Health sciences librarian competency perceptions: a survey of national community college librarians

Objective:The primary objective of this study was to determine how community college health sciences librarians perceive their proficiencies in the essential skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary for the practice of a health information professional as defined by the Medical Library Association (MLA) Competencies for Lifelong Learning and Professional Success. A secondary objective was to determine their current level of engagement with the professional community and identify barriers to further professional development.Methods:A survey was posted to various email discussion lists, and volunteer follow-up interviews were conducted.Results:The survey was completed by seventy-five community college health sciences librarians, and seven follow-up interviews were performed. Survey results indicated that community college health sciences librarians perceived themselves as having intermediate or advanced intermediate proficiency in the six MLA competencies. Survey and interview results indicated that community college health sciences librarians were engaged with the profession and faced the same barriers to continued professional development and continued education as other academic librarians.Conclusion:The results affirm that community college librarians who are responsible for collections and services in the health sciences meet the MLA competencies, which fills a gap in the literature regarding how these librarians develop professional competencies and are involved in professional associations. The results suggest that community college librarians can improve their skill levels by continuing their education and following trends in the literature.     

From the ACRL 13th National Conference: Collaborative Solutions to Digitization for College Library Special Collections

ABSTRACT

While much has been written on individual digital project planning, little has been discussed in the area of collaborative digital projects, especially at the college library level. The aim of this article is to examine a variety of collaborative solutions that have been implemented by Franklin and Marshall College at the institutional, local, regional, and national levels. With the assistance of an analytical questionnaire, readers will learn to evaluate their college library collections for successful digitization and identify collaborative opportunities at various levels.     

Workplace harassment in university libraries: A qualitative study of female Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals in Pakistan

PurposeThe existence of workplace harassment in a feminized profession such as Library and Information Science (LIS) cannot be ignored. There is limited literature on workplace harassment in the profession, especially in the context of the developing world. This study investigates the status of workplace harassment and the level of awareness about the relevant legislation among working women of Pakistan.MethodologyA qualitative research approach was used and data was collected through in-depth interview. Thirty-four female LIS professionals working in the university libraries of Lahore, Pakistan, were approached. However, eight were given consented to participate in the study.FindingsMost of the working females did not agree to participate in the study due to privacy concerns and the taboo nature of the topic in Pakistani society. The findings revealed the females had witnessed workplace harassment which they perceived as both physical and psychological in nature. The study also reports the respondents' level of awareness about harassment-related legislation and policies in the country as well as strategies to enhance it. It also highlights the barriers faced by them while reporting harassment issues.ImplicationThis study presents theoretical, practical, and policy implications related to workforce harassment faced by women working in LIS.     

The Information Explosion: Continuing Implications for Reference Services to Adult Learners in Academia

Summary

The reference environment is being transformed by constant changes in computer technologies and communications, as collections and information in general become increasingly accessible electronically. Academic library users now have access to seemingly unlimited information. The explosion of information choices has implications for reference services to all users, particularly adult learners —those students older than the typical undergraduate —who are becoming a large presence on university and college campuses. This paper will explore these implications, stress the need for information literacy, and challenge academic reference librarians to assert themselves in the information arena.     

Essential Skills for Corporate and Special Librarians

Abstract

Library science programs must be responsive to the wide variety of workplace needs to ensure that graduating students are prepared with appropriate knowledge and skills regardless of where their career path brings them, and to do so they must understand the various needs and expectations of the field. Through a nationwide study of over 2,000 current professionals and LIS faculty, this study examines the knowledge, skills, and abilities identified as core for special and corporate librarians. The results help establish a baseline of skills for corporate and special librarians, which will be of interest to current and emerging professionals interested in a career in these settings and could have implications for LIS education.     

The State of Media Literacy: A Rejoinder

Based on the uses and gratifications framework, this study examined associations between motivations for using Facebook among college students, their concern for impression management, Facebook intensity, and psychological outcomes including sense of belonging and satisfaction with campus life. Using data from an online survey (N = 246), the study found that four motivations—entertainment, relationship maintenance, self-expression, and communication—together with impression management, were significantly associated with Facebook intensity. However, the impacts of Facebook intensity on psychological consequences were relatively limited. Theoretical implications of the study were discussed.     

How Academic Libraries Reach Users on Facebook

Facebook is an extremely popular social networking site with college students. Many academic libraries have created their Facebook profiles to reach more users. This article studies the Facebook presence of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions, particularly academic ones. Their Facebook pages are analyzed comprehensively in terms of content, launch time, and popularity. The majority of these libraries maintain at least one Facebook page whose content typically focuses on library events, resource updates, etc.     

Are You Who You Say You Are?

Abstract

A growing yet unresolved problem in access services today is controlling user access to resources in a networked environment. This paper describes the history of network authentication, explores the issues involved in selecting an authentication method, discusses the benefits and drawbacks of the various methods, identifies efforts by some integrated library services vendors and academic institutions to address this problem, and makes recommendations for selecting an authentication scheme for a college library. The discussions are based in part upon the results of a survey conducted with California community college libraries, various integrated library system vendors, and online resource companies. Technical terms are defined in a glossary.     

Why I Chose to Work in a College Library

Abstract

The myth of the liberal arts college, ivy-covered, cloistered, is increasingly less valid. Yet, at its heart, is an enduring ideal: a small, supportive community of scholars and learners who value the individual's importance. Today's college librarians have an important role in their schools. As agents of change and by offering new ways to achieve old ideals, they subvert the myth, but not the ideals of liberal arts education.     

Faculty Outreach

Abstract

Librarians at Northwest Vista College, a new community college, speculated that keeping faculty members informed about the library and its various resources would result in more instructors sending students to the library for library instruction and, ultimately, it would result in more students who were familiar with and comfortable using the library. This paper describes the librarians' comprehensive faculty outreach effort, which involved putting on special workshops for faculty, creating online forms, and Web links on the library Web page, and taking every opportunity to increase contact and collaboration between librarians and Other faculty and Staff.     

The Library Liaison Toolkit: Learning to Bridge the Communication Gap

SUMMARY

SUNY New Paltz established a library liaison program in 2001, long after such programs were commonplace at many U.S. college and university libraries. The program emerged, not simply from a desire to enhance library service, but because library faculty came to view it as a multi-faceted mechanism capable of addressing multiple concerns. The new library-wide initiative demanded high-level communication skills, an in-depth understanding of library policies and collection development practices, and increased knowledge about individual departments and the college. A collection of campus information resources and liaison training sessions, collectively called The Library Liaison Toolkit, was developed to build liaison expertise in these areas.     

Using focus groups to evaluate a multiyear consumer health outreach collaboration

Objectives:Academic health sciences librarians sought to evaluate the efficacy and future of the Health Information Specialists Program, a five-year consumer health information outreach collaboration with public libraries across the state.Methods:Five focus groups were held with participants from all five years of the program. Thirty-four participants from the program attended. Facilitators used structured interview guides consisting of eleven questions regarding the impact of the collaboration on participants'' abilities to connect themselves or others to health information; the usefulness of materials or knowledge gained and its applications; any consumer health outreach projects that arose from the program; and suggestions for future topics, formats, or modifications. Data was hand-coded and analyzed using the framework analysis methodology for qualitative research.Results:Participants reported feeling improved confidence and comfort in providing health information services to their patrons. Numerous instances of knowledge transfer—in their personal lives, with their colleagues, and for their patrons—were described. Participants reported improved abilities to both find and evaluate consumer health information, and many adapted class materials for their own programming or teaching. Suggestions were provided for future class topics as well as a program website.Conclusion:Based on data from the five focus groups, the Health Information Specialists Program has positively impacted participants in a number of ways. Primary among these were self-reported improvement in both health information retrieval skills and the ability to evaluate the reliability of health information online, as well as in the confidence to help patrons with their health information needs.     

Use of Special Collections as an Opportunity for Outreach in the Academic Library

ABSTRACT

Academic special collections librarians have made great strides in making their collections discoverable and accessible to a wide audience. This article examines use of special collections departments and the many kinds of outreach librarians undertake to increase access to and knowledge of their collections, including creating electronic finding aids, digitizing material, collaborating with faculty, increasing participation in instruction and reference, and using exhibits, social media, and relationships with community partners to further the mission and goals of the library and the college or university. The article uses the University of Illinois at Chicago Special Collections Department as a case study.     

A Brief,Self-directed Written Cognitive Exercise to Reduce Public Speaking Anxiety in College Courses

Courses: Basic Public Speaking, any course with a major oral presentation assignment

Objective: Students will learn to manage public speaking anxiety effectively during college classroom presentations     

E-Journal Management Systems Panel

Abstract

This panel discussed various options and subsequent implications for the management of full-text electronic journal resources. Librarians, commercial vendors, aggregators, and integrated library system representatives shared different perspectives on this rapidly evolving area. It became apparent that regardless of the needs and resources of an institution, viable e-journal management alternatives are available that could address a wide range of functionality and budgetary commitments.     

Working to Alleviate Gendered Violence on College Campuses by Designing Public Service Announcement Storyboards

Courses: Gender and Communication; Health Communication

Objectives: Upon completing this activity, students will be able to demonstrate the ways in which their voices and actions can be used to reduce gendered violence on their college or university campus     

Impact of embedded librarianship on undergraduate nursing students’ information skills

Background:One-shot library sessions have numerous drawbacks; most notably, they rarely have a long-term impact on students’ research behavior or skill sets. Library literature notes that when students interact with an embedded librarian, their skills improve. While close partnerships with subject faculty are important, librarians must also assess students’ skill sets to determine the impact of these teaching efforts.Case presentation:During the course, the embedded librarian used various activities and assignments to teach information-seeking skills, with the expected outcome of increased skill sets. This IRB-approved research project focused on measuring and assessing students’ information-seeking abilities before and after interacting with the embedded nursing librarian. Changes in students’ information fluency skills were measured using pre- and post-tests.Conclusions:The study results provide evidence of the benefits of the embedded librarianship model. Continued measurement of students’ skills acquisition is important to enable librarians and library administrators to show the positive impacts the library has on student learning and success.     

Books Effectively Censored: Discrimination at a University Library: Alumni the Target

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study performed on the interlibrary loan patron request records at the library of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, an urban commuter college with a specialized curriculum. The findings suggest that the increasing availability of electronic full-text resources has had a significant impact on the volume of faculty and graduate student interlibrary loan borrowing of nonreturnable, photocopied materials. This appears to be the case across disciplines and regardless of the currency of the needed materials. The downward trend in demand for these materials may be outpacing actual full-text availability. This may suggest that content is being replaced with convenience. This could have implications for reference librarians and their role in the research process. Declining demand may also provide interlibrary loan librarians and their staff opportunities to alter their services and develop new skills.     

Academic libraries as active contributors to student wellness

Abstract

Colleges and universities have come to realize that student wellness is a factor in student retention and success. While academic libraries have not generally been included in wellness initiatives they are strategically placed on college campuses to play an essential role. By parlaying their reputations as trusted information providers and community centers, academic libraries can partner with more traditional campus health providers to be active and effective participants in this essential form of outreach.