An evolution of experts: MEDLINE in the library school.
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QUESTION: What is the real value that medical librarians bring to the health care environment? How have library science educators, frequently former practitioners themselves, responded to the challenge of expert searching? METHODS: In this paper, I give an historical introduction to the landscape of medical information retrieval through the development of MEDLINE. I then look at the evolution of training in online searching and its place in the context of library school education and particularly the effect of generalist education on future specialists. Finally, I acknowledge the new role of the informationist as another assertion of our professional expertise. CONCLUSIONS: The three interdependent subsystems of our professional machine-our schools, our association, and our professional peers- must all respond to this challenge by asserting our expertise in our curricula, in our continuing education, and in our dialogues with each other. Only by acknowledging the interaction of these subsystems will real and positive changes be effected to benefit our profession and our constituencies. (+info)
Understanding the foundation: the state of generalist search education in library schools as related to the needs of expert searchers in medical libraries.
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PURPOSE: The paper explores the current state of generalist search education in library schools and considers that foundation in respect to the Medical Library Association's statement on expert searching. SETTING/SUBJECTS: Syllabi from courses with significant searching components were examined from ten of the top library schools, as determined by the U.S. News & World Report rankings. METHODOLOGY: Mixed methods were used, but primarily quantitative bibliometric methods were used. RESULTS: The educational focus in these searching components was on understanding the generalist searching resources and typical users and on performing a reflective search through application of search strategies, controlled vocabulary, and logic appropriate to the search tool. There is a growing emphasis on Web-based search tools and a movement away from traditional set-based searching and toward free-text search strategies. While a core set of authors is used in these courses, no core set of readings is used. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: While library schools provide a strong foundation, future medical librarians still need to take courses that introduce them to the resources, settings, and users associated with medical libraries. In addition, as more emphasis is placed on Web-based search tools and free-text searching, instructors of the specialist medical informatics courses will need to focus on teaching traditional search methods appropriate for common tools in the medical domain. (+info)
Outreach impact study: the case of the Greater Midwest Region.
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MEDLINE training within the library school curriculum: quality control and future trends.
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In order to assess the current status of MEDLINE training provided by schools of library science, a survey was conducted of those schools having an educational identification code issued by the National Library of Medicine. Information was gathered on such variables as the instructors' background and preparation, the course objectives and content, and the amount of on-line experience provided to students in each of eleven programs. An evaluation of these measures indicates that more opportunities to gain experience in using MEDLINE should be initiated by library schools and that current efforts should be continued and expanded. Specific recommendations for accomplishing these goals are outlined; they are addressed to health sciences librarians, library school educators, the Medical Library Association, and the National Library of Medicine. (+info)
Certification of medical librarians, 1949--1977 statistical analysis.
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The Medical Library Association's Code for Training and Certification of Medical Librarians was in effect from 1949 to August 1977, a period during which 3,216 individuals were certified. Statistics on each type of certificate granted each year are provided. Because 54.5% of those granted certification were awarded it in the last three-year, two-month period of the code's existence, these applications are reviewed in greater detail. Statistics on each type of certificate granted each year are provided. Because 54.5% of those granted certification were awarded it in the last three-year, two-month period of the code's existence, these applications are reviewed in greater detail. Statistics on MLA membership, sex, residence, library school, and method of meeting requirements are detailed. Questions relating to certification under the code now in existence are raised. (+info)
The development of education for medical librarians.
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Formal education for medical library specialization was initiated only thirty-two years ago despite the fact that medical libraries received special treatment for many years before that time. The philosophy of specialized education was developed as early as 1925, and this theory was finally put into practice beginning with the medical reference and bibliography course given at Columbia in 1939. In the late 1940s the requisites for medical librarians were formalized into a certification code by the Medical Library Association, and since that time specialized education for medical librarians has grown stronger using this code as a guideline. This education consists basically of two types-formal library school courses and internship programs which offer a working-while-learning situation. Now that the established programs have a few years of history, there is a need for evaluation and restatement of goals and methods. (+info)
Special programs in medical library education, 1957-1971. I. Definition of the problem and research design.
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This report discusses the background and design of a study on special programs of education for medical librarianship in the United States. Between 1957 and 1971, 238 persons completed special programs in medical librarianship. Since little information has been available concerning the occupational success of these individuals, the study was undertaken (1) to determine the nature and distinguishing characteristics of the special programs of education for medical librarianship in the United States and (2) to provide some quantitative evidence of the value of those programs by studying a group of professional medical librarians who have had specialized training and a group of practicing medical librarians who have not had specialized training and comparing and correlating the data with regard to selected characteristics. THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY WILL BE PRESENTED IN THREE FUTURE REPORTS: (1) a descriptive analysis of the programs; (2) a description of the characteristics of all former trainees in medical librarianship who responded to a questionnaire and a discussion of their reactions to their training programs; and (3) a comparison, based on selected characteristics, of a group of former trainees who are currently employed in medical libraries with a group of medical librarians who did not go through special training programs. (+info)
Special programs in medical library education, 1957-1971. II. Analysis of the programs.
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In this report, responses to a questionnaire to the directors of the sixteen past and present medical library education programs are presented. The questionnaires indicate a rather wide variety of training programs with emphases that vary from preparation of management personnel to preparation of subject specialists and those skilled in the techniques of information storage and retrieval. The content of the degree programs is fairly evenly divided among general retrieval and outside courses. The internship programs place more emphasis on the work experience than do the degree programs, supplementing this experience with appropriate courses in science, health sciences, management, and information storage and retrieval. Program directors indicated that new or expanded programs are needed in medical library education, although caution is reflected in comments concerning the limited job market. Most of the internship directors stated that they could not accommodate more individuals in their programs without expansion of staff and facilities. (+info)