Hospital library closures and consolidations: a case series

Abstract

Background: Health sciences libraries are being closed or are under threat of closure, but little is published that looks at context and causes or alternative library service delivery models such as affiliations or consolidations. There is also very little research about the effect of these changes on health care provider satisfaction, patient care, or hospital quality indicators. Preventing library closures is not always possible, but understanding some of the circumstances leading to the decision and implementation of a closure or consolidation could inform best practice management.Case Presentations: At a recent Medical Library Association joint chapter meeting, a panel of six librarians presented their cases of navigating a library closure or reorganization. Background information was given to highlight reasons that the decisions to reorganize or close were made. Following the case presentations, participants took part in discussion with audience members. Cases and discussion points were recorded for further research, publication, and advocacy.Conclusions: Several points from the cases are highlighted in the discussion section of the paper. An accurate reporting of US health sciences libraries and librarian staffing is needed. More needs to be written about new library service models and best practices for centralizing and maintaining library services. After a consolidation, remaining librarians will be expected to manage the effects of staff loss and site closures and so should be involved in planning and implementing these decisions. It remains to be determined how hospitals with librarians compare in patient care and other quality indicators against hospitals without librarians.

Information work of hospital librarians: Making the invisible visible

“…The pedagogical role of hospital librarians is increasing in importance (Hallam et al, 2010), and hospital libraries are reportedly essential facilitators of information skills training for health professionals (Ayre et al, 2015; Chaturvedi, 2017). At the same time, Harrow et al (2019) argue that by using electronic resources, an increasing number of health professionals are able to do their own searches for medical information. Notably, Rubenstein (2012) points out how the professional role of hospital librarians lies in mediating information, not in educating users in health-related issues—something that is more connected to the role of clinicians.…”

Influence of library relocation and marketing: examining zip codes and health disparities to serve consumers in East Tennessee

“…Throughout the last decade, hospital libraries have primarily focused on staying open and relevant to their institutions' missions. With administrative cost cutting, hospital libraries are frequently targeted to save money [2]. Taylor and Stephenson discussed a survey that federal medical center libraries utilized to prove the libraries' monetary value to the institutions, the results of which indicated that library-provided information assisted in decreasing length of stay and avoided increased costs [10].…”

“…Despite being an important resource, hospital libraries have frequently been forced to close or consolidate, in part due to a perceived lack of return on investment [1]. Budget restraints and lack of administrative buy-in can make it difficult for the remaining libraries to prosper [2]. However, the Preston Medical Library (PML), which serves both the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine (UTGSM) and the University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC), has managed to expand services through a focus on the public.…”

What we talk about when we talk about medical librarianship: an analysis of Medical Library Association annual meeting abstracts, 2001–2019

“…Patient education also peaked earlier than most of the other "looking out" topics. Patient education seems to imply a clinical or hospital library environment, and its peak in the mid-2000s lines up with a significant decrease in the number of hospital libraries since that time [42], which may account for its diminishment among MLA topics.…”