Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Using
evidence
in practice
Blackwell
Publishing
Ltd
Using evidence in practice
Introduction
With space at a premium in most libraries,
particularly those located in a health service
context, the health librarian frequently encounters
pressures to withdraw outdated items from their
library book stock. Should this be left to the
experience and expertise of the librarian on the
spot? Or is there, perhaps, a body of evidence to
inform this processmaking it more systematic
and rigorous? This question came to my mind
recently. Indeed, it reawakened distant memories
of a Regional Stock Withdrawal Initiative which I
coordinated in South East Thames.1 As 20 years
might be construed a decent enough interval
between uses of a terrible punning title (although
some readers will disagree!) I have allowed this
book-burning analogy to rise phoenix-like within
the collective health librarian consciousness.
Before formally considering the evidence base,
we should at least acknowledge that books are
different. First, given the variety of topics covered
by your average health library, it is not desirable to
implement some standard cut-off date regardless
of discipline. Books do not have a sell-by date to
be implemented across every shelf. Nevertheless,
particularly within a health context, information
within books is consistently volatile. As Antman
and colleagues demonstrated,2 textbooks are
particularly inefficient in capturing current knowledge. It is not exaggerating to say that outdated
health information can kill, although fortunately
the frequency with which such instances are
reported (note, I do not say occur!) is low enough
not to require our taking out indemnity insurance.
We should also appreciate that updating of editions
161
162
Looking at a multidisciplinary
health library ...
Perspective: ... from the perspective of the professional members of staff ...
Intervention: ... are research-based methods of
book withdrawal ...
Comparison: ... superior to professional
judgement ...
Evaluation: ... with regard to both efficiency of
process and subsequent use of the
bookstock.
Geographical
area
Study design/
article type
Main conclusions
Indiana
University
(USA)
Process
description
University
University of
Eldredge
et al. (2002)9 Health Sciences New Mexico
Library
(USA)
Randomized
controlled trial
(RCT)/reported
from poster
Gushrowski
(2007)10
University
Dental Library
Indiana
University
(USA)
Process
description
Scott
(2004)11
Primary care
National
Health Service
Library
Shisler
(2007)12
Nursing library
Ursuline
College,
Ohio (USA)
Overview
illustrated by
case study
Tobia
(2002)13
Academic
health sciences
library
University of
Texas at
San Antonio
(UTHSCSA)
(USA)
Descriptive
case study
Cox &
Gushrowski
(2008)8
Setting
University
Dental Library
163
164
Conclusion
This brief case study of a burning question from a
realistic health library setting vividly illustrates
limitations of the existing evidence base. Not that
the evidence base is unhelpful. Arguably, if we
were to consider a wider range of generic
articles,19,20 and even the classic textbook on the
topic (assuming it has not been thrown away!),21
we might obtain the necessary ingredients for a
successful stock withdrawal policy, together with a
significant fund of practical wisdom and know-how.
In fact, the most interesting item of research, as
opposed to more discursive evidence, demonstrates
that adding multiple entry points to a catalogue
record did not translate into an increase in
circulation.22 No doubt, too, a wider search would
yield more systematic methodologies for stock
withdrawal, such as the CREW method used in
public libraries.23 Such methodologies may well
translate to a health library context. It is clear too
that, if our decision making incorporates
consideration and review of even a small body of
the available evidence, we will achieve a more
holistic, considered and justifiable outcome than
reliance alone upon librarian expertise, experience
References
1 Booth, A. Fahrenheit 451a regional stock withdrawal
policy. Medical Library Bulletin of the Thames Regions
1990, 84, 35.
2 Antman, E. M., Lau, J., Kupelnick, B., Mosteller, F.
& Chalmers, T. C. A comparison of results of
meta-analyses of randomized control trials and
recommendations of clinical experts. Treatments for
myocardial infarction. Journal of the American Medical
Association 1992, 268, 2408.
3 Cochrane, A. L. Effectiveness and Efficiency Random
Reflections on Health Services. London: Nuffield Provincial
Hospitals Trust, 1972.
4 Steele, K. Budgeting for libraries: Space equals
money. Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances
2008, 21, 1223.
5 Fricker, A. Collection Management/Development Policies.
Posting to lis-medical discussion list. Item no. 18274,
dated Monday 13 August 2007. Available from:
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=
ind0708&L=LIS-MEDICAL&P=R23468
(accessed 20 February 2009).
6 Eldredge, J. D. Evidence-based librarianship: an overview.
Bulletin of the Medical Library Association 2000, 88,
289302.
7 Booth, A. Clear and present questions: formulating
questions for evidence-based practice. Library Hi Tech
2006, 24, 35568.
8 Cox, J. E. & Gushrowski, B. A. A dental library book
collection intervention: from diagnosis to cure. Journal of
Hospital Librarianship 2008, 8, 3527.
9 Eldredge, J., Mondragon, K. & Fierro, C. Does weeding
a monographs collection increase subsequent usage
of unweeded titles? A randomized controlled trial.
Hypothesis: Journal of the Research Section of MLA
2002, 16, 78.
10 Gushrowski, B. A. Moving from good effort to best
practicerefining a weeding process in a dental school
library. Against the Grain 2007, 19, 3,26,28,30,32.
11 Scott, J. Collection management in an NHS library service.
Interim (Shine Journal) 2004, 45, 3 5.
12 Shisler, C. M. Evaluating your nursing collection: a quick
way to preserve nursing history in a working collection.
Journal of the Medical Library Association 2007, 95,
27883.
13 Tobia, R. C. Comprehensive weeding of an academic
health sciences collection: the Briscoe Library experience.
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