ICML 2009: Meeting Room 1 Session 12

Theme: Partnerships and Collaborations

Time: 14.15-15.30
Date: Wednesday 2nd September 2009
Chair: Heather Todd

Breaching the Library walls in Brazil - Clinical Librarianship in Hospital: A pilot study
Dr. Janet Harrison, Loughborough University, United Kingdom
Professor Vera S Beraquet, Campinas University, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Dr. Janet Harrison is a well established academic in the field of Health Information. Over the past ten years she has conducted a series of studies depicting and describing the information behaviour of Clinical Librarians in the UK .Her expertise and experience are informing the pilot Clincial Librarian project in Campinas,Sao Paulo, Brazil and she is the UK lead for this project.

Vera Beraquet is a Professor of Information Studies and has taught and researched in the area of Health Infomation for some twenty years.She is the Brazilian project lead for the Clincal Librarian pilot in Campinas,Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Abstract:
This paper reports the findings and experience of the Building the Brazilian Bridge project for Clinical Librarianship. In 2005 a project group was established between the Department of Information Studies University of Campinas, Brazil and the Department of Information Science, Loughborough University, UK. The purpose of the project was to develop a Clinical Library service for a hospital in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The methodology adopted was to use the UK experience to best advantage in the Brazilian setting. Both countries provide a state funded health service and whilst not identical in operation or delivery enough similarities were identified to suggest that the UK experience would fit the Brazilian setting. The constants in this pilot study are the professionals, Academics, Librarians and Doctors; in both countries all have the same objectives and challenges working in a state funded service. Initial talks were begun with the medical and library staff in 2005.Consolidation of the discussions was confirmed in 2006. In 2007 members of the research team were based in Department of Information Science, Loughborough and were able to scope the UK experience. Based on these initial findings and the literature, research commenced on the pilot study in 2008. A Clinical Champion has now been established, clinical departments chosen and the pilot is flying.

The role of library partnerships in capacity building for better health: the case for Kenya
Nancy W Kamau, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenya

Nancy Kamau is the Chief Librarian at the Kenya Medical Research Institute and a Past President of the Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa (AHILA) 2006-2008

Abstract:
Health science librarianship has become very dynamic. This is due to the changing nature of user information seeking habits, coupled with the changes brought by information technology. Information technology has affected the way health information is created, packaged and accessed. Issues such as consumer health information, evidence based healthcare and the need for skills in critical appraisal of the literature offers great challenges to the information providers as well as users.
To be empowered to meet these challenges requires appropriate knowledge and skills. The paper will discuss how partnerships can bridge the knowledge gap in the management and provision of health information services Sub-Saharan Africa through capacity building. The paper will draw examples from a partnership that have been in existence since 2006 between Kenyan health information professionals and professionals from the Kenya Partnership Development Group (KPDA) in the UK in collaboration with the Partnership of Health Information (PHI) that is also based in the UK. Examples will also be drawn from other African countries for comparison purposes. The lessons learned and the way forward will also be discussed.

Competence in the Information Professions: A Comparative Analysis & Environmental Scan
Dr Prudence W Dalrymple, iSchool, College of Information Science & Technology, Drexel University, United States

Prudence W. Dalrymple is Research Professor and Director, Institute for Healthcare Informatics, the iSchool at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S.A. She has held positions as Director of Accreditation at the American Library Association, Dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University, and was recently a National Library of Medicine Fellow in Health Sciences Informatics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is a Distinguished Member of the Medical Library Association’s Academy of Health Information Professionals. She served as President of the Association for Library and Information Science Education from 2001-2002.

Abstract
The prominence of knowledge and information in increasingly global, technological societies is accompanied by challenges to the traditional spheres of professional competence. Three related disciplines—health informatics, health sciences librarianship, and health information management--share many of the same ideals and principles, yet the educational pathways to these professions differ widely. Educational programs use similar words to describe different content and skills and may be controlled by competing jurisdictions and professional accreditors. As a result, students seeking to prepare for careers in these domains find it difficult to select the program that best meets their needs, or even to understand and distinguish among them. Both clarity of purpose and visibility of outcomes are necessary for the information professions to continue to inspire the trust of the publics they serve. This paper will report on a comparison of the competencies promulgated by professional groups in North America within these three professions, and provide an overview of curricula offered in universities there. It will further report on initiatives currently being explored to clarify and strengthen the information professions. Questions will be raised as to what further delineation and focus is required for health sciences librarianship—should it align with other professions? What offerings from these other disciplines should be included in a curriculum for health sciences librarianship? What can North Americans learn from approaches taken elsewhere? The paper will conclude with reflections on approaches to optimizing the profession’s position in the current climate.

How Many People Does It Take to Maintain a Website? A Behind-the-Scene's Look at NLM's Arctic Health Website
Professor Kathy Murray, Head, Alaska Medical Library @ the Consortium Library, University of Alaska

Kathy is the Manager of the Alaska Medical Library. She received her undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of Washington and her Masters in Library Science from the same university. Kathy moved to Alaska to join the staff in November of 1996.

Abstract
The Arctic region is a vast geographic area surrounding the North Pole that encompasses all or portions of:

• Alaska
• Finland
• Norway
• Canada
• Iceland
• Russian Federation
• Denmark, including Greenland & the Faroe Islands
• Sweden

The people and communities of the Arctic cope daily with challenges to their health and well-being from changing climatic and environmental conditions, pollution, and emerging infectious diseases. As a result, it is critical that residents of the Arctic have access to credible information specific to their needs. The U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) are pleased to offer the Arctic Health website, www.arctichealth.org to meet this need.

The website provides an easy-to-use portal to information on diverse aspects of the Arctic environment and the health of Northern peoples. It includes links to selected health information from a wide range of local, state, national, and international agencies as well as universities and professional societies. Arctichealth.org is organized around themes such as health topics relevant to inhabitants of the circumpolar north, traditional healing, telehealth, and environmental health. Separate research and publication databases contain citations and links to full-text documents and multi-media resources such as photographs and streaming videos.

This paper will discuss the collaboration between various individuals, departments, and institutions required to make this a responsive and valuable resource. An outline of the goals of this venture and a nod to the future will conclude the presentation.