ICML 2009: Meeting Room 4 Session 37

Theme: Professional Development

Time: 15.30-16.45
Date: Thursday 3rd September 2009
Chair: Catherine Voutier

An iCollege Perspective: Positioning Information Professionals for the Future
Dr. Herman Totten, University of North Texas, United States

Herman L. Totten, PhD, is the Dean of the College of Information and Interim Special Assistant to the President for Development at the University of North Texas. He joined the Library and Information Sciences faculty in 1977, and became a Regents Professor in 1991. He has received numerous awards including the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Award for Professional Contribution to Library and Information Science Education, the Alumni Association of the University of Oklahoma School of Library and Information Studies Award of Merit for the Outstanding Alumnus, the American Library Association Black Caucus Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Library and Information Science Education, the ALISE Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Texas Library Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004, President George W. Bush appointed him to the United States National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, a federal agency charged to advise the President and Congress on information and learning needs of the American people.

Abstract:
Institutions that provide library and information sciences education are developing strategies to position their graduates to work in a broad range of information environments. One strategy utilized by the University of North Texas was to create the College of Information (iCollege) by combining the School of Library and Information Sciences with the Department of Learning Technologies. The iCollege encourages and supports interdisclipinarity. From an academic administrator's viewpoint, diverse disciplines add to an iCollege's ability to attract and retain top students, faculty, and administrators. Interdisciplinary collaboration on courses broadens students' learning experiences, as well as encourages additional interaction among faculty members. Interdisciplinary collaboration on research projects provides support for collaborators, broadened skill bases, and improved decision making because of diverse perspectives. The interdisciplinary nature of the iCollege has proven successful in positioning information professionals to meet the demands of information marketplace.

A proposal for clinical librarians in the era of Evidence based healthcare a need but a neglected profession : an experience
Ms Prabha Kumar, Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, India

Ms.Prabha Manoj Kumar Bsc MLISc has been working as a medical librarian in Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences , Lucknow, India since 1997

Abstract:
Medical library services ensure that health care providers have access to authoritative accessible reliable, relevant,up to date and timely published information that enhances the quality of care. Due to the needs of medical professionals for high quality information medical libraries have been the early adopters of electronic resources to provide information and services. Increase in use of information technology turns large volumes of information into practical guides. Finally, evidence-based medicine can be understood as a medical "movement", which advocates the method and usefulness of the practice in the public, patients, educational institutions, and continuing education of practicing professionals. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the process of systematically finding, appraising, and using contemporaneous research findings as the basis for clinical decisions. The move towards EBM or health care has been seen as a great benefit to health care librarians. The realization of an evidence-based health service presents opportunities for libraries to make a direct contribution to the decision-making process in the delivery of health care as clinical Librarians by demonstrating their unique information and knowledge management skills.The role of the librarian has been redefined rather than sitting in a building surrounded by stacks, the librarian will work as a colleague within the health system. In India the need for the position of Clinical Librarians is very strong and several duties can be classified as core to the role of the Clinical Librarian but however there is a great diversity of duties attached to this core, reflecting an absence of nationally accepted practice.