Abstract
The frequent discourse and debate on the roles of librarians generally includes a consensus about the broad position characteristics 1–3 that former Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) Editor T. Scott Plutchak, AHIP, FMLA, summarizes well: “We connect people to knowledge. We bring people together with the intellectual content of the past and present so that new knowledge can be created. We provide the ways and means for people to find entertainment and solace and enlightenment and joy and delight in the intellectual, scientific and creative work of other people” 3. Health association libraries, a unique blend of medical and special libraries, have been surveyed periodically since 1955 (Appendix A, online only). The Health Association Libraries Section (HALS) of the Medical Library Association and its predecessors surveyed health association libraries in 1980, 1996, and 2003 on the status of these libraries and their services (Appendix B, online only). The 1980 survey focused on basic library data about clientele, collections, and staff. Surveys since then have included questions on services, funding, and stability. The surveys captured reasons for library closures, including changes in association leadership, budgets, space, objectives, and staffing. The surveys also captured reasons for success, including the ability of librarians to adapt their services to the needs and objectives of their parent organizations. The data collected from the most recent survey in 2011 helps to illuminate the new and changing roles of health association librarians and provide clues on how health association librarians can position themselves for the future.
Highlights
Pamela Van Hine, Medical Society Libraries Section (MSLS), AHIP, Head Librarian and Associate Director, Resource Center, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Kathie M
The selection of Susan Crawford, AHIP, FMLA, in 1962, as the first Medical Society Libraries Group officer from a national medical organization marks the beginning of the rising influence of the American Medical Association (AMA) and other national organizations and decreasing hegemony of the state and local society libraries in the group
When the Medical Society Libraries Group became a section, it became necessary to identify its potential membership. This was done through analysis of the results of the 1980 survey and through recruitment of new members from associations identified through the AMA data
Summary
The selection of Susan Crawford, AHIP, FMLA, in 1962, as the first Medical Society Libraries Group officer from a national medical organization marks the beginning of the rising influence of the American Medical Association (AMA) and other national organizations and decreasing hegemony of the state and local society libraries in the group. The AMA spearheaded joint data collection efforts through the MLA Committee on Surveys and Statistics. These national surveys of medical libraries, funded through federal grants, provided critical data on trends in medical libraries during the 1960s and 1970s. Association (BMLA) and in the no-longer-published AMA-MLA Directory of Health Sciences Libraries in the United States
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