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Platform for Change

Health Information Science Knowledge and Skills

Health sciences librarianship is multifaceted. The profession acknowledges the need for knowledge and skills that intersect equally important areas: the knowledge bases of the health sciences, the application of general information principles to the health sciences setting, specific health information systems, and management and personal skills.

Health information professionals will possess varying levels of knowledge and skills in seven broad areas. (4) No one individual can achieve mastery of all knowledge and every skill, but every organization will require collective expertise in all areas. Individuals will emphasize different areas at different points in their career, with specific needs varying over time from assignment to assignment and by institutional setting. The knowledge and skills are not listed in priority order and may be applicable to more than one area.

To top of page Health Sciences Environment and Information Policies

Health sciences librarians must understand the contexts in which the need for biomedical and related information emerges and the unique ways of perceiving and interpreting those environments. Therefore, they should be alert to the changing information and health care environments and the major program and policy sources, including

  • legal, ethical, economic, and legislative issues;
  • health sciences professions: system and structure, terminology, education and training patterns, and associations and organizations; and
  • purpose, programs, and activities of MLA, the National Library of Medicine (NLM), and related information associations and organizations.

To top of page Management of Information Services

Leadership in the application of library and information science to the handling of health sciences information resources in complex institutional environments requires specialized knowledge, skill, and understanding of management, including

  • the institution's mission and the specific mission of the information resource center;
  • institutional and functional planning processes;
  • decision-making strategies;
  • human resources management and labor relations;
  • staff development;
  • project and program management and evaluation;
  • organizational structure and behavior;
  • interinstitutional relations;
  • numerical literacy and computational proficiency;
  • finance and budgeting, cost analysis, and price setting;
  • fund-raising and proposal writing;
  • public relations and marketing;
  • facilities planning and space allocation;
  • oral and written communication; and
  • interpersonal relations.

To top of page Health Sciences Information Services

Health sciences librarians require knowledge of the content of information resources and skills in using them. They must understand the principles and practices related to providing information to meet specific user needs and to ensure convenient access to information in all forms, including

  • information needs of health practitioners, researchers, educators, students, and consumers;
  • information-seeking and transfer characteristics of user groups and individuals;
  • assessment of identified information needs;
  • health sciences and other information resources and their relevance to specific information needs;
  • retrieval strategies and techniques;
  • analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information for identified needs;
  • methods of information delivery and access;
  • development of services tailored to meet needs of individual and group users; and
  • resource sharing.

To top of page Health Sciences Resource Management

Health sciences librarians must know the theory of, as well as have skills in, identifying, collecting, evaluating, and organizing resources and developing and providing databases, including

  • identification and selection of materials and their sources;
  • acquisition of materials;
  • bibliometric techniques;
  • thesauri construction;
  • bibliographic tools;
  • cataloging and classification theory;
  • national and international standards and conventions, including cataloging and filing rules;
  • indexing, abstracting, and classification systems;
  • inventory control techniques;
  • serial publications;
  • resource conservation and preservation;
  • publishing industry;
  • trends in information formatting, production, packaging, and dissemination; and
  • copyright issues.

To top of page Information Systems and Technology

Developments in technology have reshaped the goals and systems of health sciences librarianship and changed the way information professionals function. Health sciences librarians must be able to understand and use technology and systems to manage all forms of information, including

basic principles of automated systems:

  • record and file construction,
  • computer hardware and software,
  • telecommunications and networking,
  • database management software,
  • systems analysis, and
  • artificial intelligence and expert systems;
  • human behavior and technology;
  • design, use, and evaluation of information systems;
  • acquisition, use, and evaluation of information technologies; and
  • integration of systems and technologies into the long-term information management needs and plans of the institution.

To top of page Instructional Support Systems

Teaching ways to access, organize, and use information to solve problems is an essential and ever-widening responsibility of the health sciences librarian. Effective instruction entails not only knowledge of the structure and content of specific courses and technology but also an understanding of and expertise in

  • learning theory and cognitive psychology,
  • curriculum and instructional development,
  • instructional systems design,
  • educational needs assessment and analysis,
  • learning style appraisal,
  • instructional methodologies, and
  • evaluation of learning outcomes.

To top of page Research, Analysis, and Interpretation

Few dispute the library's responsibility to explore the "fundamental nature of biomedical information storage, organization, utilization, and application in learning, patient care, and the generation of new knowledge." (5) In order to conduct and interpret research, the health sciences librarian is called upon to apply knowledge, skills, and understanding of

  • theoretical bases of health sciences information, education, and clinical practice;
  • information structure, transfer, and processing;
  • analysis, evaluation, and application of research results;
  • methods for evaluation of system effectiveness and efficiency;
  • statistical theory; and
  • research methodologies.

In the future, the profession is likely to need an array of knowledge and skills, not all of which are envisioned in this list. Developments in the field will require librarians to continue to acquire new knowledge and skills. At the same time, the profession will continue to define its mission and scope, reshaping the body of knowledge and skills-adding new ones and increasing and decreasing the importance of others.

To top of page Notes

4. Developed as a reference for professionals throughout their career, the knowledge and skills have been grouped into seven categories. The categories reflect and elaborate on the core areas of essential knowledge of the Acedemy of Health Information Professionals, which were defined as the essential areas of knowledge that new professionals must master.

5. Matheson NW, Cooper JAD. Academic information in the academic health sciences center: roles for the library in information management. J Med Educ 1982 Oct;57(10, pt. 2):49.

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