Introduction to Reference Services in Health Sciences Libraries

1
Introduction to Reference Servicesin Health
Sciences Libraries

• Instructor
• Dean Giustini
• January 29th, 2003

2
Learning Objectives

• At completion of class, you should have an
  overview of
• Major types and formats of reference sources in
  biomedicine and health
• Role and impact of information in clinical care
• Typical information research needs of user
  groups
• Core competencies and roles of HSL librarians in
  a changing health environment

3
Agenda

• Introduction to HSL reference services
• Value, what happens in HSL reference, who is
  served?
• Sources of information - discussion
• Knowledge of sources is central
• Break at around 715pm
• Scenarios

4
Definition of reference in HSLs

• Reference services in a health sciences library
  may be broadly defined as... any assistance
  given by the library staff to users seeking
  information
• Calabretta N. General reference services. In
  Reference and information services in health
  sciences libraries. Metuchen, N.J. MLA
  Scarecrow Press, 1994.

5
Clinical value of information

• Rochester Study found that
• 80 of physicians said that they definitely or
  probably would have handled ... a clinical
  situation differently as a result of information
  provided by the library
• Marshall JG. The impact of the hospital library
  on clinical decision making the Rochester study.
  Bulletin of the Medical Library Association 1992
  80(2)270-309.

6
What makes a good reference librarian?

• Core librarianship skills HSL knowledge
• What are they? And an affinity for health
  sciences
• Ability to contextualize information needs
• Patient care education research administration
  
• Who has expressed the information need?
• What happens at an HSL reference desk?
• Interaction with users is often along factual,
  instructional and/or technical lines (FIT)

7
Information sources

• Collection development, reference, instruction
  and liaison are on a continuum in HSL contexts
• To be effective the health sciences librarian
  must know all major types and formats of
  information
• Develop depth and breadth of knowledge
• What are the major types of sources?
• LIBR538F students discussion of sources examined

8
Scenarios

• Safe injection sites and HIV infection
• User group St. Pauls Centre of Excellence
• Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Institute
• User group VGH Spinal Cord Team
• Censorship in Health Sciences
• User group HLABC Librarians
• Euthanasia and Palliative Care
• User Group Palliative Team in longterm care