Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Library Associations”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources

The Academy of Health Information Professionals: a review of the first five years.

The Medical Library Association (MLA) has provided its members with a credentialing program since 1949. This article reports on a five-year review of the current program, the Academy of Health Information Professionals. The review included an analysis of the financial basis of the academy and the use of three different survey instruments designed to gather input from MLA members and other opinion leaders. A final report to the MLA Board of Directors set forth eight recommendations based on questions and concerns identified during the review process.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

New measures for new roles: defining and measuring the current practices of health sciences librarians.

The roles of academic health sciences librarians are continually evolving as librarians initiate new programs and services in response to developments in computer technology and user demands. However, statistics currently collected by libraries do not accurately reflect or measure these new roles. It is essential for librarians to document, measure, and evaluate these new activities to continue to meet the needs of users and to ensure the viability of their professional role. To determine what new measures should be compiled, the authors examined current statistics, user demands, professional literature, and current activities of librarians as reported in abstracts of poster sessions at Medical Library Association annual meetings. Three new categories of services to be measured are proposed. The first, consultation, groups activities such as quality filtering and individual point-of-need instruction. The second, outreach, includes activities such as working as liaisons, participating in grand rounds or morning report, and providing continuing education. The third area, Web authoring, encompasses activities such as designing Web pages, creating online tutorials, and developing new products. Adding these three measures to those already being collected will provide a more accurate and complete depiction of the services offered by academic health sciences librarians.

Computer Communication Networks↗

The gay librarian: a comparative analysis of attitudes towards professional gender issues.

Librarianship is a feminized profession, and like teaching, nursing, and social work with which it shares the occupational traits of a "semi-profession," its low status and prestige have been attributed to a negative feminine image. To date, discussion of a corresponding male librarian image, general male issues, and the broader topic of gender issues has been minimal within the profession, while serious discussion of gay male librarians and their professional identity has been virtually nil. This study compares the responses of straight and self-identified gay males to an exploratory survey of male members of the American Library Association. The topics covered by the survey include reasons for entry into the field, the existence and identity of a male librarian stereotype, and gender issues generally, including gender stratification of work and sexual discrimination and/or harassment. Self-identified gay subjects share many characteristics in common with the straight cohort, including the identification of a gay male stereotype and some denial surrounding gender equity issues. On the other hand, the tentative findings of this exploratory study raise the question of whether both gay and straight male subjects overestimate the number of gay men in librarianship. The report concludes with an update on gay issues within the profession since the survey was completed, and recommendations for further research.

Adult↗

Web-based distance continuing education: a new way of thinking for students and instructors.

As people have more difficulty taking time away from work to attend conferences and workshops, the idea of offering courses via the Web has become more desirable. Addressing a need voiced by Medical Library Association membership, the authors developed a Web-based continuing-education course on the subject of the librarian's role in evidence-based medicine. The aim of the course was to provide medical librarians with a well-constructed, content-rich learning experience available to them at their convenience via the Web. This paper includes a discussion of the considerations that need to be taken into account when developing Web-based courses, the issues that arise when the information delivery changes from face-to-face to online, the changing role of the instructor, and the pros and cons of offering Web-based versus traditional courses. The results of the beta test and future plans for the course are also discussed.

Education, Continuing↗

Health sciences librarians' attitudes toward the Academy of Health Information Professionals.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to ascertain health sciences librarians' attitudes toward the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP). SAMPLE: Systematic sampling was used to select 210 names from the list of members of the Midwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association. METHODS: A questionnaire containing open- and closed-ended questions was used to collect the data. RESULTS: A total of 135 usable questionnaires were returned. Of the respondents, 34.8% are members of the academy and most are at the senior or distinguished member levels. The academy gives them a sense of professionalism and helps them to keep current with new trends. The majority of participants (65.2%) are not members of the academy. Among the various reasons proffered are that neither institutions nor employers require it and that there is no obvious benefit to belonging to the academy. CONCLUSIONS: More research needs to be done with a larger sample size to determine the attitudes of health sciences librarians, nationwide, toward the academy.

Adult↗

The international scene in biological and medical libraries.

This article introduces the Bulletin's special issue devoted to international health sciences librarianship with a discussion of the formal structures of international cooperation. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions' (IFLA) Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries Section conducts activities along four strands: world and regional health sciences library directories, mutually supportive regional groupings, a quarterly newsletter, and the quinquennial International Congress on Medical Librarianship. These activities, as well as those of other organizations, make up the formal international structure of health sciences librarianship.

International Cooperation↗

MEDLINE training within the library school curriculum: quality control and future trends.

In order to assess the current status of MEDLINE training provided by schools of library science, a survey was conducted of those schools having an educational identification code issued by the National Library of Medicine. Information was gathered on such variables as the instructors' background and preparation, the course objectives and content, and the amount of on-line experience provided to students in each of eleven programs. An evaluation of these measures indicates that more opportunities to gain experience in using MEDLINE should be initiated by library schools and that current efforts should be continued and expanded. Specific recommendations for accomplishing these goals are outlined; they are addressed to health sciences librarians, library school educators, the Medical Library Association, and the National Library of Medicine.

Curriculum↗

PHILADELPHIA'S MEDICAL LIBRARIES.

Philadelphia medical libraries embrace the past, the present, and the future. Typifying the expansion in medical communications, area libraries cover the broad spectrum of medical and paramedical fields. Serving workers in these fields are the College of Physicians Library, the five medical school libraries, and a host of hospital and special libraries. Many of these libraries date from the early years of this country. Pharmaceutical firms and governmental institutions in the city, as well as medical libraries in neighboring states, contribute to the area's rich resources. The cooperative efforts and outlook of all these libraries are reflected in the strength of the Regional Group of the Medical Library Association and the plans being made for the future of medical libraries in the Philadelphia area.

Humans↗

The business of negotiating for hospital librarians.

Although many hospital librarians may find it difficult, negotiating with vendors has become a basic skill of library acquisitions. This article reports the results of a non-scientific questionnaire administered to hospital librarians and vendors attending a chapter meeting of the Medical Library Association in 2003. The answers revealed that vendors regard libraries as businesses, and while admitting that the role is often uncomfortable for them, librarians acknowledged that negotiating skills have become an important aspect of their jobs. Questions to help guide librarians through the negotiation process are provided in the Appendix.

Attitude↗

The patients' library movement: an overview of early efforts in the United States to establish organized libraries for hospital patients.

The patients' library movement in the United States, a dynamic, cohesive drive begun and sustained by librarians and physicians, strove to promote placement of organized libraries for patients in hospitals. It took shape in the early years of this century, evolving from its proponents' deeply held conviction that books and reading foster the rehabilitation of sick people. The American Library Association's World War I service to hospitalized military personnel dramatically reinforced the conviction; the post-World War I institution of public library extension services to general hospitals explicitly reflected it. Enormous energy was infused into the patients' library movement. Throughout the first half of this century, there were sustained efforts not only to establish organized libraries for hospitalized people but also to expand and systematically study bibliotherapy and to shape patients' librarianship as a professional specialty. The movement's achievements include the establishment of patients' library committees within national and international associations; impetus for development of academic programs to train patients' librarians; and publication, from 1944 through 1970, of successive sets of standards for hospital patients' libraries. The first of these remain the first standards written and issued by a professional library association for a hospital library.

History, 20th Century↗

HELPING THE SMALLER LIBRARY.

On invitation, we approach, as consultants, the problem of helping a smaller library. Once we are certain we are qualified for the assignment, we arrange to visit the library and see its problems of personnel, space, and book collection. Talking with personnel operating the library may indicate appropriate courses of action. We recommend library procedures and systems commensurate with the present needs and future growth of a given institution or organization. We appreciate the quantity and quality of services rendered by small libraries. We learn who the readers are and what material is available locally before making recommendations concerning budgets or purchases. Our suggestions on technical matters include either work samples or references. We do not confuse library personnel with great detail. We tell them about local and nearby resources, services of the National Library of Medicine, and the Medical Library Association. We make them feel free to request further information as needed.

Book Collecting↗

PROBLEMS OF MEDICAL LIBRARIES IN JAPAN.

Reference service in medical libraries should be considered more seriously by the members of the Japan Medical Library Association, as their interest so far has been focused mainly on interlibrary loan service, compilation of union lists and union catalogs, and the business side of library administration. The Association does not have enough funds to be very active, and its membership is limited to the libraries of medical and of some large dental schools. It should open its membership to other medical libraries, such as those of hospitals and medical laboratories, and eventually to individuals. Many of the member libraries do not have complete control of their own budget, as each department of the school earmarks part of its budget for the library while it still holds the right of deciding which books and journals are to be bought and keeps a large part of them in its departmental library. Lack of proper library school education among the library staff is one of the major problems. There are some training courses for medical librarians in the library schools and also some workshops held by the Association, but they are limited in their usefulness by the fact that there are not enough library school graduates who can take advantage of them.

Humans↗

Enabling, empowering, inspiring: research and mentorship through the years.

The interrelationship between research and mentorship in an association such as the Medical Library Association (MLA) is revealed through the contributions of individuals and significant association activities in support of research. Research is vital to the well-being and ultimate survival of health sciences librarianship and is not an ivory tower academic activity. Mentorship plays a critical role in setting a standard and model for those individuals who want to be involved in research and, ultimately, for the preparation of the next generation of health sciences librarians. Research and mentorship are discussed in the context of personal experiences, scholarship, and problem solving in a practice environment. Through research and mentorship, we are enabled to enhance our services and programs, empowered to look beyond our own operations for information puzzles to be solved, and inspired to serve society by improving health.

Fellowships and Scholarships↗

Standards for hospital libraries 2002.

The Medical Library Association's "Standards for Hospital Libraries 2002" have been developed as a guide for hospital administrators, librarians, and accrediting bodies to ensure that hospitals have the resources and services to effectively meet their needs for knowledge-based information. Specific requirements for knowledge-based information include that the library be a separate department with its own budget. Knowledge-based information in the library should be directed by a qualified librarian who functions as a department head and is a member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals. The standards define the role of the medical librarian and the links between knowledge-based information and other functions such as patient care, patient education, performance improvement, and education. In addition, the standards address the development and implementation of the knowledge-based information needs assessment and plans, the promotion and publicity of the knowledge-based information services, and the physical space and staffing requirements. The role, qualifications, and functions of a hospital library consultant are outlined. The health sciences library is positioned to play a key role in the hospital. The increasing use of the Internet and new information technologies by medical, nursing, and allied health staffs; patients; and the community require new strategies, strategic planning, allocation of adequate resources, and selection and evaluation of appropriate information resources and technologies. The Hospital Library Standards Committee has developed this document as a guideline to be used in facing these challenges.

Consultants↗