Future Roles for Medical Libraries and Librarians

Future Roles for Medical Libraries and Librarians Presented by Mark D. Puterbaugh Information Services Librarian Eastern University

What is a library without paper books and journals? What is a librarian without the physical library?
“ We are at a stage common to radical technocultural shifts . The obsolescent technology - print in this case – still pervades society, buts its days as a dominant force, a shaper of culture are clearly numbered.”
Creating a Virtual Academic Community (1996) Day, Crump, Rickly

So, what are you going to do? The Shift is happening now!
2000
46% of adults use internet
5% with broadband at home
50% own a cell phone
0% connect to internet wirelessly
<10% use “cloud” = slow, stationary connections built around my computer
Lee Rainie
Director Pew Internet Project
2008
74% of adults use internet
58% with broadband at home
82% own a cell phone
82% connect to internet wirelessly
>53% use “cloud” = fast, mobile connections built around outside servers and storage.

What Hath Google Wrought?

The Google Generation (post-1993)
“Unless libraries can tailor everything that they do and stand for towards the digital universe, their days as a wellspring of knowledge and information are numbered.”
Death of The Library and rise of the Kindle . Direct Marketing Observations Blog. (2008). M. Meyer.

It’s Not Just the Kids. Generation C (content) (post - 1974)
“… research-behaviour traits that are commonly associated with younger users - impatience in search and navigation, and zero tolerance for any delay in satisfying their information needs - are now becoming the norm for all age-groups, from younger pupils and undergraduates through to professors. “
Pioneering research shows 'Google Generation' is a myth.
British Library Press Room. (2008).
Generation “C” (content) has no use for a library. In fact I would venture to guess that funding on local, state and federal levels for libraries is constantly slashed in favor of more digital type programs or programs that lawmakers feel have more importance.” Death of The Library and rise of the Kindle . Direct Marketing Observations Blog. (2008). M. Meyer

When it comes to health information, consumers are not waiting for the Shift to come to the library.
“ Half of American adults have searched online for 16 health topics ranging from disease information to smoking cessation strategies. Health seekers go online to become informed, to prepare for appointments and surgery, to share information, and to seek and provide support.”
Internet Health Resources. Pew Internet and American Life Project. 2003. Fox and Fallows.
Represents about 93 million Americans.

Nursing has Shifted! Medical Information and Collaboration to the Point of Care.

Are Doctor’s Shifted? Medical Libraries are being challenged!
“ Consistently, doctors use the Internet more than their national averages, and their activities focus on the use of email, retrieving information from online journals , attending courses and conferences, receiving professional updates , and performing professional and administrative functions….”
For what purpose and reasons do doctors use the Internet: A systematic review. International Journal of Medical Informatics. January 2008. Masters.

Getting Bigger Everyday. Shift keeps happening at a faster pace!

So what is all the “Shift” doing! To Summarize:
There’s exabytes of digital information being created everyday!
There are hundreds of tools to create, collect and disseminate the digital information.
The information seekers are growing more impatient ! They want their information N-O-W! !!
The information seekers don’t want to come to the information. They want their information to go where they need to use it !
They want to share information!

What about the White Elephant at the Center of Campus? Libraries and Librarians Must Change !
Other Things to Consider:
Cost of housing tons of paper!
Real estate value of the physical library.
Salaries of the professional and support staff. (Not to mention health insurance costs.)
If you’re not thinking about this, someone else will!

Are Libraries Surviving Real Estate Shrinkage?

The Future Will it Be Bright or Gloomy?
“ Books are being pushed aside for digital learning centers and gaming areas. "Loud rooms" that promote public discourse and group projects are taking over the bookish quiet. Hipster staffers who blog , chat on Twitter and care little about the Dewey Decimal System are edging out old-school librarians.”
“ In a world where information is more social and more online , librarians are becoming debate moderators, givers of technical support and community outreach coordinators.”
The future of libraries, with or without books. cnn.com/technology. (2009). Sutter.

Googling medical professionals? Which search engines bring visitors to British Medical Journal (November 2005) Source Number Google 345 756 Google Scholar 105 185 Yahoo 57 967 PubMed (Medline) 14 522 PubMed Central 9 616 HighWire Portal 8 617 MSN 2 336 “ In a recent letter in the New England Journal of Medicine, a New York rheumatologist describes a scene at rounds where a professor asked the presenting fellow to explain how he arrived at his diagnosis. Matter of factly, the reply came: “I entered the salient features into Google, and [the diagnosis] popped right up.” The attending doctor was taken aback by the Google diagnosis. “Are we physicians no longer needed?” How Google is changing medicine BMJ. Volume 331. pgs 24-31. December 2005. Giustini. “ In a post-Google world, where evidence based education is headed is anyone’s guess. Googling your diagnosis; Googling your treatment—where is all this leading us?”

Will they need the librarian? Who will link it all together?
“ Digital libraries derive much of their value from the selection, organization, analysis, and linking performed by highly skilled human beings aided by increasingly advanced software systems — in other words, digital libraries still need librarians.”
“ It is common to find librarians working as part of health care teams, writing grant proposals, serving on institutional review boards, working as bioinformatics database specialists within science departments, serving as faculty members in evidence-based medicine courses, and being involved in multilingual health-literacy programs and community partnerships.”
2015 – The Future of Medical Libraries.
The New England Journal of Medicine. Vol. 352;11. 2005. Lindberg and Humphreys.

A new type of librarian is emerging! They are out of the library, part of the on-site team !
Collaborative and Mobile
Part of the clinical team.
In the hospital making rounds.
Part of the educational team.
In the classroom teaching alongside other faculty.

The Librarian and Library 2.0 They are tech savvy, cultural savvy information specialists!
Knowledgeable and Nurturing
Aware of the means to delivery “just in time and in place” information.
Aware of the technological trends.
Able to define and demonstrate delivery systems.
Able to “fit in” with a technological culture, no more “bookish” librarians.

The Future Library Becomes the Academic Commons!
"The library building isn't a warehouse for books," said Helene Blowers, digital strategy director at the Columbus [Ohio] Metropolitan Library. "It's a community gathering center.“
The future of libraries, with or without books. cnn.com/technology. (2009). Sutter.
The New Library
Extended beyond the walls of a physical space.
A center for learning, wherever it occurs.
A center for discourse through many channels.
A center for information gathering, whenever and wherever it’s needed.
A center for collaborative exploration.

The Future Librarian Becomes the Information Specialist!
The New Librarian
Collaborative – able to work as part of the team.
Mobile – able to work beyond the walls of building.
Technologically astute – aware of the means to deliver information.
Socially aware – understanding of the information needs of their community.
Curios – always finding new ways to find and share information.
“ In a world where information is more social and more online , librarians are becoming debate moderators, givers of technical support and community outreach coordinators.” The Future of Libraries, With or Without Books. cnn.com/technology. (2009). Sutter.

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Future Roles for Medical Libraries and Librarians

by Mark Puterbaugh on Sep 25, 2009

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Future Roles for Medical Libraries and Librarians — Presentation Transcript