Business information sources for health sciences librarians.

As the health care industry becomes more business oriented, health sciences librarians will encounter more patrons seeking business information. Administrators and managers of health care facilities are primarily in need of business information. This paper discusses those resources with which health sciences librarians must be familiar to successfully meet the challenges of these new demands. It identifies traditional and online sources, and emphasizes business sources geared to the health care industry. The business managers of the health care facility represent a new patron market for the health sciences librarian.     

Electronic publishing: implications for health sciences libraries and librarians

Increasingly we hear of "electronic publishing" in the form of books and journals made available as databases, either through traditional online services or through electronic message services. This paper explores its potential impact on the medical library community and on the relationship between end user and librarian. The librarian's new roles as intermediary, facilitator, and advocate for end users are examined. The question of developing expertise for evaluating information as well as facilitating access is addressed.     

Inside outreach: a challenge for health sciences librarians.

OBJECTIVE: Like medical and health sciences libraries throughout the country, the Lamar Soutter Library (LSL) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School is dealing with ever-increasing outreach needs in times of diminishing funding. With the goal of reshaping the library's outreach program to better serve our patron groups, the Outreach Study Group was formed to investigate existing models of outreach. METHODS: The group initially examined the current literature and subsequently conducted a nationwide survey of medical and health sciences libraries to identify trends in outreach. This article details the methods used for the survey, including establishing criteria for selecting participants, determining the focus, and developing and conducting the survey. RESULTS: Of the 40 libraries invited to participate, 63% completed the survey. An analysis of the data revealed successes, problems, and trends. The group's conclusions led to recommendations for the LSL's future outreach efforts. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the data revealed key findings in the areas of strategic planning, funding, and evaluation. A thoughtful definition of outreach ensures that outreach activities are expressions of the library's mission. Funding shifts require flexible programs. Evaluation provides data necessary to create new programs, sustain successful ones, and avoid repeating mistakes.     

Charting a path for health sciences librarians in an integrated information environment

[This corrects the article on p. 421 in vol. 81.].     

Introducing health sciences librarians to the Internet

The Internet is no longer just for the adventurous explorers or the technical experts--it has found its way into the mainstream of librarianship. New users are coming onto "the net" in droves. A wealth of information is currently available dealing with the mechanics of the Internet and there are general guides to the available resources. More work needs to be done, however, in developing subject specific materials. This paper will report on the strategy that Scott Memorial Library, Thomas Jefferson University, has employed to develop staff skills and awareness and to take advantage of the resources and opportunities that the network provides for the health sciences community.     

Health sciences librarians and mental health laws.

Two U.S. Supreme Court decisions, O'Connor v. Donaldson and Bounds v. Smith, hold important implications for health sciences librarians serving in mental health facilities. The first, O'Connor, with its many ancillary holdings, puts mental health personnel on notice that patients have certain basic rights, which courts all over the country will now be required to enforce. In Bounds the court has ruled that prison authorities must assist prison inmates in preparing and filing legal papers. The ruling will most likely benefit all mentally disabled prisoners, and future litigation may expand this category to include: (1) persons committed under the criminal code, (2) persons under involuntary commitment not related to the criminal code, and (3) persons voluntarily committed. A selective annotated bibliography, consisting of background readings in mental health and the law, basic rights, law library materials, and mental health legal services, has been compiled to help librarians establish and develop legal collections in anticipation of court decisions that will expand the conditions of Bounds to include all mentally disabled patients.     

Evidence-Based Practice: a new paradigm brings new opportunities for health sciences librarians

It is questionable whether the Evidence-Based Health Care model, whereby end users appraise all potentially pertinent information, is sustainable. A shift to an Evidence-Based Practice model, featuring a new medical knowledge base infrastructure facilitating rapid translation of clinical research into practice should be embraced. This shift would offer new opportunities for health sciences librarians. In this article, the authors: (1) review milestones in the evolution of the health sciences knowledge base; (2) review the evolution of the Evidence- Based Health Care/Practice model of health information utilization; and (3) discuss the significance and implications for health sciences librarians of trends towards an increasingly digital health information environment. The authors suggest new roles for health sciences librarians: partnering to integrate advanced information management technologies into the clinical enterprise and integration into the processes for developing these technologies.     

Factors influencing research productivity among health sciences librarians.

Secondary analysis was performed of data collected in 1989 from a random sample of members of the Medical Library Association. Results show that about half the sample had at least one publication; academic health sciences librarians were much more likely than hospital librarians to have published. Almost half the sample had taken formal courses in research, but only a small percentage had taken continuing education (CE) courses in research. Institutional support services for research were most available in academic settings. The combination of institutional support, CE training, and research courses explained 31.1% of the variation in research productivity among academic librarians; these factors were less important in hospitals and other institutional settings. The authors suggest that health sciences librarians working outside academia should seek support for research from sources outside the employing institution.     

Qualifications sought by employers of health sciences librarians, 1986

Two hundred ninety-four job advertisements that appeared in MLA News in 1986 were analyzed to determine whether MLA certification had become a more frequent requirement than it was at the time of Schmidt and Swanton's 1980 study. Other qualifications studied were subject background, health sciences library courses, online searching experience, and OCLC experience. Library experience, educational requirements, and geographic distribution were also included.     

Information-seeking behavior of nursing students and clinical nurses: implications for health sciences librarians.

OBJECTIVES: This research was conducted to provide new insights on clinical nurses' and nursing students' current use of health resources and libraries and deterrents to their retrieval of electronic clinical information, exploring implications from these findings for health sciences librarians. METHODS: Questionnaires, interviews, and observations were used to collect data from twenty-five nursing students and twenty-five clinical nurses. RESULTS: Nursing students and clinical nurses were most likely to rely on colleagues and books for medical information, while other resources they frequently cited included personal digital assistants, electronic journals and books, and drug representatives. Significantly more nursing students than clinical nurses used online databases, including CINAHL and PubMed, to locate health information, and nursing students were more likely than clinical nurses to report performing a database search at least one to five times a week. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Nursing students made more use of all available resources and were better trained than clinical nurses, but both groups lacked database-searching skills. Participants were eager for more patient care information, more database training, and better computer skills; therefore, health sciences librarians have the opportunity to meet the nurses' information needs and improve nurses' clinical information-seeking behavior.     

Medical information, health sciences librarians, and professional liability

As a gatekeeper to medical literature and a critical link in the delivery of information to physicians, the librarian's role raises the issue of the librarian's professional liability. The paper suggests several ways in which liability may attach to the librarian or the librarian's employers. Although the librarian's personal risk is negligible, the physician's exposure due to ineffective library work is substantial since the courts have held that a physician must keep abreast of progress in his field. Librarians can also become associated with professional liability actions as part of a case against a physician or hospital through the legal doctrine of vicarious liability. The paper concludes by suggesting several proactive steps for health sciences librarians to pursue to insulate themselves from professional liability and to insulate physicians and institutions from vicarious liability.     

Editorial—Evidence-based practice: new opportunities for librarians

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New measures for new roles: defining and measuring the current practices of health sciences librarians

The roles of academic health sciences librarians are continually evolving as librarians initiate new programs and services in response to developments in computer technology and user demands. However, statistics currently collected by libraries do not accurately reflect or measure these new roles. It is essential for librarians to document, measure, and evaluate these new activities to continue to meet the needs of users and to ensure the viability of their professional role. To determine what new measures should be compiled, the authors examined current statistics, user demands, professional literature, and current activities of librarians as reported in abstracts of poster sessions at Medical Library Association annual meetings. Three new categories of services to be measured are proposed. The first, consultation, groups activities such as quality filtering and individual point-of-need instruction. The second, outreach, includes activities such as working as liaisons, participating in grand rounds or morning report, and providing continuing education. The third area, Web authoring, encompasses activities such as designing Web pages, creating online tutorials, and developing new products. Adding these three measures to those already being collected will provide a more accurate and complete depiction of the services offered by academic health sciences librarians.