Medical Library Association | Research : Informationist Web Discussion

Informationist Web Discussion

From the Informationist Task Force:

At the September 2002 Board meeting, the MLA Board of Directors accepted an action agenda [PDF] drafted by the Informationist Task Force, chaired by Jean Shipman, AHIP. The action agenda was developed in response to the outcomes of the Informationist Conference held in April 2002 and the subsequent feedback received from the MLA membership via an earlier Web discussion, an open forum at the 2002 Annual Meeting, and several MLA '02 chapter roundtable discussions. An article about the conference and a commentary appear in the October JMLA.

As Dr. Davidoff suggested at the Informationist Conference, "Berwick's Rules" can assist us with the transition from talk to action. These rules are:

Find a sound innovation (not invention; innovation being invention that can be replicated reliably at affordable cost)
Find and support innovators
Invest in the early adopters and find more of them
Make early adopter activity observable
Trust and enable reinvention
Create slack for change
Lead by example

Previous activity surrounding the informationist concept have helped to shape a definition for the informationist as being an in-context information specialist who may practice in a variety of arenas including clinical settings, instruction, consumer services, research and health policy. It is key that the library profession support its members that wish to perform informationist roles and to assist them in acquiring the needed skill sets to achieve success in these roles. The profession may also want to assist professionals from other fields to gain the information sciences knowledge needed to perform informationist activities. The appended action agenda outlines suggested next steps and recommendations for the health sciences library profession and others.

We want your opinion! The Informationist Action Agenda is very comprehensive and includes an overall goal and objectives and strategies to achieve that goal. To accomplish the objectives, MLA, including its sections, other units, and chapters, will need to seek partnerships with other groups such as the National Library of Medicine, graduate schools of library and information sciences, and other health care agencies and library/information organizations to reflect the broader informationist audience. Funding to support the final agenda will be needed from a variety of sources. In order to prioritize the association's initiatives in this area, we want to know which objectives and strategies are most important to you.

Please give us your comments on the action agenda by December 15, 2002. As part of your feedback please indicate what objectives and strategies you think are the most important for MLA to pursue. Your comments will be compiled and discussed by the Board of Directors at its January 2003 meeting. A revised action agenda will be available on MLANET shortly after the January meeting.

Thank you for your help in addressing this important issue!

Discussion

Review the Informationist Action Agenda .