scholarly journals Critical librarianship in health sciences libraries: an introduction

2019 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Barr-Walker ◽  
Claire Sharifi
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Institutional Structures ◽  
One Step

The Medical Library Association recently announced its commitment to diversity and inclusion. While this is a positive start, critical librarianship takes the crucial concepts of diversity and inclusion one step further by advocating for social justice action and the dismantling of oppressive institutional structures, including white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism. Critical librarianship takes many forms but, at its root, is focused on interrogating and disrupting inequitable systems, including changing racist cataloging rules, creating student-driven information literacy instruction, supporting inclusive and ethical publishing models, and rejecting the notion of libraries as neutral spaces. This article presents examples of the application of critical practice in libraries as well as ideas for applying critical librarianship to the health sciences. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.

De-biasing on university campuses in the age of misinformation

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Krutkowski ◽  
Sarah Taylor-Harman ◽  
Kat Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Staff Development ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Unconscious Bias ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Information Literacy Instruction ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion

Purpose The purpose of this study is to highlight that in today’s polarised information environment, freedom of speech should not be conflated with a freedom to spread demonstrable lies unchallenged. The authors argue for a review of information literacy instruction to focus on social justice and help participants understand the implications of the views they may hold on vulnerable minority groups. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors review and reflect upon the delivery of staff development training on the facts and myths surrounding transgender issues. The authors also encourage other library and information professionals to expand their information literacy instruction into polarised issues that are marked by considerable amounts of misinformation. Findings Training participants reported that being more aware of transphobic media coverage will help them reduce bias and better support trans students and staff. It also enabled further opportunities for colleagues across teams and a variety of roles to incorporate the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion into their practice. The success of the sessions also contributed to wider institutional change. Originality/value Trans people are a vulnerable minority facing severe, persistent harassment and discrimination both in everyday life and potentially in educational settings. Offering staff effective tools to educate themselves about media transphobia is a step towards creating an environment where trans students and staff can flourish. The authors explore how the media coverage of trans issues allows misinformation to stick and spread. Through applying the concepts of critical thinking and information literacy to trans issues, the authors explain how unconscious bias towards the trans community can be challenged.

scholarly journals Lessons learned from multisite implementation and evaluation of Project SHARE, a teen health information literacy, empowerment, and leadership program

2019 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alla Keselman ◽  
Rachel Anne Chase ◽  
Jennifer Rewolinski ◽  
Yulia Chentsova Dutton ◽  
Janice E Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Outreach Program ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Implementation Planning ◽  
The Impact

Background: This case study describes the implementation and evaluation of a multisite teen health information outreach program. The objectives of the program were to increase health knowledge, health information literacy, interest in health careers, community engagement, and leadership skills of teens in disadvantaged communities.Case Presentation: Teens at six sites across the country participated in a multi-week curriculum that focused on various aspects of health literacy, information literacy, and leadership. Lesson topics addressed personal health, social determinants of health, information quality, and communication and advocacy skills. Program evaluation included both quantitative and qualitative components and focused on multiple knowledge and skills outcome variables. Results suggested that while teens at all sites showed improvement, particularly with respect to engagement and interest in the topics, the degree of gains in knowledge and information literacy measures varied significantly from site to site.Conclusion: On-site implementation planning, cohesive integration of added activities, and emphasis on retention can contribute to implementation and evaluation effectiveness. This work also underscores the limitation of a purely quantitative approach to capturing the impact of health information and stresses the importance of supplementing numerical scores and statistics with qualitative data. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.

scholarly journals Promoting Linguistic Diversity and Inclusion

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne Bowker
Keyword(s):  
Machine Translation ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion

Using a lingua franca for scholarly communication offers some advantages, but it also limits research diversity, and there is a growing movement to encourage publication in other languages. Both approaches require scholars to access material through other languages, and more people are turning to machine translation to help with this task. Machine translation has improved considerably in recent years with the introduction of artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning; however, it is far from perfect and users who are not trained as professional translators need to improve their machine translation literacy to use this technology effectively. Machine translation literacy is less about acquiring techno-procedural skills and more about developing cognitive competences. In this way, machine translation literacy aligns with the overall direction of the Association of College & Research Libraries’ (2015) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, which encourages a conceptual, rather than a skills-based, approach. This case study presents a pilot project in which machine translation literacy instruction was incorporated into a broader program of information literacy and delivered to first-year students—both Anglophone and non-Anglophone—at a Canadian university. Students were surveyed and, overall, they found the machine translation literacy module to be valuable and recommended that similar instruction be made available to all students. Academic librarians are well positioned to participate in the delivery of machine translation literacy instruction as part of a broader information literacy program, and in so doing, they can promote linguistic diversity and better enable students and researchers from all regions to participate in scholarly conversations.

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 Exploring interprofessional collaboration and attitudes of health sciences librarians

2020 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel J. Hinrichs ◽  
Caitlin J. Bakker ◽  
Tara J. Brigham ◽  
Emily C. Ginier ◽  
Gregg A. Stevens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Professional ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Interprofessional Collaboration ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Professional Students ◽  
Professional Careers ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Medical Library

Objective: This study assessed health sciences librarians’ attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration using the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS) and gathered information on their involvement with interprofessional activities.Methods: The authors sent a survey to librarians in the Medical Library Association’s (MLA’s) Interprofessional Education Special Interest Group and Research Section consisting of the IEPS and questions about their prior and current experiences with interprofessional practice and education (IPE). We compared mean IEPS scores between each MLA group and several other demographic factors to assess differences in attitudes. We also compared librarians’ IEPS scores with those of previously published health professional students’ IEPS scores and thematically analyzed two open-ended questions.Results: Health sciences librarians’ scores on the IEPS indicated positive attitudes toward IPE. There were no statistically significant differences between any group. Health sciences librarians’ mean IEPS score was similar to the mean score of health professions students from a prior study. The most commonly reported interprofessional activity was teaching or facilitating learning activities for health professions students; fewer served on committees or engaged in non-curricular activities such as grand rounds and book clubs.Conclusion: Health sciences librarians in this study reported positive attitudes toward IPE, in line with the majority of other previously studied health professionals. Years of experience, previous health professional careers, and experience supporting IPE as a librarian had little bearing on the responses to the survey. This suggests that health sciences librarians have positive attitudes toward IPE, regardless of whether they directly support IPE programs or participate in interprofessional activities. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.

scholarly journals Reflective practice and health sciences librarians: engagement, benefits, and barriers

2020 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolene M. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Discussion List ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Research Population ◽  
Reflective Practitioners

Objective: Reflective practice is common in nursing and other professions. In the published literature, there is very little about librarians’ use of reflective practice and no studies of health librarians’ use of reflective practice. This study examined the use of reflective practice among health sciences librarians, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers to use.Methods: This cross-sectional study replicated the 2014 study by Greenall and Sen, using a version of their questionnaire. The research population in this study was health sciences librarians who were members of the MEDLIB-L email discussion list, Medical Library Association (MLA) chapter email discussion lists, and/or MLA section email discussion lists.Results: There were 106 librarians who completed the questionnaire, ranging from those new to the profession through midcareer to longtime librarians. While a high percentage of respondents considered themselves to be reflective practitioners (77%), a larger percentage (87%) reported that they consciously spent time reflecting. Respondents selected a wide variety of benefits of reflective practice, while barriers tended to center on lack of time, knowledge, skills, or experience.Conclusion: The diversity of benefits that respondents selected suggests that reflective practice can play an important positive role in librarians’ professional development. Reported barriers to reflective practice suggest that there is a need for educational opportunities to develop skills. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.

scholarly journals How American Library Put an End to the Low Recognition of Game in Library

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donglin Ge
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Social Value ◽  
American Library ◽  
Information Literacy Instruction ◽  
Library Associations ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Full Swing

Though we already have several successful instances on gaming in library of China, powerful subjective reasons prohibited the development of game services since publicity, librarians and parents taking games as monsters. Also, public have no awareness of the game’s educational and social value. As a result, it is difficult to use game in entertainment, reading program and information literacy instruction. On the contrary, Libraries in US set up professional game librarians and consultants, and the game activities are in full swing. So it is quite necessary to analyze how they gradually overcome the prejudice and popularize game in library. And in this paper we will discuss the following factors: Service traditions, literacy, Library associations,education of future librarian.

scholarly journals Social justice and the medical librarian

2019 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Russo Martin
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Social Justice Education ◽  
Societal Issues ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
The Social ◽  
Medical Librarian ◽  
Medical Libraries ◽  
Library Profession

This lecture discusses social justice and the role that medical librarians can play in a democratic society. Social justice needs to be central to the mission of medical librarianship and a core value of the profession. Medical librarians must develop a new professional orientation: one that focuses on cultural awareness or cultural consciousness that goes beyond ourselves and our collections to that which focuses on the users of our libraries. We must develop a commitment to addressing the issues of societal, relevant health information. Using examples from medical education, this lecture makes the case for social justice librarianship. This lecture also presents a pathway for social justice medical librarianship, identifies fundamental roles and activities in these areas, and offers strategies for individual librarians, the Medical Library Association, and library schools for developing social justice education and outcomes. The lecture advocates for an understanding of and connection to social justice responsibilities for the medical library profession and ends with a call to go beyond understanding to action.The lecture emphasizes the lack of diversity in our profession and the importance of diversity and inclusion for achieving social justice. The lecture presents specific examples from some medical libraries to extend the social justice mindset and to direct outreach, collections, archives, and special collection services to expose previously hidden voices. If medical librarians are to remain relevant in the future, we must act to address the lack of diversity in our profession and use our information resources, spaces, and expertise to solve the relevant societal issues of today.

scholarly journals Health sciences library leadership skills in an interprofessional landscape: a review and textual analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 108 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Capdarest-Arest ◽  
Jamie M. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Leadership Skill ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Mapping Review ◽  
Medical Libraries ◽  
Complex Landscape ◽  
The Impact

Academic medical libraries sit at the crossroads of the complex landscape of the health sciences. Medical librarians in these environments must navigate and lead endeavors and services that involve many professions. In addition to being excellent leaders in their own professions, medical librarians must also improve their skills in leading in an interprofessional context by informing themselves of the qualities and skills valued in connected professions. In this project, the authors set out to understand leadership principles from three professions closely affiliated with medical librarianship to identify a core interdisciplinary leadership skill set. To do so, we conducted a mapping review of the existing literature from the last five years around leadership in academic medicine, academic nursing, hospital administration, and medical librarianship to identify core leadership skills across the disciplines and discover potential differences. We used text analysis and descriptive analysis to extract skills that were mentioned and uncover trends in the identified literature. Modern medical librarians must extend their leadership beyond the internal library setting, particularly as they become more involved with connecting and collaborating with leaders across disciplines. To successfully navigate such an interdisciplinary landscape and enhance the impact of the library in the broader organization, it is important to have the skills and vocabulary of leadership across the various professions. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.

scholarly journals Measuring impostor phenomenon among health sciences librarians

2019 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Barr-Walker ◽  
Michelle B. Bass ◽  
Debra A. Werner ◽  
Liz Kellermeyer
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Impostor Phenomenon ◽  
Or Education ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Impostor Feelings ◽  
Prevention Methods

Objective: Impostor phenomenon, also known as impostor syndrome, is the inability to internalize accomplishments while experiencing the fear of being exposed as a fraud. Previous work has examined impostor phenomenon among academic college and research librarians, but health sciences librarians, who are often asked to be experts in medical subject areas with minimal training or education in these areas, have not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to measure impostor phenomenon among health sciences librarians.Methods: A survey of 2,125 eligible Medical Library Association (MLA) members was taken from October to December 2017. The online survey featuring the Harvey Impostor Phenomenon scale, a validated measure of impostor phenomenon, was administered, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine relationships between impostor phenomenon scores and demographic variables.Results: A total of 703 participants completed the survey (33% response rate), and 14.5% of participants scored ≥42 on the Harvey scale, indicating possible impostor feelings. Gender, race, and library setting showed no associations, but having an educational background in the health sciences was associated with lower impostor scores. Age and years of experience were inversely correlated with impostor phenomenon, with younger and newer librarians demonstrating higher scores.Conclusions: One out of seven health sciences librarians in this study experienced impostor phenomenon, similar to previous findings for academic librarians. Librarians, managers, and MLA can work to recognize and address this issue by raising awareness, using early prevention methods, and supporting librarians who are younger and/or new to the profession. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.

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