Education

Designing an Open Repository of Educational Resources for Health Information Professionals

Author(s)

Andrea C. Kepsel, AHIP

Health Sciences Educational Technology Librarian
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Christine Andresen

Research & Education Informationist
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Margaret Ansell, AHIP

Nursing & Consumer Health Liaison Librarian
UF Health Science Center Libraries
Gainesville, Florida
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Virginia F. Desouky, MLS, MA

Scholarly Engagement Librarian
Health Sciences Library, West Virginia University
West Virginia University
MORGANTOWN, West Virginia
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Hilary M. Jasmin, MSIS

Research and Learning Services Librarian
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Memphis, Tennessee
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Irene Machowa Lubker, PhD, MLS, MPH, AHIP

Research and Education Informationist
Medical University of South Carolina Libraries
Charleston, South Carolina
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Kristine A. Petre, AHIP

Health Sciences and Information Literacy Librarian
Reeves Library
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Janette Pierce

Head of Research, Education and Outreach
Temple University Health Sciences Libraries
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Nena Schvaneveldt, AHIP

Assistant Librarian
Eccles Health Sciences Library
Salt Lake City, Utah
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Denise Shereff

Instructor II and Coordinator of Fieldwork and Assessment
University of South Florida School of Information
Tampa, Florida
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Stephanie M. Swanberg, AHIP

User Services Librarian
Moustakas Johnson Library, Michigan School of Psychology
Farmington Hills, Michigan
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Brandi Tuttle, AHIP

Research & Education Librarian
Duke University Medical Center Library & Archives
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
HW

Hong-nei Wong, DVM, MLIS, MPVM

Medical Education Librarian
Lane Medical Library
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Andrea L. Wright

Clinical / Technical Services Librarian
University of Alabama Health Sciences Library
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Co-Author(s)

Tenley N. Sablatzky

Medical Librarian
Prairie View A&M University, Undergraduate Medical Academy
College Station, Texas

Background: Health information professionals routinely conduct a variety of instructional activities in support of health sciences education and research, clinical practice, and patient education. An open repository of resources can help prevent health information professionals from reinventing the wheel and instead build on the work of their colleagues.

The Medical Library Association (MLA) recently formed the Education Domain Hub. One of the first projects the hub elected to pursue was to create a repository system and structure to collect educational resources for health information professionals. The Education Hub Open Repository workgroup was formed to accomplish this objective.

Description: The workgroup reviewed similar education repositories such as MedEdPortal and past MLA-based efforts like the Center for Education and Research. The group also consulted with MLA staff to determine the scope and logistics of hosting a repository on the MLA website. To guide the design of the repository, the group created a vision document that describes the repository’s purpose, audience, scope of content, and benefits. The group then developed a submission form that included questions regarding the resource’s purpose, audience, topic, accessibility, and copyright status. A prototype submission form was piloted on the MLA website, and is being refined based on feedback from the workgroup and volunteer testers. The workgroup also discussed and drafted guidelines for the process of maintaining the repository and the workflow of evaluating submissions.

Conclusion: Upon finalization of the submission form and evaluation process, a submission review group will be recruited. It is anticipated that submissions will be accepted by MLA members in Summer 2021. After a pilot period, which may result in additional changes to the submission and review process, the form will be opened permanently on the MLA website. The resulting open repository of educational resources will be available to anyone with a MLAnet login, including health science educators who are not MLA members, and serve as a venue for health information professionals involved in instruction to disseminate the results of their instructional labor.