Informationist programme in support of biomedical research: a programme description and preliminary findings of an evaluation

Abstract

Background : The informationist programme at the Library of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, USA has grown to 14 informationists working with 40 clinical and basic science research teams. Purpose : This case report, intended to contribute to the literature on informationist programmes, describes the NIH informationist programme, including implementation experiences, the informationists' training programme, their job responsibilities and programme outcomes. Brief description : The NIH informationist programme was designed to enhance the library's service capacity. Over time, the steps for introducing the service to new groups were formalized to ensure support by leadership, the team being served and the library. Job responsibilities also evolved from traditional library roles to a wide range of knowledge management activities. The commitment by the informationist, the team and the library to continuous learning is critical to the programme's success. Results / outcomes : NIH scientists reported that informationists saved them time and contributed to teamwork with expert searching and point-of-need instruction. Process evaluation helped refine the programme. Evaluation method : High-level, preliminary outcomes were identified from a survey of scientists receiving informationist services, along with key informant interviews. Process evaluation examined service implementation, informationists' training and service components. Anecdotal evidence has also indicated a favourable response to the programme.

The informationist: building evidence for an emerging health profession

“…These studies also show that program success requires technical expertise, service excellence, and commitment by management [3,13]. In addition, success requires informationists to demonstrate domain knowledge, engage in continuous learning, and be completely embedded in the team [3]. Studies of the bioinformatics informationist model, on the other hand, have been descriptive but suggest that subject knowledge (molecular biology in particular) in support of project-specific consultation, generalized training, and development of web portals for easy access to sequence analysis tools and other resources are key elements for success [11,12].…”

“…All of them are expected to continue their education by taking graduate-level courses in the specialties they support and participating in the specialties' professional meetings, in addition to maintaining their skills as information scientists. (A more detailed description of the NIH informationist program was published in 2008 [3].) From the start, informal feedback from the research teams was positive; however, as the commitment to the program increased, a formal evaluation was suggested.…”

“…These studies also show that program success requires technical expertise, service excellence, and commitment by management [3,13]. In addition, success requires informationists to demonstrate domain knowledge, engage in continuous learning, and be completely embedded in the team [3].…”

“…In the United States and internationally, academic medical centers and other health organizations established model informationist programs [3,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. A recent literature review found what appears to be two informationist maturation models: First is an embedded model, usually in a clinical setting, that initially focuses on traditional information services but later progresses to support the team's technical and informatics information needs as well.…”

Embedded & Clinical Librarianship: Administrative Support for Vital New Roles

“…The National Institutes of Health employed a consultant to assess the impact of embedded librarians on the groups they served. The consultant noted that user groups served by an embedded librarian "demonstrated a strong acceptance and uptake of the informationist service, growing demand for a wider variety of services, robust return on investment and unassailable satisfaction and loyalty ratings" (Whitmore et al, 2008). Becoming embedded within a department or group can also allow librarians more flexibility and freedom to customize services to their particular audience, which benefits both librarian and patron (Clyde & Lee, 2011;Kenefick, 2011;Searing & Greenlee, 2011).…”