Medical Libraries: Moving into the 21 st Century

Thank you for the opportunity to lead this workshop! Ellen Detlefsen Ellen Detlefsen School of Information Sciences University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences

Workshop Agenda & Schedule 8:30am-10am: Part 1 8:30am-10am: Part 1 Introduction Introduction Medical libraries in transition Medical libraries in transition 10:30am-12noon: Part 2 10:30am-12noon: Part 2 Collections & services in contemporary medical libraries Collections & services in contemporary medical libraries 1pm-2:00pm: Part 3 1pm-2:00pm: Part 3 Medical librarians: new roles and new responsibilities Medical librarians: new roles and new responsibilities 2:30pm-4pm: Part 4 2:30pm-4pm: Part 4 Medical library clients in transition Medical library clients in transition Summary Summary

A short history of medical libraries 15 th to 19 th centuries 15 th to 19 th centuries Guarding resources Guarding resources 20 th century 20 th century Building collections Building collections Educating users Educating users 21st century 21st century Creating and managing knowledge Creating and managing knowledge

A key article…. The idea of the library in the twenty-first century. Matheson NW. William H. Welch Medical Library, Johns Hopkins University The idea of the library in the twenty-first century. Matheson NW. William H. Welch Medical Library, Johns Hopkins University Matheson NW Matheson NW The fundamental idea of the library must change. The nineteenth-century idea of the library as the embalming of dead genius and the twentieth-century idea of the library as the repository for second-hand knowledge must give way to the idea of the library as the owner and the librarian as the manager of first-hand knowledge. In the coming era of knowledge capitalism, those individuals and organizations will flourish who are able to apply knowledge to create knowledge and to organize it to produce knowledge. The roles of present-day librarians and libraries will begin to differentiate sharply over the next decade. Some must seize the opportunity to participate in the transformation of libraries into online knowledge servers. The fundamental idea of the library must change. The nineteenth-century idea of the library as the embalming of dead genius and the twentieth-century idea of the library as the repository for second-hand knowledge must give way to the idea of the library as the owner and the librarian as the manager of first-hand knowledge. In the coming era of knowledge capitalism, those individuals and organizations will flourish who are able to apply knowledge to create knowledge and to organize it to produce knowledge. The roles of present-day librarians and libraries will begin to differentiate sharply over the next decade. Some must seize the opportunity to participate in the transformation of libraries into online knowledge servers. Bull Med Libr Assoc Jan;83(1):1-7. Bull Med Libr Assoc Jan;83(1):

The history of medical libraries, in pictures!

15 th - 19 th centuries Guarding resources Guarding resources

A medical library in antiquity

An historical security system, to stop theft ☺

A classical medical library

Rules for using a library, 1860s

A university medical library, 1880s

The National Library of Medicine, 1880s

20 th century Building collections Building collections Educating users Educating users

Building collections

Cataloguing collections

Checking in collections

Shelving collections

Using collections

Larger and larger collections

Bigger and bigger catalogs

Even bigger catalogs

Searching MEDLINE

Big computers (mainframes)

Teaching users, 1960s

OPAC/catalog, 1990s

Teaching users, 1990s

Collections in the 1990s

MEDLINE via PubMed, 1990s

Medical libraries, 21 st century Centers for knowledge management Centers for knowledge management Services, not just collections Services, not just collections Technology-centered Technology-centered User-centered User-centered

The National Library of Medicine the world's largest medical library

A hospital library

A library user’s e-carrel

A telemedicine connection

Handheld technology

What are the characteristics of a 21 st century medical library? Collections in many formats Collections in many formats Services for many kinds of users Services for many kinds of users Services delivered on and off-site Services delivered on and off-site Heavily dependent upon technology Heavily dependent upon technology

Libraries are changing from emphasizing collections  to emphasizing expertise

Libraries are changing from describing information from providing access to collections  to doing more information analysis

Libraries are changing from serving only as a supporting unit  to serving as a collaborator and team player with users

Libraries are changing from being a place that people have to visit in person  to a digital enterprise, available 24/7/365

Think of the medical library as a place where librarians collaborate and consult with Researchers Clinicians Students Patients The general public As an “information commons”

What is an “Information Commons”? ….information resources shared by a community of producers and consumers in an open access environment… ….information resources shared by a community of producers and consumers in an open access environment…

Is this transition possible for medical libraries in Vietnam? Questions to discuss Questions to discuss How do you move from a curator role to a knowledge manager role? How do you move from a curator role to a knowledge manager role? What kinds of technology are necessary to make this transition? What kinds of technology are necessary to make this transition? Are our users ready for this change? Are our users ready for this change? Who are the leaders who can make this change happen? Who are the leaders who can make this change happen?