Effective Leadership in Academic Health Sciences Libraries: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this study was to better understand how academic health sciences library directors construct their understanding of effective leadership. After transcribing and performing thematic analysis on the interviews of eight academic health sciences library directors, five main themes emerged from the data: understanding leadership, building a vision, relationships are key, advocating and credibility, and measuring success. The findings suggest there are internal and external leadership responsibilities for library directors, both of which are important, however, the internal responsibilities are easier to delegate. Also, academic health sciences library directors need better evaluation methods for determining their effectiveness as leaders.     

Leveraging Survey Results in Support of a Library Renovation: A Case Study

Abstract

The Health Sciences Library (HSL) at Stony Brook University along with the School of Medicine were motivated to make improvements in seating and hours based on survey results from an LCME self-study. Preparation for the site visit from the Liaison Committee for Medical Education helped to garner resources and support for this initiative. To meet the evolving needs of the HSL patrons, librarians completed an overdue collection assessment project which allowed for 142 new seats, including newly designed spaces and furnishings. Ongoing assessment of the redesigned space will be conducted to evaluate success and areas for continued improvement.     

Public Library Services for Veterans: Selected Brief Case Studies

Public libraries across the country design and deliver programs for military veterans and their families, often collaborating with other organizations and agencies. The examples were assembled from both general and specialized interviews with librarians, and literature and Internet searches, with summaries of programs assembled and written by multiple researchers. The specific limitations on the listing in this article are clearly outlined in the first section. Overall, however, the article provides a good introductory overview of what’s going on in veteran’s programs and services in America’s public libraries in over seventy libraries in forty states. We hope this list of what public libraries have organized or are doing will supply other public librarians with ideas on how to provide new services or enhance their existing ones.     

Health Sciences Patron Preference for Library Spaces: A Multisite Observational Study

Health sciences libraries are often challenged to make decisions regarding physical space allocation without quantitative data to support specific user preferences. This multisite, longitudinal study sought to answer the following questions related to academic health sciences libraries: (1) Which library spaces are popular with health sciences patrons? (2) How does time of day and allocated seating space affect patron choices? (3) What similarities and differences occur in space usage across four different health sciences libraries? Results suggest health sciences libraries must develop a nuanced understanding of their patrons’ preferences to best serve patrons’ needs regarding space allocation. Libraries can benefit from these types of methodological studies that target specific populations, supporting more informed space allocation decision making.     

Meeting Information Needs through Global Partnerships: A Roadmap to Becoming a Global Health Sciences Library

Abstract

Supporting global health priorities through the development of robust health science librarianship partnerships is of significant importance. Increased demand for synthesizing evidence-based information, collating quality resources, and increasing research productivity to improve human health requires integration of library and information science skills and expertise. The Health Sciences Library (HSL) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), exists to be an indispensable partner in health information and knowledge, teaching and learning, and research. As global efforts at UNC expanded, the HSL sought to ensure that our global engagement strategy and integration were aligned with campus priorities and partner needs. The HSL created a global research partnership plan: identify resources that improve efficiency, increase access to information, build in-country capacity and expertise—all while strengthening collaborations across multiple countries. Creating a meaningful and sustainable engagement strategy was central to envisioning our path forward and can be used as a framework for consideration by librarians in similar settings.     

Rural Public Library Outreach Services and Elder Users: A Case Study of the Washington County (VA) Public Library

ABSTRACT

Outreach services provided by rural public libraries are crucial to fulfilling their mission to provide information access to the widest array of user groups. Particular socioeconomic and geographic factors in rural areas present challenges of access to information resources, yet there exists only a limited amount of published scholarly work examining outreach services provided specifically by rural public libraries. This case study of outreach services to elder users offers contextual evidence for the centrality of social equity and access to the larger work of rural public libraries. Primary data were collected through four semi-structured focus group meetings conducted with elder users of the agency’s outreach services as well as through narrative interviews with six agency staff members. Principal findings showed that elder users had particular information needs related to entertainment and intellectual stimulation, challenges of transportation, and a limited access to technology and internet service. WCPL outreach services were found to positively impact the lives and general well-being of elder users by providing vital social and community connections and serving as a key link for elder users to an institution understood to be central to the life of the community in general.     

A University-Wide Collaborative Effort to Designing a Makerspace at an Academic Health Sciences Library

This article describes the planning and development of a 3D printing makerspace at an academic health sciences library. At the start of 2015, a new library Technology Team was formed consisting of a team leader, an emerging technologies librarian, and a library systems analyst. One of the critical steps in the development of the proposal and with the planning of this project was collaborating and partnering with different departments and units outside the library. These connections helped shape the design of the makerspace.     

The Presence of Academic Health Sciences Libraries on Facebook: The Relationship Between Content and Library Popularity

Social networks such as Facebook allow libraries to be proactive in reaching their users. While some libraries have popular Facebook pages, it remains unclear what attracts users to these pages. This study evaluates relationships between libraries’ Facebook page content and popularity. An analysis of 72 academic health sciences libraries’ Facebook pages showed positive correlations between number of library fans and number of tabs, photos, events, and wall posts on Facebook. Libraries posting videos had significantly more fans than libraries without them. This study contributes to an understanding of correlations between content and popularity on Facebook, with implications for library outreach.     

Providing Health Sciences Services in a Joint-Use Distributed Learning Library System: An Organizational Case Study

The purpose of this organizational case study is to describe the complexities librarians face when serving a multi-campus institution that supports both a joint-use library and expanding health sciences academic partnerships. In a system without a centralized health science library administration, liaison librarians are identifying dispersed programs and user groups and collaborating to define their unique service and outreach needs within a larger land-grant university. Using a team-based approach, health sciences librarians are communicating to integrate research and teaching support, systems differences across dispersed campuses, and future needs of a new community-based medical program.     

Assessment of Service Desk Quality at an Academic Health Sciences Library

ABSTRACT

Due to an identified need for formal assessment, a small team of librarians designed and administered a survey to gauge the quality of customer service at their academic health sciences library. Though results did not drive major changes to services, several important improvements were implemented and a process was established to serve as a foundation for future use. This article details the assessment process used and lessons learned during the project.     

Hitching Your Wagon to the Right Star: A Case Study in Collaboration

In tough economic times, librarians are challenged to increase their instruction and outreach efforts despite shrinking budgets. This article discusses creating a mutually beneficial partnership with existing, successful campus programs to increase outreach efforts with minimal financial risk. Ten steps for creating a meaningful partnership are discussed. The author uses lessons learned from her own experience creating a collaboration with a first-year orientation program to illustrate the challenges and suggest best practices to help readers implement the model on their own campuses.     

Reducing Journal Stacks: How Tufts University's Hirsh Health Sciences Library Made Electronic Journals Work for Them

In 2007, the Collections Management department at Tufts University's Hirsh Health Sciences Library (HHSL) reduced journal stacks to make room for additional seating and classrooms as part of a renovation to the Medical School's Sackler Center for Medical Education. Additional space was necessary to accommodate the library's increasing role in education and research at the medical school and a growing student population. Offsite storage with compact shelving was under construction nearby. Journals were identified for offsite storage by focusing on print titles that came with an online equivalent rather than using chronology to shift journals offsite. The goal was to keep storage retrieval requests to a minimum for patrons and staff.     

高校图书馆中华传统文化立体阅读推广探究——以北京师范大学图书馆“二十四节气”阅读推广为例

[目的/意义] 以北京师范大学图书馆"二十四节气"传统文化立体阅读推广为例，探讨基于中华传统文化的高校图书馆立体阅读推广模式。[方法/过程] 论述高校图书馆开展中华传统文化阅读推广的意义及采用立体阅读模式的必要性，从活动准备、活动内容和特点、活动效果评价三方面阐述北京师范大学图书馆"二十四节气"传统文化阅读推广工作。[结果/结论] 提出高校图书馆以立体阅读模式开展中华传统文化阅读推广的策略。     

Developing E-Science and Research Services and Support at the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Libraries

ABSTRACT

This article describes the development and implementation of e-science and research support services in the Health Sciences Libraries (HSL) at the University of Minnesota (UMN). A review of the broader e-science initiatives within the UMN demonstrates the needs and opportunities that the University Libraries face while building knowledge, skills, and capacity to support e-research. These experiences are being used by the University Libraries administration and HSL to apply support for the growing needs of researchers in the health sciences. Several research areas that would benefit from enhanced e-science support are described. Plans to address the growing e-research needs of health sciences researchers are also discussed.     

Community Engagement at an Emerging Academic Medical Library: A Three-Pronged Outreach Model

The Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine’s (OUWB) service-oriented mission and vision is reflected in all aspects of the school including its culture, curriculum, research, community engagement, and the OUWB Medical Library. Though starting informally, the OUWB Medical Library’s outreach program has matured and now sustains a wide array of activities each year. This outreach program has blossomed into a three-pronged model that is inclusive of activities and endeavors engaging the institution and local community: integrate, partner, and create. Among its successes and challenges, the library’s ongoing outreach efforts have showcased the value of libraries in promoting community health and meaningfully contributing to the institutional mission.     

基于问卷调查的高校图书馆阅读推广活动分析

通过对国内一些高校图书馆进行阅读推广问卷调查,对高校图书馆在阅读推广的活动方式、具体措施、主体范围和主观意识四个方面进行分析,并梳理问卷调查参与者对图书馆阅读推广方面的其它建议,提出高校图书馆在阅读推广方面应该加强活动的系统性、立体性、创新性,有效地调动大学生阅读的积极性。     

Health Information Outreach: Experiences from the University of Zambia Medical Library

ABSTRACT

Access to health information for health workers in Zambia is limited and inadequate, especially to those health workers that are not affiliated with institutions such as the University of Zambia. In order to meet their information needs, it is important to devise and implement appropriate health information access methods. One such method is an Outreach Program. This article is an audit and a review of the health information outreach programs that the University of Zambia Medical Library has implemented over many years.     

Connecting Cline Library with Tribal Communities: A Case Study

ABSTRACT

One of the six strategic planning goals of Northern Arizona University (NAU) is to strengthen its relationship with Native Americans and to become one of the nation's leading universities serving Native American students. Considering its close geographic proximity to several tribal communities—particularly the Navajo Nation, which represents 44% of Native American Students at NAU—several programmatic and collection management activities have been instituted at the university's Cline Library as a response to this broader university goal. The library's outreach efforts, though, extend beyond the university's Native American student population and include activities designed to collaborate with tribal communities in a more direct and inclusive manner. Furthermore, incorporating concepts of critical librarianship into the library's teaching, learning, and public programming helps provide a progressive theoretical framework for improving relationships between the university and Native American communities. This case study provides an overview of existing programmatic and policy-based initiatives at the library and discusses where improvements could be made to help foster a closer and more meaningful relationship with Native American students, faculty, and patrons.     

阅读2.0时代高校图书馆阅读服务的思考

文章介绍了阅读2.0的含义及特征,分析了阅读2.0的到来给高校图书馆带来的机遇和挑战,并对高校图书馆阅读服务如何应对挑战和谋求发展提出了建议。