Paper Presentation for MLA2008 (Ivonne Martinez & Michele Malloy)

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

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

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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