Working as a Health Librarian

Abstract

Health librarians were one of the first health information specialist groups to organise as a professional association, dating back to the late nineteenth century and the early days of organising the medical literature. The late twentieth century saw the introduction of many digital health information products and services and the transformation of health librarianship’s models of service delivery. Six case studies in this chapter apply a practitioner’s lens to the transition that has taken place over the last 30 years. They highlight the impact of several major influences, in particular, evidence-based medicine, health literacy and digital health or e-health. Their careers illustrate a range of educational pathways to becoming a health librarian and the variety of roles and settings in which they work. Their motivations provide insights into an evolving future for this professional group. The conclusion summarises the impact of health librarians in terms of their organisational roles in knowledge management and information governance, and their value to society in advancing equitable access to high-quality evidence-based information.