JCHLA / JABSC 41: 126-7 (2020) doi: 10.29173/jchla29507
BOOK REVIEW / CRITIQUE DE LIVRE
Stribling, JC, editor. The Clinical Medical Librarian’s
Handbook. Lanham (MD): Rowman & Littlefield; 2020. Paperback:
172 p. ISBN: 978-1-5381-2770-4. Price: USD$60.00. Available from:
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538127704/The-Clinical-Medical-Librarian's-Handbook
A clinical medical librarian (CML) is a specific type of medical
librarian who works on the floors with clinicians, serving as a
member of the patient care team, and provides information to
clinicians at the point of care. This titular librarian, in The
Clinical Medical Librarian’s Handbook was pioneered by
Gertrude Lamb at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UKMC), in
the 1970’s.
While the initial chapter introduces the concept of the CML and how
it came to be, subsequent chapters discuss the variety of work the
CML can be involved in, at a variety of institutions where the CML
program has been implemented. Ranging from overarching descriptions
of CML programs, to offering advice for new librarians in CML roles,
The Clinical Medical Librarian’s Handbook covers the
evolution of CMLs from Lamb’s original conception to where CMLs have
their sights set today, and the realms where CMLs are working in
their institutions. Edited by Judy K. Stribling and featuring
chapters from multiple CMLs, this book is written by those with a
wealth of experience, intended for an audience who belong anywhere
along the spectrum of CML programs; from those considering the
creation to those entrenched who are looking for inspiration to
innovate and refresh their services.
For the new medical librarian, this book is a great primer for what
can be done in a large hospital setting. The book leads you from the
origins of CML programs into a series of chapters designed to
provide you with advice, examples, and suggestions for setting up
CML programs, as well as the variety of work CMLs are doing in their
institutions. Chapter 2 focuses on providing suggestions to the new
CML on ways to build relationships and work effectively in their
institutions, while chapters 3-5 discuss patient- and family-centred
care in the context of CML programs. Later chapters examine the role
of the CML in public health, ways to promote library technologies
and resources, how to demonstrate the value of CMLs to
administration, the CML role in teaching evidence-based medicine,
on-the-job training for new CMLs, and how to develop a CML program
at your institution. The flow of the book is somewhat choppy; each
chapter stands alone well, but the wide-ranging set of topics did
not always connect together well. I felt the order could have been
improved, moving the chapters with practical advice for implementing
CML programs (chapters 2, 10 and 11) together, and chapters which
detailed program descriptions (chapters 5, 7 and 9) together for
better flow.
While I found this book to be an interesting history of CML
programs, it was quickly apparent that the editor and I have a
different idea of what constitutes a handbook. There are more
program descriptions in this book than practical advice. Some
chapters stand out as the kind of advice I expected from this book,
such as Chapter 2: Creating Clinical Partnerships, by Judy
C. Stribling and Antonio P. DeRosa, which provides concrete
suggestions for a new medical librarian, but most of the others do
not. Instead, the book reads as a collection tracing CML programs
through time, from the original innovation of Gertrude Lamb to the
present-day iterations of CML programs across several institutions.
The spread of CMLs to several institutions speaks to the strength of
the program, the need for point-of-care access to reputable
information, and the necessity of the CML to the care team for
providing that information.
For librarians who work at smaller institutions, The Clinical
Medical Librarian’s Handbook will not be as helpful for supporting
your work. The preface makes this clear when it states “each
contributor to this text – from library director to consumer health
librarian – practices in a major urban academic medical
center…” For those who don’t work in those kinds of
environments, you will likely be frustrated while reading the pieces
in this book, as the program descriptions and guidance are targeted
to those who work in large urban medical centres. The reality of
many medical library staff does not always align with the
advice which is given in the book, such as telling new librarians to
remain current by attending conferences, courses and other
professional activities, without recognizing the increasing lack of
support for any kind of professional development.
The Clinical Medical Librarian’s Handbook is an interesting
work, and with some reservations, I can recommend it. It is a great
collection of articles which specifically detail how a clinical
medical librarian program can be set up, but the narrow focus of the
works, only representing the large urban academic medical centre,
ultimately means that this book is not as broadly applicable as it
could have been. Additionally, the book was not nearly as practical
as the title led me to expect, and a reorder of the chapters could
have made the information within more effective.
Statement of Competing Interests
No competing interests declared.
Alison Manley
MLIS
Health Sciences Librarian, Library Services
Horizon Health Network
Miramichi, NB, Canada
Email: Alison.Manley@HorizonNB.ca
Manley
This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/