs, anatomical models and other materials. There is also a children’s section and what Howard says is a “not so little free library.”
He adds titles monthly, basing his selections on the needs of the community. This month, he is looking for children’s literature in Spanish pertaining to topics like grief and understanding medical conditions.
His favorite part of the job now is working one-on-one with patrons to track down the information and knowledge they need. Salem Health promotes the library on its Facebook page, and their website.
When citizens come into the library looking for a book, Howard often invites them to sit down and talk, asking questions to better understand what they need. He also takes research requests from the community and has had inquiries from state inmates.
“I connect information to the people who need that information, and it can be at all levels … from kids, who want to learn about, ‘How do I become a nurse,’ or it could be the cancer oncologist who needs some recent review article on the topic that they may not be familiar with,” Howard said. “That’s what keeps me on my toes and keeps me learning every day, and I love it.”
The library is located in Building D, at 939 Oak St. S.E. It is open 8 a.m – 5 p.m. the week before Christmas; Mondays and Tuesdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. until Jan. 5, 2026; and 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday starting Jan. 5, 2026. An online catalog can be found here.
Have a news tip? Contact reporter Hailey Cook: [email protected] .
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Hailey Cook joined Salem Reporter in 2025, following the completion of an internship through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism. She works as a reporter and photojournalist, with a focus on business and entertainment, among other topics.