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Vol. 31 No.1 

Fall/Winter 2019 

Congratulations to the Winning Research Papers and Posters from the Medical Library 

Association (MLA) 2019 Annual Meeting! 

The MLA Research Caucus is pleased to announce the winners for best research 
papers and posters presented at the MLA 2019 annual meeting in Chicago, IL. Thank 
you to the 25 judges who volunteered their expertise to help select these deserving 
awardees. To learn more about the awards and selection process, visit the Research 
Caucus website at http://www.mlanet.org/p/cm/ld/fid=938. 
 

Contributed Papers 

1st Place - Investigating Emerging Roles for Medical Librarians at College and 
University Libraries 
 

• Alexander Carrol, Lead Librarian for Research Engagement, NC State University, 
Raleigh, North Carolina 

• Jason Reed, Health Sciences Information Specialist, Purdue University, West 
Lafayette, IN 

 
Objectives: This study seeks to identify emerging roles for health sciences librarians 
by examining position descriptions at U.S. college and university libraries. We 
hypothesize that because of increasing interdisciplinary research within colleges and 
universities, there may be emerging roles for medical librarians at academic 
institutions without dedicated academic health sciences libraries as signified by 
Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) membership.  
 
Methods: To gather these position descriptions, we are using two methods. We are 
collecting position advertisements posted to several job boards and health sciences 
librarian mailing lists between September 1 2018 and March 1 2019. Positions that 
include at least one of the following terms in the position title, qualifications, or 
responsibilities are flagged for review: medic*, health, life, nursing, veterinary, bio*, 
pharma*. We are also advertising this study on several health sciences librarian 
mailing lists, soliciting individuals who meet these criteria to deposit their position 
descriptions into a repository via a Qualtrics survey. We are using grounded theory 
(an inductive, qualitative research methodology) to identify themes within the 
collected position descriptions that meet the inclusion criteria.  
 
Results: We found a total of 104 job postings that met our inclusion criteria. Of those 
104, 60 were advertised at AAHSL member institutions, and 44 from non-AAHSL 
institutions. 81 of these advertisements were for front-line librarian positions, with the 
remaining 23 for management level positions. Job postings were listed in 32 distinct 
states, with at least one posting in all 8 National Network of Libraries of Medicine 
(NNLM) Regions. We found the highest number of postings in Region 2 
(Southeastern / Atlantic Region), and the fewest in Region 6 (Pacific Northwest 

http://www.mlanet.org/p/cm/ld/fid=938


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Region). Qualitative and additional quantitative analyses of the content of the 
collected position descriptions are ongoing at this time.  
 
Conclusions: Our preliminary quantitative data suggest the existence of a relatively 
high number of health sciences librarian job postings at institutions outside of 
AAHSL. Librarians entering into these advertised positions, specifically into front-line 
positions, will likely seek out professional development opportunities that will align 
with the MLA Competencies for Lifelong Learning and Professional Success. This 
suggests an opportunity for MLA to expand its membership by designing continuing 
education opportunities for health sciences librarians employed at academic 
institutions without dedicated academic health sciences libraries. 

 
 
2nd Place - Burnout among Health Information Professionals: Elevating the Issue 
to Inspire Change 
 

• Angela Spencer, Medical Library Manager, St. Luke’s Hospital, Chesterfield, 
Missouri 

• Elizabeth Laera, Medical Librarian, Brookwood Baptist Health, Birmingham, 
Alabama 

 
Objectives: To obtain data on how many health information professionals meet the 
Copenhagen Burnout Inventory criteria and how many feel they are burned out or 
close to burning out despite survey results. This study also seeks to determine which 
category of health information professionals are facing the highest risk of burnout 
and what is being done to combat or prevent burnout.  
 
Methods: Potential study participants were contacted via various medical and 
special library listservs. Participation was limited to health science information 
professionals, including paraprofessionals. Using SurveyMonkey, study participants 
first completed a modified version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) and 
then were asked about their general experiences with burnout, what, if anything, 
they are doing to relieve stress or prevent burnout, and demographic questions to 
quantify their results with others in similar settings, age ranges, and experience 
levels.  
 
Results: 497 responses were recorded. Of these, 41 respondents did not complete 
enough of the survey to be counted, bringing the total number of usable surveys to 
456. 179 participants reported an overall level of burnout. Using average CBI scores, 
we determined that 117 of those reporting burnout had scores suggested at least a 
moderate level of burnout. 41.88% of these scored at the significant level of burnout 
or higher. 5 participants or 1.14% reported not feeling burned out scored at the 
moderate or significant level in the CBI. Of those scoring at least moderate in the 
CBI (n=143), 52.45% were from an academic environment and 62.22% had 15 or 
less years of experience. The participants with the highest CBI averages (n=26) had 
very little in common among their reasons for burnout or demographics.  



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Conclusions: Are health information professionals burned out? Research shows that 
burnout has been a theme in librarianship literature since the early 1980s. Public, 
academic, school, and special library journals have published articles on recognizing 
signs of burnout, preventing burnout in the workplace, and ways to combat burnout 
in librarians and information professionals. However, there is limited research to 
determine the number of librarians and information professionals experiencing 
burnout. This study helps to determine the level of burnout health information 
professionals are experiencing, and in the future, may help librarians and other 
information professionals find ways to prevent burnout. 

 
Honorable Mention - Elevating Nursing Librarianship: Assessing Trends in 
Distance Librarian Services for Advanced Practice Nursing Programs 
 

• Gregg Stevens, Health Sciences Librarian, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, 
New York 

• Elizabeth Hinton, Instruction and Research Librarian, University of Mississippi 
Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi 

• Roy Brown, Research and Education Librarian, Virginia Commonwealth 
University, North Chesterfield, VA 

 
Objectives: With the increasing popularity of distance education among universities 
and busy students, many Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) programs have shifted 
to become either online or hybrid programs. To meet the research and instruction 
needs of these students, some nursing librarians are using technology for virtual 
research and instruction.  
 
Methods: This study was designed to assess the extent to which nursing librarians in 
North America are providing virtual research and instruction services for APN 
students. An IRB-approved survey with ten objective questions was developed to 
determine how librarians are providing services for APN students at their 
universities. It was announced in October 2017 through several health sciences 
librarian listservs. The survey ran for four weeks. Data were analyzed using 
Qualtrics and Excel. 
 
Results: Eighty complete responses were received. The majority of respondents 
(66%) indicated that their universities' APN programs were conducted in a hybrid 
format and the same percentage also indicated that they generally provide library 
instruction in person. Most librarians indicated that they have provided research 
assistance through some virtual method (phone or email) and some have also used 
online chat (11%) and video chat (9%). A strong majority of librarians (95%) 
indicated that they feel comfortable using technology to provide research assistance 
and instruction. 
 
Conclusions: Many opportunities exist for nursing librarians to use technology to 
provide virtual research assistance and library instruction. Greater promotion of 



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these alternate methods can supplement traditional in-person services, providing 
greater flexibility for the busy schedules of graduate nursing students. Some 
outreach may be necessary to highlight the advantages of virtual services. 

 

Contributed Posters 

1st Place - Knowing and Doing: Quantitative and Qualitative Exploration of 
Wellness Behaviors among Health Sciences Librarians 
 

• Susan Keller, Librarian, Children's National Medical Center, College Park, 
Maryland 

• Layla Heimlich, Medical Librarian, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, 
Bethesda, Maryland 

• Fred King, Medical Librarian, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Silver 
Spring, Maryland 

• Jory Barone, Medical Librarian, Medstar Washington Hospital Center, 
Washington, District of Columbia 

 
Objectives: The connection between abundant and easy access to information 
among health science librarians and the practice of wellness behaviors is unknown. 
This project looks at the behaviors of both health science and non-health science 
librarians in order to answer the question: "Is having access to high-quality health 
information associated with a high level of wellness behaviors among health science 
librarians?" 
 
Methods: After consultation with a biostatistician and approval by the Institutional 
Review Board, we designed a survey consisting of seven demographic items: two 
items on workplace support for wellness behavior (e.g., vaccines, wellness 
programs), three items to assess access to health information and awareness of 
healthy behavior recommendations, seven specific healthy behavior practice items, 
and three open ended questions.  
We contacted 88 library organizations and 49 agreed to help us distribute our 
survey. These organizations represented public, school, academic, and health 
science libraries. We also posted the survey on the MEDLIB-L (Medical Library 
Association Listserv), Special Library Association Listserv, as well as seven SLA and 
MLA special interest groups. We opened the survey on March 7, 2018 and closed it 
on April 25, 2018.  
Survey analysis tools included RedCap, SAS 9.4, and Dedoose.  
 
Results: 1913 librarians responded to the survey - 663 health science librarians 
(HSL) and 1250 non-health science librarians (Non-HSL). We found NO significant 
demographic differences between the two groups. HSL are more likely than Non-
HSL to eat 5 or more fruits/vegetables per day (p value 0.031). HSL were more likely 
than Non-HSL to exercise moderately (p value <0.001). HSL were less likely than 
Non-HSL to engage in prayer or other spiritual practices (p value 0.009). Using 



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Dedoose, we identified themes concerning the barriers, facilitators, and connections 
between the profession of librarianship and wellness behaviors.  
 
Conclusions: Overall, health science librarians have more access to quality health 
information and have healthier eating and exercise behaviors, but spend less time in 
prayer and other spiritual activity than non-health science librarians. We expect to 
gain more insight into the barriers and facilitators, as well as the connections 
between the profession of librarianship and the practice of wellness behaviors, after 
analyzing the qualitative results from the survey. 

 
 
2nd Place - The Impact of Institutional Repositories: A Systematic Review 

 

• Michelle Demetres, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Weill Cornell Medical 
College, New York, New York 

• Diana Delgado, Associate Director, Information, Education and Clinical Services, 
Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 

• Drew Wright, Research Librarian, Weill Cornell Medical Library, Sunnyside, New 
York 
 

Objectives: Institutional repositories are an ideal outlet to present and publicize an 
academic institution's output. However, there are many challenges associated with 
its startup and upkeep. The objective of this study is to concretely define the various 
impacts that an institutional repository can provide for an academic institution, thusly 
justifying its implementation and/or maintenance. 
 
Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed in March 2018 in the 
following databases from inception: Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, The Cochrane 
Library (Wiley), ERIC (ProQuest), Web of Science (Core Collection), Scopus 
(Elsevier), and Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (EBSCO). A 
total of 6,331 citations were screened against predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. 
 
Results: The 13 included studies were divided into three areas of impact: citation 
count; exposure/presence; and administrative. Those focusing on citation count (5) 
and exposure/presence (7) all saw a positive impact for the institution and/or 
researchers. The one study focusing on administrative benefit saw a unique tie-in 
with automated ORCID profile population. 
Conclusions: Based on the available literature, institutional repositories do appear to 
have a positive impact in the following areas: citation count, exposure/presence, and 
administrative burden. In order to make more concrete conclusions, additional, 
higher quality studies are needed. 

 
Honorable Mention - E-Books and Print Books: What Do Medical Students and 
Residents Prefer and Why 
 

• Erin Watson, Health Sciences Librarian, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, 
Saskatchewan, Canada 



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Fall/Winter 2019 

Objectives: The objective of this research is to determine in which format medical 
students and residents prefer to use monographs to support their learning and 
clinical work. Informal feedback from library users at the researcher's institution, and 
results reported in the literature, have both varied, making acquisition decisions 
difficult. 
 
Methods: The researcher surveyed medical students and residents at her institution 
to determine their preferred reading format, and the reasons and circumstances 
surrounding it. The survey also asked what respondents do if their preferred format 
is not available. Medical education is delivered through a distributed program at the 
researcher's institution, therefore, respondents were asked to indicate where they 
are located; this will help determine if students studying through the distributed 
program prefer to use electronic materials, or whether they borrow/acquire print 
materials. 
 
Results: Of 844 possible respondents, 232 answered the survey, a response rate of 
27.5%. Not all respondents answered all questions. When reading only a few pages, 
the vast majority (72%, n=166) preferred to use e-books. When reading a chapter of 
10 pages, the largest number (48%, n=105) preferred e-books. When reading an 
entire book, the majority (72%, n=166) preferred print books. Distributed students 
and residents were not statistically more likely to prefer e-books to print books. The 
top reasons for choosing to use e-books were immediate access to content (n=205; 
89%), searchability (n=175; 76%), and accessibility on the go (n=166; 70%). Top 
reasons for choosing print books were reduced strain on the eyes (n=177; 77%), 
easier absorption of information (n=128; 56%), and being able to hold the book in 
one's hands (n=128; 56%). When respondents preferred to use e-books, but only 
the print format was available from the library, a majority (n=140; 61%) would use 
the print book, though a sizeable number (n=109; 47%) felt they would get the e-
book from elsewhere. When print was preferred but only e-books were available 
from the library, the majority (n=173, 76%) would use the e-book, though 34% 
(n=78) might buy their own copy of the print. 
 
Conclusions: While medical students and residents enjoy using e-books for their 
convenience and accessibility, they prefer print books for sustained reading. 
Libraries should continue to make print books available to their patrons, even to 
those in distributed locations. 


