Eyes on the prize: reflections on the impact of the evolving digital ecology on the librarian as expert intermediary and knowledge coach, 1969-2009

Abstract

Objective: The 2009 Janet Doe Lecture reflects on the continuing value and increasing return on investment of librarian-mediated services in the constantly evolving digital ecology and complex knowledge environment of the health sciences.

Setting: The interrelationship of knowledge, decision making based on knowledge, technology used to access and retrieve knowledge, and the important linkage roles of expert librarian intermediaries is examined.

Methodology: Professional experiences from 1969 to 2009, occurring during a time of unprecedented changes in the digital ecology of librarianship, are the base on which the evolving role and value of librarians as knowledge coaches and expert intermediaries are examined.

Conclusion: Librarian-mediated services linking knowledge and critical decision making in health care have become more valuable than ever as technology continues to reshape an increasingly complex knowledge environment.

Figure 1

1973 Hawaii MEDLINE class telecommunications configuration Figure 1 used with permission of the Bulletin of the Medical Library Association.

Figure 2

1973 Hawaii MEDLINE class instructors Angie Durso and J. Michael Homan, AHIP, FMLA Image used with permission of Frances P. Smith, Arnold Library, Straub Clinic and Hospital, Honolulu, HI.

Figure 3

1973 Hawaii MEDLINE class participant Peggy Place and Instructor Homan Image used with permission of Frances P. Smith, Arnold Library, Straub Clinic and Hospital, Honolulu, HI.