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Carla Caretto, Editor
Valerie Reid, Webmaster
Table of Contents
Message from MDMLG President; Goals
& Guides for 2004
September MDMLG Meeting
Replacing Print Journals
With Electronic: What Are MDMLG Libraries Doing?
The Myth of Librarian Malpractice
Focus on the Public Relations
Committee
30 Years of Wisdom: MHSLA Annual Education
Conference
MDMLG Summer Luncheon
Announcements
The goals of a manager are different from the goals of a leader. Managers strive to take people in the direction that the organization needs to go -- but as Gordon Thomas explains in his book,
Leadership Effectiveness Training – leaders strive to take people to a
destination of their own choosing. Effective leaders serve others as guides.
During my upcoming year as President of the MDMLG I want to be an effective leader. That is why I will begin my tour of duty by asking where you want to go during 2004?
I already know some things about your goals. You are committed to growth through continuing education, and you are also committed to growth through our communications network. But these are general descriptions of your goals, and I need to define things more clearly.
- What specific subjects do you want to learn through continuing education? Do you need to learn about databases, copyright law or interpersonal communications? I need to know your learning needs. And others need to know about those needs as well, because when you describe your needs to the others, you enable them to make suggestions, enlist in your cause, and clarify their own learning needs.
- What kinds of contacts do you want to make within our MDMLG community? Do you need to talk to a cataloger, a library director, or someone with work experience in another profession? Would you like an introduction? Would you be willing to serve as a resource person for others?
- What kind of expertise can you share? Do you have knowledge that can help others in MDMLG? Are you an experienced health-information professional with skills in computer programming, computer networking, or end-user instruction?
Let’s start the year by defining our goals: our learning goals, our networking goals, and our sharing goals. Think about your professional goals for the year ahead. Then send an email to me with an explanation of what goals you would like MDMLG to embrace. I’ll compile your responses and present them at the next Executive Board Meeting. With your goals clearly in mind, we can organize and plan for the year ahead. Then together we can begin to travel towards the
destinations of your own choosing.
Toni Janik
MDMLG President 2003-2004
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Not all disasters are as cataclysmic as the bombing of the World Trade Towers
on September 11, 2001, but even a "little" disaster can have
wide-ranging ramifications for a library. I recently received a listserv wide
plea for replacement books from a library that was decimated by a tornado. (No,
not in Michigan, but it easily could have been!) The most important assumption
you can make is that "it" will probably happen to you. As they
say, "An ounce of prevention…". Early attention to disaster planning
is crucial and should include plans for both prevention (when possible) and
recovery.
At the MDMLG meeting coming up this month, we will be treated to a
presentation by Ms. Jeanne Drewes, MLS, Assistant Director for Access and
Preservation at MSU. Ms. Drewes will show us a way to start to start
thinking about disaster planning and will provide members in attendance with a
disaster plan template. Tomorrow may be too late!
In addition to Ms. Drewes’ presentation, there will be tours of Oakwood’s
new library and a short business meeting. Please join us.
The MDMLG meeting is Thursday, September 18 at Oakwood Hospital, and you must
RSVP by September 10.
Carla Caretto
Oxford Public Library
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With budgets and space tighter than ever, librarians continue to struggle with ways to cope in environments where both print and electronic versions of journals are available (and often expected) for many titles. The issues involved are complex and rapidly changing, and the approaches taken vary, depending upon, among other things, the type of library and the expectations of its users. One option being considered more carefully more often is whether to substitute electronic-only subscriptions for print.
In an attempt to determine to what extent MDMLG libraries have shifted portions of their current journal titles from print to electronic-only, a brief e-mail survey was sent to 29 MDMLG members (primarily institutional representatives) in August 2003. Thirteen (45%) responded; 1 respondent was from a university library, the rest were from hospital libraries.
Generally speaking, the results indicate that at this point in time MDMLG libraries have not replaced substantial numbers of their print journal subscriptions with comparable electronic ones. Nor do the majority of MDMLG libraries appear to be canceling significant numbers of print titles that are also available electronically through one of their “aggregator” resources (e.g., OVID, MD Consult, EBSCOhost). However, about half of the respondents said they have done either of the above for some titles and that budget and space constraints will undoubtedly compel them to look seriously at this option in the future.
Following is summary of survey responses:
- Eight of the 13 respondents said they have not any eliminated any print titles and replaced with comparable electronic-only subscriptions. Reasons given for not doing so included concern over lack of access to archival copies and users’ continued preference for print.
- Of the 5 respondents who said that they have replaced print titles with electronic, 2 respondents replaced 1 print subscription for electronic-only and another replaced 9 print titles for electronic-only. The remaining 2 respondents said they replaced 22 and 30 print titles, respectively, for electronic. Criteria given for deciding which print titles to replace with electronic included: location and preference of primary users; space taken up by print version; cost; and ease of use.
- Seven of the 13 respondents said that they have not eliminated any print titles primarily because electronic access is available via one of their “aggregators” (although 1 of the 7 said that dropping about 30 such print titles is currently being considered). Reasons given for not eliminating such print titles included: concern over lack of access to archival copies and concern over the appropriateness of using continuously changing aggregated collections as subscription substitutes.
- Of the 6 respondents who said they eliminated print titles that were available via one of their online aggregators, 2 respondents eliminated 10 or less such titles and 3 respondents eliminated between 12 and 18 such titles. The remaining respondent eliminated 45 such print titles (the same respondent that replaced 30 print subscriptions for comparable electronic ones). Reasons given for eliminating these print versions included: having print and electronic aggregator duplicate was seen as “double-dipping” by administration, print versions were not heavily used anyway, and library was running out of shelving space.
Some comments made by respondents:
“Letting users know what you have online is a challenge, especially for titles that are half-print and half-electronic. Updating all these title lists is difficult and time-consuming.”
“Lack of space and budget restrictions are forcing me to cut print titles. And interlibrary loan capabilities are a concern.”
“Budget cuts have killed us. I don’t see it getting any better.”
“Our strategy has been to obtain additional titles by subscribing to aggregators, not to drop titles [because we subscribe to aggregators]. We drop titles every year but not because they are available electronically.”
“At present our customers seem to be happiest with print … my job is to give the customers what they want.”
“Physicians insist upon and continue to use print.”
“We have not dropped print copies in favor of electronic only because of the lack of consistency in access to archival copies. We are very concerned about owning the data/having permanent rights to the years we’ve purchased and not just buying ‘access.’ ”
“We are looking closely at [this issue] this year and will probably be dropping some titles in favor of electronic because we can no longer afford both.”
Thanks to all who took the time to respond.
Sheryl Stevens
Medical College of Ohio
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We can thank Allan Angoff’s 1976 article, “Library Malpractice Suit: It Could Happen to You,” for the persistent but fictional belief that libraries can and have been sued for reference “malpractice.” Angoff’s “War of the Worlds” style article, with its all-too-real, hypothetical lawsuit, struck fear (or at least hesitant trepidation) into the hearts of many librarians. Especially those librarians most closely associated with professions that have long dealt with the issue of malpractice: medical and law librarians.
To clear the record, there is not a single documented case of a librarian or a library being sued for malpractice based on reference activities or the provision of “faulty” information. Thankfully, Diamond and Dragich’s 2001 article, “Professionalism in Librarianship: Shifting the Focus from Malpractice to Good Practice,” not only rectifies some of the paranoia inadvertently caused by Angoff’s article but also treats the issue in an intelligent and logical manner. To his credit, Angoff’s article raised some interesting theoretical questions about and implications of librarianship. Subsequent articles either perpetuated or negated the myth arising from the question, what is the responsibility of the reference librarian? While William Nasri (1980) propagated the malpractice myth for law libraries, and Paul Healy (1995) refuted it, medical libraries have received lesser attention on this issue than law libraries. Diamond and Dragich’s article is a general treatment of malpractice, easily related to both medical and law settings, and of a purely factual, not hypothetical, nature.
The definition of malpractice as, “Professional misconduct or unreasonable lack of skill …” (Black’s Law Dictionary), communicates one essential element necessary to meet the requirements of legal action: professionalism. Are librarians truly professionals? We call ourselves so, but are we recognized in the eyes of the law as professionals? Do we understand what it means to be a professional and are we ready to accept the responsibility that comes with such a title? While no standard legal definition of “profession” exists, most definitions have similar undertones. Generally professionals have standards of practice that, when deviated from, result in negligence. While we meet the requirements of a profession in that librarians have specialized training in a field of knowledge acquired through formal education, it is questionable whether or not our field has a universally accepted and “enforceable ethical code obligation.” (Diamond & Dragich) As a “profession,” can the legal definition be met for librarians? If, as professionals in the eyes of the law, we are willing to accept the responsibility of the threat of malpractice, won’t it change the way information is shared and disseminated? Can we really practice the “good librarianship” suggested by Diamond and Dragich when we know Damocles Sword is dangling above our heads?
While Diamond and Dragich make an excellent argument for their statement that “malpractice claims would more likely succeed against teachers than against librarians,” they only consider the legal definition of malpractice as it relates to the public. What about the “malpractice” that can be committed against physicians or nurses? Medical librarians working in a hospital or clinical setting are more akin to corporate librarians. Medical librarians do not serve the public, but rather the employees of the organization. Can faulty, outdated, or inaccurate information passed on to health care professionals by a librarian be perceived as “malpractice”? It is not likely that a medical librarian would ever be sued by another medical professional, however, popular opinion is the most damaging verdict. Our saving grace is that frequently health care professionals seeking information from a medical library don’t perceive the librarians to be more of a subject specialist than they are. Generally, librarians are well understood as the source of information, and not as a “second opinion.”
Diamond and Dragich’s suggestion that librarians focus on good practice as a model of a professional grounding of librarianship is well supported. The authors suggest that “the heart of good practice lies in maintaining the core values of librarianship while adapting to continually changing information environments.” Whether we are professionals in the eyes of the law or not, as medical librarians we are accountable. To consider ourselves professionals with advanced degrees is to bear the responsibility of professional conduct and carrying out our duties to the best of our ability. Bad librarians don’t get sued—they just don’t get used. And no one can sue an unemployed librarian for malpractice.
References and Further Reading
Angoff, Allan, “Library Malpractice Suit: It Could Happen to You,” American Libraries
7 (1976): 489.
Cremieux, Karl A., “Malpractice: Is the Sky Falling?” Special Libraries 87 no. 3 (1996): 147-156.
Diamond, Randy, and Martha J. Dragich, “Professionalism in Librarianship: Shifting the Focus from Malpractice to Good Practice,”
Library Trends 49 (2001): 395-414.
“Guidelines for Medical, Legal, and Business Responses at General Reference Desks,”
RQ 32 no. 4 (1992): 554-555.
Healey, Paul D., “Chicken Little at the Reference Desk: The Myth of Librarian Liability,”
Law Library Journal 87 (1995): 515-533.
Nasri, William Z., “Malpractice Liability: Myth or Reality?” Journal of Library Administration
1 no. 4 (1980): 3-6.
Christina Wallace
Windsor Regional Hospital
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The Public Relations committee is dedicated to promoting MDMLG activities and services within MDMLG, as well as local library schools, public libraries and health professional organizations. Past projects have included updating and sending the MDMLG member directory, redesigning the MDMLG brochure, and developing a new MDMLG logo. Ongoing projects include sending recruitment letters to area libraries and health organizations, sending welcome packages to new MDMLG members and developing educational outreach programs. According to the Public Relations Committee chair, Misa Mi, participation with the committee provides an “opportunity to be creative and proactive in promoting the organization and medical librarianship”.
With the advent of the web-based member directory, the committee has found more time to pursue new ideas. So over the past few years, the committee’s objectives have been revised to include outreach programs for the general public. Through educational projects like developing a consumer health web page and teaching consumer health literacy programs, the Public Relations committee is committed to increasing the visibility of MDMLG. Misa Mi thinks that the Public Relations committee is “key in providing an outreach opportunity for MDMLG”.
The committee has an annual meeting and discusses projects and ideas throughout the year via email and telephone conversations. Misa acknowledges that the committee has “many projects and ideas from year to year, but will always have time constraints due to members availability.” She says the committee has to “be realistic and at the same time be ambitious”. If you are interested in becoming more involved with MDMLG, consider joining the Public Relations committee by contacting Misa Mi via email
mmi@dmc.org or at 313-745-0252.
Jennifer Bowen
Children's Hospital of Michigan
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The Michigan Health Sciences Libraries Association will hold its 30th annual conference at the Bavarian Inn Lodge, in Frankenmuth, October 15-17, 2003.
Conference highlights will include grant writing, health informatics, health literacy, copyright, collection management, new technologies, in addition to updates from GMR and the Library of Michigan.
Two continuing education workshops will be held on Wednesday:
- “Show Me the Money: Grant Writing for Librarians” will offer knowledge and practice on all aspects of grant-seeking and grant-writing processes. (6 MLA
CEUs)
- “Introduction to Health Informatics” will provide information on the field of health informatics and its future, as well as opportunities and available resources for librarians contemplating this career. (8 MLA
CEUs)
Thursday’s Keynote speaker, James Hilton, Associate Provost for Academic, Information and Instructional Technology Affairs, University of Michigan, will talk to us about information as a commodity, copyright law misconceptions, fair use, and the challenges and future of scholarship.
Two concurrent sessions on Thursday will address “Alternative Careers for Librarians” and “Strategies for Improving Health Literacy”:
- In the first session, librarians considering nontraditional careers will discover available options and how to use their own competencies to be successful.
- The second session will be an interactive learning session to assess health literacy and create materials to improve it.
Friday’s program will comprise:
- “Managing Hospital Library Collections: Tips & Tricks for Resource Building with Limited Funds” Three hospital librarians will contribute their experiences.
- Two concurrent sessions:
- “Implementing Successful Grants”: librarians will learn the challenges of realizing successful grant-funded projects.
- “Understanding Wireless Data Networks”: will give an insight into this new technology and its effects on libraries.
- “PDA Pearls: Ideas From a Sea of Mobile Technologies”: academic librarians will share observations and discoveries in their new role of support providers for PDA technology.
In addition to great educational programs, attendees will find a wonderful opportunity for networking in a fun atmosphere such as the baking of German treats event, the traditional Bavarian Inn dinner, and the visit to downtown shops and attractions.
The Break with Vendors and exhibits will provide the occasion to discover new products and services. Exhibitors will include BMJ publishing, EBSCO, Elsevier, Fennel, Gale Group, Majors, Mathews, Micromedex, OTech, Ovid, Proquest, Rittenhouse, STAT!REF!, Swets Blackwell, and Usborne Books.
Additional information can be found at the Conference Website: http://www.mhsla.org/.
Marie-Lise Shams
University of Detroit Mercy
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Hosted by Toni Janik and sponsored by Swets-Blackwell, the MDMLG Summer Luncheon was a lovely, relaxed event full of good food and stimulating conversation. The hors d’oeuvres served during registration encouraged mingling as members and guests arrived. The Sterling Inn and Conference Center provided both a delicious lunch and a comfortable setting for the meeting. This year there was an excellent turnout of students, mostly MLIS students from Wayne State University, who were there to network, listen, and learn, not only from the collective experience of MDMLG members, but also from the distinguished speaker, Dr. Barbara K. Redman.
Dr. Redman’s talk on “Consumer Health, Patient Education and the Role of the Medical Librarian” provided her listeners with the clinician’s perspective, a viewpoint rarely seen by medical librarians due to the inherently busy schedules of both the librarian and the nurse in hospital settings.
While Dr. Redman focused on patient education, an element of health care that librarians are marginally involved in at best, she reveled the problems, pitfalls, and needs of patient education, and how these issues affect the entire health care institution. Her description of how information is elicited from patients and the use of and need for measurement outcome tools provided a much needed understanding of the process of patient education and how medical and health sciences librarians might fit into that process.
The adequacy of health information materials is often put into question with low-literacy patients and patients of cultural diversity. The management of chronic illness requires ongoing education, but often educators are pressed for time or at a loss for resources. The librarian can help these clinical educators by providing information access to both patients and primary care providers. As professionals, librarians provide research and information evaluation expertise in order to save time for patient educators, and in the long run, save money for the health care facility.
Dr. Redman was well spoken, confident, and passionate about her topic. She handled questions from members well, and with an air of sympathy for our struggles as librarians. It was nice to be reminded of our value by another professional and academic. It was also refreshing to get the opinion of another peer in the health care system.
The business meeting was quick and painless, the prizes were distributed, and fond farewells were made. As a new librarian and member, I felt very welcomed and comfortable. MDMLG members were friendly and very willing to offer good advice and helpful hints. This is the nature of our profession, and that is why luncheons such as this are so important for refreshing our enthusiasm.
Christina Wallace
Windsor Regional Hospital
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Upcoming Dates:
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Communications Committee 2003-2004
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