In Spring 2006, the Robert M. Fales Health Sciences Library began an important and ongoing international endeavor with the eastern European country of Moldova.  Donna Flake and Diane Darrow began a partnership between the Moldovan Scientific Medical Library of the State Medical and Pharmaceutical University "Nicolae Testemitanu" and the medical libraries of North Carolina.

Tremendous progress has been made thus far: Over 21,000 current medical journals and books have been sent to the Moldovan library. All of the North Carolina medical libraries are providing the Scientific Medical Library of Moldova free electronic interlibrary loans. Four library vendors have provided the Scientific Medical Library of Moldova excellent databases free of charge.

In 2006, Donna Flake and Diane Darrow spent a week in Moldova organizing and further developing the partnership. In March 2007, Liubovi Karnaeva, Director, and Silvia Ciubrei, Deputy Director, of the Scientific Medical Library of Moldova visited medical libraries in North Carolina to further the partnership.  They also received training in medical libraries in England sponsored by the partnership. In September 2007, Dr. Mark Darrow, Diane Darrow and Donna Flake visited Moldova to further the partnership.  Dr. Darrow also taught two classes at the medical school. (Left, Silvia Ciubrei and Liubovi Karnaeva at the Old Well in Chapel Hill, NC.)

The medical library partnership is part of a broader bilateral agreement begun in 1997 between Governor Easley of North Carolina and President Voronin of Moldova.  North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall facilitates the collaboration between North Carolina and Moldova and her website describes other NC/Moldovan initiatives.  For more information, please see http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/Partnership.

The Scientific Medical Library serves as the library of the State Medical and Pharmaceutical University of Moldova.  It also serves another role as the National Medical Library of Moldova.  The library employs 62 librarians and library assistants and contains 1,200,000 books (almost all in Russian).  The library's collection is spread over several locations at the University.  The medical university is tremendously large by US standards, containing 800 professors, 7,000 students, 1,800 residents and 91 residency programs.

Dr. Darrow teaching medical  students in Moldova.

	These Moldovan librarians are the leaders of our international partnership: Liubovi Karnaeva, Director of the Scientific Medical Library of Moldova. Silvia Ciubrei, Deputy Director of the Scientific Medical Library of Moldova, is the primary contact for the medical library initiative in Moldova.
Liubovi Karnaeva		Silvia Ciubrei

Duke University Medical Center Library in Durham, NC
http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu

Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC
http://www.hsl.unc.edu

Laupus Health Sciences Library at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC
http://www.hsl.ecu.edu

Area L AHEC Library/Information Center in Rocky Mount, NC
http://www.arealahec.dst.nc.us/isinfo.htm

Charlotte AHEC Library and Information Resource Center in Charlotte, NC
http://www.charlotteahec.org/irc/index.cfm

Mountain AHEC Health Sciences Library in Asheville, NC
http://www.mahec.net/library/index.asp

Northwest AHEC Libraries in Hickory, Salisbury and Boone, NC
http://wwwnorthwest.wfubmc.edu/link/members.html

SEAHEC Medical Library in Wilmington, NC
http://www.seahec.net

Southern Regional AHEC Information Access Center in Fayetteville, NC
http://www.southernregionalahec.org/students/iac.html

Wake AHEC Medical Library in Raleigh, NC
http://www.wakeahec.org/library