Transformational Change in Health Sciences Libraries: Space, Collections, Roles.
Conclusions
Health Sciences Libraries are experiencing fundamental changes in how they do business. These changes impact all types of medical libraries, whether they are part of an academic institution or located in hospitals. Loss of library space is an undeniable national trend. Adaption and change are prerequisites for long-term survival. The literature, the panel discussions and the breakout sessions identify many new librarian roles and library services that will sustain the library in the future. With space re-purposed for alternative or new uses and the transition from print to online access the very nature of the library is evolving. Librarians must evolve as well. Librarians may play significant roles in education, technology, in scholarly communications, also as EBM experts, as imbedded informationalists or as members on diverse teams such as IRB and IACUC . New services might include access to 24/7 computing spaces, creating and maintaining institutional information repositories and instructional support.
As libraries re-purpose and reduce space, electronic access replaces traditional print collections. Librarians must make decisions about existing print collections. The shift from ownership to licensing content has implications for long term archival access, copyright, technical infrastructure, and support. The conference provided an opportunity to identify the issues and best practices for reducing print collections while recognizing the unique set of concerns each library faces.
In the final analysis, the overarching strategies that emerged from the conference discussions are the necessity to be agile, to align the library with the mission and priorities of the parent institution, and to embrace change in our evolving environment.
