Abstract
Providing library and reference services within a biomedical research community presents special challenges for librarians, especially those in historically lower-funded states. These challenges can include understanding needs, defining and communicating the library’s role, building relationships, and developing and maintaining general and subject specific knowledge. This article describes a biomedical research network and the work of health sciences librarians at the lead intensive research institution with librarians from primarily undergraduate institutions and tribal colleges and universities. Applying the concept of a “community of practice” to a collaborative effort suggests how librarians can work together to provide effective reference services to researchers in biomedicine.
Keywords
Community of practice, role of librarians, academic health center libraries, bioinformatics, primarily undergraduate institutions, tribal colleges and universities, Web 2.0
Disciplines
Health Sciences and Medical Librarianship | Library and Information Science | Medical Sciences
ScholarWorks Citation
De Jager-Loftus, Danielle P.; Midyette, David; and Harvey, Barbara, "A Community of Practice: Librarians in a Biomedical Research Network" (2014). Scholarly Papers and Articles. 64.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/library_sp/64
Comments
Original Citation
Jager-Loftus, D. P. D., Midyette, J. D., & Harvey, B. (2014). A Community of Practice: Librarians in a Biomedical Research Network. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 33(1), 60–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2014.866487