2005 Conference
Toronto, Ontario
May 30 - June 3 / 30 mai - 3 juin, 2005
Delta Chelsea Hotel
Conference Program
Wednesday, June 1 |
9:00 – 10:-00 a.m. Opening Keynote Address
"The Information Tornado: Toto I don't think we're in Kansas anymore", Stephen Abram, Vice President Innovation, Sirsi Corporation
Stephen's other presentations are available on the Sirsi web site.
New challenges are hitting health libraries faster than a Kansas tornado spins out cows. Hear our speaker share his insights into which technologies are coming soon and which are the ones that we can take a more wait-and-see approach. Is Google Scholar a giant killer? Will MSN Search change the way consumers work with health professionals? Is wireless and PDA medicine the wave of the future? Are there technologies and databases that libraries can implement to win the battles? Have our users changed too much for us to adapt? For those of us who value our changing users and changing environment, and good research and medicine, let's think about it! Join Stephen Abram as he reports on these trends.
10:30 – 11:00 a.m.
"Health Research & the Web: Can Google Bring Order to the Chaos?", Dean Giustini, UBC Library, Vancouver, BC and Eugene Barsky, St. John’s College – UBC, Vancouver, BC
Introduction
Health researchers are now questioning the complexity of searching MEDLINE when Google and Google Scholar seemingly provide equally good results with apparent ease and relevancy. After all, isn't PubMed indexed in Google? As end-users move to Google as a research tool of choice, health librarians must take steps to understand the pros and cons of doing so in an era of evidence-based practice.
Objectives
In this session, we evaluate Google and Google Scholar search instruments as health research tools. Search features, command language and functionality are reviewed within the context of answering basic health queries. We show how end-users might use Google to locate research literature, and how Google Scholar has begun to open up some of the deep, previously invisible parts of the Web.
Outcomes
At the end of this session, we will have demonstrated:
1) Overall search features in Google; tips and tricks when searching the web for medical and health-related content;
2) Use of the command language in retrieving relevant health information;
3) Google Scholar as a supplement for retrieving grey literature in health.
Discussion
Google's technologies are vital additions to the health librarian's search toolbox. End-users must be shown how to search Google within the context of other traditional control-vocabulary based indexes. Health librarians need to critically evaluate Google continuous innovations on an ongoing basis and be prepared to put into context its place among other important research tools.
11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
"Using Google Scholar in Health Research: Functionality & Retrieval Comparisons with PubMed", Eugene Barsky, St. John’s College – UBC, Vancouver, BC and Dean Giustini, UBC Library, Vancouver, BC
Introduction
In late 2004, Google unveiled a new, academic search engine - Google Scholar (GS). Aimed at scientists and researchers wanting to find scholarly literature across broad areas of research, GS searches a subset of the Google index, open access sites, society publishers and preprint repositories. While many academics have welcomed its arrival, health librarians are asking questions about GS, its many special features and functional limitations.
Objectives
In this session, we evaluate Google Scholar, its search capabilities (i.e. by keyword, index terms, command language) and overall functionality by demonstrating its effectiveness in answering basic queries. We then compare GS with MEDLINE (on PubMed & OVID) in terms of answering PICO-based clinical questions. Finally we evaluate whether end-users can locate the "deep" or "invisible" web – the grey literature – by using Google Scholar
Outcomes
At the end of this session, we will have demonstrated:
The overall search and functional capabilities of GS in searching for scholarly health content;
GS’ ability to search the deep web for grey literature in health;
How GS compares with PubMed, its access points & search interface;
GS as a supplement to or replacement of existing proprietary databases (ie. MEDLINE, EMBASE, etc)
Discussion
Despite our reservations about relying on Google, health librarians should closely evaluate Google Scholar as a research tool. By evaluating it thoroughly, we can discuss its features with our users and teach them how to use Google Scholar to supplement existing search tools in retrieving the best health evidence.
1:30 – 2:00 p.m. [Concurrent Session]
Using informative titles in academic journals, Jessie McGowan, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON
Objective: To describe implementation and early results from the new policy of the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology (JCE) to use informative titles for newly submitted articles.
Setting: JCE provides timely, authoritative studies developed from the interplay of clinical medicine, epidemiology and biostatistics. Articles are oriented toward epidemiological methodology, clinical research or both.
Methods: An associate editor is responsible for ensuring that articles titles are informative. Authors are instructed to submit titles that are simple declarative statements summarizing the message of the article as succinctly as possible. The informative titles should include the ‘answer’ within the title (the main message of the conclusion.), be no longer than 15 words and state verbs in the past tense for individual studies (whose results might be over-ruled by later studies or meta-analyses), and in the present tense for systematic reviews (whose results are unlikely to be over-ruled by later studies).
Results: The new criteria were partially implemented in early 2003 with full implementation in 2004. Due to the editorial process, new journal issues with declarative titles started appearing in the fall of 2004.
Conclusion: It is hoped that by using more informative titles that readers of JCE will be able to better assess the content of the information in the article. This should in turn help busy clinicians and researchers become even more efficient in their efforts to keep up with the literature.
1:30 – 2:00 p.m. [Concurrent Session]
Controlled vocabularies in a free-text world: COMPUS and CHN bring order to the Wild Wild Web, Greg Bak, Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA), Ottawa, ON and Christine Chang, SMARTRISK, Injury Prevention Affiliate of the Canadian Health Network (CHN), Ottawa, ON
Objective
To illustrate the issues surrounding the need for and selection of controlled vocabularies for online resources.
Methods
A qualitative analysis of issues around the decision to implement, and the selection of, controlled vocabularies is presented. Illustrative examples are drawn from the Canadian Optimal Medication Prescribing and Utilization Service (COMPUS) and the Canadian Health Network (CHN).
Results
Based upon qualitative analysis it will be argued that implementation of controlled vocabularies in both settings will result in more effective searching and greater consistency in indexing. Lessons learned during development and implementation of the databases and the controlled vocabularies will be of interest to those designing and managing online databases.
Discussion
The paper investigates issues around selecting and implementing controlled vocabularies, and draws examples from two different Canadian health information projects.
COMPUS, a program of the Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA), is in the process of assembling a database of drug-related best practice initiatives to serve the information needs of a broad range of stakeholders. Following extensive stakeholder consultation, it has been determined that the COMPUS database will include Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) subject analysis.
CHN, a project managed by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), is an online database of consumer health information. CHN is a collaborative, multidisciplinary project with an established legacy of information approaches and tools. In 2004 the decision was made to transform CHN’s largely unstructured keyword and subject lists into a unified, bilingual controlled vocabulary for Canadian consumer health information.
2:00 – 2:30 p.m.
CISTI/ICIST Update, Beverly Brown, CISTI/ICIST, Ottawa, ON
The CISTI Update will highlight CISTI's activities over the past year and, in particular, CISTI's work with health sciences libraries. These activities include the growth of DOCLINE in Canada, developments with document delivery, the collection and CISTI Source. This year's update will also provide an overview of the vision, mission and objectives of the new CISTI strategic plan 2005-2010.
2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
POSTERS
3:30 – 4:00 p.m. [Concurrent Session]
Library support at the point of need using online delivery systems in blended and online courses in an MSc Nursing program, Ilo-Katryn Maimets, Steacie Science and Engineering Library, York University, Toronto, ON and Mary Regan, School of Nursing Atkinson, Health, Nursing and Environmental Studies, York, University, Toronto, ON (plus handout: Instructional Filmclips for Nursing)
This paper presents an innovative library support package of “learning clips” that teach graduate level nursing students enrolled in distance learning courses how to conduct literature searches. These were developed to support research at the point of need because much of the M.Sc.N. program at York University is delivered in a blended or wholly online format. Graduate nursing students differ from traditional graduate students because most commonly they are older and come into the program with significant work experience. Educational programming for them therefore needs to be accommodating of their ever-changing work schedules and responsibilities. York University has responded to this need for flexibility by shifting the vehicles of course delivery from traditional, on-campus, face-to-face lectures to a much broader spectrum of delivery methods that include lectures, blended delivery, and wholly online formats. Library support for these courses must take into account the special requirements of the mature student population that it serves. Considerations such as relevancy, task-orientation and a need for immediate application of newly acquired skills to problem solving are just some characteristics typical of adult learners that are addressed by this work. As a group, the comfort level with an online environment is highly variable, and must also be taken into account when designing instructional aids for this student population.
3:30 – 4:00 p.m. [Concurrent Session]
"Net Explorations: Finding the Internet Evidence" University of Toronto Undergraduate Program 2003-04, Anita Lambert-Lanning MLS, University of Toronto Department of Family & Community Medicine & The College of Family Physicians of Canada National Research System (NaReS), Mississauga, ON, Rita Shaughnessy MLS, University of Toronto Department of Family & Community Medicine, Harvey Blankenstein MD, CFPC, University of Toronto Department of Family & Community Medicine, Risa Freeman MD, CFPC, University of Toronto Department of Family & Community Medicine, Laurence Spero PhD, Professor Pharmacology & Director, Educational Computing Manager, Bell University Health Communications Lab Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and Chris Cavacuiti MD, CFPC, University of Toronto Department of Family & Community Medicine
Background: “Net Explorations: Finding the Internet Evidence” is a 2 hr. evidence-based searching workshop conducted with 3rd year Clinical Clerks (CCs) on their Family Medicine (FM) rotation since 1997 at the University of Toronto with the support of health sciences librarians at Gerstein and local hospital libraries.
Method: Content analysis techniques informed by ‘critical appraisal’ categorization of the data from questions posed to CCs during the 2003-04 academic year (n=177) including subject heading assignment. In addition quantitative analysis of other variables from the workshop assignment (EduRx) and CCs evaluation of the workshop.
Results: The average age of a trainee was 25 years. The average number of hours spent using the internet (including e-mail per month was reported to be 29.46 hours per month (range 0-120). In excess of 70% of all trainees were satisfied or very satisfied with two out of the four components of the workshop (PubMed, Search Engine). New to the 2003-04 analysis was a scoring process devised to provide some measure of insight into the evidence-based searching abilities among this group of CCs. The majority of CCs scored good (48%) or excellent (34%) on the search exercise with the result scoring fair or poor (18%).
Discussion: In December of 2004 investigators began to develop a webcast of the workshop so that CCs in the rural family medicine training program would be able to access the workshop without making the trek back to southern Ontario.
Conclusion: Experience with this new development in the workshop in addition to lessons learned will also be reported.
4:00 – 4:30 p.m. [Concurrent Session]
Investigating Information Seeking Behaviors Of Primary Care Physicians Who Take Care of Older Depressed Patients and their Family Caregivers: A Pilot Study, Mary Jo Dorsey, Richard M. Johnston Health Sciences Library, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA and Ellen Detlefsen, Department of Library & Information Science, School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (plus hanouts)
Objective: To describe preliminary findings from a study of information seeking behaviors of primary care physicians who care for elderly and depressed patients and the correlation between what is sought versus what is provided to the patient and/or caregiver.
Setting: Physicians in two large ambulatory primary care practices throughout urban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who take care of large numbers of geriatric patients.
Methods: Structured interviews, with common questions, will be conducted with 16 primary care physicians to determine patterns of information seeking behaviors. Environmental scans of physician offices for evidence of their existing information behaviors will complement the information obtained with the interviews.
Results: This pilot study will provide an analysis of the resources primary care physicians use to seek information to provide to patients and caregivers. Analysis will show 1) percentage of time using research databases; 2) percentage of time using Internet search engines; 3) percentage of time seeking printed or non-electronic resources.
Discussion/Conclusions: With mounting evidence of the Internet being used for patient self care, it is essential to understand if primary care physicians understand the scope and breadth of information readily available to their patients. In the instance of the elderly, particularly, the depressed elderly, the primary care physician needs to be aware of the types of information made available to their patients, including the caregivers who are inclined to obtain information for the patient.
4:00 – 4:30 p.m. [Concurrent Session]
Bioinformatics Education for Librarians: The McGill Experience, Joan C. Bartlett, Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, McGill University, Montreal, PQ
Abstract:
Program objective: The objective of this course (GLIS691 - Bioinformatics) was to provide formal bioinformatics education within an MLIS program. As bioinformatics becomes increasingly integral to biomedical research, there is a need for librarians to expand their practice into the domain of bioinformatics, supporting the efficient and accurate use of these complex resources. We developed this course, the first such offered in a Canadian library school, in response to the demand for librarians to be able to support bioinformatics information needs.
Setting: The course was offered in Winter 2005 in the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, McGill University.
Participants: Course participants were MLIS students.
Program: The course took a library and information science perspective to bioinformatics. The goal was to provide students with the skills and knowledge to be able to provide information services in the domain of bioinformatics, and to collaborate in the design and development of bioinformatics resources. This includes understanding the field of bioinformatics and the range of resources, the needs and requirements of user groups, practical searching skills, the creation of resources, and the role of the librarian.
Results: Results to date will be discussed.
Conclusions: This course represents one approach to providing formal bioinformatics education for librarians. Librarians who are knowledgeable and proficient in bioinformatics will be able to expand the role of the library into this domain, apply their knowledge, skills and expertise in a complex, chaotic information environment, and develop the essential role of the librarian in the domain of bioinformatics.
4:30 - 6;00 p.m.
Group Discussions
National Network of Libraries for Health (NNLH) - open to all conference attendees
Standards Task Force - meeting open to task force members only
Thursday, June 2 |
10:30 – 11:00 a.m.
The Next Step in Universal Health Care: The Saskatchewan Cochrane Library Initiative, Christine Marshall, Health Quality Council, Saskatoon, Saskatoon, SK
Program Objective:
The Saskatchewan Cochrane Library Initiative is an innovative program that provides all Saskatchewan citizens with access to The Cochrane Library free of charge. Saskatchewan is the first Canadian province to make such widespread access a reality.
Setting:
The province of Saskatchewan is home to approximately 1,000,000 people who are scattered over an area of 651,900 km2. There is essentially one academic health sciences library in the province that is open to the public, and access to medical literature has typically been limited in rural areas.
Primary Participants:
This initiative has come about through a partnership between The Canadian Cochrane Network and Centre (University of Saskatchewan Site Group) who initiated the project; the Health Quality Council, who provides project funding and on-site database training to regional health authorities and public libraries across the province; and the Saskatchewan Provincial Library's Multitype Database Licensing Program (MDLP), which has adopted responsibility for maintaining the technical aspects of the project.
Results:
After several trials and tribulations – including the abolition of a key partner in the project - provincial access for both healthcare workers and the general public was established in October 2004. To date, response to the initiative has been particularly enthusiastic in rural areas, where the resource is needed the most. Database training is being conducted on a continuing basis, and a study of the initiative’s impact over the next three years has begun.
Conclusion:
The Cochrane Library is a valuable source of reliable health information. It is hoped that providing access to The Cochrane Library will result in more informed citizens and better health outcomes.
11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
“What? I can’t get it free on the Internet?!” Developing electronic library services for the Saskatoon Health Region. Amy Beaith, Erin Romanyshyn and Joanne Franko, Saskatoon Health Region Medical Library, Saskatoon, SK
Introduction
Prior to July 2004, The Saskatoon Health Region (SHR), which is the largest employer in Saskatchewan, only had access to a small print collection, 1.5 Library Technicians, and Internet resources such as PubMed and Google. The Saskatchewan Health Information Resources Partnership (SHIRP) project has led to vastly improved access to evidence-based health resources for the province’s Health Regions. These resources cover the areas of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, psychology, and others.
Objective
This paper will outline the impact of the significant changes in health library services within the SHR that have taken place largely as a result of this unique province-wide initiative, coupled with a $2 million endowment bestowed upon the region by the late John Rependa for the construction of a state of the art educational centre, which included a new home for the medical library.
Methods
Phase II of the SHIRP project involved the hiring of two Reference Librarians serving the SHR, whose first tasks involved rolling out these resources to the Health Region in September 2004 as well as marketing the importance of mediated professional library services and access to evidence-based health information.
Discussion
SHR Reference Librarians Amy Beaith and Erin Romanyshyn will share stories highlighting both the successes and challenges they have faced in launching new services and resources to an eager-to-learn population. Come find out how these developments have impacted this health region and are changing the face of health information services.
11:30 a.m.– 12:00
The world around the corner - or driving too fast around the bend. Update on the Saskatchewan Health Information Resources Partnership (SHIRP), Janet Bangma, Health Sciences Library, University of Saskatchewan Libraries, Saskatoon, SK and Susan Powelson, Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region, Regina, SK
Introduction
At CHLA 2004, the presenters reported on the completion of the first phase of the Saskatchewan Health Information Resources Project (SHIRP) and the work underway to implement Phase 2. This paper updates CHLA members on the progress of that project. The world of quality, evidence based health information is just around the corner for healthcare practitioners in Saskatchewan. Our goal is to not loose control as we speed around the curve into this new information age.
Background
In 2002, the Saskatchewan Health Libraries Association was asked to develop a proposal to improve access to library resources within the province. This initiative combined with the College of Medicine Accreditation crisis resulted in the submission, to the Academic Health Sciences Network and to government, of the SHIRP project. The project was funded in June 2003 and SHIRP was created. The multi-institutional task-force which oversees SHIRP, began the process of implementing the plan. We are now completing phase two, which included connecting three health regions to an initial suite of electronic products and moving to phase three, which is connecting the remaining health regions.
Outcomes
SHIRP delivered biomedical and full text resources to 3 health regions in 2004/05, will deliver this same suite of products to all health regions in 2005/2006 and by 2006/2007, will connect all healthcare practitioners in the province. Staff have been/will be hired for SHIRP including a coordinator and a training/education librarian, and professional library staff for the three Health Regions critical for distributed learning and education.
Discussion
This is a ground breaking provincial initiative involving multiple library sectors as well as health regions that do not currently have their own library services. SHIRP is faced with such challenges as annually applying to government for funding, developing and solidifying a mechanism of funding, developing a management and executive structure that will ensure ongoing success, resolving the technical challenges of authentication, developing a single point of access for all resources, developing and delivering a training program across an entire province with limited resources and working with community groups beyond the initial scope of the project.
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Information Behavior in Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chris Jasek, User Centered Design Manager, Elsevier
This session will present the findings of an information behavior field study of researchers in pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Toronto. Researchers conducted interviews, walkthroughs, observations, and field data collection to understand and characterize scientists' information behavior. An additional two weeks of data collection was conducted using diary studies during and following the fieldwork. Our findings portray researchers' typical and everyday use of information in the context of research projects, and their use of information artifacts in the production of new knowledge.
This study represents the second in a series of field investigations of scientific information behavior designed to understand actual work practices in current science, and to evaluate conditions, constraints, and opportunities for innovation. Four major activities were studied in the
academic domain:
- Ongoing experimental and clinical research
- Preparing manuscripts
- Preparing grant proposals
- Teaching and preparing lectures
2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
POSTERS
3:30 – 4:00 p.m.
“Can you see me now?”: Using telehealth technology to deliver library instruction in rural Saskatchewan, Mary Chipanshi and Cara Bradley, Health Sciences Library, Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region, Regina, SK
Objective: To assess the effectiveness of telehealth technology as a means of delivering library instruction to health professionals in rural/remote locations.
Methods: Librarians, located in the telehealth suite in the Regina General Hospital, delivered basic library instruction through telehealth technology to participants located in telehealth suites in two rural centers in the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed by the means of pre- and post- session self-assessment survey, as well as a follow-up survey at two months post-intervention in order to assess retention of skills learned.
Results: The use of telehealth applications to provide library instruction was enthusiastically received by participants. Survey results indicated a substantial increase in participant knowledge of library resources and revealed satisfaction with telehealth technology as a means of delivering the instruction sessions.
Discussion: Telehealth technology is a viable tool for delivering library instruction to rural/remote health professionals. Its use for this purpose should be embraced to ensure that health professionals in all parts of the country, including rural and remote areas, are confidently able to base their practice on the best available evidence.
4:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Distributed medical education expansion supported by the development of collaborative library services across three universities and six hospitals., Rita Dahlie, UBC Woodward Biomedical Library, Vancouver, BC
Program objective: This paper will report on the development of distributed library services to support UBC’s Faculty of Medicine expanded education program which is the first in Canada to feature multiple university sites for training first and second year medical students
Setting/Participants/Program: The University of British Columbia Life Science Libraries, University of Northern British Columbia Library, the University of Victoria Library and six hospital libraries are collaborating to support this distributed program. All students will participate in the same educational program through videoconference, identical PBL learning scenarios and receive their degree from the University of British Columbia. To date only UBC Library has supported the education of medical students.
Program: A Library Operations Committee with representation from each library site and faculty planners, educators and clinical instructors was established to plan and implement the program. Through the use of a detailed Workplan, the Committee was able to ensure that the component parts to support the students were in place without needing to redesign library services already existing at the distributed sites. The first cohort of students began in September 2004 and 24 will move to Victoria on Vancouver Island and 24 will move to Prince George, 487 miles north of Vancouver and with 152 remaining in Vancouver in January 2005.
Friday, June 3 |
9:00 – 9:30 a.m.
National Network of Libraries for Health (NNLH)
9:30 – 10:00 a.m. [Concurrent Session]
Availability of electronic libraries in the health sciences in the Arabian Gulf Region, Hakim Bishawi , Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates and Karen Neves, National Medical Library, United Arab Emirates University
Health sciences libraries the world over have experienced an increase in the popularity and use of electronic resources in their collections. As the internet has begun to invade even the remotest of areas, libraries in the health sciences are experiencing ever-increasing pressure to expand into the electronic environment. The Arabian Gulf region is no exception. In the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries – the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman – libraries are asked to serve the information needs of health practitioners with a diverse range of financial, electronic and human resources. In some countries, both funding and infrastructure are excellent. In others, a lack of hardware, software or financial resources have taken their toll on services. Through the use of online and fax questionnaires, this paper will examine the availability of electronic resources in health libraries in the Gulf Region and will look at the state of the art for such characteristics of digital libraries as a significant web presence, ability to access resources at a distance and the provision of library services using electronic media. Cultural milieu, staffing levels, reporting structure and the presence or absence of a library strategic plan will also be examined as these factors can all have an impact on the development of a vital and growing electronic library
9:30 – 10:00 a.m. [Concurrent Session]
Important Attributes of Consumer Health Information, Don H. Buchanan, Children’s Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON, Leah Jutzi, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Charles E. Cunningham, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, and Ken Deal, Michael DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
Question: What qualities or attributes of Consumer Health Information do consumers value as important? How do these attributes interact in the utilization of consumer health resources?
Design: We reviewed the literature to determine what consumers, health professionals and researchers consider important attributes of health information. Twelve attributes including content, perceived benefit, timing, source, accuracy, specificity, currency, endorsement, format, comprehensiveness, accessibility, and cost were identified, as well as evidence supporting their importance. Utilizing choice-based conjoint techniques, we then surveyed health care consumers in a children’s hospital to determine consumer preferences for these attributes.
Setting: Children’s Hospital, which is part of an academic health sciences center.
Participants: Three hundred parents of patients waiting in outpatient settings. Results: Results indicated that accuracy and source were the two most important attributes.
Discussion: Using market simulation software we estimated consumer preferences for several different models of delivering consumer health information in order to design services that maximize utilization. Resultant models have considerable implications for separation of librarian services from clinical service delivery.
10:00 – 10:30 a.m. [Concurrent Session]
Partnering to Improve Access to Evidence-Based Information: the WRHA and the UM Health Sciences Libraries, Ada Ducas, Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library, Winnipeg, MB, Tania Gottschalk, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Winnipeg, MB and Mike Moffatt, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Winnipeg, MB
Ongoing regionalization of health services in Winnipeg has resulted in the evolution of a very important and unique partnership between the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) and the University of Manitoba Libraries (UML). A contractual arrangement with the WRHA places management responsibility of most of the city’s hospital libraries under the largest health information library in the province, the Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library (NJMHSL). The development of this integrated program has been approximately six years in the making. The coordinated management of library services across a region is not unique in the Canadian healthcare scene. Models exist for consortiums (see for example the Health Science Information Consortium of Toronto) or university libraries managing some affiliated hospital libraries (see for example the University of British Columbia Life Sciences Libraries). However, the situation in Winnipeg represents a more integrated and coordinated approach because each of the hospital libraries is a unit of the NJMHSL. As well, each hospital library serves not only as an access point for hospital staff but for WRHA employees working in the Community Areas affiliated with the hospital. The libraries have up-to-date computers that provide access to a broad range of print and electronic resources. Each is under the direction of a professional librarian with support from a full-time library technician. Staffs provide literature search services, document delivery, and training. The coordinated approach to library services ensures health professionals across Winnipeg have the support and resources they need to incorporate evidence-based information into their practice and decision-making.
10:00 – 10:30 a.m. [Concurrent Session]
Virtual Libraries in Southeastern Ontario: The People Factor, Gillian Griffith, Bracken Health Sciences Library, Kingston, ON
Starting in 1996, Bracken Health Sciences Library at Queen’s University has established a number of partnerships with community health care institutions in Southeastern Ontario to provide library services. The number of partnerships continues to expand and currently includes 7 community health facilities, each of which has adopted a customized virtual library service model. There are no physical libraries or library staff members at the sites however each institution recognizes the importance of providing access to relevant, timely health information services to support evidence-based practice, teaching and research. There is an essential component of the virtual library service that must not be overlooked: the people factor.
Bracken Library now has two Clinical Outreach Services Librarians who have the critical role of establishing symbiotic relationships with particular members of a hospital’s staff. These relationships provide a uniquely promising avenue to facilitate the provision of services and resources to health care practitioners within each partner institution. This paper focuses on the great benefit of such relationships, and indicates some of the essential elements that make these partnerships successful. Special emphasis is placed on the necessity of having appropriate and affirmative “point persons” within each community partner institution.
11:00a.m. – 12:00 Closing Keynote Address
Upwards and onwards: The role of research in health librarianship, Joanne Gard Marshall, Alumni Distinguished Professor, School of Information and Library Science; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (plus "My Research Niche" handout)
Although librarians are frequently involved in making research data and information available to their users, the notion of conducting and applying research in library and information science (LIS) to everyday practice more recent in origin. Health librarians have been leaders in the LIS field overall as demonstrated by: the research statements developed by professional associations; the adoption of research standards and structured abstracts at professional conferences; the greater availability of research grants; and the growing interest in evidence-based information practice. Canadian librarians, in particular, have been leaders in the development of resources for evidence-based health care as well as their own evidence-based information practice. This paper will review trends in the conduct of LIS research and its application over the last decade and discuss ways in which the profession can build on this legacy. The role of research in health librarianship will continue to increase in importance along with the ever-growing demand for access to quality health information by health care providers, policy makers and the general public.
Page Updated June 23, 2005
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