A Practical Guide for Informationists: Supporting Research and Clinical Practice

By Antonio P DeRosa

A Practical Guide for Informationists: Supporting Research and Clinical Practice guides new informationists to a successful career, giving them a pathway to this savvier, more technically advanced, domain-focused role in modern day information centers and libraries. The book's broad scope serves as an invaluable toolkit for healthcare professionals, researchers and graduate students in information management, library and information science, data management, informatics, etc. Furthermore, it is also ideal as a textbook for courses in medical reference services/medical informatics in MLIS programs.

• Offer examples (e.g. case studies) of ways of delivering information services to end users
• Includes recommendations, evidence and worksheets/take-aways/templates to be repurposed and adapted by the reader
• Aimed at the broad area of healthcare and research libraries

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Release date: Feb 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9780081020166

Antonio P DeRosa

Throughout his tenure he has assisted clients with their research through embedded/liaison means by offering targeted training, EBM support via systematic reviews, general consultation, bibliometric/impact metric evaluation, data management, competitive intelligence, current awareness, productivity/workflow support, and publishing guidance. The author’s skills and past experience put him in a unique position to speak about the budding role of the Informationist as a librarian-in-context as it pertains to scholarly research output.

Book preview

A Practical Guide for Informationists

Supporting Research and Clinical Practice

First Edition

Antonio P. DeRosa

Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States

Table of Contents

Cover image

Title page

Copyright

List of contributors

1: The informationist in the scientific setting

Abstract

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Traditional roles (reference librarian) vs. new roles (informationist)

1.3 Role in the scientific setting

1.4 Conclusion

2: Training, education, and outreach

Abstract

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Embedded instruction

2.3 The continuum of information needs

2.4 Seeking and leveraging opportunities for embedded education

2.5 Case study: An embedded educational program for family medicine residents

2.6 Conclusion

3: Providing meaningful information: Part A—Beyond the search

Abstract

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Pre-pre-publishing: Getting started

3.3 Pre-publishing: Choosing the right journal

3.4 Publishing: Navigating the submission process

3.5 Case study: Republishing

4: Providing meaningful information: Part B—Bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Acknowledgments

4.1 Why bibliometrics?

4.2 What is bibliometrics?

4.3 Why informationists?

4.4 Case study: Bibliometrics at the NIH Library

4.5 Advice for building a program

4.6 Prospects

5: Providing meaningful information: Part C—Data management and visualization

Abstract

5.1 An introduction to data management and visualization

5.2 Roles for informationists in data management and visualization

5.3 Case study: Data services at the NIH library

5.4 Becoming a successful data informationist

6: Providing meaningful information: Part D—Current awareness

Abstract

6.1 Introduction: Combatting information fatigue

6.2 Theoretical background of current awareness

6.3 Surveying users

6.4 Social media tools for current awareness

6.5 Gray literature and open access for current awareness

6.6 Predatory journals

6.7 Emergency preparedness and change management

6.8 Conclusion

6.9 Case study: Leveraging social media to engage students, clinicians, and researchers with a University Health Sciences Library

7: Role in evidence-based practice

Abstract

7.1 Definition of EBP in a healthcare setting

7.2 MSK CML program

7.3 Informationists’ role in support of systematic reviews

7.4 The evolving role of the research informationist in EBP

7.5 Case studies: Clinical Medical Librarian programs

8: Future perspectives for informationists

Abstract

8.1 Moving the profession forward—How do we do it?

8.2 Advanced skills and training

8.3 Proving value and institutional buy-in

8.4 Key takeaways

Index

Copyright

Chandos Publishing is an imprint of Elsevier

50 Hampshire Street, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States

The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, OX5 1GB, United Kingdom

Copyright © 2018 Antonio P. DeRosa. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the Publisher’s permissions policies and our arrangements with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions.

This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).

Notices

Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-0-08-102017-3 (print)

ISBN: 978-0-08-102016-6 (online)

For information on all Chandos publications visit our website at https://www.elsevier.com/books-and-journals

Publisher: Jonathan Simpson

Acquisition Editor: Glyn Jones

Editorial Project Manager: Charlotte Rowley

Production Project Manager: Sreejith Viswanathan

Cover Designer: Mark Rogers

Typeset by SPi Global, India

List of contributors

Christopher W. Belter     National Institutes of Health Library, Bethesda, MD, United States

Lindsay M. Boyce     Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States

Diana Delgado     Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States

Michelle Demetres     Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States

Antonio P. DeRosa     Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States

Lisa Federer     National Institutes of Health Library, Bethesda, MD, United States

Donna S. Gibson     Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States

Sarah T. Jewell     Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, United States

Lily K. Martin     Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States

Konstantina Matsoukas     Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States

Rachel Pinotti     Gustave L. and Janet W. Levy Library, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States

1

The informationist in the scientific setting

Antonio P. DeRosa*; Lily K. Martin†    * Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States

† Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States

Abstract

This chapter covers the basics of the informationist role and provides a working definition based on the preexisting literature. It will also discuss traditional and new roles of the informationist and how it has evolved over time. Also, there is discussion of the informationist in the scientific setting along with brief synopses of subsequent chapters in the book.

Keywords

Informationist; Reference librarian; Embedded librarian

1.1 Introduction

In the 1970s, clinical librarian Gertrude Lamb recognized a gap between medical literature and practice. The expansion of medical knowledge, tied with technological advancement, meant that it was becoming more difficult for physicians to synthesize applicable knowledge into practice. As a result, she proposed training clinical librarians to work directly in this hospital setting. She described this new clinical team member as

A medical librarian [who] is assigned to an inpatient service and attends rounds and conferences with the patient-care team. The clinical librarian searches current medical literature for answers to questions relating to patient care and management and provides the clinicians on her assigned hospital service with relevant articles. The review of the actual journal article for its appropriateness sets the clinical librarian apart from a library service that provides a bibliography or a list of citations in response to a question.

(Arcari & Lamb, 1977)

Essentially, clinical librarianship programs sought to move medical reference librarians into the clinical setting in order to provide more rapid and relevant service for physicians. The clinical librarian as conceptualized by Lamb also serves the important role of [closing] the gap between what medicine as a discipline knows about good patient care and the knowledge that is actually applied to the care of patients (Arcari & Lamb, 1977). Breaking down barriers to knowledge-based information and evidence-based practice is now a central component of the work done by information professionals in research and clinical settings.

As information needs have evolved over the decades following Lamb’s work, so too has the role of the clinical research librarian. The changing information needs of researchers and medical professionals have led to the creation of a new role: the informationist.

Although the exact definition of the informationist has been debated in the past few decades, Lisa Federer has offered the basic definition of an informationist as an embedded information professional who provides specialized services to researchers at their point of need, such as in a laboratory or clinical research setting (Federer, 2014). More and more librarians are working as partners and collaborators in research. Rather than providing auxiliary support services for researchers, informationists seek to foster partnerships through outreach and domain-focused service.

1.2 Traditional roles (reference librarian) vs. new roles (informationist)

While reference librarians have been providing support to researchers for years, the informationisťs expanded role can be seen as a response to the limitations and missing links in researchers’ traditional approaches. Critical work done by the informationist bridges the gap between knowledge hidden in medical literature and information needed in clinical practice. Rapid access to and nuanced curation of information is crucial for the medical professional who may not have the time or training to synthesize information into practice themselves.

As many reference librarian positions are transitioning to informationist roles, several distinctions between the two come into view. While both the general reference librarian and the informationist typically hold a master’s degree in library and information science, some informationists also have academic or professional experience in science or medicine prior to their appointment. These professionals tend to work in field specialties that correspond to their prior experiences. However, only about half of National Institutes of Health (NIH) informationists as of 2008 had prior formal training in science or medicine, and among those who did were not likely familiar with research and clinical aspects of medicine (Robison, 2008).

Regardless of background education, research informationists are generally expected to engage in continued training in information science and biomedical science throughout their tenure. Subject-specific expertise is more common in the informationist role, whereas reference librarians working in medical libraries are expected to have a more generalized knowledge over a range of medical areas (Cooper, 2011). The main aim of their continued education is to retain an up-to-date understanding of their respective medical field while honing their research and teaching skills for library outreach. Beyond a basic familiarity with the researchers’ field, the informationist should also be attuned to the specific research culture of the fields to which they provide their services (Federer, 2013). Knowledge of attitudes surrounding data sharing, specialized jargon, and the field’s practice in general can be gleaned through close collaboration and advanced training. Therefore, informationist training involves reaching a deeper understanding of the content, context, and culture of their specific research domain.

Perhaps the central role of the informationist is to foster interdisciplinary partnerships within academic and clinical environments. Informationists have roles and responsibilities distinct from those of reference librarians, although they generally rely upon the same institutional resources within the library. As opposed to traditional reference librarians who tend to focus on peer-reviewed literature, informationists work with research teams from project inception. Working as embedded information professionals, informationists operate directly within clinical or research workflows to enhance knowledge management, evidence-based practice, and patient care (DeRosa, Gibson, & Morris, 2016).

While both the reference librarian and the informationist are point-of-contact for information retrieval on specific questions, the informationist often performs critical appraisal of retrieved information and literature synthesis. Research informationists can give advice on data management and curation, provide expert searching (i.e., metaanalysis and systematic reviews), and perform bibliometric analysis and network analysis for potential research collaborators. Moreover, informationists’ responsibilities also generally involve anticipating research needs of their users and staying up to date on research in their field. Inundated with information, the typical physician needs specialized support services that work with them at point of care.

Libraries are beginning to address the changing needs of users and nature of knowledge dissemination, and the evolving role of the information professional reflects this trend. Technology has changed not only how scientific researchers access information, but also how science itself is conducted. As data plays a bigger role in healthcare practice, management, and policy, librarians also need to act as data management specialists that can link medical literature and data directly to clinical care. Through their collaboration with medical professionals, informationists improve research output by streamlining data gathering, storage, and curation (Federer, 2013). Data-driven science is best conducted by interdisciplinary teams that can work together, and embedding an information professional in the research and clinical workflow establishes clear communication pathways, increases the visibility of library resources, and fosters collaborative partnerships in research.

1.3 Role in the scientific setting

Allee describes steps that the Taubman Health Sciences Library has taken in order to transform the library into an innovative and collaborative space for its users. The library’s mission