Raising the bar: the importance of hospital library standards in the continuing medical education accreditation process

The Connecticut State Medical Society (CSMS) reviews and accredits the continuing medical education (CME) programs offered by Connecticut's hospitals. As part of the survey process, the CSMS assesses the quality of the hospitals' libraries. In 1987, the CSMS adopted the Medical Library Association's (MLA's) "Minimum Standards for Health Sciences Libraries in Hospitals." In 1990, professional librarians were added to the survey team and, later, to the CSMS CME Committee. Librarians participating in this effort are recruited from the membership of the Connecticut Association of Health Sciences Librarians (CAHSL). The positive results of having a qualified librarian on the survey team and the invaluable impact of adherence to the MLA standards are outlined. As a direct result of this process, hospitals throughout the state have added staffing, increased space, and added funding for resources during an era of cutbacks. Some hospital libraries have been able to maintain a healthy status quo, while others have had proposed cuts reconsidered by administrators for fear of losing valuable CME accreditation status. Creating a relationship with an accrediting agency is one method by which hospital librarians elsewhere may strengthen their efforts to ensure adequate library resources in an era of downsizing. In addition, this collaboration has provided a new and important role for librarians to play on an accreditation team.     

Profesional medical library education in the United States in relation to the qualifications of medical library manpower in Ohio

THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF EDUCATION FOR MEDICAL LIBRARY PRACTICE IN THE UNITED STATES CONSISTS OF FOUR MAJOR COMPONENTS: graduate degree programs in library science with specialization in medical librarianship; graduate degree programs in library science with no such specialization; postgraduate internships in medical libraries; continuing education programs. Data are presented illustrating the flow of graduates along these several educational pathways into medical library practice.The relevance of these educational components to the current medical library work force is discussed with reference to manpower data compiled for Ohio. The total number of medical library personnel in Ohio in 1968 is 316. Of this total, only forty-two (approximately 14 percent) have received any formal library training. Seventy persons have only a high school education. From these figures, it is concluded that there is no standard or essential qualification which is universally accepted as educational preparation for work in medical libraries; that the comparative sophistication of the educational programs in medical librarianship has yet to be reflected widely in general medical library practice; that an increasingly large number of non-professional or ancillary personnel are being, and will continue to be, utilized in medical libraries; that large numbers of untrained persons have sole responsibility for medical libraries; and that appropriate educational programs will have to be designed specifically for this type of personnel.     

The historical development of medical education in africa and the place of medical library and information services

Abstract

The main purpose of the sociology of reading is determining, through the analysis of reading data, the social processes actually at work in society. This article analyses the results of sociological research done by the research staffs of libraries in Kazakhstan between 1991 and 1994. It focuses also on the problems faced by the sociology of reading in Kazakhstan, where such research was previously considered by the authorities as purposeful only in solving the practical problems of libraries. Today, reading in Kazakhstan is characterized by frequent changes in readers' demands caused by the dramatic changes in ideology, politics and economics in the constituent parts of the former Soviet Union. Reading in Kazakhstan is becoming more utilitarian. Pragmatic information needs determine the choice of literature. There is a sharp decline in the demand for fiction compared to the 1980s. Those intellectual spheres in which ideological control was severest, such as history and philosophy, flourish and effect reading. Finally, the decision of independent Kazakhstan to encourage the use of the Kazakh language is having an effect on reading patterns.     

Problem-based medical education: effect on library use.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is being adopted by U.S. medical schools. Information-seeking skills are central to the PBL curriculum, which emphasizes self-directed learning and the acquisition of problem-solving and lifelong learning skills. The purpose of this study is to begin exploring the relationship between the PBL curriculum and student information and library use. Medical students in PBL and conventional medical school curricula were compared on library and information-seeking competencies, behaviors, and perceptions. A survey was sent to second-year students in four medical schools, two schools with two curricular tracks (one PBL and one conventional), one PBL school, and one conventional school. The results showed certain significant differences (P less than 0.05) between PBL and conventional curriculum students, suggesting that PBL students were the more frequent library users, used information resources that supported the independent learning process, acquired information-seeking skills at an earlier stage in their medical education, and reported greater ease in using these skills.     

Continuing education for medical students: a library model

Purpose

The research assessed a three-year continuing medical education–style program for medical students in a Midwestern academic medical library.

Methods

A mixed methods approach of a survey and two focus groups comparing attendees versus non-attendees assessed the program.

Results

Eleven students participated in the focus groups. Attendance was driven by topic interest and lunch. Barriers included lack of interest, scheduling, location, and convenience.

Conclusions

Although attendance was a challenge, students valued opportunities to learn new skills. This study showcases a reproducible method to engage students outside the curriculum.     

The committees of the medical library association

The membership, functions, and responsibilities of twenty-five committees and one subcommittee of the Medical Library Association are described briefly.     

Special programs in medical library education, 1957-1971: part III.The trainees

This report describes the personal characteristics of the former trainees and their opinions about their training program experiences.More of the degree program trainees were under thirty (71%) than was the case with the internship program trainees (45%). The male-female ratio for each of the two groups is approximately 1:4. Approximately 60% of the degree program trainees entered their training with majors in the natural or health sciences, while less than 50% of the total group hold degrees in the natural or health sciences.Slightly less than 60% of the total group of trainees were employed in medical libraries in 1971. However, 68.5% of the internship program trainees as compared to 46.0% of the degree program trainees held positions in medical libraries. The reasons cited most often for leaving medical librarianship were the lack of available positions and student status.The major reasons indicated by the former trainees for entering the medical library education programs were an interest in the biomedical subject fields, the availability of funds, and the desire to gain experience. The reactions of the former trainees to their training program experiences were favorable.     

基于图书馆利用行为分析的高校新生入馆教育

文章采用问卷调查的方法,对地方普通高校新生的阅读倾向、利用图书馆的频率与目的、获取信息的途径、使用资源的类型等行为进行调查,提出高校图书馆应根据新生的行为特点,确定新生入馆教育的目标与内容,在综合采取多种教育方式的基础上,加强后续教育,以确保人馆教育的质量与效果.     

对图书馆事业与图书馆学教育的重新审视

当前图书馆事业尽管已经有了长足发展，但是因一系列内外因素图书馆员队伍的整体素质不高，已成为图书馆事业发展的制约因素，与图书馆事业的发展相比，图书馆学教育尽管已取得了显著进步，但对图书馆学教育中存在的问题必须给予足够的关注。