"You're just one of the group when you're embedded": report from a mixed-method investigation of the research-embedded health librarian experience

Systems Librarianship Through the Lens of an Open Systems Framework in a Hospital Library Setting: A Case Report

Systems librarianship, when merged with the position of informationist, evolves into the identity of the systems informationist in the hospital setting. The Health Sciences Library at Geisinger has successfully implemented a systems informationist role within an open systems framework. The duties of the systems informationist are framed here using: input for information-seeking behavior; throughput of clinical support for patient care; output by user experience in research and education; and feedback to elevate operational excellence. This case report contributes a focused approach to systems librarianship, providing examples for other hospital libraries that may be interested in developing their own Systems Services.

Optimising the process for conducting scoping reviews

Knowledge synthesis constitutes a key part of evidence-based medicine and a scoping review is a type of knowledge synthesis that maps the breadth of literature on a topic. Conducting a scoping review is resource intensive and, as a result, it can be challenging to maintain best practices throughout the process. Much of the current guidance describes a scoping review framework or broad ways to conduct a scoping review. However, little detailed guidance exists on how to complete each stage to optimise the process. We present five recommendations based on our experience when conducting a particularly challenging scoping review: (1) engage the expertise of a librarian throughout the process, (2) conduct a truly systematic search, (3) facilitate communication and collaboration, (4) explore new tools or repurpose old ones, and (5) test every stage of the process. These recommendations add to the literature by providing specific and detailed advice on each stage of a scoping review. Our intent is for these recommendations to aid other teams that are undertaking knowledge synthesis projects.

Twelve tips for undertaking a focused systematic review in medical education

The exponential growth of the systematic review methodology within health has been mirrored within medical education, allowing large numbers of publications on a topic to be synthesized to guide researchers and teachers. The robust, transparent and reproducible search methodologies employed offer scholarly rigor. The scope and scale of many reviews in education have only been matched by the size of the commitment needed to complete them and occasional lack of utility of reports. As such, we have noticed a growth in reviews across journals in the field that have questions that are more focused in scope. The authors propose 12 tips for performing a focused review in the right settings for the right reasons and discuss why such "focused reviews" may be more beneficial in those circumstances. Focused reviews allow researchers to formulate answers to specific local issues that have explicit utility of findings. Such reviews are equipped to identify what works for specific groups in specific circumstances and even question how and why this may occur. An additional impact of a focused approach can be a rapid turnaround. This article explains the purpose and benefits of focused review and provides guidance on how to produce them.

Needs assessment for improving library support for dentistry researchers

Objective

To better support dentistry researchers in the ever-changing landscape of scholarly research, academic librarians need to redefine their roles and discover new ways to be involved at each stage of the research cycle. A needs assessment survey was conducted to evaluate faculty members' research support needs and allow a more targeted approach to the development of research services in an academic health sciences library.

Methods

The anonymous, web-based survey was distributed via email to full-time researchers at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto. The survey included twenty questions inquiring about researchers' needs and behaviors across three stages of the research cycle: funding and grant applications, publication and dissemination, and research impact assessment. Data were also collected on researchers' use of grey literature to identify whether current library efforts to support researchers should be improved in this area.

Results

Among library services, researchers considered support for funding and grant applications most valuable and grey literature support least valuable. Researcher engagement with open access publishing models was low, and few participants had self-archived their publications in the university's institutional repository. Participants reported low interest in altmetrics, and few used online tools to promote or share their research results.

Conclusions

Findings indicate that increased efforts should be made to promote and develop services for funding and grant applications. New services are needed to assist researchers in maximizing their research impact and to increase researcher awareness of the benefits of open access publishing models, self-archiving, and altmetrics.

An integrated understanding of librarian professional identity

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review literature on librarian professional identity to develop a more integrated understanding of this topic.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature was retrieved and analysed with no date or geographic limit from nine databases on the subject of librarian professional identity. A combination of keywords and database specific controlled language was utilized to increase retrieval, as well as inspection of reference lists. Exclusion criteria were applied.

Findings

The review found 14 characteristics or themes relevant to librarian professional identity formation and development, understood as process over time. This process is in part defined by benchmark events, such as critical incidents, as well as highly personal aspects, such as perception of these incidents. This review also introduces an original conceptual model of librarian professional identity formation and development.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of this review was that only English-language literature was considered. A further limitation is the omission of works that have not been formally published. Additionally, the model introduced is untested.

Originality/value

By reviewing librarian professional identity literature, this paper offers an integrated understanding of this topic and introduces a new, original model to understand the process of librarian professional identity and development. It further offers an examination based on a sociological lens to examine this identity.

Emerging roles of health information professionals for library and information science curriculum development: a scoping review

Objective

This scoping review identified the emerging and evolving roles of health information professionals (HIPs) in a range of tasks and settings, as they adapt to varied user needs, while keeping up with changing medical landscapes to provide evidence-based information support in grand rounds and scholarly research. The review aims to inform library school students about expected entry-level job qualifications and faculty about adaptable changes to specialized HIP curricula.

Methods

The authors examined 268 peer-reviewed journal articles that concentrated on evolving HIP roles, professional settings, and contexts by retrieving results from several multidisciplinary databases.

Results

HIPs, who generally serve as “embedded librarians,” are taking on more active roles as collaborators, research experts, and liaisons, replacing more passive and exclusive roles as information providers and outreach agents or research assistants. These evolving roles in the reviewed literature were broken into nine categories in approximate order of prominence.

Conclusions

A new model linking these evolving roles to the Medical Library Association (MLA) fundamental professional competencies was developed to provide an operational examination and research-based evidence for adapting HIP continuing education curriculum learning outcomes, course content and delivery, and student career pathways for existing graduate HIP specialization courses in library programs. The model indicates each role’s connection to the MLA professional competencies, based on MLA’s detailed description of each competency. A better understanding of HIP demands and expectations will enhance the capacity of library programs to prepare students in HIP specializations.

Trends of infodemiology studies: a scoping review

INTRODUCTION

The health care industry is rich in data and information. Web technologies, such as search engines and social media, have provided an opportunity for the management of user generated data in real time in the form of infodemiology studies. The aim of this study was to investigate infodemiology studies conducted during 2002-2016, and compare them based on developed, developing and in transition countries.

METHODS

This scoping review was conducted in 2017 with the help of the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, Wiley and Springer databases were searched between the years 2002 and 2016. Finally, 56 articles were included in the review and analysed.

RESULTS

The initial infodemiology studies pertain to the quality assessment of the hospital's websites. Most of the studies were on developed countries, based on flu, and published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

CONCLUSION

The infodemiology approach provides unmatched opportunities for the management of health data and information generated by the users. Using this potential will provide unique opportunities for the health information need assessment in real time by health librarians and thereby provide evidence based health information to the people.

Embedded Librarian as Research Team Member

Adding a librarian to an upper extremity surgical and therapy practice has many advantages (educational, research, remaining on the cutting edge of technology). As an embedded team member, the librarian at the Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center prepares literature reviews, creates Google Scholar Alerts for individual clinicians, and introduces developing technologies such as 3-dimensional printers, Smartphone Apps, and online access to nontraditional resources. With the librarian relieving clinicians of these responsibilities, surgeons can devote more time to clinical and research activities. Private practices unable to support their own librarian could share access to a librarian via Skype, Face Time, and video conferencing. Another small practice alternative is contracting services from a local medical school library that designates a librarian as its liaison.

Through the eyes of the Informationist: Identifying information needs of the Breast Imaging Service at a tertiary medical center specializing in cancer

The information services offered by Embedded Librarians over the years have led to the more modern-and domain knowledge-specific-role of the Informationist. A 10-point questionnaire was developed and used to interview 12 attending physicians and three fellows chosen at random. The participants are either on the research track (n = 3) or the clinical track (n = 9). A two-part schematic was also created to capture more detailed feedback about the information needs and information-seeking behavior of clinicians regarding patient care (clinical) and research activities. Bibliographic management tool use and time-related factors were also captured in the interviews and written schematics. The role of the Informationist is an emerging, yet valuable one to assigned clinical groups. Clinician's knowledge-base, current awareness, productivity, and evidence-based care can be improved by use of Informationist services.

Capturing the contribution of subject librarians

Purpose

– The strategic contribution of subject librarians as information specialists in the digital world has been questioned by institutional administrators, but others have identified expanded roles and new opportunities in learning and research support. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of Kaplan and Norton’s strategic management system of balanced scorecards and strategy maps to subject librarianship in universities, with particular reference to the intellectual capital represented and created in the structures, relationships, and know-how of liaison work.

Design/methodology/approach

– A literature review was used to define established and emergent roles, responsibilities and skillsets of subject librarians, including their reach beyond the library. A web site survey investigated goals, actions, and values related to liaison work in UK library strategies. Data were analyzed thematically to develop an exemplar map and assess its potential for evaluating the contribution of subject librarians.

Findings

– Core functions continue, with expanded scope and competencies. Collaboration and integrated services are key trends for mapping. Liaison work is poorly documented in existing strategies. Preliminary results suggest that strategy maps can be used to illustrate the strategic contribution of subject librarians.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper reports the early stages of a multi-phase project. The results are limited to the conceptual phase. The next phase will explore the development of both maps and balanced scorecards via case studies in different countries.

Originality/value

– There are few examples of library applications of strategy maps and balanced scorecards at unit or program level, and none with a focus on the intangible assets of subject librarians.

Analysis of a librarian-mediated literature search service

Librarian-mediated literature searching is a key service provided at medical libraries. This analysis outlines ten years of data on 19,248 literature searches and describes information on the volume and frequency of search requests, time spent per search, databases used, and professional designations of the patron requestors. Combined with information on best practices for expert searching and evaluations of similar services, these findings were used to form recommendations on the improvement and standardization of a literature search service at a large health library system.