Abstract
In difficult economic times, institutions must make decisions about their core values and where they should concentrate their limited resources. Survival of vital programs can take precedence over other programs that are recognized as valuable, but not essential. Funding for immediate needs can, and often does, preclude funding for future needs. Such was the issue facing the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) regarding its Academic Resident Librarian Program. Initiated in 1981 as a post-graduate appointment for librarians who were new to the profession and lacking librarianship experience, the program was suspended in 2007 for reevaluation and study. UIC has estimated that it costs the university approximately $14,000 per resident for recruiting and training, in addition to their salaries. This study was designed to determine what the value of the program is to the former residents, whether the goals of the participants in the UIC Library of the Health Sciences (LHS) residency program matched or reflected those of UIC, and if UIC should continue investing in the program. A survey was designed to probe the initial motivation for those entering the residency, their satisfaction with the program, their greatest challenges, their biggest rewards, new skills they developed, their retention rate in health sciences librarianship, and the most and least valuable aspects of the program. The results provide insight for institutions considering establishing a similar residency or evaluating current programs. The responses also provide a view of the issues that new health sciences librarians face during the beginning years of their careers.
Highlights
When you accepted the position as a resident librarian, how important were these factors in your decision to come to University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)?
Did you stay at UIC in a tenure-track position after the residency ended?
If you left UIC, please indicate how important these factors were in your decision to leave
Summary
Evaluating a health sciences library residency program: what have we learned? Questionnaire for follow-up study of library resident program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Library of the Health Sciences, Chicago. 1. Initially when you accepted the position as a resident librarian, how important were these factors in your decision to come to UIC? 1. Professional experience in an academic library How important to you were these aspects of the residency program? 3. Clarified if I wanted to continue in the health sciences
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