From the Medical Library Association on the survival of hospital libraries

by Connie Schardt, MLA President

…The world of academic medical libraries is also rapidly changing and positions are being lost, space is being challenged and budgets reduced. MLA has a strong program of advocacy and tries to provide all health science librarians with the skills, knowledge, and networking needed to successfully manage access to quality health information:

• We are reviewing our continuing education program to make sure that the courses needed to maintain basic competencies are readily available to members. http://www.mlanet.org/education/policy/index.html
• The Benchmarking project provides members with comparable data about the services and resources of hospital libraries. (The 2007 survey data is based on the records of 375 hospital libraries.) http://www.mlanet.org/members/benchmark/index.html
• The Research Section through a survey of MLA Leadership identified priority topics for research. The top question is — “In what ways do library services improve or benefit health care education and patient care?” Here’s an opportunity for Sections and Chapters to collaborate and develop a research proposal or project to address this vital question. http://www.mlanet.org/research/agenda_2008.html
• The Vital Pathways was charged “to review existing data and trends in the status of hospital librarians, collect data on the links between libraries and quality and financial outcomes, and develop an action plan for MLA to use this information to influence hospital decision-makers and key leaders in the health care field.” The groundwork has been done.Many of the reports and resources are available at http://www.mlanet.org/resources/vital/
• MLA tracks changes in hospital library status and offers to send letters of support to appropriate hospital administrators.http://www.mlanet.org/resources/vital/status_form.html
• MLA provides a large, geographically-dispersed network of colleagues who will support and mentor individuals in planning their future career moves, whether that is within health science librarianship or out in the broader library realm. http://www.mlanet.org/mentor/
• The NN/LM has developed a ROI calculator to help quantify the value of library resources and service. http://nnlm.gov/mcr/evaluation/roi.html
• MLA maintains an Allied Representative to the JCAHO and monitors the evolution of library and information standards within other appropriate organizations.http://www.mlanet.org/resources/

We all have to factor in personal responsibility for the sustainability of our professional positions. But, especially in these tough economic times, it’s essential to recognize that there will be circumstances where even the most consistently high performing librarian may find themselves red-lined out of a job.

What else can we be doing to help you?  Please share your ideas and suggestions with the MLA Board, Section Chairs, and Chapter leadership.

See more at http://connections.mlanet.org/ and about MLA at:  http://www.mlanet.org/

Report of the June CABL meeting at AT Still University

By April Frost and Cynthia Porter

Friday, June 12, I attended the Central Arizona Biomedical Libraries Group meeting at the AT Still University Learning Resource Center in Mesa—what a fun and educational afternoon!

Our meeting started with lunch, then two, very informative presentations. Dr. Tamara Valovich McLeod, who is on faculty at AT Still, gave a presentation on current research regarding concussions, especially in youth and teens. Meganne Gourley, Athletic Trainer and former student, spoke about educating coaches, parents, and teens/children regarding concussion awareness and symptoms associated with concussions. A lot of information was presented, including references to the CDC’s Traumatic Brain Injury Website and “Heads Up” Concussion information site for High School Sports, both which have quick and easy information that everyone should know.

The business meeting followed, including a slide show of Jacque Doyle’s beautiful photos from MLA in Hawaii.

After the meeting, we were taken on two incredible tours. Samson Yang, a dental student, took us on a tour of the state-of-the-art dental simulation lab and clinic, which included an individual workstation for each student (class size of at least 60). Each workstation includes a video screen for personal viewing of the lecture and demonstration, and a simulated patient with removable teeth, for practicing; I am so glad they practice on fake teeth before touching mine!  The clinic included a functioning dental office, which accepts patients at a reduced rate, as well as a separate area for dental emergencies. The best part of the dental tour was the hand-washing machine—a mini massage for your hands!

The second tour was of a full-body simulation lab and control room. The University has ten of these labs, each with 2 cameras, speakers, a conference area, and…the full-body simulated patient, “SimMan®.” (Imagine walking into a room, with a vinyl “patient” who was breathing (chest moving up and down and breathing sounds) and hooked up to a monitor which was recording his vitals!) The patient’s overall health can be adjusted from the control room so that the medical students may not know what to expect at any given time. (Remember “Stan” on Grey’s Anatomy last fall?) The ‘SimMan’ sessions are recorded and then available for review by only those students and their instructor.

Both tours were very educational and enjoyable (and fun!!).

Next CABL meeting:

Save the date, Monday, Oct. 26th, for the Fall CE from MLGSCA.  The program will enlighten you on Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Librarians, presented by Ysabel Bertolucci.  The time and Phoenix area location have not been finalized, yet.  Watch your e-mail for future details.

More info about the Central Arizona Biomedical Libraries, and how to join is at: http://www.samaritan.edu/cabl/join.htm

Scholarly Communication Librarian Position in Duarte, CA

The City of Hope Graff Scientific & Medical Library seeks an innovative and enthusiastic Scholarly Communication Librarian to provide leadership in the emerging area of scholarly communication. Responsibilities include: developing and maintaining institution-wide policies and procedures to comply with the National Institutes of Health Public Access Policy; educating staff about publishing models and author rights; monitoring and reporting on global scholarly communication trends and related legislative issues; building and sustaining an institutional repository; and developing and supporting sustainable models of scholarly communication.

Duties

· Track institutional publications and submit articles to PubMed Central on behalf of researchers, draft policies and procedures, and establish publication workflows and system tracking according to professional best practices.

· Educate researchers about open access publishing requirements and foster awareness of scientific and academic publishing issues.

· Manage an institutional repository of digital content.

· Provide outreach to the City of Hope community to raise awareness about scholarly communication, open access, institutional repositories, author rights management, and legislative actions affecting these issues.

· Serve as a resource specialist on copyright law.

· Develop and sustain the institution’s web page on scholarly communication.

· Provide reference and research assistance to library patrons.

· Provide instruction on library resources and databases including PubMed, EndNote, and electronic books and journals.

Qualifications
Masters Degree in Library/Information Science. Preference for 3+ years experience in an academic library setting, undergraduate or second advanced degree in a scientific field, experience in an academic medical or scientific library, and familiarity with academic publishing models.

Salary and Benefits
Salary range: $51,238-$79,420. Additionally, City of Hope offers a competitive benefits package.

Contact:

Melissa L. Just, MLIS, EdD, AHIP
Director, Graff Medical & Scientific Library
City of Hope
mjust@coh.org
p: 626.256.8614 | f: 626.357.1929
AIM: justmaguire | YahooIM: justmelissa
library.coh.org | grafflibrary.wordpress.com

Sewell Learning Partnerships for Librarians Offered

The Grace and Harold Sewell Memorial Fund plans to fund two, paid, 12-month, Learning Partnerships placing experienced librarians/informationists within leading health care and/or research organizations for the purpose of both partners gaining a greater understanding of how best information sciences can be effectively applied in each environment.

We are currently soliciting applications for librarians/informationists for our 2009/2010 Learning Partnerships. Host organizations will present a learning environment, a series of activities, and access to organizational leaders which will allow the librarian/informationist to more fully understand the nature of the organization’s work, its decision-making processes, the clients served and the health care issues addressed. The librarian/informationist will participate in team settings designed to utilize their skills and knowledge in non-traditional ways. Immersion is the goal and expanded knowledge the anticipated result for both partners.    To read about past Learning Partnerships, click here.

Visit : http://www.sewellfund.org/ to learn more.

Health Librarians Highlight Best Health Info on Internet

PHOENIX – So you have a seemingly random set of symptoms and are ready to call the doctor but you reach for the mouse first, right? Access to health information through the Internet has expanded exponentially, allowing all of us to “play doctor” from the comfort – or discomfort as the case may be – of sitting with our laptop.

But how do you navigate the myriad sites that can describe the differences between everyday aches and pains and serious conditions? Well, don’t just punch up WebMD or Google “arthritis,” say two experts on the subject.

Librarians from The University of Arizona and Arizona State University refer to an acknowledged list of the top 10 consumer health Web sites, according to criteria set by the Medical Library Association...

See entire post here: http://www.evliving.com/2009/01/29/2859/health-librarians-highlight-best-health-info/