Introduction to Reference Services in Health Sciences Libraries

1
Introduction to Reference Servicesin Health
Sciences Libraries

• Libr538F
• GR and DG
• January 25th, 2005

2
Agenda

• Introduction to HSL reference services
• Sources of information discussion
• Break at around 715pm
• Scenarios

3
Learning Objectives

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

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
• Type of reference service provided depends on
  library setting, type of library services
  offered, who the patron is and the type of
  information they want

5
Treatment Teams

• Doctors and nurses are no longer the only major
  members of the treatment team
• Tertiary care setting
• Kardex rounds include psychologists, social
  workers, OT, PT, RT, Dietitian, students

6
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.

7
(Alternatively) Heal Thyself

• The rise of Consumer Health
• The acceptance of Complementary and Alternative
  Medicine (CAM) in western culture

8
What makes a good reference librarian?

• Core librarianship skills HSL knowledge
• What are they?
• Ability to contextualise 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)

9
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

10
New Roles more training?

• Consultation, outreach, web authoring
• Scherrer and Jacobson, 2002
• Clinical Librarianship cost effective
• WinningBeverly 2002 Schacher 2001
• Informationist (Homan McGowan, 2002)
• Traditional skills knowledge of clinical
  medicine, expertise in evidence based medicine,
  techniques in retrieving information
  credentials (AHIP, Lic, Cert)