scholarly journals How do early career health sciences information professionals gain competencies?

2016 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany A. Myers, MSLIS, AHIP ◽  
Bredny Rodriguez, MLS, AHIP
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Discussion List ◽  
Level Of Confidence ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Library And Information Studies ◽  
Information Studies ◽  
Information Professionals

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe early career health sciences information professionals’ self-reported attainment of the Medical Library Association (MLA) Competencies for Lifelong Learning and Professional Success and to investigate the various methods by which participants developed these competencies.Methods: A SurveyMonkey survey was designed to ascertain participants’demographic information and their competency attainment. ‘‘Early career’’ health information professionals were defined as those with less than five years of professional experience. Participants were asked to rate each of the seven competencies on a five-point Likert scale regarding their level of agreement with the statement, ‘‘I have demonstrated this competency.’’ Participants who responded positively were then asked to indicate how they acquired the competency on a multiple-choice, multiple-answer list. Free-text fields were provided for general comments and for participants to elaborate on their answers. The survey was distributed through the MLA email discussion list and other related email discussion lists. Participation was anonymous.Results: One hundred eighty-seven responses were received. Out of those 187 respondents, 95 completed the entire survey. The majority of early career health sciences information professionals agreed that they had attained all 7 competencies. Of the various methods used to develop competencies, the most selected method was formal library and information studies education. Participants were least likely to report attaining competencies via mentoring, volunteering, or internships. Participants reported the highest level of confidence in having attained the ‘‘Health Sciences Information Services’’ competency, and the lowest level of confidence in having attained the ‘‘Research, Analysis, and Interpretation’’ competency.Conclusions: These results contribute to the ongoing discussions regarding proposed changes to the MLA competencies. The results may also inform the development of educational and professional development opportunities for prospective or early career health information professionals.

scholarly journals People in the News

2017 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 285
Author(s):  
Ann-Christe Galloway
Keyword(s):  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Annual Meeting ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Emory University ◽  
The Board Of Directors ◽  
Information Professionals ◽  
Distinguished Member

Sandra Franklin, director of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, has been selected as a fellow of the Medical Library Association (MLA). The designation is the group’s highest honor, bestowed on members who are chosen by the Board of Directors for sustained and outstanding contributions to health sciences librarianship and to the advancement of the purposes of MLA. Franklin has been a member of MLA since 1984 and a distinguished member of its Academy of Health Information Professionals since 1997. She served as an elected member of MLA’s Board of Directors (2013–16) and has been a member of MLA’s Southern chapter since 1983, serving as president (2004–05). Franklin is chairing the local assistance committee for the 2018 MLA Annual Meeting, to be held in Atlanta.

scholarly journals “How Do I Do That?” A Literature Review of Research Data Management Skill Gaps of Canadian Health Sciences Information Professionals

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
Justin Fuhr
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Data Management ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Research Data Management ◽  
Skill Gaps ◽  
Library And Information Studies ◽  
Information Studies ◽  
Canadian Health ◽  
Information Professionals

Abstract: There is a recognized need to provide research data management (RDM) services in health sciences libraries. A review of the literature reveals numerous strategies to provide training for health sciences librarians as they provide RDM services to health sciences researchers, faculty, and students. However, no consensus emerges through this literature review with respect to RDM training initiatives. With training initiatives being developed and documented, more in-depth research will emerge that verifies which initiatives have the greatest success for upskilling information professionals in managing research data. This is an area where future library and information studies research can be conducted. It is the hope that with this literature review, I can conduct my own survey to gain more perspective on RDM in a Canadian health sciences library context.

scholarly journals Practicing what we preach: developing a data sharing policy for the Journal of the Medical Library Association

2018 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Read ◽  
Liz Amos ◽  
Lisa M. Federer ◽  
Ayaba Logan ◽  
T. Scott Plutchak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Sharing ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Information Professionals ◽  
Published Research

Providing access to the data underlying research results in published literature allows others to reproduce those results or analyze the data in new ways. Health sciences librarians and information professionals have long been advocates of data sharing. It is time for us to practice what we preach and share the data associated with our published research. This editorial describes the activity of a working group charged with developing a research data sharing policy for the Journal of the Medical Library Association.

scholarly journals Reflective practice and health sciences librarians: engagement, benefits, and barriers

2020 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolene M. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Discussion List ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Research Population ◽  
Reflective Practitioners

Objective: Reflective practice is common in nursing and other professions. In the published literature, there is very little about librarians’ use of reflective practice and no studies of health librarians’ use of reflective practice. This study examined the use of reflective practice among health sciences librarians, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers to use.Methods: This cross-sectional study replicated the 2014 study by Greenall and Sen, using a version of their questionnaire. The research population in this study was health sciences librarians who were members of the MEDLIB-L email discussion list, Medical Library Association (MLA) chapter email discussion lists, and/or MLA section email discussion lists.Results: There were 106 librarians who completed the questionnaire, ranging from those new to the profession through midcareer to longtime librarians. While a high percentage of respondents considered themselves to be reflective practitioners (77%), a larger percentage (87%) reported that they consciously spent time reflecting. Respondents selected a wide variety of benefits of reflective practice, while barriers tended to center on lack of time, knowledge, skills, or experience.Conclusion: The diversity of benefits that respondents selected suggests that reflective practice can play an important positive role in librarians’ professional development. Reported barriers to reflective practice suggest that there is a need for educational opportunities to develop skills. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.

Study into the use of applied library and information studies (LIS) research in New Zealand libraries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kathlyn Jennifer Turner
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Small Data ◽  
Specialty Area ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Information Centre ◽  
Library And Information Studies ◽  
Information Studies ◽  
Management Responsibility ◽  
Information Professionals

<p>The purpose of this research project was to determine the perceptions of information professionals in New Zealand regarding applied LIS (Library and Information Studies) research. To achieve this aim, a purposive sample of 130 tertiary and non-profit government libraries / information centres was selected from the New Zealand Contacts in Libraries directory. The chief librarians or library managers from these institutions were invited to offer their opinions using a brief questionnaire that included Likert and Verbal Frequency scales (Appendix A). Alternatively, the questionnaire could be distributed to another information professional from the organisation. Practitioners' reasons for and against consulting research, their tendency towards conducting it themselves and encouraging others in their employ to produce it, and ways by which the relationship between LIS research and practice might be improved were assessed using the survey instrument. The amount of research consultation undertaken by survey participants was analysed according to the following variables:  * Highest library / information qualification, whether it contained a research methods / project component, and how recently it was completed; * Major subject area (other than library / information studies) of tertiary-level study; * Experience in current position; * Level of management responsibility; * Specialty area of responsibility; * Library / information centre size; * Organisational context of the library / information centre; * Participation in conferences / professional meetings.  The study found that the amount of research consultation by information professionals comprising the sample was low, and levels of research production and encouragement for employees to conduct research were even lower. Participants most often consult the research to stay current with trends and developments in the field of LIS, and to support workplace activities such as decision-making, problem-solving, planning and evaluation. The research is most often not consulted due to time constraints. Despite small data sets that necessitated some caution in the interpretation of results, associational relationships were apparent between the amount of research consultation and all of the participant variables listed above, with one exception (level of management responsibility). Information professionals responding to this study also indicated that the most effective strategy for improving the current relationship between the LIS research and practice communities is the encouragement of research productions that include practical guidelines for the application of results in a workplace context.</p>

scholarly journals How Do You Care for a Very Sick Bear? by V. Bayer

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenn Laskosky
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Library And Information Studies ◽  
Information Studies ◽  
Realistic View ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Bayer, Vanessa. How Do You Care for a Very Sick Bear? Illustrated by Rosie Butcher. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 2019. Vanessa Bayer’s How Do You Care for a Very Sick Bear? provides young readers with advice on how to deal with and help their friends who are facing a difficult illness. The book offers suggestions and advice for young children, but also reminds them that even though their friend is sick, they are still their friend. Bayer’s story provides examples of the simple gestures that friends can make when helping each other. The illustrations by Rosie Butcher are bright, colourful, and simple. Butcher illustrates common activities that friends would do together, which makes them relatable to children even though the characters are bears. The illustrations take up most of the page and provide young readers with a lot to explore. The text throughout the book is simple and easy to read. Bayer’s story tackles a difficult topic, but she presents it in a way that is easy for children to understand. Her use of bears as her main characters helps to soften the impact of a difficult topic to approach with children. However, Bayer is also honest with her portrayal of illness, which offers children a realistic view of what to expect. This book can be very useful for children who have a friend facing a difficult illness. Additionally, it can be useful to parents when explaining illnesses to their children. With that in mind, I would recommend it for elementary school and public libraries. Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Jenn Laskosky Jenn Laskosky is a masters student at the University of Alberta in the Library and Information Studies program. She has an interest in health sciences librarianship and international librarianship. Her passion for reading has continued to grow throughout her education.  

scholarly journals Cultivating a community of practice: the evolution of a health information specialists program for public librarians

2017 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shari Clifton ◽  
Phill Jo ◽  
Jean Marie Longo ◽  
Tara Malone
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Level I

Background: To help improve the culture of health in Oklahoma—a state that frequently ranks poorly on multiple measures of health and wellness—faculty librarians from an academic health sciences library sought to create a collaborative network of health information professionals in Oklahoma’s public libraries through the implementation of the Health Information Specialists Program.Case Presentation: Health sciences librarians offered a variety of consumer health information courses for public library staff across the state of Oklahoma for three years. Courses were approved by the Medical Library Association for credit toward the Consumer Health Information Specialization. A total of seventy-two participants from public libraries attended the courses, sixty-five achieved a Level I Consumer Health Information Specialization, and nine went on to achieve Level II.Conclusions: Feedback from participants in the Health Information Specialists Program has indicated a positive impact on the health information expertise of participants, who in turn have used the knowledge that they gained to help their patrons.

scholarly journals You're in Good Paws by M. Fergus

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenn Laskosky
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Hospital Visit ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Library And Information Studies ◽  
Information Studies ◽  
Making Friends ◽  
The University

Fergus, Maureen. You're in Good Paws. Illustrated by Kathryn Durst. Tundra-Random House Canada, 2019. Maureen Fergus’s You’re in Good Paws is about a young boy named Leo, whose parents accidently take him to an animal hospital to get his tonsils out. Leo is unsure about being at an animal hospital, but the animals do their best to make him feel comfortable and safe. Leo even ends up making friends with other animal patients. The illustrations, by Kathryn Durst, are bright and take up most of the space on the pages. The illustrations give children a lot to look at and explore. There are some hidden jokes throughout the book, which can be as entertaining for the adults as they are for the children. The text is very simple for children to follow and more difficult words, such as anesthesiologist, are explained in plain terms making it easy for children to understand. While the story of a young boy’s parents taking him to an animal hospital may seem silly, it puts a positive spin on going to the hospital. Leo’s adventure makes a hospital visit seem less scary and even puts a fun spin on having to get surgery. This book can be very useful for children who are unfamiliar with hospitals and have to have surgery or even just go in for a check-up. With that in mind, I would recommend it for elementary school and public libraries. Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Jenn Laskosky Jenn Laskosky is a graduate student at the University of Alberta in the Library and Information Studies program. She has an interest in health sciences librarianship and international librarianship. Her passion for reading has continued to grow throughout her education.  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document