Diagnosis--A Part of Content Area Reading

One of the major trends in education is that of relating reading instruction to the content areas. Middle and secondary school content specialists have been asked to incorporate appropriate reading or learning skills into their content teaching. Many content specialists have recognized this need and are attempting to meet the challenge. Much in-service education is being provided to assist these teachers. Additionally, many state certification standards are requiring that pre-service programs provide new content specialists with necessary instruction in teaching reading in their content areas

Medical Resident Resource Use Trends: Looking at the Past to Inform Future Decisions

Objective: Since 2006, the University of Tennessee’s Preston Medical Library (PML) has collected survey feedback from exiting residents. One question asks residents which types of articles or sources they use to find information. In this study, we examine responses to this question, assessing the change in resident utilization of resources to better inform future library decisions on instruction and marketing. Methods: Surveys were distributed to exiting residents through targeted emails or at the required exit process in the library. The question asked them to select which types of articles or sources they used to find information from among the 16 options currently listed, including an “other” box with free text functionality. The resident can select any number of options. Some options have changed over time as resources have ceased to exist, merged, or been cancelled. Survey results were examined from each year, noting how many times each resource had been selected and the total number of residents taking the survey. Results were compiled by resource usage per year and particular resource usage over the study’s timespan. Results: Results indicated changing resident use of PML’s resources. Of note, we found UpToDate usage to be remarkably consistent, with 80% of residents, on average, selecting it every year. Usage of reviews, RCTs, case reports, and practice guidelines generally increased over the survey period while use of Google, colleagues, and librarians modestly decreased. Conclusions: Resident resource usage varied over time, demonstrating an encouraging increase in attention to other evidence-based tools. UpToDate’s consistent popularity shows the durability of the product. The increase in resource type (reviews, RCTs, case reports, practice guidelines) selection reflects greater employment of more in-depth resources than merely expert opinion. Survey results will inform future outreach focus

Thinking Outside the Box to Square the Circle: Realigning Library Services with Stakeholder Needs

Objectives: In an age of electronic databases and Google, librarians must find ways to expand library services to meet the needs of patrons who no longer seek some traditional services. How do we identify needs in our organizations that are not being met, and market our abilities to fill those needs while maintaining our identity as librarians? Methods: With the full support of the library director, whose priority was to update academic and clinical services, newly hired librarians took time to observe the initiatives and goals already established across their respective residency and nursing departments. Despite increased liaison activity, decreasing demand for literature searches led us to investigate other ways we could serve the departments. We discovered needs that librarians could help with such as: assisting with surveys and pretests, measuring research impact, growing institutional knowledge through tutorials and archives, finding grant opportunities, and dealing with technology questions. A search of the literature and recent job postings provided additional ideas for value-added services, as well as best practices for identifying needs and building patron relationships. Results: Librarians focused on outreach, listened to their stakeholders’ pain points, and offered to take on different kinds of projects. This required additional training in some cases, flexibility and willingness to fail, and undertaking responsibilities that might be seen as outside a librarian’s normal duties. However, these new assignments resulted in increased collaboration and visibility for librarians. Conclusions: While there is still a need for librarians in healthcare organizations, they must work harder than ever to market themselves and offer more value-added services. By defining those services through outreach and research, librarians can better align their goals with those of their respective stakeholders

Diagnostic-Prescriptive Reading Instruction: What? Why? How?

Thirty eager faces - thirty individuals with unique needs, backgrounds, learning styles, interests, and experiences - thirty students who need reading instruction. Reading is an area of major instructional emphasis in elementary and middle school classrooms. However, because there is no one best method to teach reading, no best material, or no special tricks which eradicate these individual student differences, the classroom teacher must decide how to provide the best possible reading instruction to meet a multitude of needs. Some school districts have suggested that classroom teachers implement diagnostic-prescriptive reading instruction. Inservice sessions, workshops, and materials have been used to disseminate information about the idea, which is designed to assist teachers in better meeting various student needs in reading. Nevertheless, many basic questions remain, namely: What is diagnostic-prescriptive reading instruction? Why should it be implemented? How can the classroom teacher use diagnostic-prescriptive reading instruction with a class of thirty students? These questions are the focus of this article

Leisurely Reshaping a Consumer Health Book Collection

Objective: To discover whether adding leisure books, according to a carefully designed collection development policy, to a consumer health collection (CHC) in a hospital would lead to an increase in usage of the CHC collection, an increased number of monthly subscriptions for membership in the Health Information Center (HIC), and change in the subject of materials circulated. Methods: The collection development policy, specifically for the Leisure Reading Collection (LRC), included bestselling titles within 3 years, award winning fiction, and classics. Librarians also set criteria with clear parameters related to gifts, donations, and collection maintenance. Twenty-four books were selected for the leisure collection in July 2018. After the addition of the LRC, the new circulation numbers were compared to previous data. Staff also measured the number of new applications for monthly membership in the Health Information Center by consumers. The subject content of materials most used prior to the addition of the LRC were compared to the most popular titles post LRC. Results: There has been a 44% increase in books checked out from 2017 to 2018. Monthly memberships have also increased, averaging 18 new members per month compared to 15. The CHC titles most frequently checked out prior to the initiation of the LRC were related to diet and nutrition. After the LRC, the most popular CHC titles were related to nutrition and stress/anxiety. Library staff informally observed the increased use of the LRC by hospital staff. Staff came to the library to check out books for their patients from the LRC. Staff also offered gifts of materials that the collection policy excluded (alternative donation sites were offered.) Attempts to quantify the number of staff using the materials through use of circulation statistics failed due to system limitations. Further research is planned to measure staff participation. Conclusion: With the addition of leisure reading books, the library provided a more valuable and comprehensive collection to its patron base. Changes in the subject material of circulated items, as a result of the LRC were small but worthy of consideration. This addition to the HIC collection has led to a rise in new members, an increase in circulation statistics, and has expanded staff interest in the HIC

The Medical Library Association Guide to Developing Consumer Health Collections

The Medical Library Association Guide to Developing Consumer Health Collections provides an information resource for all librarians, though the focus is on the novice. It is written in a clear, well-organized style, using practical tips and copious examples to illustrate concepts

Information and Innovation: A Natural Combination for Health Sciences Libraries

As partners with innovators, librarians can offer resources and services for research, evidence, training, dissemination venues, and collaborative physical spaces with state-of-the-art equipment, including 3D printers, models, scanners, and video monitors. This book can be used by educators, instructional designers, and information technology professionals in academic health sciences and hospital settings, as well as by their library colleagues