Building Health Sciences Library Collections

Collection development is a cornerstone of librarianship; and with the rapid pace that library materials are produced, a thorough knowledge of collection development is more important than ever before. However, with the myriad of choices available, creating a meaningful collection can be a daunting task. Building and maintaining a health sciences library collection can be a challenge, especially in scenarios where there is no dedicated collection services department or collection development librarian. Often in library school curriculum, collection development strategies are discussed, but specific examples of bibliographic sources may not be covered in detail, particularly for health sciences resources. Many collection development books often discuss the creation of policies, budgeting practices, and usability. This book is a comprehensive reference guide for those who will be creating and curating their library health sciences collections. Moving beyond a traditional list of titles, this guide will focus on several formats and areas. It features specific bibliographic information for top resources for a variety of subject areas and in a variety of formats. This book is designed for all librarians, whether new or experienced. Each chapter of this title does a deep dive into an area of health sciences library collection building, as well as covering how to maintain a current collection. This book is designed to provide readers with a resource to lean on in determining the best bets in providing their users with health sciences resources to support curriculum, practice, and other user needs. Readers who are interested in gleaning techniques for maintaining their health sciences library collection will also benefit from this how-to guide as it details the deselection process. Every health sciences librarian, no matter their experience, can benefit from this reference guide.

Virtual services have been part of health sciences libraries for a long time in various forms, including the provision of reference and research services via email or chat, availability of online instruction, access to electronic materials, and the curation of virtual research guides. But when the COVID-19 pandemic forced many libraries to close their doors and pivot to virtual services almost overnight. Moving all services remote, even for just a short time, did highlight what worked well and what did not. The situation increased visibility of these services and made patrons more aware of what was available, perhaps making them more likely to expect and use those services in the future. In some ways, the pandemic showed us ways in which virtual services could even be better than in person services for providing prompt patron services. The situation increased visibility of existing services, making users more aware of what was available, and revealed gaps and needed improvements in virtual services. In this book copublished by the Medical Library Association, librarians from academic to hospital health sciences libraries, from rural to urban areas, and across a range of service specialties provide blueprints and best practices for building and maintaining sustainable virtual services in health sciences libraries. Each chapter in this volume addresses aspects of providing virtual services in information and access services, reference and instruction, collections, and clinical services written by contributors who have been involved in this work in their own libraries. Whether you are just beginning an implementation, assessing and refining current offerings, or strategizing for sustainability and looking to the future, this book will provide practical advice, tools, and considerations for maximizing user engagement and satisfaction with virtual library services and resources.

This books presents firsthand experiences and thoughts of librarians on the transformation of health sciences library spaces. They provide insights into planning, budgeting, collecting, and integrating user feedback, collaborating with leadership and architects and thriving in the good times and the tight times.

In Managing Health Sciences Libraries in a Time of Change, experienced leaders of the medical library community present insights into the current trends and issues faced by health sciences librarians and offer practical guidelines and management skills needed to create a culture of excellence. The Medical Library Association points out that “Management skills and a leader’s abilities affect the culture and performance of coworkers and the effectiveness of an institution.” The last decades have resulted in a sea change for health sciences library leadership and management. In a short period of time, medical libraries have transformed from collections of print books and journals to databases of digital resources accessible from any desktop. Library services no longer must be provided face to face, but the need for virtual library services has grown in complexity and now demands a greater knowledge of technology and informatics. Reference service, instruction, cataloging, and collection development all remain as key library tasks, but they have been transformed in this digital environment. This book explores what it means to be a manager of health sciences libraries today. Chapters focus on current trends in health science library leadership; managing change; staffing issues; managing for diversity, equity, and inclusion; mentoring; accreditation and evaluation; leadership skills, and a discussion of the differences between the concepts of leadership and management.

"This book offers librarians an opportunity to learn about and develop approaches to the health humanities, for their benefit and the benefit of their constituents and stakeholders, as well as for impacting the future health care professionals of our global community"--

Managing a medical library in a climate of rapidly changing technology requires the astute manager to anticipate and then manage change. Written by medical library professionals carefully selected for their specific knowledge and experience, these essays cover fiscal management, human resources, marketing library services, technology, facilities, and strategic planning. Appendixes offer a list of skills recommended for the career health sciences professional and an annotated bibliography on space planning.

Health Sciences Collection Management for the Twenty-First Century is intended for those with any level of experience in health sciences collection management. This book from the authoritative Medical Library Association starts with the context of health sciences publishing and covers the foundations of selection, budgeting, and management. It won’t tell new librarians what to buy but will give them background and criteria that should go into their selections. However, the focus of this book is not only on best practices but also on the big picture and the deeper changes in the field that affect decision making. Subjects not always covered in many collection development textbooks such marketing or accessibility are included because they are part of the larger collections landscape. Chapter contributors bring their own perspectives to the topics. Stories of different libraries’ experiences bring interesting topics to the forefront in practical, specific, and timely detail. While whole books have been written that go into some of these topics more in depth on their own, the treatment of each topic here focuses on the unique perspective and concerns of the collection manager.

In the late nineteenth century, medical educators intent on transforming American physicians into scientifically trained, elite professionals recognized the value of medical school design for their reform efforts. Between 1893 and 1940, nearly every medical college in the country rebuilt or substantially renovated its facility. In Building Schools, Making Doctors, Katherine Carroll reveals how the schools constructed during this fifty-year period did more than passively house a remodeled system of medical training; they actively participated in defining and promoting an innovative pedagogy, modern science, and the new physician. Interdisciplinary and wide ranging, her study moves architecture from the periphery of medical education to the center, uncovering a network of medical educators, architects, and philanthropists who believed that the educational environment itself shaped how students learned and the type of physicians they became. Carroll offers the first comprehensive study of the science and pedagogy formulated by the buildings, the influence of the schools’ donors and architects, the impact of the structures on the urban landscape and the local community, and the facilities’ privileging of white men within the medical profession during this formative period for physicians and medical schools.