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SOUTHEASTERN/ATLANTIC REGION

October 2018 Topic

In preparation of the mid-cooperative agreement review, we posed the following questions to Resource Library Directors

What are the most successful elements of the NNLM SEA Program?

  • Small Grants
  • Network with Colleagues
  • Awards Program
  • Professional Development Opportunities
  • Responsiveness of NNLM SEA staff
  • Disaster preparedness response
  • MLA Chapter Support

What are the biggest changes and challenges facing academic health sciences libraries?

  • Funding
  • Visibility
  • Reporting Structures
  • Reimagining space and programs to meet user needs
  • Resource licensing to unaffiliated members
  • Time/Funds for professional development
  • Expanding roles/opportunities with inadequate staff
  • Budget

What should be the roles and responsibilities of NNLM SEA Resource Libraries?

  • Be leaders and assist other libraries
  • Sharing of expertise
  • ILL of materials
  • Host in-person training opportunities
  • Build local mentoring networks for library staff unable to travel
  • Provide funding and training
  • Outreach/health information resources
  • Connect local entities to NNLM
  • Resource for technical information/support

What changes to the overall RML program should be considered?

To the NNLM SEA program?

  • SEA is pretty responsive. Concern about the national focus on public libraries.
  • More cross-promotion of education across regions and from NLM.
  • Better ways to connect DOCLINE with efforts like RAPID and other consortia.
  • Having SEA ensure that state-wide resources are a choice shown in LinkOut in PubMed for those not affiliated with academic libraries.
  • Dedicated outreach to state societies to encourage open access to indexed publications where not already available.
  • Increased budget for the NNLM SEA which serves a huge part of the US population but doesn't have the proportional funds to reflect that.
  • Fewer staff at NNLM/SEA
  • While webinars and communication is good, SEA staff needs to get to know areas
  • Staff no longer travel to outlying areas
  • Fewer staff at RML's

What outside impacts or challenges are affecting resource libraries?

  • Difficulty in recruiting quality librarians
  • Trend spotting. AI. figuring out what to leave behind. Alignment with institutional priorities. Value proposition.
  • Increased internal focus on operations and less focus on external efforts unless grant funded with overhead cost recovery.
  • $$$$$$$$$
  • Hospital Mergers
  • Loss of hospital librarians
  • Local hospitals closing/lack of Medicaid expansion