St. Elizabeth Hospital Library : Requiem

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the closing of the St. Elizabeth Hospital Library in Appleton, WI. Due to a recent company merger, subsequent down-sizing, and staff reductions, it is not possible to keep the St Elizabeth Hospital Library open.


The St Elizabeth Hospital Library opened in the 1960s when hospital administrator Sister M. Kathleen Daniel approved the doctors' request for dedicated library space. Initially, physicians oversaw the library with some part-time, non-professional help.

Mary Bayorgeon with Dr. Pier in 1980. Mary is doing a MEDLINE Search  with the old telephone coupler.  This was cutting edge technology at the time!

In1973, Sister Rose Mary Pint, a visionary administrator hired Mary Bayorgeon to develop a professional library. She started part time and then went full-time when the Family Practice Residency program was initiated.

Karen Knorr, Library Assistant -1980

For many years, Mary B., Karen Knorr, and most recently Margo Lambert and Karen Witz served library customers near and far, including regular Inter-Library Loan-Lends to The New York Public Library.

The St Elizabeth Hospital Library was honored with the WHSLA Library of the Year in 1991. Mary Bayorgeon was honored as WHSLA Librarian of the Year in 2004.

The STE Library was a model of library design, as evidenced by Mary being asked to be a speaker at the symposium at NLM in 2003 when she was part of a panel of 3 hospital librarians speaking on the design of hospital libraries at the symposium on "The Library as Place: Symposium on Building and Revitalizing Health Science Libraries in the Digital Age."

Mary and Karen in 2003

In the 1990s, when I was a young Library Technician in Madison, WI, I remember calling the St Elizabeth Hospital Library for rush ILLs. Karen Knorr was always bright, friendly, ready and willing to help. When the opportunity arose to work with Mary B. and Karen in 1999, I jumped at the chance. The STE Library was a beacon of knowledge and light in the world of Health Science Libraries. I wanted to be part of that!

Through the years, St. Elizabeth Hospital Library Staff has always been dedicated to serving all our patrons including patients, their families, as well as physicians and hospital staff. Affinity staff will be served virtually by the Libraries at Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh, WI, and The Ministry Libraries in Stevens Point and Marshfield, WI.