The Robert and Lilian Lindsay Library - Part one: in search of a home.

A history of the BDA Library from its beginnings up to the move to its current home in 64 Wimpole Street. In its centenary year of 2020, this article looks back and reflects on how the library was first thought of, its inception and growth under the nurturing hand of its Honorary Librarian, Lilian Lindsay, and through its move from 23 Russell Square to 13 Hill Street and the tribulations of the Second World War. The development of the Robert and Lilian Lindsay Library is then followed post-war when its first full-time professionally qualified librarian was engaged, through the tribulations of the late 1950s into the 1960s and the safe hands of Muriel Spencer, who brought the collection to its specifically designed area at 64 Wimpole Street.

Health Sciences Patron Preference for Library Spaces: A Multisite Observational Study.

Health sciences libraries are often challenged to make decisions regarding physical space allocation without quantitative data to support specific user preferences. This multisite, longitudinal study sought to answer the following questions related to academic health sciences libraries: (1) Which library spaces are popular with health sciences patrons? (2) How does time of day and allocated seating space affect patron choices? (3) What similarities and differences occur in space usage across four different health sciences libraries? Results suggest health sciences libraries must develop a nuanced understanding of their patrons' preferences to best serve patrons' needs regarding space allocation. Libraries can benefit from these types of methodological studies that target specific populations, supporting more informed space allocation decision making.

Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source (DOSS): a collection for dental research and education.

Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source from EBSCO Information Services provides indexing and full-text access to an extensive selection of dental journal literature, as well some full-text dental monographs. As stated by EBSCO, titles are chosen from those commonly held in dental school libraries. The database aims to support practitioners, researchers, and advanced dental education. This column includes sample searches from Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source as well as a discussion of its special content and features.

Factors affecting self-reported implementation of evidence-based practice among a group of dentists.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed at assessing the factors affecting the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) among a group of dentists in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross sectional study design was used where a link to an electronic questionnaire was posted on the websites of the Saudi Dental Society and a social networking site for dentists. The questionnaire was available for three months after which responses were downloaded and analyzed. Descriptive statistics were calculated for various variables and logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors with significant effect on the implementation of EBP. RESULTS: Implementation of EBP was reported by 69.3% of respondents. Most respondents reported knowing and using MEDLINE and being able to search for evidence. The most frequently reported barriers were lack of time and availability of evidence. Factors that significantly affected the implementation of EBP were 1) having some knowledge of terms related to EBP, 2) reporting lack of EBP skills as a barrier, and 3) reporting resistance to change as a barrier. CONCLUSIONS: Background knowledge related to EBP and training in its skills are needed for the implementation of EBP whereas the presence of resistance to change does not necessarily prevent its implementation.

Extreme makeover: library orientation for postgraduate dental residents.

Bibby Library at the University of Rochester provides a library orientation to new post-graduate dental students. The original class utilized a lecture format and included content that was no longer relevant. Students were bored and did not retain the information. This article describes the design and implementation of a new orientation class. The class includes a series of exercises designed to familiarize students with pertinent resources. Student response to the class and implications for the library are discussed.

Dissemination tools and resources: assisting colleagues in the implementation and promotion of EBD principles.

Many resources and methods are available for dissemination and promotion of the principles and value of evidence-based dentistry among colleagues.

A survey of collection development for United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) preparation material.

OBJECTIVE: The research sought to ascertain medical and dental libraries' collection development policies, evaluation methods, purchase decisions, and issues that relate to print and electronic United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) preparation materials. METHODS: The investigators surveyed librarians supporting American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC)-accredited medical schools (n = 58/125) on the USMLE and librarians supporting American Dental Association (ADA)-accredited dental schools (n = 23/56) on the NBDE. The investigators analyzed the data by cross-tabulating and filtering the results using EFM Continuum web survey software. Investigators also surveyed print and electronic USMLE and NBDE preparation materials from 2004-2007 to determine the number of publications and existence of reviews. RESULTS: A majority of responding AAMC libraries (62%, n = 58) provide at least 1 electronic or online USMLE preparation resource and buy an average of 11.6 print USMLE titles annually. Due to a paucity of NBDE print and electronic resources, ADA libraries bought significantly fewer print resources, and only 1 subscribed to an electronic resource. The most often reported evaluation methods for both populations were feedback from medical or dental students, feedback from medical or dental faculty, and online trials. Some AAMC (10%, n = 58) and ADA libraries (39%, n = 23) libraries reported that no evaluation of these materials occured at their libraries. CONCLUSIONS: From 2004-2007, publishers produced 45 USMLE preparation resources (total n = 546) to every 1 NBDE preparation resource (total n = 12). Users' needs, institutional missions and goals, financial status, and official collection policies most often underlie decisions to collect or not collect examination preparation materials. Evaluating the quality of examination preparation materials can be problematic due to lack of published reviews, lack of usability testing by libraries, and librarians' and library users' unfamiliarity with the actual content of examinations. Libraries must integrate faculty and students into the purchase process to make sure examination preparation resources of the highest quality are purchased.

Library support for problem-based learning: an algorithmic approach.

Academic health sciences libraries can take various approaches to support the problem-based learning component of the curriculum. This article presents one such approach taken to integrate information navigation skills into the small group discussion part of the Pathophysiology course in the second year of the Dental school curriculum. Along with presenting general resources for the course, the Library Toolkit introduced an algorithmic approach to finding answers to sample clinical case questions. While elements of Evidence-Based Practice were introduced, the emphasis was on teaching students to navigate relevant resources and apply various database search techniques to find answers to the clinical problems presented.