About AAHSL

The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) supports academic health sciences libraries and directors in advancing the patient care, research, education, and community service missions of academic health centers through visionary executive leadership and expertise in health information, scholarly communication, and knowledge management.

AAHSL promotes the success of its members through relevant programming and services; benchmarking;
advocacy; partnerships with like-minded organizations; and the development of a community of colleagues.

Organizational Identity

The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) comprises the libraries serving the accredited U.S. and Canadian medical schools belonging to or affiliated with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

It includes other related libraries and organizations that lead in resolving information and knowledge management problems in the health care environment. 

The organization was founded in 1977 as the Association of Academic Health Sciences Library Directors (AAHSLD). Beginning in 1996, the directors of medical school libraries formed the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL), a new organization with a mission similar to that of AAHSLD but with a greater scope of activities. 

AAHSL is a member of the Council of Faculty and Academic Societies (CFAS) of the AAMC.