Research Information Specialist: defining a role Fiona Beyer Centre for Health Services Research, Ne

1
Research Information Specialist defining a role
Fiona BeyerCentre for Health Services Research,
Newcastle University, UKfiona.beyer_at_newcastle.ac.
uk

• Introduction
• The Centre for Health Services Research (CHSR)
  comprises multidisciplinary teams working on
  projects and trials addressing clinical
  effectiveness, dementia ageing, health
  economics, and health technology human
  relations. The author is Information Specialist
  (IS) in CHSR.
• Aim
• The aim was to understand the most effective role
  of an information specialist within the context
  of a research environment.

• Methods
• Two mechanisms were used to assess and prioritise
  the requirements of the IS role in the context of
  a health services research department
• CHSR information needs analysis research staff
  were invited to a seminar consisting of a brief,
  context-setting presentation followed by small
  team debate. A short questionnaire was
  circulated to both attendees and absentees to
  elicit the most pressing issues
• Literature search a limited search was
  conducted on LISA, CINAHL, ISTP and across the
  web (Exalead, Google Scholar) to explore others
  experiences in this area

• Conclusion
• The main field in which the role of a research
  information specialist can be extended in a
  research department is in secondary research,
  where the IS
• becomes a member of the research team from
  project conception to completion, and is
  therefore in a position to proactively assist
  with information management throughout
• carries out literature searching and enquiry
  work, and also builds on this by performing
  critical appraisal or data abstraction
• needs to deepen understanding of research and
  statistical methodology in order to contribute to
  papers and posters as an author
• can take opportunities beyond individual
  research projects to facilitate communication of
  good practice between projects, and to optimise
  the management of information within CHSR as a
  whole

• Discussion
• The CHSR needs analysis highlighted the themes
  of finding and managing information e.g.
  formulating the problem, designing strategies,
  identifying appropriate sources, finding
  statistical data, managing references, keeping an
  audit trail of decisions about papers
• In practice, details of the role depend upon the
  nature of the research
• Primary research generates its own new data, and
  the IS role adopts a familiar enquiry desk
  style, with ad hoc discrete enquiries and
  literature searches being carried out on request
• Secondary research uses existing information as
  the subject of enquiry, which creates a role for
  the IS as a member of the research team. A shift
  is required, both physically and into the
  intellectual space of the team, and this
  extends the IS role with the day-to-day
  involvement in the project
• CHSR experience mirrors to an extent recent
  debate about the role of informationists
  (Oliver 2006, Helms 2004, Florance 2002) or
  information specialists in context (ISICs)
  (http//digbig.com/4jrnw)
• Two models in particular (McGowan 2002) match to
  an extent the primary and secondary research
  roles detailed above
• IS as support includes responsibilities around
  critical appraisal as well as searching and
  facilitating access to databases
• IS as researcher serves as part of the
  research team, creates a knowledge management
  framework for research, is involved in submitting
  grants, and contributes to writing research
  reports
• Clinical librarians share some of the features
  described here in terms of their physical
  relocation to the primary care team and the value
  they add to the search results (Ward 2005).

• References
• Florance V, Giuse NB, Ketchell DS. Information
  in context integrating information specialists
  into practice settings. Journal of the Medical
  Library Association 2002 90(1)49-58
• Helms AJ, Bradford KD, Warren NJ, Schwartz DG.
  Bioinformatics opportunities for health sciences
  librarians and information professionals. Journal
  of the Medical Library Association 2004
  92(4)489-493
• McGowan J. Informationist research.
  Presentation given at the MLA Informationist
  Conference 2002 http//digbig.com/4jghk
• Oliver KB, Roderer NK. Working towards the
  informationist. Health Informatics Journal 2006
  12(1)41-48
• Ward L. A survey of UK clinical librarianship
  February 2004. Health Information and Libraries
  Journal 2005 22(1)26-34