Presented at the Virginia Library Association Annual Meeting, October 22-24, 2023, Chantilly, VA

Smith, Brittany

English

George Washington University: Health Sciences Research Commons (HSRC)

Supporting Tomorrow’s Innovators: Effective Collaborative Strategies for Transforming MLIS Coursework into Valuable Career ExperienceBrittany Smith; Senior Library AssistantHimmelfarb Health Sciences Library, The George Washington University Background:● In the summer of 2022, I enrolled Information Sources and Services, a required MLIS course at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. ● One assignment presented students with an opportunity to gain practical experience with Springshare’s LibGuide platform to create a subject specific guide. ● Himmelfarb Library’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee discussed reorganizing the Cultural Competency guide. The guide served as a ‘catch-all’ location for resources and was difficult to navigate.  ● An opportunity arose to complete a classroom assignment and create a new LibGuide that met the DEI committee’s standards.● Project goal: Collaborate with the DEI Committee to create and publish a new LibGuide on antiracism resources for healthcare professionals.Outreach:● A Himmelfarb Library News blog article was published and posted across the different social media platforms. ● A promotional email was drafted and sent to 25 faculty members and school organizations to advertise the release of the guide. ○ The new guide and resource submission form were emphasized in the email.  Lessons Learned:● Do not be afraid to ask for help.● Experimentation will lead to engaging and dynamic discoveries. ● Pursue practical experiences as they arise or create your own opportunities. ● Ideas should be shared and gathering feedback is a necessary part of the process.○ With team projects, it is important to clearly state your thought process and to incorporate outside feedback into the final product.  ● Set milestones and firm deadlines.● For current librarians and library administrators, remain open to ideas that originate from LIS coursework. Planning: ● The LibGuide assignment required:○ Twenty resources that fit the guide’s theme. ○ A clearly defined target population, including an understanding of their information needs and how they access information.○ A search plan for locating resources.● Guide target user group:○ All current students, faculty and staff members in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), School of Nursing (SON) and Milken Institute School of Public Health (GWSPH).● User group information needs:○ Resources that are accessible in a variety of formats.○ A focus on professional level health sciences resources and information.● Terms and categories needed to be defined and consistent language was applied throughout the guide. Impact:● Since March 2023, the guide has received 489 views. ○ Most views in one day was March 24, 2023 with 84 views.● There has been one community form submission and the resource was added to the guide. The committee received several submissions through email.● The guide was featured in the May edition of the School of Medicine & Health Sciences Office of Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter. Populating the LibGuide:● A Google form was created for users to suggest resources for the guide. ● A ‘Selection Criteria’ was placed on the central page of the subject guide. Language was added to explain the necessity of the criteria.● The twenty resources that were required for the original LIS assignment were added to the library’s guide. Resources from the cultural competency guide were added if they passed the selection criteria process. ● November-December 2022: DEI Committee members met for 2 ‘edit-a-thon’ sessions and worked in a shared document. ● February 2023: The guide’s draft was shared with library administration for review and approval. A marketing plan was developed. ● March 24, 2023: The Antiracism in Healthcare LibGuide become publicly available. Future of the Guide:● Promoting the guide is a continuous process.● The DEI Committee is developing a similar guide for LGBTQ+ resources. The committee intends to create additional guides and link them under the Cultural Competency guide. ● Adding new resources to the anti-racism guide is an ongoing process.○ The DEI Committee is working to develop partnerships with faculty and student groups. ● Current guide resources will be evaluated for their currency. As the guide grows, resources may be phased out to accommodate more recent information. Development Hurdles:● Early apprehension about developing a LibGuide due to my inexperience with creating research guides or using the Springshare platform.● Antiracism is a broad topic and it was difficult selecting the “most appropriate” resources for the guide. There were concerns the guide would become another ‘catch all’ location similar to the Cultural Competency guide. ○ There was also a need to balance library materials and non-library materials.● Last, there was a debate on whether the Antiracism in Healthcare guide would replace the Cultural Competency guide or if the two guides could exist simultaneously.Antiracism in Healthcare Guide:Cultural Competency Homepage: Antiracism in Healthcare Homepage:Total Guide Views:References:● Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library. (2023). Antiracism in Healthcare. https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/antiracism.Acknowledgments:● I would like to thank Sara Hoover and Catherine Sluder for their assistance with poster layout. 

Supporting Tomorrow’s Innovators: Effective Collaborative Strategies for Transforming MLIS Coursework into Valuable Career Experience

https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1121&context=libfacpres

Supporting Tomorrow’s Innovators: Effective Collaborative Strategies for Transforming MLIS Coursework into Valuable Career Experience

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George Washington University: Health Sciences Research Commons (HSRC)