Medical librarians support healthcare and biomedical education, teaching providers how to access and evaluate information and contributing to research teams in universities or pharmaceutical companies. They manage resources in print and digital formats, design websites, blogs, distance education programs, and digital libraries, and conduct outreach to public health departments, students, and healthcare providers. Collaborating with library staff and institutional colleagues, they also engage in fundraising, marketing, and IT initiatives. Informationists, a newer role, combine expertise in information science and clinical/biomedical science to retrieve, synthesize, and apply information in clinical and research settings.

Education, Training and Experience

• Medical librarians must have a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree from an ALA-accredited program and an undergraduate degree in any field.
• Helpful but not required: undergraduate courses in biology, medical sciences, medical terminology, computer science, education, or management.
• Some medical librarians hold Ph.D.s or second advanced degrees in medical informatics, business, or management.
• They may join the Academy of Health Information Professionals for credentialing.
• MLIS programs include courses in research, information resources, cataloging, consumer health, health science information, medical informatics, and services for special populations.
• Students choose a specialty track (public, school, academic, or special libraries) and may take additional technology courses if focusing on systems and technology.

Detailed Work Activities

• Medical librarians work wherever health information is needed, including colleges, universities, professional schools, hospitals, academic health centers, clinics, consumer health libraries, research centers, foundations, biotechnology centers, insurance companies, medical equipment manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, publishers, and government agencies.
• Some work in non-traditional settings, such as Internet companies, selecting, indexing, and organizing online information.
• Others serve as directors of large hospital or academic health center libraries or as chief information officers for healthcare organizations.
• In academic settings, medical librarians may hold high-responsibility, visible roles such as associate university librarians, deans, or associate deans.