Abstract:This is the second in a series of articles exploring international trends in health science librarianship in the first decade of the 21st century. The invited authors were asked to reflect on developments in their country -viz. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Future issues will track trends in Northern Europe, the Nordic countries, Southern Europe and Latin America. JM
“…The evidence suggests that library services—in which literature searching is prominent—save clinicians time [3–7], influence clinical decision making [3, 5–8], and positively impact patient outcomes [5, 7, 9, 10]. Despite this demonstrated value, many libraries struggle to maintain their position in parent organizations due to budgetary constraints and the common misperception that the Internet and related evolving technology obviate the need for librarians [11, 12]. In this difficult climate, it is imperative that health sciences libraries continually strive to improve their methods.…”
ObjectiveThe research evaluated the perceived quality of librarian-mediated literature searching services at one of Canada’s largest acute care teaching hospitals for the purpose of continuous quality improvement and investigation of relationships between variables that can impact user satisfaction.MethodsAn online survey was constructed using evidence-based methodologies. A systematic sample of staff and physicians requesting literature searches at London Health Sciences Centre were invited to participate in the study over a one-year period. Data analyses included descriptive statistics of closed-ended questions and coding of open-ended questions.ResultsA range of staff including clinicians, researchers, educators, leaders, and analysts submitted a total of 137 surveys, representing a response rate of 71%. Staff requested literature searches for the following “primary” purposes: research or publication (34%), teaching or training (20%), informing a policy or standard practice (16%), patient care (15%), and “other” purposes (15%). While the majority of staff (76%) submitted search requests using methods of written communication, including email and search request forms, staff using methods of verbal communication, including face-to-face and telephone conversations, were significantly more likely to be extremely satisfied with the librarian’s interpretation of the search request (p=0.004) and to rate the perceived quality of the search results as excellent (p=0.005). In most cases, librarians followed up with staff to clarify the details of their search requests (72%), and these staff were significantly more likely to be extremely satisfied with the librarian’s interpretation of the search request (p=0.002).ConclusionsOur results demonstrate the limitations of written communication in the context of librarian-mediated literature searching and suggest a multifaceted approach to quality improvement efforts.
“…The evidence suggests that library services—in which literature searching is prominent—save clinicians time [3–7], influence clinical decision making [3, 5–8], and positively impact patient outcomes [5, 7, 9, 10]. Despite this demonstrated value, many libraries struggle to maintain their position in parent organizations due to budgetary constraints and the common misperception that the Internet and related evolving technology obviate the need for librarians [11, 12]. In this difficult climate, it is imperative that health sciences libraries continually strive to improve their methods.…”
ObjectiveThe research evaluated the perceived quality of librarian-mediated literature searching services at one of Canada’s largest acute care teaching hospitals for the purpose of continuous quality improvement and investigation of relationships between variables that can impact user satisfaction.MethodsAn online survey was constructed using evidence-based methodologies. A systematic sample of staff and physicians requesting literature searches at London Health Sciences Centre were invited to participate in the study over a one-year period. Data analyses included descriptive statistics of closed-ended questions and coding of open-ended questions.ResultsA range of staff including clinicians, researchers, educators, leaders, and analysts submitted a total of 137 surveys, representing a response rate of 71%. Staff requested literature searches for the following “primary” purposes: research or publication (34%), teaching or training (20%), informing a policy or standard practice (16%), patient care (15%), and “other” purposes (15%). While the majority of staff (76%) submitted search requests using methods of written communication, including email and search request forms, staff using methods of verbal communication, including face-to-face and telephone conversations, were significantly more likely to be extremely satisfied with the librarian’s interpretation of the search request (p=0.004) and to rate the perceived quality of the search results as excellent (p=0.005). In most cases, librarians followed up with staff to clarify the details of their search requests (72%), and these staff were significantly more likely to be extremely satisfied with the librarian’s interpretation of the search request (p=0.002).ConclusionsOur results demonstrate the limitations of written communication in the context of librarian-mediated literature searching and suggest a multifaceted approach to quality improvement efforts.
“…The main driver here is the desire to find ways of coping with rising costs. Consortia provide a way of negotiating better deals with publishers as well as a mechanism for sharing resources.‘Librarians in New Zealand have a long history of collaboration to reduce costs, share knowledge and provide better services for their customers.’ (p. 78) ‘The main purpose of these regional libraries is to centralise subscriptions and rationalise the contracting of electronic resources.’ (p. 341) (Spain)‘Nowadays, two full‐time employees negotiate consortia deals with major publishers on behalf of and with the strong support of 53 member libraries.’ (p. 167) (Austria)‘Over the years with costs rising drastically, finding a way of funding collections became a major drive in the development of collaboration between the academic libraries.’ (p. 168) (Belgium)‘Libraries… formed consortia to reduce the ever‐growing costs of purchasing electronic resources..’ (p. 163) (Poland)‘To address the dispersed nature of funding… Canadian health librarians have formalised relationships to provide collaborative services and consortially licensed resources.’ (p. 77) (Canada)‘The aim of the network is to create collective information resources… Another objective is to promote cooperation between members to share collections..’ (p. 76) (Argentina)…”
This article reviews the six papers published so far in this series on global trends in health science librarianship. Starting with a retrospective review of trends in the twentieth-century, the series has covered 6 different regions, with contributions from 21 countries. As this is the half-way point in the survey, it seems a useful point at which to reflect on what has emerged so far. The method of content analysis is used to identify key trends. The top five trends are explored. JMKeywords: health care libraries, health science librarianship, library and information professionals, research, qualitative
“…Trends in Canadian health librarianship were described in HILJ in 2012 as part of its series International Trends in Health Science Librarianship . The authors, Bayley and McKibbon, examined health libraries during the years 2000–2010.…”
This article is the second in a new series in this regular feature. The intention of the series is to look at important global developments in health science libraries. These articles will serve as a road map, describing the key changes in the field and exploring factors driving these changes. The present article by two Canadian librarians identifies important national developments which are shaping the profession such as the centralisation of health care services, the challenge of providing consumer health information in the absence of a national strategy, government recognition of the need to recognise and respond to the health needs of indigenous peoples and the growing emphasis on managing research data. Although their profession is strong, health science librarians must find ways of providing enhanced services with fewer staff and demonstrate value to organisations. JM.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
