scholarly journals Accepting the challenge: what academic health sciences library directors do to become effective leaders

2018 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick L. Fought ◽  
Mitsunori Misawa
Keyword(s):  
Effective Leadership ◽  
Leadership Effectiveness ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Library Directors ◽  
Academic Health ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
Leadership Experiences ◽  
Critical Skills

Objective: This study sought to better understand effective leadership through the lived experiences of academic health sciences library directors.Methods: Phenomenological interviews were conducted with eight academic health sciences library directors to capture the essence of their shared leadership experiences. The research question that guided the study was: How do academic health sciences library directors understand their leadership effectiveness? The interviews were transcribed and coded, and the data were analyzed thematically.Results: Three main themes emerged from data after analysis: assessment of the environment, strategies and decisions, and critical skills. Assessment of the environment includes awareness not only of trends in libraries and technology, but also the trends in health information, higher education, and current events and politics of their institutions and states. The strategies and decisions theme is about the ability to think both in the long-term and short-term when leading the library. Finally, critical skills are those leadership skills that the research participants identified as most important to their leadership effectiveness.Conclusions: The study identified three main themes capturing the essence of the research participants’ leadership experiences. The three themes constitute a wide array of leadership skills that are important to learn, understand, and develop to increase leadership effectiveness. Effective leadership is fundamental to obtaining long-term strategic goals and is critical to the long-term future of the libraries.

scholarly journals It takes longer than you think: librarian time spent on systematic review tasks

2018 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystal Bullers ◽  
Allison M. Howard ◽  
Ardis Hanson ◽  
William D. Kearns ◽  
John J. Orriola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Strategy Development ◽  
Library Directors ◽  
Academic Health ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Task Time ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Time Frames

Introduction: The authors examined the time that medical librarians spent on specific tasks for systematic reviews (SRs): interview process, search strategy development, search strategy translation, documentation, deliverables, search methodology writing, and instruction. We also investigated relationships among the time spent on SR tasks, years of experience, and number of completed SRs to gain a better understanding of the time spent on SR tasks from time, staffing, and project management perspectives.Methods: A confidential survey and study description were sent to medical library directors who were members of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries as well as librarians serving members of the Association of American Medical Colleges or American Osteopathic Association.Results: Of the 185 participants, 143 (77%) had worked on an SR within the last 5 years. The number of SRs conducted by participants during their careers ranged from 1 to 500, with a median of 5. The major component of time spent was on search strategy development and translation. Average aggregated time for standard tasks was 26.9 hours, with a median of 18.5 hours. Task time was unrelated to the number of SRs but was positively correlated with years of SR experience.Conclusion: The time required to conduct the librarian’s discrete tasks in an SR varies substantially, and there are no standard time frames. Librarians with more SR experience spent more time on instruction and interviews; time spent on all other tasks varied widely. Librarians also can expect to spend a significant amount of their time on search strategy development, translation, and writing.

scholarly journals Academic health sciences libraries and affiliated hospitals: a conversation about licensing electronic resources

2020 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy E. Allison ◽  
Bonita Bryan ◽  
Sandra G. Franklin ◽  
Leslie C. Schick
Keyword(s):  
Health Sciences ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Health Centers ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Library Directors ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
Academic Health ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Electronic Information Resources

Objective: Libraries in academic health centers may license electronic resources for their affiliated hospitals, as well as for their academic institutions. This study examined the current practices of member libraries of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) that provide affiliated hospitals with access to electronic information resources and described the challenges that the libraries experienced in providing access to the affiliated hospitals.Methods: In September 2016, AAHSL library directors received an email with a link to an online survey.Results: By December 2016, representatives from 60 AAHSL libraries responded. Two-thirds of the responding libraries supplied online information resources to more than 1 hospital, and 75% of these libraries provided the hospitals with access both on site and remotely. Most (69%) libraries licensed the same resource for both the academic institution and the hospitals. Cost, license negotiation, and communication with hospital stakeholders were commonly reported challenges.Conclusion: Academic health sciences libraries with affiliated hospitals continue to grapple with licensing and cost issues. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.

scholarly journals What to Do When Everyone Wants You to Collaborate: Managing the Demand for Library Support in Systematic Review Searching

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-19
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell ◽  
Marlene Dorgan
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Academic Health ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Library Support ◽  
The University

The demand for systematic review support in academic health sciences libraries is increasing. To manage the demand, the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library at the University of Alberta has created an action plan consisting of eight strategies. The results of implementing these strategies have been varied. Some have shown immediate results, while others are long term strategies.

scholarly journals Services and staffing practices in academic health sciences libraries serving college of osteopathic medicine programs: a mixed methods study

2020 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne M. Muellenbach ◽  
Wendy C. Duncan ◽  
Cheryl Vanier ◽  
Lisa A. Ennis ◽  
Anna Yang
Keyword(s):  
School Administrators ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Osteopathic Medicine ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Library Directors ◽  
Full Time Equivalent ◽  
Academic Health ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
College Of Osteopathic Medicine

Objective: This study describes and assesses services, staffing practices, and trends in academic health sciences libraries that serve accredited college of osteopathic medicine (COM) programs in the United States.Methods: The study was conducted in three phases. In phase one, the investigators collected data on library services and staffing through the publicly facing websites of the COM libraries. In phase two, thirty-five COM library directors were invited to complete a survey regarding their services, staffing, supported programs, and students served. In phase three, seven COM library directors participated in phone interviews regarding services that increased their visibility, their motivation to offer expanded services, adequacy of staffing, and competencies required for new librarian roles. The investigators incorporated the Medical Library Association (MLA) competencies as a framework to structure the results.Results: Phase one identified 35 COM libraries serving between 162 and 8,281 students. In phase two, 30 out of a possible 35 survey respondents indicated that the top services offered or considered by COM libraries were in the MLA competency areas of “Instruction & Instructional Design” and “Evidence-Based Practice & Research.” In addition, we discovered that COM libraries had a median of 10 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff per 1,000 students. Phase three data revealed that library directors attributed their libraries’ success to the skills and talents of their staff, the wide range of resources and services they offered, and the desirability of their physical spaces. Library directors identified skills in the same MLA competency areas as phase two, as well as in the MLA competency areas of “Information Management” and “Leadership & Management,” as being desirable for new staff.Conclusion: The study results provide information for medical school administrators and library directors to help identify trends across US osteopathic medical schools in order to justify the need for additional services and staffing. These results can assist medical and library leadership in COM schools in planning for their future academic health sciences libraries. Finally, the findings could assist programs in library and information sciences in redesigning their curriculums based on the MLA competencies for students who seek future careers in academic health sciences libraries.

scholarly journals What to Do When Everyone Wants You to Collaborate: Managing the Demand for Library Support in Systematic Review Searching

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell ◽  
Marlene Dorgan
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Academic Health ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Library Support ◽  
The University

The demand for systematic review support in academic health sciences libraries is increasing. To manage the demand, the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library at the University of Alberta has created an action plan consisting of eight strategies. The results of implementing these strategies have been varied. Some have shown immediate results, while others are long term strategies.

scholarly journals The path to leadership: the career journey of academic health sciences library directors

2019 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick L. Fought ◽  
Mitsunori Misawa
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Major Theme ◽  
Library Directors ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Academic Health ◽  
Library Leadership ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological

Objective: The authors examined the career journeys of academic health sciences library directors to better understand their leadership development and what led them to their leadership positions in libraries.Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed due to its focus on exploring and understanding the meaning that individuals ascribe to a particular phenomenon or experience. Eleven library directors from academic health sciences libraries at public universities with very high research activity agreed to participate in the study. The research question guiding this study was: What was the library directors’ career journey that led them into library leadership?Results: A major theme that emerged from the data was “Path to Leadership.” Although each participant’s journey was unique, common elements surfaced as they chronicled their careers that were informative as to how they understood their emergence and development as library leaders. The four categories defining this theme were breadth of experience, focused preparation, mentors, and recognition and development of leadership potential.Conclusions: Previous research suggests that leadership development and preparedness are important contributors to leadership effectiveness. It was encouraging to witness and understand the amount of preparation by participants to ready themselves for their roles as library directors. This study provides a comprehensive view of the path to library leadership that furthers understanding of the value of leadership development and preparedness and provides a model for aspiring library leaders.

scholarly journals Impacts of Industry Attractiveness and Competitive Position on Leadership

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas George Marx
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Styles ◽  
Effective Leadership ◽  
Leadership Effectiveness ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Competitive Environment ◽  
Competitive Position ◽  
Earnings Growth ◽  
Intensity Of Competition

Contingency models of leadership have focused on the effects of organizational and follower characteristics onleadership. Much less effort has been given to understanding the effects of the external competitive environment onleadership. This paper explores the relationships among the external competitive environment, categorized by theattractiveness of the industry assessed by the intensity of competition and the industry’s long-term potential for salesand earnings growth, the strength of the company’s competitive position in the industry, and leadership. The resultsshow that industry attractiveness and competitive position have statistically significant effects on numerousleadership functions, traits, skills, styles, and its effectiveness. The findings have numerous implications for thepractice of leadership, and for the debates in the literature over the effects of the external environment on leadership,the most effective leadership styles, and the assessment of leadership effectiveness.

scholarly journals External Reporting Lines of Academic Special Libraries: A Health Sciences Case Study

2010 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy G. Buhler ◽  
Nita Ferree ◽  
Tara T. Cataldo ◽  
Michele R. Tennant
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Library Directors ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Academic Health ◽  
Changing Trends ◽  
External Reporting ◽  
History Of

Very little literature exists on the nature of external reporting lines and funding structures of academic special libraries. This study focuses on academic health sciences libraries. The authors analyze information gathered from statistics published by the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) from 1977 through 2007; an anonymous online survey of AAHSL library directors; and phone conversations with a select number of directors who were willing to take part in follow-up interviews. The history of changing trends in reporting lines over the years and a view of the diverse arrangements, including strengths and weaknesses, currently existing in academic institutions are examined.

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