THE INFORMATIONISTPUSHING THE BOUNDARIES
ELAINE MARTIN.DADirector of Library ServicesLamar Soutter LibraryUniversity of Massachusetts Medical School
One year ago….
• What does the informationist do?
• What are the evaluation outcomes/methods?
• What are the competencies?
Embedded with the Scientists: Librarians’ Roles in the Research Process Fall 2012 Professional Development Day for New England Librarians
What Does the Informationist Do?
• Expert searching and filtering the literature
• Bibliographic management and training on use of tools
• Knowledge management (across multiple sites)
• Data management
• Co-authoring publications
What Does the Informationist Do?• Website development
• Consultation services
Evaluation Outcomes
• Participation in future grants and data management plans; co-author publications; partnerships with Office of Research/Grants and Contracts
• Identify what research team learned from informationist
• Identify what informationist learned from research team
Generic Measures and Project Specific Measures
• Generic--# of training sessions, # searches conducted, # of additional databases, # of articles identified for systematic review, # of studies critically appraised, # of studies organized and shared
• Project specific--example data dictionary in UMass project and increase in relevant, high impact literature identified re: protein function discovery in NYU project
Competencies Identified
• Information science
• Domain specific knowledge
• Understanding of the grant funding process
• Understanding of clinical and/or basic science research
Competencies Identified
• Project Management
• Database Management
• Database Design
• Statistics
Dissemination Strategy
One year later….
• Unexpected outcomes
• Preliminary characteristics of success
• Changing library structure to support model
• Lots of unanswered questions
Unanticipated Outcomes
• Balance
• Job knowledge (the learning curve)
• PI left the institution
• Informationist job changes
• Problems with research or study design
Preliminary Characteristics of Success
• Importance of mentoring
• Coherence of the team
• Be present
• …More to be determined
Library Infrastructure Required to Support Informationist Model
• Scholarly communication/research data management services unit
• Total reorganization (cohort of fellows)
• New service model (consultation and redefinition of liaison)
• Research focus
Questions Raised by the Model• Do you need a library to be a librarian?
• To whom does the informationist report administratively?
• To what extent will the library and/or other department fund the position? Will the funding model influence the informationist’s professional home?
The Evolution of the Informationist:Neither Fish nor Fowl
• Neither fish nor fowl
What is the Professional Identity?
Bounded Professional
Unbounded Professional
The Blended Professional
Informationist As Blended Professional
Member of an interprofessional team
Encourages the professions to learn with and from each other
Respect for the contribution of each professional
Forms partnerships and collaboration
Commitment to service not servitude
Fosters collaborative practice
Informationist as Blended Professional
• Embraces entrepreneurship and change
• Risk taking
• Independent research
• Pride in unique contributions of
of librarianship to the team
The Informationist
• Bounded professional moving to Blended professional
• Defining a new professional identity
• Needs additional model development and further study
Pushing the Boundaries