Developing and conducting a language inclusivity assessment on a health science library's website, LibGuides, and signage.

Background: A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Team at a university health science library created a checklist for inclusive language and conducted an assessment of their library's website, LibGuides, and physical and digital signage. Inclusive language was defined as "language that is free from words, phrases or tones that reflect prejudiced, stereotyped or discriminatory views of particular people or groups". Case Presentation: The 32-item checklist facilitated the identification of gendered language, stereotypes, ableist language, racist language, stigmatizing language, slang, acronyms, and out-of-date terminology regarding physical and mental health conditions. From the library's website, 20 instances were noted for which improvements were necessary. Out of the 130 LibGuides reviewed, 23 LibGuides had no changes needed and 107 had changes identified relating to language inclusivity (14 strongly recommended changes and 116 suggested changes). Regarding the signage, one flyer was removed for reprinting. Conclusion: The checklist enabled the team to implement a number of improvements to the library's website and LibGuides. The checklist has been shared with Library Technology Services and the wider campus libraries' Usability Committee for future use, and has also been added to the DEI Team's LibGuide for use by others outside of the university.

Improving LibGuides at a Health Sciences Library: A Case Study.

While LibGuides are widely used in libraries to curate resources for users, there are a number of common problems, including maintenance, design and layout, and curating relevant and concise content. One health sciences library sought to improve our LibGuides, consulting usage statistics, user feedback, and recommendations from the literature to inform decision making. Our team recommended a number of changes to make LibGuides more usable, including creating robust maintenance and content guidelines, scheduling regular updates, and various changes to the format of the guides themselves to make them more user-friendly.

A New Normal: A Case Study on Changing Strategies in Technology Engagement at an Academic Health Sciences Library.

As academic libraries shift services to meet the changing needs of patrons after the COVID-19 pandemic, educational technologies and services to support them require updating. Patrons using technology that was once associated with hands-on learning and in-person interactions are preferring flexible and hybrid iterations. In this case study, the authors describe and analyze the pivot of three technology services at the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library in the post-COVID-19 environment. Technologies discussed include a multimedia studio, virtual reality (VR), and a three-dimensional (3D) printing service. This case study utilizes available usage stats and survey data to demonstrate and provide rationale for the changing strategy in services for each technology "hub." The multimedia studio has been dismantled in favor of the equipment being available for checkout, VR is now available in a staff-supported classroom, and a 3D printing service has been fully automated through an online submission platform. These examples, and the rationale behind changing them, can help offer ideas for other libraries to help find solutions that meet the demands of a changing learning environment.

Development and validation of a modified LibQUAL scale in health sciences libraries: application of Structural Equation Modeling.

Objective: The application of structural equation modeling (SEM), a statistical modeling tool for scale construction and development, is becoming increasingly popular in the health sciences librarianship and information science research. This study explores the application of SEM to health science libraries by describing the development and validation of a modified LibQUAL scale within an Iranian health sciences library setting. Methods: A literature search was performed across several information sources to identify candidate items to be included in the primary questionnaire. After translation, linguistic validation, and a pilot study, two cross-sectional studies were performed. SEM modeling framework was used for the assessment of the reliability and validity of the modified LibQUAL scale. The internal consistency of the scale was evaluated by measuring Cronbach's alpha coefficient and composite reliability. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used for the evaluation of the construct validity of the scale. Smart-PLS software was used for statistical modeling. Results: Composite reliability and Cronbach's alpha coefficient for each scale ranged between 0.90 and 0.95, indicating adequate internal consistency with the LibQUAL scale. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the three-factor model of the LibQUAL scale. The convergent validity of the scale was supported, as the average variances extracted for all proposed factors were above 0.50. The discriminant validity was also confirmed using Fornel and Larcker and Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio (HTMT) methods. Conclusion: Evaluation of psychometric properties of the translated and locally modified LibQUAL in the Persian language indicated adequate reliability, factorial validity, and stability of this instrument for Iranian health sciences libraries.

LGBTQ+ health research guides: a multi-institutional analysis of usage patterns and user information needs.

Objective: LGBTQ+ health research guides can strengthen the LGBTQ+ community through connecting people to quality health services and information, and previous studies have recommended that health sciences libraries create and maintain these guides. Little evidence exists, though, on how these guides are used and how well they meet the needs of LGBTQ+ users. Using retrospective data retrieved from multiple LGBTQ+ health research guides, we examined the categories of LGBTQ+ health information most used, as well as how often guides were accessed. Based on these results, we hope to find patterns which can lead to best practices for libraries. Methods: Five North American academic health sciences libraries contributed select usage data from their LGBTQ+ health research guides, covering a three-year period (July 2018-June 2021). Data was analyzed in two ways. Firstly, the 20 most-clicked resources from each guide were categorized through open coding, to assess if certain information resource categories were more popular among guide users, allowing for inference of user needs. A time-series analysis was also conducted for two sites, using the Classical Seasonal Decomposition by Moving Averages method, to provide deeper insights into the data. Results: Open coding data showed consumer health information resources were used more often than other health resource categories. Resources from more locally based organizations and those with provider and services information were heavily used, indicating that users may be looking for information connecting to local health services and providers. The time series analysis allowed the potential positive effect of guide promotion to be showcased in ways that would not have been clear from the raw data. Conclusion: This study shows that people are accessing LGBTQ+ consumer health information through academic library research guides, with a preference for local information. Guide usage appears to be positively driven by outreach within one's institution and to the greater community. Locating external partners may increase guide impact and provide important links to local resources and services.

Facilitating rural access to quality health information through Little Free Libraries.

Background: In 2020 the Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL) at the University of Florida collaborated with the Okeechobee County Public library (OCPL) on their plan to install Little Free Libraries (LFLs) within their community. It was agreed that the HSCL would provide consumer health-related materials for the Little Free Libraries and training with the goal of improving health literacy, precision medicine, and increasing rural access to consumer health materials and services. Case Presentation: Using census data, the County Health Improvement Plan, and OCPL circulation data the team identified minority population groups, potential accessibility issues, and local consumer health information needs and barriers to select appropriate resources. Additionally, partnerships were created with the local Health Department, Parks and Recreation services, the Rotary Club, and other local organizations to make the project a success. A total of 424 books were selected for the LFLs and 40 unique online resources were selected, printed, and shipped to OCPL to be used during LFL reference sessions. Technology was purchased to assist OCPL with their planned community health reference outreach sessions. HSCL created and provided online training on facilitating consumer health outreach, conducting health information reference services, and promoting community engagement for OCPL. Discussion: LFLs have become an important resource for lower-income rural families in Okeechobee. There are 7 LFLs in Okeechobee County, with a goal of eventually establishing 15 total to provide vital health resources and books. Over 2,456 items have been circulated among the 7 LFLs since May 2020. Overall, the project has been successful with positive feedback received from the community and with OCPL planning to continue to expand the project.

Trends in Research Data Management and Academic Health Sciences Libraries.

Spurred by the National Institute of Health mandating a data management and sharing plan as a requirement of grant funding, research data management has exploded in importance for librarians supporting researchers and research institutions. This editorial examines the role and direction of libraries in this process from several viewpoints. Key markers of success include collaboration, establishing new relationships, leveraging existing relationships, accessing multiple avenues of communication, and building niche expertise and cachè as a valued and trustworthy partner.

Academic health sciences libraries' outreach and engagement with North American Indigenous communities: a scoping review.

Objective: We sought to identify trends and themes in how academic health sciences libraries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have supported engagement and outreach with Native Americans, Alaska Natives, First Nations, and Indigenous peoples, in or from those same countries. We also sought to learn and share effective practices for libraries engaging with these communities. Methods: We conducted a scoping review utilizing Arksey and O'Malley's framework for scoping reviews and followed principles from JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. We searched seven bibliographic databases, E-LIS (Eprints in Library and Information Science repository), and multiple sources of grey literature. Results were screened using Covidence and Google Sheets. We reported our review according to the PRISMA and PRISMA-S guidelines. We determined types of interventions used by academic health sciences libraries in engagement with our included populations, the level of public participation reached by these interventions, what partnerships were established, and what practices emerged. Results: Database searching returned 2,020 unique results. Additional searching resulted in 211 further unique results. Full text screening of relevant articles found 65 reports meeting criteria for inclusion. Data extraction was conducted on these programs to identify partners, intervention type, and evaluation method. The programs were categorized using the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation. Conclusion: Our scoping review found that many programs were health information trainings and did not move beyond informing the public with little further involvement. The need for sustained funding, greater community participation and more publishing on engagement and outreach are discussed.

The Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium: a blueprint designed in response to a community of practice need.

Background: Health sciences libraries in medical schools, academic health centers, health care networks, and hospitals have established institutional repositories (IRs) to showcase their research achievements, increase visibility, expand the reach of institutional scholarship, and disseminate unique content. Newer roles for IRs include publishing open access journals, tracking researcher productivity, and serving as repositories for data sharing. Many repository managers oversee their IR with limited assistance from others at their institution. Therefore, IR practitioners find it valuable to network and learn from colleagues at other institutions. Case Presentation: This case report describes the genesis and implementation of a new initiative specifically designed for a health sciences audience: the Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium. Six medical librarians from hospitals and academic institutions in the U.S. organized the inaugural symposium held virtually in November 2021. The goal was to fill a perceived gap in conference programming for IR practitioners in health settings. Themes of the 2021 and subsequent 2022 symposium included IR management, increasing readership and engagement, and platform migration. Post-symposium surveys were completed by 73/238 attendees (31%) in 2021 and by 62/180 (34%) in 2022. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Discussion: Participant responses in post-symposium surveys rated MIRL highly. The MIRL planning group intends to continue the symposium and hopes MIRL will steadily evolve, build community among IR practitioners in the health sciences, and expand the conversation around best practices for digital archiving of institutional content. The implementation design of MIRL serves as a blueprint for collaboratively bringing together a professional community of practice.

Exploring the Expectations and Preferences of Health Sciences Library Subject Guides Users.

Using survey methodology, this study aimed to explore and describe health sciences library users' subject guide expectations and preferences. Respondents showed an overwhelming lack of familiarity with the guides and expressed a preference for quick and easy access links as the most important feature. Most respondents also appeared to want some guidance about which resources to use within the guides, but less extensive learning or instructional content. The results of this study will inform both future guide development and research on best practices.

Reinventing Virtual Reference Services during a Period of Crisis: Decisions that Help Us Move Forward.

This article focuses on providing virtual reference services at the MCPHS University Libraries as a response to the physical space closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study emphasizes the importance of interdepartmental collaboration between all library staff members, and highlights important enhancements implemented to successfully meet the growing demand for live chat services and research consultations. Enhancements include expanding online chat hours, offering individualized virtual reference sessions, and integrating Zoom functionality into LibAnswers platform. Extensive data findings allowed for critical decision-making about eliminating the reference desk on one of the campuses, training student workers, and scheduling library staff for virtual services.

Trends in Medical Library Essential Services.

This column introduces a new recurring section, and its editors, in Medical Reference Services Quarterly. The inaugural column addresses the ways in which academic medical libraries define and deliver essential services in the shifting landscape of budget constraints, an ongoing pandemic, and user needs that change as technology evolves.

Interlibrary loan and document delivery in North American health sciences libraries during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: The study purpose was to understand how early months of the COVID-19 pandemic altered interlibrary loan (ILL) and document delivery (DD) in North American health science libraries (HSLs), specifically the decision-making and workflow adjustments associated with accessing their own collections and obtaining content not available via ILL. Methods: Researchers distributed an online 26-question survey through 24 health science library email lists from January 6-February 7, 2021. Respondents reported their library's ILL and DD activities from March-August 2020, including ILL/DD usage and policies, collection access, decision-making, and workflow adjustments. In addition to calculating frequencies, cross-tabulation and statistical tests were performed to test a priori potential associations. Two researchers independently and thematically analyzed responses to the 2 open-ended questions and reached consensus on themes. Results: Hospital libraries represented 52% (n=226/431) of respondents, along with 42% academic (n=179) and 6% (n=26) multi-type or other special. Only 1% (n=5) closed completely with no remote services, but many, 45% (n=194), ceased ILL of print materials. More than half (n=246/423; 58%) agreed that ILL requests likely to be filled from print remained unfilled more than is typical. Open-ended questions yielded 5 themes on ILL/DD staffing, setup, and systems; 6 on impacts for libraries and library users. Conclusion: Lack of communication regarding collection availability and staffing resulted in delayed or unfilled requests. Hospital and academic libraries made similar decisions about continuing services but reported different experiences in areas such as purchasing digital content. Hybrid ILL/DD workflows may continue for managing these services.

Health sciences librarians' engagement in open science: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the engagement of health sciences librarians (HSLs) in open science (OS) through the delivery of library services, support, and programs for researchers. METHODS: We performed a scoping review guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework and Joanna Briggs' Manual for Scoping Reviews. Our search methods consisted of searching five bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, LISTA, and Web of Science Core Collection), reference harvesting, and targeted website and journal searching. To determine study eligibility, we applied predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria and reached consensus when there was disagreement. We extracted data in duplicate and performed qualitative analysis to map key themes. RESULTS: We included fifty-four studies. Research methods included descriptive or narrative approaches (76%); surveys, questionnaires, and interviews (15%); or mixed methods (9%). We labeled studies with one or more of FOSTER's six OS themes: open access (54%), open data (43%), open science (24%), open education (6%), open source (6%), and citizen science (6%). Key drivers in OS were scientific integrity and transparency, openness as a guiding principle in research, and funder mandates making research publicly accessible. CONCLUSIONS: HSLs play key roles in advancing OS worldwide. Formal studies are needed to assess the impact of HSLs' engagement in OS. HSLs should promote adoption of OS within their research communities and develop strategic plans aligned with institutional partners. HSLs can promote OS by adopting more rigorous and transparent research practices of their own. Future research should examine HSLs' engagement in OS through social justice and equity perspectives.

OpenAthens odyssey: challenges of implementing federated authentication for a multi-institutional user population.

BACKGROUND: The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is home to one of the world's largest cohorts of faculty, students, researchers, and clinicians who rely on seamless and immediate access to digital biomedical and health resources. This group is served by the TMC Library, with a collection that includes over 380,000 ebooks and 59,000 ejournals. In 2018, the TMC Library implemented OpenAthens, a federated authentication system to replace a locally hosted instance of EZproxy. CASE PRESENTATION: The TMC Library is unique in its multi-institutional user population, which presents distinct challenges in adopting a single sign-on authentication system. Our project involved OpenAthens technical support, information technology teams from six academic institutions, and over thirty publishers. Implementation included the creation of an OpenAthens parent account, an active user directory, a resource catalog, and installation of our OpenAthens credentials at each publisher site. Because the TMC Library serves multiple institutions, OpenAthens built a custom login page and a portal to support both single sign-on and a generic username and password option. This case report discusses the reasons why OpenAthens was chosen, the preparation methods for implementation, the various challenges encountered and resolved, and recommendations for other health sciences libraries considering this system. CONCLUSIONS: The OpenAthens system provides important benefits: granular usage reports, single sign-on access, and data to negotiate reduced pricing for online resources. With prior knowledge and preparation, health sciences libraries can successfully implement OpenAthens with customizations tailored to their specific resources and user population.

The Never-Ending Evolutionary Saga of Assessing and Demonstrating the Value of Information Services in a Biomedical Library.

Demonstrating added value can be very challenging, yet it is becoming important in academic libraries. The current literature primarily discusses citation analysis and usage reports to demonstrate return on investment for collections or impact on scholarly activity. However, value is not only in our collections but also in the library staff who support the institutional mission. Vanderbilt University's Annette and Irwin Eskind Family Biomedical Library and Learning Center has been experimenting with several methods to supplement the collections data with services performed by the staff. This article discusses the project's four phases as part of the goal to strategically demonstrate the biomedical library's added value to the university and medical center.

Library involvement in health informatics education for health professions students and practitioners: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this scoping review is to evaluate the extent of library or librarian involvement in informatics education in the health domain. METHODS: We searched eight databases from their inception to 2019 for reports of informatics educational activities for health professionals or health professions students that involved library staff or resources. Two reviewers independently screened all titles/abstracts (n=2,196) and resolved inclusion decisions by consensus. From the full text of the 36 papers that met the inclusion criteria, we extracted data on 41 educational activities. RESULTS: The most frequent coded purposes of activities were "teaching clinical tools" (n=19, 46.3%) and "technology" (n=17; 41.5%). Medical students were the most frequent primary audience (34.1%), though 41.5% of activities had multiple audiences. Evaluation was reported for 24 activities (58.5%), only a few of which assessed short or post-activity impact on attitudes, knowledge, or skills. The most common long-term outcome was applying skills in other courses or clinical experiences. Thematic analysis yielded three areas of outcomes and issues for the library and organizational partners: expanded opportunities, technology and resource issues, and value demonstration. CONCLUSIONS: Limited published examples of health informatics educational activities provide models for library roles in informatics education. More librarians should report on their informatics educational activities and provide sufficient details on the interventions and their evaluation. This would strengthen the evidence base about the potential impact of libraries within informatics education.

LGBTQ+ health research guides at North American health sciences libraries: a survey and content analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Current literature recommends online research guides as an easy and effective tool to promote LGBTQ+ health information to both health care providers and the public. This cross-sectional study was designed to determine how extensive LGBTQ+ health guides are among hospital and academic libraries and which features are most prevalent. METHODS: In order to locate LGBTQ+ health guides for content analysis, we searched for guides on the websites of libraries belonging to the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL). Additionally, we searched the Springshare interface for LibGuides with the word "health" and either "LGBT" or "transgender." Content analysis was performed to identify major characteristics of the located guides, including target audience and the information type provided. RESULTS: LGBTQ+ research guides were identified for 74 libraries. Of these, 5 were hospital libraries, and the rest were academic libraries. Of 158 AAHSL member libraries, 48 (30.4%) had LGBTQ+ guides on their websites. Nearly all guides (95.9%) provided general LGBTQ+ health information, and a large majority (87.8%) also had information resources for transgender health. Smaller percentages of guides contained information on HIV/AIDS (48.6%) and women's health (16.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Even though literature recommends creating LGBTQ+ health guides, most health sciences libraries are missing an opportunity by not developing and maintaining these guides. Further research may be needed to determine the usage and usefulness of existing guides and to better identify barriers preventing libraries from creating guides.

Practical Changes in Reference Services: A Case Study.

Between 2018 and 2019, the librarians at the Strauss Health Sciences Library improved the efficiency and reach of their reference service by implementing four small-scale changes. These changes included revising the method of collecting statistics, creating FAQs, utilizing an appointment scheduler, and launching proactive chat. This case study will provide the background and research to support these changes, details on how the changes were implemented using Springshare tools, as well as the results and implications. Finally, the librarians will share their lessons learned along with recommendations for institutions interested in adopting similar changes.

COVID-19 - Background and Health Sciences Library Response during the First Months of the Pandemic.

COVID-19, a novel respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, was first recognized in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. Health science librarians continue to navigate the global health crisis while providing critical information services to their institutions. An informal survey was conducted to obtain some general information on the types of responses by health science librarians to this event. Among the findings is an opportunity for librarians to strengthen interdepartmental relationships and disaster response plans in preparation for future pandemics and disaster events.