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... more
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 b...
The Internet is now the major worldwide Health information communication tool. To avoid waste of time, improved search engines are needed, in terms of accuracy and efficiency. The medical community has been facing the problem of inflation... more
The Internet is now the major worldwide Health information communication tool. To avoid waste of time, improved search engines are needed, in terms of accuracy and efficiency. The medical community has been facing the problem of inflation of medical information. Due to information explosion, it is very difficult to find accurate information. The paper describes various search engines which are very much useful for health care professionals.
Health sciences libraries the world over have experienced an increase in the popularity and use of electronic resources in their collections. As the Internet has begun to invade even the remotest of areas, libraries in the health sciences... more
Health sciences libraries the world over have experienced an increase in the popularity and use of electronic resources in their collections. As the Internet has begun to invade even the remotest of areas, libraries in the health sciences are experiencing ever-increasing pressure to expand into the electronic environment. The Arabian Gulf region is no exception. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman) libraries are asked to serve the information needs of health practitioners with a diverse range of financial, electronic, and human resources. In some countries, both funding and infrastructure are excellent. In others, a lack of hardware, software, or financial resources have taken their toll on services. Through the use of online and fax questionnaires, this paper examines the availability of electronic resources in health libraries in the Gulf region and will look at the state of the art for such characteristics of digital libraries as a significant Web presence, ability to access resources at a distance, and the provision of library services using electronic media
International cooperation is an essential part of (health) library and information professionals' work. Three European health and medical libraries – the Library of the Health Sciences at Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels,... more
International cooperation is an essential part of (health) library and information professionals' work. Three European health and medical libraries – the Library of the Health Sciences at Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, the Medicine and Health Library at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, and the Kuopio University Hospital Medical Library at the University of Eastern Finland Library, Kuopio, Finland – decided to collaborate in a benchmarking project. The project started in year 2013. The purpose of this paper is to give a report of our benchmarking project so far, to explain the experience, and to discuss the challenges and opportunities of international library benchmarking. The aims of the project are to compare the library services, to learn from each other, and to find good practices. The method of this paper is descriptive. We explain how we have cooperated, what have been our means and tools of communication, and how we have documented the project and the process. The methods of the project are collaborative collection of data; observation and shadowing as well as structured and semi-structured interviews with library users and staff during the site visits; and a focus group with EAHIL colleagues; collaborative blog writing; and learning by doing. International benchmarking involves working hours and personal interest but also the support of the supervisors of the participating staff and the whole organisation. International benchmarking is challenging and rewarding. Aiming to provide good library and information services for students and staff involves constant evaluation and continuing development of the library's functions and staff competencies. In this, benchmarking can provide tools and suggestions as well as draw attention to different ways to manage a library. International benchmarking is challenging but rewarding. It provides plenty of information and many new skills for information professionals as well as gives their organisations unique opportunities not only to compare facts and figures but also learn about staff attitudes and working cultures.
Objective: Health sciences training programs have progressively expanded onto satellite campuses, allowing students the opportunity to learn in communities away from an academic institution's main campus. This expansion has encouraged a... more
Objective: Health sciences training programs have progressively expanded onto satellite campuses, allowing students the opportunity to learn in communities away from an academic institution's main campus. This expansion has encouraged a new role for librarians to assume, in that a subset of health sciences librarians identify as " satellite librarians " who are permanently located at a distance from the main campus. Due to the unique nature of this role and lack of existing data on the topic, the authors investigated the experiences and perceptions of this unique group of information professionals. Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to health sciences librarians via two prominent North American email discussion lists. Questions addressed the librarians' demographics, feelings of social inclusion, technological support, autonomy, professional support, and more. Results: Eighteen surveys were analyzed. While several respondents stated that they had positive working relationships with colleagues, many cited issues with technology, scheduling, and lack of consideration as barriers to feeling socially included at both the parent and local campuses. Social inclusion, policy creation, and collection management issues were subject to their unique situations and their colleagues' perceptions of their roles as satellite librarians. Conclusions: The results from this survey suggest that the role of the academic health sciences librarian at the satellite campus needs to be clearly communicated and defined. This, in turn, will enhance the experience for the librarian and provide better service to the client.
