Explore the vast range of titles available.

Explore a wealth of ideas, insights, and approaches that can be used or adapted by any medical library! Curricular changes in the health professions, coupled with a growing acceptance of the Internet as a tool for daily living, have contributed to a climate of change and opportunity for health sciences libraries. A Guide to Developing End User Education Programs in Medical Libraries will help graduate students in library science, entry-level medical librarians, and experienced educators to understand best practices and to build, expand, and improve medical library-sponsored educational programs. A Guide to Developing End User Education Programs in Medical Libraries is designed to aid and inform professionals who develop, teach, or evaluate end-user education programs in health sciences libraries. Eighteen case studies represent the ideas and approaches of more than fifteen private and public institutions in the United States and the Caribbean. The studies focus on effective end-user programs for medical information electives, veterinary medicine programs, health care informatics, and evidence-based medicine, plus instructional programs for teaching residents, ThinkPad-facilitated instruction, and more. The guide also examines how several medical libraries have created and expanded their end-user education programs. The contributors to A Guide to Developing End User Education Programs in Medical Libraries are health sciences librarians from teaching hospitals, medical/dental/veterinary schools, and health professions-focused universities in a dozen U.S. states and the West Indies. Each of them is involved in designing, teaching, and evaluating user education. This book will help you educate students of medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, dentistry, and veterinary medicine, plus residents and practicing health professionals. The educational objectives and approaches in the case studies include: clinical med

Background: In 2023, JJ Pionke became President of the Midwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association (MWCMLA). He determined that for his presidential year, he would form a task force to determine the accessibility levels of the chapter and remediate accessibility issues as appropriate. Case Presentation: To accomplish the accessibility audit of the MWCMLA, Pionke formed an Accessibility Task Force that was time limited to one year. Task force meetings were held once a month to keep people accountable and to share out progress and requests for assistance. The task force was broken up into four teams: annual meeting, policy, social media, and website. Task force members could be on more than one team. The goals of each team were generally the same: what are other organizations doing, what do we have already if anything, and develop best practices/policy/etc. as needed. Conclusions: The teams fulfilled their mandate by creating best practices/guidelines/policies documents.  Some accessibility remediation was needed for the chapter website. The task force’s findings and materials were shared out among the MWCMLA as well as passed on to the presidents of the other chapters, many of whom had expressed interest in the results.

In Fall 2019, the Midcontinental Chapter of the Medical Library Association (MCMLA) welcomed a new incoming chair who outlined four priorities for their tenure including “adopting Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) values, policies, and practices in every aspect of the organization” [1]. These priorities led to the MCMLA Executive Committee approving the creation of the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Task Force. The task force created a survey to capture the makeup of the current MCMLA membership, as well as to assess the diversity climate of the organization.

Beginning in 2012, the Virtual Projects section of the Journal of the Medical Library Association has provided an opportunity for library leaders and technology experts to share with others how new technologies are being adopted by health sciences libraries. From educational purposes to online tools that enhance library services or access to resources, the Virtual Projects section brings technology use examples to the forefront. The new publication issue for future Virtual Projects sections will be January and the call for submissions and Virtual Projects deadline will now take place in June and July.

At the Medical Library Association (MLA) 2024 Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, the Janet Doe Lectureship Series plenary session featured a panel of past Doe lecturers from the last decade. Reflecting on their lectures they were challenged to imagine how the Association’s Core Values could guide and inform decision making in response to current and emerging challenges to the profession and in the environment. Panelists’ reflections included themes of inclusivity, collaboration, leadership, technology, space planning, and the role of medical librarians in addressing issues of mis- and disinformation, bias, equity, and open access, today and in the future. Common themes included the centrality of collaboration as a necessary component of health sciences librarianship, and the ongoing criticality of the profession’s commitment to ethical practices. The panelists shared insights on how MLA's Core Values can guide the profession and association through the challenges and opportunities of the evolving healthcare and information landscape, including the rise and the rapid evolution of advanced technologies.

Amy Blevins served as the Medical Library Association president from 2023-2024. In this presidential biography, authors outline a history of Blevins' recruitment to the career, career development, and impact on the association and the profession.

Objective: Academic health science library catalogs were analyzed to determine the presence and frequency of graphic medicine titles in print format in the collections. The secondary objectives were to gauge if students could access graphic medicine titles, through other libraries within the same system or as eBooks, and to examine if libraries highlighted graphic medicine collections and their uses on their websites. Methods: A convenience sample of health science libraries was created from the Association of Academic Health Science Libraries member list. A title list was developed from collection resources and award lists for graphic medicine and graphic novels. Data was collected from public-facing library catalogs. Results: Fifty-six percent of the libraries analyzed had at least one title from the list in their collections available as print. An additional thirty percent had at least one title available as an eBook, leaving only fourteen percent with no graphic medicine titles. Conclusions: This study provides a starting point in describing the prevalence and breadth of graphic medicine collections in academic health science libraries. Although their presence may be small, our findings suggest that graphic medicine is being collected by academic health science libraries. Academic librarians can support the growing interest in the comic art format by incorporating graphic medicine into their collections and educating their patrons on this important genre.

Background: Medical educators are increasingly aware of the need for patient-centred and inclusive curricula. Collaboration paired with sound evidence can facilitate efforts in this area. Librarians are well-equipped to help move this work forward, as their skills and expertise can support educators through the process of revising learning materials that will incorporate timely and socially accountable information. Case Presentation: This case report describes an initiative at one Canadian medical school, whereby a health sciences librarian joined an interdisciplinary working group to support the updating of case-based learning materials for the undergraduate medical curriculum. These materials were revised with an anti-oppressive and patient-centred lens, and as an embedded member of the working group the librarian provided on-demand literature searches, participated in conversations regarding the importance of critical appraisal skills, and consulted on sustainable access to electronic materials used in the cases. From this experience and close collaboration, lessons which enhanced their practice and stronger relationships emerged for the librarian.    Conclusions: Involving librarians’ expertise in updating learning materials provides many benefits to curriculum developers and presents opportunities for liaison librarians to engage with their faculties more closely. Promoting patient-centredness and inclusivity is an ongoing process, and academic health sciences librarians can apply their expertise to curricular initiatives such as the one described here, while librarians working in clinical settings can support these efforts through specialized forms of teaching and outreach.

Health sciences and hospital libraries often face challenges in planning and organizing events due to limited resources and staff. At Stanford School of Medicine’s Lane Library, librarians turned to artificial intelligence (AI) tools to address this issue and successfully manage various events, from small workshops to larger, more complex conferences. This article presents a case study on how to effectively integrate generative AI tools into the event planning process, improving efficiency and freeing staff to focus on higher-level tasks.

Prompted by increasing requests for assistance with research evaluation from faculty researchers and university leadership, faculty librarians at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) launched an innovative Research Impact Challenge in 2023. This Challenge was inspired by the University of Michigan's model and tailored to the needs of health sciences researchers. This asynchronous event aimed to empower early-career researchers and faculty seeking promotion and tenure by enhancing their online scholarly presence and understanding of how scholarship is tracked and evaluated.  A team of diverse experts crafted an engaging learning experience through the strategic use of technology and design. Scribe slideshows and videos offered dynamic instruction, while written content and worksheets facilitated engagement and reflection. The Research Impact Challenge LibGuide, expertly designed with HTML and CSS, served as the central platform, ensuring intuitive navigation and easy access to resources (https://libguides.uthsc.edu/impactchallenge). User interface design prioritized simplicity and accessibility, accommodating diverse learning preferences and technical skills. This innovative project addressed common challenges faced by researchers and demonstrated the impactful use of technology in creating an adaptable and inclusive educational experience. The Research Impact Challenge exemplifies how academic libraries can harness technology to foster scholarly growth and support research impact in the health sciences.