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The Importance of Library Assessment in HR: A Case Study of Transitioning to a Hybrid Work Environment after the COVID-19 Pandemic
Sally Bowler-Hill
Purpose & Goals: The purpose of this study was to explore and understand employee perceptions of remote work as a potential option for normal operations, based on experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic. The goals were to obtain feedback from library faculty and staff about remote work and telecommuting in order to develop a guideline, and to measure satisfaction with the hybrid work environment several months after the guideline was implemented.
Design & Methodology: Two web-based surveys were sent to all library faculty and staff, one in April 2021 and the other in March 2022. The first survey included multiple-choice and free-text responses regarding how often employees wanted to work remotely; what tasks they believed could be done productively from home; what equipment they needed at home; and what challenges they believed the library faced with employees working remotely. This feedback was used to develop a remote work and telecommuting guideline that was implemented in July 2021. The second survey assessed employees’ experience with telecommuting or remote work since the guideline was implemented, including questions about schedules, satisfaction, equity, what worked better than expected, and continuing challenges. Both surveys were declared minimal risk by our institutional IRB.
Findings: The second survey showed satisfaction with the hybrid work environment, including a high degree of satisfaction with how telecommuting schedules were implemented and allocated within library units. The average amount of time employees spent working from home closely mirrored how much time they responded that they wanted to spend in the first survey. Significant challenges to implementing a hybrid work environment identified in the first survey had been resolved, while other challenges had arisen or continued in the months since the guideline was implemented and the library had resumed normal operations.
Practical Implications & Value: Librarians responsible for assessment within their libraries should look for assessment and research opportunities related to the administrative operations of their organizations. When integrated at the beginning of a major operational change, these studies can provide valuable data that help inform needed adjustments after the change has been implemented and, longitudinally, as operations are continually evaluated. While libraries’ administrative operations can vary greatly, sharing these studies can provide useful insight to other organizations looking to implement similar changes.
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Autonomous Space: Incorporating Concepts of Questioning into a Wellness Room
Varina A. Kosovich and Kelleen Maluski
When we discuss critical pedagogy much focus is given to the classroom and consultations, but at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center (HSLIC) we have incorporated critical pedagogy into all our spaces. This incorporation extended to the creation of a wellness room for our users. Considering that “The prevalence of depressive symptoms among (health sciences) students was 12.9%, significantly higher than in the general population, and was 16.1% among female students versus 8.1% among males” and incorporating feedback from our users we believed that a space for private decompression and spiritual connection would be useful.* While we are aware that there are many systems of oppression within academia and the health sciences, and wellness cannot be shifted onto the individual, we wanted to provide resources to offset the typically high cost of wellness supplies, especially since we are located in a state that has a high level of poverty at a neoliberal institution with an extremely diverse population, including many first-generation students. With all of this in mind and engaging with concepts of anti-oppressive practice, feminist ethics of care, and considering the intersecting identities of our users, we worked to create a seed funding proposal to pilot a wellness room within the library. When the proposal was approved, work began to create an inclusive space that would help our users break down traditional concepts of work and study. Much consideration was given to the expressed needs of those with dis/abilities and neurodiversity and the concept of autonomous space. In this presentation we will discuss the decision making process, requesting a budget, the creation of the space, marketing, feedback received from users, and plans for updating and improving the space. There will be a substantial amount of time for Q&A after the presentation.
*Dahlin, M., Joneborg, N., & Runeson, B. (2005). Stress and depression among medical students: a cross-sectional study. Medical education, 39(6), 594–604. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2005.02176.x
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24/7 Library - Investing for a Sustainable Future
Sally Bowler-Hill, George E. Hernandez, and Tim J. Mey
In April 2021, the UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center (HSLIC) opened its building 24/7 via badge access to affiliated students, faculty, and staff of the UNM Health Sciences Center. This change facilitated better access to study space, WiFi, and computing for students, while allowing for more consistent staffing during business hours. Data from before the change indicated reference services were rarely utilized after regular business hours. Concentrating staffing during business hours has allowed for more even staffing, providing a higher and more consistent level of service. HSLIC has also been able to recruit and retain more qualified candidates for its desk positions. This poster highlights building usage data since moving to 24/7 and also summarize lessons learned from the project.
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I'm pretty sure I'm worthless if I can't be of service: Under the Surface of Resilience Narratives
Alexis Ellsworth-Kopkowski, Kelleen Maluski, and Varina A. Kosovich
While the term sustainability is referencing the need to accurately understand how to sustain a service, resource, or other initiative over time it has often become synonymous with a “do more with less” attitude within libraries. When sustainability is mentioned you often hear along with it terms like resilience, change management, and adaptability while rarely hearing about a budget or other forms of support reflective of the work being requested. In this workshop the presenters will discuss the history of resilience narratives within our profession, the need to carve out care for oneself outside of institutional loyalty, and the impact such narratives have on our field and us as employees. Discussion will also take place on the pandemic and how it has unearthed a plethora of inequitable and bureaucratic practices that exist within our profession. These practices are maintaining a “status quo” that we know hasn’t worked for many library employees, most especially BIPOC colleagues and those with disabilities. Through this workshop we will learn, reflect, and engage with each other to better understand how we can combat these systemic issues within our profession.
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It's Natural, We Have No Choice: Practical Steps for Menstrual Equity in the Library
Varina Kosovich and Sally Bowler-Hill
In 2021, the UNM Health Science’s Library and Informatics Center formed a Justice, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. In response to an upset student’s feedback about the lack of menstrual products on campus, one of the first actions of the Committee was to set up a free menstrual product program at the library. After initial research about what other libraries and institutions had done, pads, panty liners, and tampons were placed in all library restrooms. Because the library does not yet have gender neutral restrooms and in support of transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming folks, this included both the women’s and men’s restrooms. This poster presentation discusses funding, practical steps for buying, storing, and placing menstrual products in restrooms, and future considerations for the project at the library and beyond.
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No Budget, No Problem! A Comparison of Screen Recording Software
Robyn Gleasner and Moses L. Moya
This poster will share the freely available screen recording software/programs that the Resources Archives and Discovery Unit at UNM HSLIC tested and then compared or used with proprietary software to create short instructional videos. These videos were used to promote use of a new suite of products through LibKey to help users find and access the full text of articles more easily. Members of RAD wanted to make information more readily available to users, but also wanted to be fiscally responsible and not subscribe to a software that would not be used outside of this project. The resources listed on this poster may help others in a similar situation.
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Our Book Club Kit Experience - What Happened? What Went Wrong?
Amy E. Weig-Pickering
This poster was presented at SCC/MLA. To see more about this project please look at our full description and video at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hslic-posters-presentations/100/
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The Native Health Database - A Tool to Support NLM's Associate Fellows
Jonathan M. Pringle and Allison B. Cruise
An introduction to the Native Health Database presented to the 2022-2023 National Library of Medicine Associate Fellows. Discusses the NHD’s history, the NNLM-funded transition to Mukurtu, and how content is created, contributed and shared through the NHD.
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Creating a Web Archive of the HSC Newsroom
Jonathan M. Pringle and Lori D. Sloane
Seed funding from HSLIC provided an opportunity to investigate how we could preserve dynamic web pages within the UNM Digital Repository while maintaining the look and feel of the original material. With our funding, we purchased a 1-year subscription to Archive-IT Pro (with technical support). This subscription allowed us to preserve the context and content of the HSC Newsroom, The Pulse, and other digital-born objects, meeting the creators where they were rather than conforming to the Repository's current structure.
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HSLIC Wellness Room
Varina A. Kosovich and Kelleen Maluski
In January 2022 we had the exciting opportunity to create a Wellness Room at HSLIC. First discussed in the library’s Justice, Equity, and Inclusion committee, the project received seed funding from HSLIC and the Wellness Room became fully operational in March 2022. With our funding, we purchased comfortable furniture, lighting and sound options, art supplies, sensory tools, a yoga mat, art by Chicanx and Indigenous creators, and a prayer rug. The target audience includes people with neurodiversities, students suffering from anxiety or stress, and anyone in need of a place to pray. We track student engagement with a simple survey left in the room, and the space has seen consistent utilization since opening. In this presentation, we discuss the entire process.
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Reading is Healthy - Health Literacy Book Club Kits
Amy E. Weig-Pickering, Kristin R. Proctor, and Allison B. Cruise
Seed funding from HSLIC provided an opportunity for us to create ten Reading Is Healthy Book Club Kits and made them available for checkout to both public libraries and community organizations in New Mexico. Each kit includes eight copies of a book club selection along with discussion questions and health literacy materials.
The goals of this project are to encourage conversations around health and wellness topics, destigmatize the discussion of health topics, and increase health literacy in our communities. This project aligns with HSLIC’s strategic goal to empower our communities to engage with health information.
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Using Evidence to Develop an Interprofessional Roundtable Simulation on Health Literacy
Lisa M. Acuff
Lisa M. Acuff, MPH, MS, Education and Research Librarian, Assistant Professor, University of New Mexico, Health Sciences Center presented, "Using Evidence to Develop an Interprofessional Roundtable Simulation on Health Literacy." Librarians bring unique knowledge, skills, and perspectives to interprofessional education. This presentation will introduce a health sciences librarian's process and tools for creating an evidence-based interprofessional simulation on health literacy. The session will offer a systematic approach to instructional planning and design integrating evidence, competencies, objectives, activities, and assessment.
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Library/Software/Data Carpentries
Lori Sloane
This is a presentation introducing The Carpentries to the Health Science Center Library and Informatics Center. The Carpentries is represented by a collection of three workshop types: Library Carpentry, Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry.
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Influence of Methodological Expertise on Assessment of Systematic Review Searches using PRISMA and AMSTAR
Melissa L. Rethlefsen and Shelley de Kock
Objective: Many studies have assessed PRISMA compliance of systematic reviews in biomedical disciplines, including items relating to information sources and search strategies. Additional studies have used AMSTAR, AMSTAR 2, or R-AMSTAR to assess systematic review quality, including the comprehensiveness of the search methods. In this study, we will examine whether searching expertise is associated with lower perceived compliance with PRISMA items relating to search methods and AMSTAR ratings of search comprehensiveness.
Design: We will identify studies that evaluate biomedical systematic reviews on compliance with PRISMA 2009, PRISMA 2020, or relevant PRISMA extensions (e.g., PRISMA-EcoEvo, PRISMA-S, PRISMA Harms, etc) or critically appraise them using AMSTAR, AMSTAR 2, or R-AMSTAR as a primary outcome. Studies that use PRISMA, a PRIS MA extension, AMSTAR, AMSTAR 2, or R-AMSTAR as part of a critical appraisal for inclusion in a systematic review, umbrella systematic review, evidence map, or other evidence synthesis will be excluded. We will conduct a search in Ovid MEDLINE ALL13, 2021 > to identify studies added to MEDLINE from July 31, 2017 to the present. Earlier studies using PRISMA will be identified from Page & Moher's prior scoping review; earlier studies using AMSTAR will be identified with an additional MEDLINE search. We will screen each study for inclusion in duplicate using Covidence. For each identified study, we will determine whether the search was assessed. For each aspect of the search assessed, we will record the number of systematic reviews in the study, the number of systematic reviews meeting search-related criteria, any definitions for how the authors interpreted search-related criteria, and whether librarians or information specialists contributed to the assessment. We will also record whether the study included systematic reviews published before and/or after the publication of PRISMA 2009. Due to the heterogenous nature of the data, basic descriptive statistics will be used to present findings.
Results: MEDLI NE searches were conducted on December 14, 2021. 1,627 results were found. Full results will be presented at EAHIL.
Conclusions: Full conclusions will be presented at EAHIL. We anticipate that this study will add to professionalism, understanding, and knowledge of information specialists as experts in systematic review work.
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Researching Ourselves: A Critical Role for Librarians
Melissa L. Rethlefsen
Keynote talk: Researching Ourselves: A Critical Role for Librarians
Conducting research is a critical aspect of our work as librarians, so that we can understand what works, what doesn't, and why. It can also help us demonstrate our value to others outside our profession by providing evidence of how what we do improves health, education, and research outcomes. Starting in research can be a challenge, but it starts with identifying questions that should be answered. Using the story of how I got involved in (and continue to do) research, we'll talk about the process of research and the benefits it can offer to one's career, library, and the profession.
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Academic Health Sciences Libraries' Outreach and Engagement with Native American Communities: A Scoping Review
Allison B. Cruise, A Nydia Villezcas, Jonathan D. Eldredge, Alexis Ellsworth-Kopkowski, and Melissa L. Rethlefsen
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Continuing to Build Consensus Around the Future of Remote Work: One Library’s Study
Sally Bowler-Hill
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to explore and understand employee perceptions of remote work as a potential option for normal operations, based on experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic. Two surveys were administered, before and after developing a telecommuting and remote work guideline for the library.
METHODS: An 8-question, web-based survey was sent to all library faculty and staff in the spring of 2021, asking their opinions about working remotely on an ongoing basis. Questions included multiple choice and free-text responses about how often employees wanted to work remotely; what tasks they believed could be done productively from home; what equipment they needed at home; and what challenges they believed the library faced with employees working remotely. In March 2022, a follow-up survey was sent to assess employees’ experience with telecommuting or remote work since the library’s guidelines were implemented. The second survey included questions about telecommuting schedules, equipment needs, feelings about connectedness with the organization, and overall satisfaction with the hybrid work environment.
RESULTS: In the original survey, 85% of staff and faculty responded. All wanted to continue to work remotely part time after the pandemic. 65% preferred working from home 2-3 days per week. The challenges identified included staffing the building and the demand for in-person services. In the second survey, 86% responded. 58% work from home 2-3 days per week, and 84% were very satisfied with how the library implemented telecommuting schedules. Respondents commented that collaborating and balancing workloads worked better than expected. Communication, IT issues, and having the right tools in each location were among the challenges identified.
CONCLUSION: Responses to the first survey were very consistent overall, indicating broad consensus among faculty and staff about continued remote work. The follow-up survey showed continued satisfaction with the hybrid work environment. Neither staffing the building nor demand for in-person services were identified as challenges by respondents of the second survey. Comments about difficulty working with employees located both on-site and remote increased slightly. Additionally, the majority of respondents, 63%, reported they felt only somewhat connected to co-workers in their units and in the library overall; 37% reported feeling very connected. Time and further adjustments to organizational norms and processes may be needed to fully adjust the library to a hybrid work environment, towards improving the sense of connectedness.
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Developing searchRxiv: An international transdisciplinary repository for search strategies
Neal R. Haddaway, Melissa L. Rethlefsen, and Cristina A. Ashby
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