I got a mention in the mahslin blog today: http://mahslin.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/the-wind-in-our-sails/
I was a speaker at their annual meeting. They’re medical librarians and they are currently feeling under siege from cost-cutting measures. “Why should we bother having librarians when we have the internet?” is the corporate logic. It’s logic I would have pursued, too, before meeting them in person.
Librarians are information scientists. While doctors may do a little to keep up with current research, they’re primarily educated by pharma companies with a vested interest in presenting research and information that encourages doctors to prescribe drugs. While their intentions are no doubt good, there’s so much research about how unconscious bias controls our behavior that I just don’t believe the pharma reps are presenting unbiased health information to the doctors.
The librarians, however, are trained to seek out the latest information and understand the quality of that information. While doctors are busy seeing patients, librarians are busy learning the latest. In-hospital librarians then serve as a resource to medical teams to make sure they are aware of the latest and best information about treatments and research right when they need it.
Next time you’re in need of emergency medical care, make sure you have a competent, skillful doctor, nurse, EMT, or nurse practitioner helping you out. And so they can do their job better, ask for your medical librarian to lend their expertise.
WOW! Thanks so much for the mention, Stever. Medical librarians are indeed a valued asset in health care, but unfortunately one many folks don’t think to utilize. Spread the word. Quality health information is a vital piece of quality health care. Professionals in the field are ready and able to help.
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Hi Stever,
May we link to this blog item? It’d be on the Library Marketing SIG of MLA at http://www.library-marketing-sig.mlanet.org/
Thank you, Mindy (SIG Convener)
Librarians are bossy – they like to organize – they like to show off – they get stuff for people and they are good at what they do. The internet which is now their home and the so called information it has also drives them crazy because the internet is like Dodge City – wild wooley and untamed and Marshall Dillon hasnt made it to town yet. We like to deal in evidence – no crowd speak or no “the latest cure for Disease – fill in the blank ” – that your sister heard about from her hair dresser who got it from her friend’s nephew’s face book buddy.
Realistly there are wonderful resources on line but most of the ” good stuff” is not free. Not only are there hefty licensing fees but also complicated contracts, and byzentine search interfaces which no nurse or physician can be expected to take the time to learn. Its the publishers job to stay in business and extract profits from their works . Its our job to know how to get the information to our clients quickly efficently and cheaply.
Having lost a position because of the “its all on the internet mentality”, it gave me a bitter sweet satsifaction when a year later the position was reinstated. I moved to a better place. They did me a favour.
We all have access or excel on ourt desk tops– how many companies still run an accountant? Every one. becasue the accountant saves them money. I wish the reasoning was so obviously transferable to libraries.
I totally agree with you Stever, medical librarians are indeed dedicated to “quality control” and finding the best available information suited to individual needs. Great post.
What you said about Medical Librarians can be applied to ALL librarians!! We do so much more than stamp a date in your borrowed book. Heck, we don’t even do that any more!! But what we do, is ferret out the exact info that you need, and then repackage it in the way that is most meaningful to you. Handing you a chart with data on it rarely does anyone any good. But examining the data and reframing it in a different way —- say, a chart, or a pie graph, or just a summation! —- means that you will actually be able to understand the info that you received!!
Long live librarians!!
namaste, Nina