Ivonne Martinez, MLIS
Michele Malloy, MALIS
Dahlgren Memorial Library
Georgetown University Medical
Center

Purpose
Are library schools offering a curriculum
that encompasses specific aspects of special
library functions?
Are we preparing health sciences librarians?
Literature Review
Expectations

Survey Methods
SurveyMonkey
Only One Logic Point
15 Closed Questions, 1 Comment Box
Inclusion Criteria
Health Sciences
ALA Accredited Degree
Newly Graduated (Past 5 Years)
Geographic Area (U.S. Schools)

Listservs: Blogs:
medlib‐list Krafty Librarian
AAHSL list Musings of a
hls‐list Medical Librarian
ili.list David Rothman
newlib‐list Others:
CAPHIS Ellen Detlefsen
Individual Emails

Length of Tenure Type of Library
4% 2% Academic
> 1 year Library
14%
1‐2 years Hospital
9% 34%
Library
2‐3 years 35%
18% Research
3‐4 years 59%
Institution
25% 4‐5 years Association
Completed Responses : n=204

Main Professional Duties
Informatics 16
Patient Education 30
Systems 35
Curriculum‐Int. Instruction 44
Research Collaboration 45
Marketing 51
Administration 54
Web Development 56
Public Services 74
Collections 83
Outreach & Liaison 100
Library Instruction 132
Ref & Research Support 174
Completed Responses : n=204

46 Distinct Programs
Did you focus on HS
U Pittsburgh (14) during your Grad
Program?
U North Texas (13)
San Jose State U (9) Primary Focus
Drexel University (8)
20% Strong Focus
Kent State University (8) 31%
University of Arizona (8)
One
UI Urbana‐Champaign (8) 33% 16% Consideration
UWisconsin Milwaukee (7) Not a
Wayne State University (7) Consideration
Completed Responses : n=204

HS Courses Offered?
No
16%
Unsure
7%
Yes
If ‘Yes’, 77%
If ‘No’,
Number of Completed Courses: Would you have taken?
2
3 13% 1
41% Maybe
10%
4 33%
5% Yes
No
5+ 0 58%
9%
5% 26%
Completed Responses : n=204

Based on your MLS coursework, did you feel
prepared for the job duties of a HS Librarian?
Unprepared Prepared
15% 17%
Somewhat
Prepared
68%
Completed Responses : n=204

MLS Courses: Offered & Completed
94
83 71
65
52 50
46
34 41
28
Offered
HS Libraries
HS Completed
Internship Independent
Study Online
Resources in Health
HS Informatics
Completed Responses : n=204

Course Importance Reported
Ratings Course Availability
#1 Online Resources in HS 25%
#2 Intro to HS Libraries 46%
#3 EBM & the Medical Librarian 5%
#4 HS Internship 35%
#5 Controlled Vocab in Medicine 3%
Completed Responses : n=204

Preparedness Rating: 1(Unprepared) – 3 (Prepared)
Reference 2.3
Client Services 2
Digital & Web 2
Instruction 1.96
Coll. Dev. & Resource Mgmt. 1.91
Outreach & Marketing 1.83
Cataloging 1.8
Scholarly Activities 1.79
Consumer Health 1.79
Admin & Mgmt. 1.72
Comm. with HS Prof 1.66
EBM 1.53
0 1 2 3
Completed Responses : n=204

Of 204 participants, 123 (60%) included comments.
Internships: 22% (27)
Work Experience (Staff, Graduate Asst.): 26% (32)
Former HS Careers: 8% (10)
MLS Programs Won’t/Shouldn’t Change: 11% (14)
Vendor Relations & Subscriptions: 7% (9)
Hospital/Solo Librarians are Distinct: 7% (8)
Completed Responses : n=204

Overview
Future Plans
Continued Analysis of Data
Hospital vs. Academic
Individual MLS Programs
Comparative Study
Library Managers’ Perspective
Partner with Other Sub‐Groups
SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/michelynn