This document provides an overview of the Baystate Health Sciences Library and the services it offers. The library is led by a director and reference librarians and serves both affiliated and unaffiliated health care practitioners through on-site and off-site locations. In addition to reference services, instruction, and interlibrary loans, the library operates a consumer health library and provides health information to the public through databases, pamphlets, and reference materials. Librarians assist users in navigating reliable health resources and evaluating the quality and recency of information.

1. Baystate Health Sciences Library
Basic Library Techniques in Reference
April 30, 2015
Margot Malachowski, MLS, AHIP
Community Outreach Librarian
Baystate Health
Springfield, MA

2. A little about me…
o Public libraries 1996-2008
o Baystate Health Outreach
o On-site at Chestnut & 3300
o Off-site at a location near you!

3. Health Sciences Library
o Director (MLS)
o Reference Librarian (MLS)
o Outreach Librarian (MLS)
o Scholarly Communication Librarian (MLS) ?
o Technical Services
o Acquisitions (all BH book/ebook purchases)
o Website Development
o Document Delivery/ILL
o Temp for desk coverage
o Volunteers & student interns

4. The Health Sciences Library at Baystate
Medical Center is a Resource Library for the
National Network of Libraries of Medicine
(NN/LM). Our mission is to serve the health
information needs of unaffiliated health care
practitioners, librarians, educators and
consumers in Western New England. We
provide free instruction and assistance.

6. Consumer Health Library
o 3300 Main Street satellite
o M-F afternoons, staffed by librarian
o Free pamphlets on general health
o Subscription databases
o Reference texts, health newsletters
o Free printouts on health information
o Phone, email, postal mail services

7. Provide reference services

8. Teach classes to the public

9. Coalition-building with partners

10. MedlinePlus: Service of the NIH
& National Library of Medicine
o No ads, no gimmicks (WebMD).
o More targeted than “googling”;
keeping the simplicity.
o Safe and reliable source to help
with understanding the situation
and health care options.

12. Narrowing to most relevant

15. More than one source

18. Clarifying: correct info?

20. Quick-and-dirty searching

21. Plain Language principles

22. Mayo: Q’s for your doctor

23. “Find a Doctor” &
Alternative Medicine
websites: See LibGuide
http://libraryinfo.bhs.org/patients_families

24. iTriage: Reviewed by
Harvard Medical School

25. Public Library: Books
“When the library visitors who took part
in the interviews were asked about the
most important resources the library
provides in support of health information
seeking, most said ‘books’.”
“I’m not sure if that’s what their job is”: Consumer health information and emerging “Healthwork” roles in the
public library. Roma Harris, Flis Henwood, Audrey Marshall, and Amanda Burdett. Reference & User Services
Quarterly, 2010; 49(3): 239-252.

26. Weed those shelves!
“[The librarian] suggested a few books but
I’m not going to bother because
everything I look at is too old.”
“What you get on the shelf is the stuff that
people don’t want to borrow.”
Reference & User Services Quarterly, 2010; 49(3): 239-252.

27. Weeding: Rule of Thumb
o Toss most materials older than five years
o Exceptions:
• Anatomy books
• Grief & emotional support
• Medical & translation dictionaries
• Classics (herbal)

28. Collection Development Lists
http://caphis.mlanet.org/

29. Best List: UConn Healthnet
http://library.uchc.edu/departm/hnet/pdf/corelist.pdf

30. Good Effort Matters!
“Bless her, [the librarian] didn’t have a
clue what she was looking for really,
but she found all the information that I
needed.”
Reference & User Services Quarterly, 2010; 49(3): 239-252.