Abstract
The authors' goal was to assess changes in the role of librarians in informatics education from 2004 to 2013. This is a follow-up to "Metropolis Redux: The Unique Importance of Library Skills in Informatics," a 2004 survey of informatics programs. An electronic survey was conducted in January 2013 and sent to librarians via the MEDLIB-L email discussion list, the library section of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the Medical Informatics Section of the Medical Library Association, the Information Technology Interest Group of the Association of College and Research Libraries/New England Region, and various library directors across the country. Librarians from fifty-five institutions responded to the survey. Of these respondents, thirty-four included librarians in nonlibrary aspects of informatics training. Fifteen institutions have librarians participating in leadership positions in their informatics programs. Compared to the earlier survey, the role of librarians has evolved. Librarians possess skills that enable them to participate in informatics programs beyond a narrow library focus. Librarians currently perform significant leadership roles in informatics education. There are opportunities for librarian interdisciplinary collaboration in informatics programs. Informatics is much more than the study of technology. The information skills that librarians bring to the table enrich and broaden the study of informatics in addition to adding value to the library profession itself.
Highlights
ObjectiveIn 2004, the authors reported on the participation of librarians in informatics programs [1]
In ‘‘Metropolis Redux: The Unique Importance of Library Skills in Informatics,’’ we identified a set of basic interdisciplinary information skills [1]: (1) effectively sorting through the volume of available information by utilizing research skills, (2) evaluating information based on the specific clinical or health care need, and (3) transforming that information into productive results
Librarian involvement in informatics education is the focus of this paper, we must remember that, education is about the students
Summary
In 2004, the authors reported on the participation of librarians in informatics programs [1]. Information was obtained from a survey of twenty-six informatics programs in hospital systems, research organizations, and universities. The results indicated that library skills formed an important part of the curriculum of many of the surveyed programs. We further concluded that librarians have a unique combination of technological and human skills that provide excellent opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, especially in informatics. The objective of this paper is to provide a ten-year follow up that investigates the evolving role of librarians in informatics education. This second survey focuses on librarian involvement, including in leadership roles, in programs that train health professionals in informatics skills
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