Medical Library Association Research Articles

Beyond the Conference: Health Sciences Librarians’ Motivations for Publishing

Introduction: Previous studies have found that only 21.8% to 28% of abstracts presented at the annual Medical Library Association (MLA) conferences are later published as journal articles. What motivates health sciences librarians to take the next step in publishing and disseminating their work? This study will answer the following questions: 1) Are librarians presenting at MLA conferences more motivated to publish due to internal motivational factors (e.g., “to build a professional reputation for myself”), external motivational factors (e.g., “I am expected to participate in research for my job”), or a mix of both? 2) Do motivations for publication differ between academic and hospital librarians? 3) Do motivations for publication differ between those who published in peer-reviewed journals and those who published in other venues? Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the team surveyed first authors of abstracts presented at the MLA conferences in 2012 and 2014 to determine if they later published their work in any full-text format. If they did publish, the team asked authors where their work was published and the primary and secondary reasons for pursuing publication. The reasons for publication included internal and external motivational factors identified from the library science literature. Chi-square tests were used to assess differences in motivation. Results: One hundred and sixty one authors responded to the survey, and of these, 49 authors reported that they had published their abstract(s). Fifty-one percent (n=25) of respondents selected only internal motivational factors, 18.4% (n=9) selected only external motivational factors, and 30.6% (n=15) reported a mix of both. The author found no statistically significant differences between hospital and academic librarians, or those who published in peer-reviewed journals versus other venues. Discussion: Findings indicate that librarians who chose to publish their work after presenting at annual MLA conferences are primarily motivated to publish due to internal factors. Interventions designed to encourage MLA presenters to publish their work should consider ways to cultivate presenters’ internal motivation.

Shannon D. Jones, MLS, MEd, AHIP, FMLA, Medical Library Association President, 2022-2023.

In this profile, Shannon D. Jones, MLS, MEd, AHIP, FMLA, Medical Library Association President, 2022-2023, MJ Tooey describes her as someone who "takes chances on people, valuing those others might not see as valuable". Jones embraces lifelong learning, and it shows up in her collegiate journey; she has been a student of leadership, a leader of institutions, especially within the Medical Library Association (MLA); and a leader in librarianship. She is a trailblazer, the second African American MLA president, and a champion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Jones has been Director of Libraries & Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for the past seven years and is also Director of Region 2 of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, National Library of Medicine.

US Medical Library Association report for EAHIL

US Medical Library Association report for EAHIL

To AHIP or Not to AHIP?

ABSTRACT The Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP) was established in 1989 by the Medical Library Association (MLA). The premise was to design a program and skill set to contribute to the highest level of professional standards. Not all librarians apply for membership in AHIP which requires continuous professional development in terms of committee membership, conference attendance, publication, and continuing education. Some may not see the value of membership or may not understand exactly what it is. It is a personal choice for all those involved in health sciences and medical libraries. Librarians may take part in professional development opportunities without applying for membership.

Using virtual reality to educate healthcare professionals on patients’ experience of delirium

Delirium is an acute onset confusion that has fluctuating consciousness symptoms such as hallucinations, mood changes and distractibility. It is experienced by around 2 in 10 patients within the hospital [1]. Amongst these patients, 96% are older adults and their outcomes are consistently worse due to the delirium alone, including increased mortality rates [2]. It can also be extremely frightening and distressing. Hence, the attitudes and knowledge of healthcare professionals surrounding delirium is an important topic to address in order to aid prevention as well as manage delirium. Despite training, delirium is under reported and generally poorly managed. Studies have found that the use of virtual reality in medical education has improved empathy, depth of knowledge, and self-awareness [3]. Using a 360° camera and virtual reality headsets, an in-patient scenario was created whereby the effects of delirium such as hallucinations and disorientation were depicted. The aim of the project was to establish whether virtual reality can be used to improve healthcare professionals understanding and awareness of patients’ experience of delirium. The virtual reality video and the interviews can be found on YouTube. Eight people were recorded using the VR and five of them were interviewed afterwards. The interviews were conducted using an unstructured approach in which the topics of how the virtual reality tool changed their perception of dementia, what they learnt from the tool, and whether they thought the tool was useful, were discussed. Thematic analysis was carried out retrospectively. The thematic analysis of the qualitative data highlighted four key themes amongst the healthcare professionals’ responses. These themes were education, insight, empathy, and future practice. The most common theme was insight, with comments such as ‘having the virtual reality, it breaks that barrier between you and them,’ ‘you realise how just isolated that person is,’ and how the virtual reality made them feel like they are ‘in the room,’ emphasising this theme. The outcome has been to prove concept and highlight the usefulness of virtual reality as a method of educating healthcare professionals. We have been emboldened by the feedback received. We are looking to incorporate the VR film as part of a broader simulation-based training. The training is already being adopted by local clinical teams and our local university partners. 1. Combined NHS (National Health Service). Delirium Training Video (Virtual Reality). 2022. 2. Royal College of Nursing. Delirium | Older people | Royal College of Nursing. The Royal College of Nursing. 2013. 3. Dyer E, Swartzlander BJ, Gugliucci MR. Using virtual reality in medical education to teach empathy. Journal of the Medical Library Association. 2018;106(4):498–500.

The Use of Search Request Forms Can Identify Gaps in a Consumer Health Library Collection

A Review of: Giannopoulos, E., Snow, M., Manley, M., McEwan, K., Stechkevich, A., Giuliani, M. E., & Papadakos, J. (2021). Identifying gaps in consumer health library collections: A retrospective review. Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA, 109(4), 656–666. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2021.895 Abstract Objective – The objective of this study was to determine if search request forms, which are used when a patron’s request for information cannot be fulfilled at the time of contact with the library team, can be used to identify gaps in consumer health library collections while offering some explanation for the gaps. Design – Retrospective case study of search request forms. Setting – A consumer health library at an academic cancer center in Canada. Subjects – Library patrons: Patients, Patient family, other members of the center, and unspecified. Methods – The researchers reviewed 260 search request forms submitted between 2013 and 2020. Of those, 249 records met inclusion criteria and were analyzed and coded. Coding included patron type, cancer diagnosis, information delivery, and content themes. This information was then used to identify gaps in the library collection and the reasons for the gaps. Main Results – Patients were the primary patrons, asking 62.9% of the questions, followed by family members at 22.5%. The most common cancer type researched was breast at 23.3%, then hematology at 16.5%. gynecology, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and sarcoma were next between 10% and 8.4%. The remaining cancer types ranged between 6.0 % and 2.0%, with brain being the lowest. Of the questions asked, 60% revealed a gap in the collection. The gaps included rare cancer diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis. There were data collected on why the information was unavailable. While 53% of the gaps were a result of limited health consumer information, 25% were a result of paywall restrictions or content restricted to members. Conclusion – Search request forms can be an effective tool in evaluating gaps in collections. In this study, the researchers were able to identify that breast cancer patients made up the most significant proportion of patrons, and the biggest gaps in the collection were related to their treatment decisions. One opportunity to bridge this gap is through collaboration with clinical teams in developing patient friendly resources on this topic. In addition, inter-institutional collaboration between libraries may also help. Continued review of forms can help inform collection decisions to better meet the needs of patrons.

Kompetensi Pustakawan Dalam Database Scopus Periode 2010 - 2020: Suatu Studi Bibliometrik

A study was conducted on the 2010-2020 Scopus data base on librarian competence, with the aim of knowing: a) The growth of scientific publications on the topic of librarian competence from the Scopus data base; b). Core journal growth rankings; c) Researcher productivity; d) Number of publications based on affiliation / institution; e) Number of publications by country; f) Number of publications based on document type; and h) Number of publications by subject. This study was conducted by searching through the Scopus database (http://www.scopus.com). A search on the Scopus database uses the term or the word Librarian Competency, on January 11, 2021, which is contained in the title, abstract and keywords. As for visualizing the development of research on librarian competence, the VOSViewer software is used. The results showed that scientific publications on librarian competency topics for the period 2010-2020 were 280 articles, most of which were from the Journal of the Medical Library Association, with 38 documents. The most productive writers are Zhang, Y. with 4 titles. Most of the documents came from the United States with 106 documents, with the type of journal articles, namely 230 documents, and the most subjects were Social Sciences with 52.90%. When viewed from the bibliometric visualization, six clusters of subjects were found. It is concluded that social science dominates the subject and the United States is the country with the most research on librarian competence.

Landscape of health sciences librarian-mediated search services.

Health librarians have traditionally provided mediated searches to support patient care, education and research. This study aims to discover the types of search result formats used by health science libraries, determine current practice among health science libraries (types of requesters served, fees, deduplication, turnaround time and citation manager use) and uncover innovative methods for providing search results. An online survey was distributed to the MEDLIB-L, ExpertSearching, MidContinental Chapter of the Medical Library Association and ICON listservs and through direct email to selected Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries reference and education librarians. Librarians affiliated with 127 institutions from 11 countries (including the USS) and 36 USS states and territories responded. One hundred and forty-two of the total 150 analysed responses provided information on full-text access, and 81 of those 142 responses (57%) indicated that the institutions' link-resolver links were included in search results provided to the requester. The survey responses provide information on literature search services regarding turnaround time, use of a citation managers, fees and deduplication. With the developing landscape of citation managers and the tools offered, these data can be used as a benchmark for librarians who are considering evaluating or modifying their search service delivery.

Supporting the Spectrum Scholarship Program: perspectives from the Northern California and Nevada Medical Library Group.

The immediate past presidents and current president of the Northern California and Nevada Medical Library Group write to raise awareness of the American Library Association Spectrum Scholarship Program, share their approach to supporting Scholars in their region, and encourage Medical Library Association (MLA) chapters and MLA at large to build stronger infrastructures to support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color librarians who are in school and recently graduated.

We are MLA: a qualitative case study on the Medical Library Association's 2019 Communities Transition.

Objective:In 2019, the Medical Library Association (MLA) adopted a new model of community governance and participation, referred to as the MLA Communities Transition. The Communities Transition was the culmination of long-ranging plans by MLA to support two of its strategic goals: diversity and inclusion, and communities. The reorganization aimed to strengthen MLA member communities, better support programming, reduce administrative overhead, and attract new members. The 2019–2020 MLA Rising Stars cohort was tasked to study the Communities Transition and identify lessons that might be applicable to any major future change proposed for the organization.Methods:A qualitative study was designed and conducted to investigate MLA member and leader perceptions of the change process, using John Kotter's eight steps for organizational change model as a framework. A set of fifteen open-ended questions was developed based on Kotter's model, and seventeen semistructured interviews were conducted to gather perceptions and feedback. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to explore and identify several themes across all discussions.Results:Four major themes were identified: communication between leadership and membership, leadership during the change process, membership investment in change, and instituting change and future recommendations. The study revealed strengths in the overall implementation and execution of the transition, but it also highlighted several perceived issues with communication and information sharing.Conclusions:Study findings were used to develop recommendations for improved communication strategies and for handling large-scale changes within the organization in the future.

121st Annual Meeting Medical Library Association, Inc. May 10-27, 2021.

The Medical Library Association (MLA) held its 121st annual meeting virtually May 10–May 27, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting was entitled “MLA ‘21 vConference,” and the theme was “Transforming Our Diversifying Communities.”

Overview of the credential system of the Japan Medical Library Association

Overview of the credential system of the Japan Medical Library Association

The publication fate of abstracts presented at the Medical Library Association conferences.

Objective:We sought to determine how many abstracts presented at the 2012 and 2014 Medical Library Association (MLA) annual conferences were later published as full-text journal articles and which features of the abstract and first author influence the likelihood of future publication. To do so, we replicated a previous study on MLA conference abstracts presented in 2002 and 2003. The secondary objective was to compare the publication rates between the prior and current study.Methods:Presentations and posters delivered at the 2012 and 2014 MLA meetings were coded to identify factors associated with publication. Postconference publication of abstracts as journal articles was determined using a literature search and survey sent to first authors. Chi-squared tests were used to assess differences in the publication rate, and logistic regression was used to assess the influence of abstract factors on publication.Results:The combined publication rate for the 2012 and 2014 meetings was 21.8% (137/628 abstracts), which is a statistically significant decrease compared to the previously reported rate for 2002 and 2003 (27.6%, 122/442 abstracts). The odds that an abstract would later be published as a journal article increased if the abstract was multi-institutional or if it was research, specifically surveys or mixed methods research.Conclusions:The lower publication rate of MLA conference abstracts may be due to an increased number of program or nonresearch abstracts that were accepted or a more competitive peer review process for journals. MLA could increase the publication rate by encouraging and enabling multi-institutional research projects among its members.

Kristine M. Alpi, AHIP, FMLA, Medical Library Association President, 2021-2022.

In this profile, Kristine M. Alpi, AHIP, FMLA, Medical Library Association (MLA) president, 2021–2022, is described as committed to public health, professional development, and the growth and evolution of MLA. She teaches and speaks on the shared health impact from interactions among animals, humans, and the environment, and she mentors graduate students and fellows in librarianship and informatics. Alpi earned her PhD in educational research and policy analysis in 2018 and directs the Oregon Health & Science University Library.

Proving the proverbial gadfly: situating the historical and racial context of Southern medical works by Mary Louise Marshall.

Health sciences librarianship has historically benefited from avoiding critical conversations around the role of race in the profession, reflected through a select few number of articles on the topic. The purpose of this study was to add to this body of literature and apply a critical librarianship framework on the early scholarly record of health sciences librarianship and the legacy of integration within the Medical Library Association (MLA). Three Southern medical works and the integration views of Mary Louise Marshall, the longest-serving president of MLA from 1941 to 1946, were thematically and textually analyzed to redress the profession's long-standing legacy with Whiteness and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) representation. In reframing the historic past of MLA both through Marshall's works and her views, the goal is to acknowledge ways in which the profession has impeded progress and present steps to remedy appropriate outreach for the future.

Gloria Werner, 1940–2021

Gloria Werner, successor to Louise M. Darling at the UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, university librarian emerita, and eighteenth editor of the Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, died on March 5, 2021, in Los Angeles. Before assuming responsibility in 1990 for one of the largest academic research libraries in the US, she began her library career as a health sciences librarian and spent twenty years at the UCLA Biomedical Library, first as an intern in the NIH/NLM-funded Graduate Training Program in Medical Librarianship in 1962–1963, followed by successive posts in public services and administration, eventually succeeding Darling as biomedical librarian and associate university librarian from 1979 to 1983. Werner's forty-year career at UCLA, honored with the UCLA University Service Award in 2013, also included appointments as associate university librarian for Technical Services. She was president of the Association of Research Libraries in 1997, served on the boards of many organizations including the Association of Academic Health Sciences Library Directors, and consulted extensively. She retired as university librarian in 2002.

Review of "One Database at at Time: PubMed for Expert Searchers and Systematic Reviews” Webinar

As the interest in systematic review expertise grows, the Medical Library Association Technology in Education and the Systematic Review Caucuses came together to co-sponsor a series called “One Database at a Time” that examines and discusses how to use a different database for systematic searches. The first session, focused on the PubMed database, was offered on March 23. Moderated by Margaret Foster and led by panelists Alyssa Grimshaw, Liz Suelzer, and LaTeesa James, the session covered a variety of topics, from building your systematic search in PubMed to systematic review software.

Mapping the literature of health care management: an update

Objective:This study aims to identify the core journals cited in the health care management literature and to determine their coverage in the foremost bibliographic databases used by the discipline.Methods:Using the methodology outlined by the Medical Library Association's Nursing and Allied Health Resource Section (NAHRS) protocol for “Mapping the Literature of Nursing and Allied Health Professions,” this study updates an earlier study published in 2007. Cited references from articles published in a three-year range (2016–2018) were collected from five health care management journals. Using Bradford's Law of Scattering, cited journal titles were tabulated and ranked according to the number of times cited. Eleven databases were used to determine coverage of the most highly cited journal titles for all source journals, as well as for a subset of practitioner-oriented journals.Results:The most highly cited sources were journals, followed by government documents, Internet resources, books, and miscellaneous resources. The databases with the most complete coverage of Zone 1 and 2 were Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and PubMed, while the worst performing databases were Health Business Elite, ABI/Inform, and Business Source Complete.Conclusions:The literature of health care management has expanded rapidly in the last decade, with cumulative citations increasing by 76.6% and the number of cited journal titles increasing by nearly 70% since the original study. Coverage of the core journals in popular databases remains high, although specialized health care management and business databases did not perform as well as general or biomedical databases.

Results of an Informal Needs Assessment Survey

A previous Informatics Education column argued that, while instruction is a competency defined by the Medical Library Association and is a job requirement for many public services librarians, little opportunity exists for learning how to teach in formal training venues, such as library school, relegating librarians to learn how to teach on their own. After examining some of the literature surrounding pedagogy for medical informatics librarians, a link to a brief, informal survey on pedagogical training needs was provided. This column follows up with results from that needs assessment.

Thank you to the Journal of the Medical Library Association reviewers in 2020

The Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) sincerely thanks the 214 peer reviewers in 2020 who helped vet and improve the quality of work published in our journal.