Beyond National Medical Librarians Month: Our Impact Continues

Throughout October, National Medical Librarians Month (NMLM) celebrated the expertise, dedication, and impact of medical librarians and health information professionals.

This year’s theme, “Medical Librarians: Trusted Expertise in Times of Change,” highlighted an important truth about the profession. As health care, research, education, technology, and the information landscape continue to evolve, the ability to find, evaluate, interpret, and connect people with trusted information remains essential. Health information professionals support students, educators, researchers, clinicians, patients, and communities while helping people navigate an increasingly complex information environment.

But this month also offers an important reminder: our advocacy for medical librarians and health information professionals cannot end when National Medical Librarians Month does.

Turning Expertise Into Impact

Throughout NMLM, MLA encouraged medical librarians and health information professionals to tell their stories and make their contributions more visible within their organizations and communities.

We will continue to share the impact stories from our members like, “From Evidence to Practice: How a Medical Librarian Helped Shape a Hospital Discharge Lounge,” by Natalie Bishop and how she helped establish the evidence base for a hospital initiative designed to improve the discharge process. Her research examined discharge lounges, patient flow, discharge timing, staffing models, eligibility criteria, patient safety, and patient experience, giving the project team evidence that could inform its decisions.

Medical librarians can contribute beyond what may traditionally be considered the boundaries of the library. Evidence can inform not only clinical care, research, and education, but also operational decisions and organizational improvements.

Keep Celebrating Health Information

While October provides a dedicated moment to recognize the profession, medical librarians and health information professionals make an impact year-round. Keep the celebrations going by:

• Share your impact stories
• Build relationships beyond the library
• Help colleagues understand what you do
• Celebrate the work of your peers

Much of the profession’s impact can happen quietly. A literature search may inform a clinical decision. A lesson may help a student become a more confident researcher. Trusted information may help someone make sense of a difficult health question. Evidence uncovered by a librarian may even help shape a new hospital program.

Those stories deserve to be shared.

Thank you for celebrating National Medical Librarians Month with us and for all of your contributions to the profession.