This article originally ran in the Southern Chapter of the Medical Library Association’s newsletter Southern Expressions, 2021;37(4):4–8.
October is National Medical Librarians Month, a time to both celebrate and raise awareness of the important role of the health information professional! A section of the SC/MLA Newsletter, Southern Expressions, showcased ideas from across the chapter for how libraries are promoting library services and programing.
Promotion of Services
Submitted by Tiffany A. Follin, AHIP, and Michelle Keba Knecht, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida
The medical librarians at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine have implemented several new initiatives over the past year to engage with and better serve the FAU College of Medicine community.
Appointment Bookings: In November 2020, the medical librarians introduced the option to book research consultation appointments through Bookings, a Microsoft 365 application. The new system allows for full transparency of librarians’ availability, for librarians to set parameters on bookings, and the creation of customized questions needed to better prepare for the appointment.
Highlights from this initiative:
- Ease of scheduling—A single link is sent instead of several availability windows that are subject to change by the time a response back is received.
- Accuracy of availability—Because Bookings pulls availability from the librarian’s Outlook calendar, blocking off times as busy or “out of office” provides a more accurate picture of the librarians’ availability than a static webpage schedule.
- Customized services—The default consultation is a standard sixty minutes; however, the option for thirty-minute mini-consults can be added to accommodate and better prepare for residents and clinical faculty who have limited time and need quick technical assistance.
Redesigned Webpage: In April 2021, the medical librarians had the opportunity to reassess their library resources webpage and introduce a major redesign that coincided with a new ILS and authentication system (Primo/Alma and OpenAthens, respectively). The medical librarians worked with the Library’s IT department and various stakeholders in the College of Medicine over the following four months to create a dynamic, searchable design that expanded on the concepts of an underutilized LibGuide. In August 2021, the new webpage was demoed during orientation tours for the College’s first- and second-year medical students. Users are now able to search the page using keywords, as well as narrow down results using several filter options. Michelle and Tiffany will be presenting on this experience later this year. The new library resources page can be viewed at https://library.fau.edu/medical/resources.
Increased Digital Signage: In August 2021, when the medical librarians returned to campus, they began to provide library assistance from their offices rather than via their previous service point, the College of Medicine’s Hennekens Library & Technology Hub. The College of Medicine IT’s Ed Tech department provided QR codes with links to the librarians’ physical and virtual offices to the door of the Hub, assisting users in finding us quickly.
Have a story to share about outreach in your library this month? Email it to christine.willis@choa.org.