The Health Science Interest Group provides an opportunity for academic librarians with health sciences responsibilities to have a place in ACRL to network, share information, ask questions, and work on special projects and programs relevant to the academic health sciences. The group also works to promote interest in the health sciences to potential and current academic librarians and to improve information literacy specifically in the area of the health sciences.
Joining the HSIG is easy!
Follow the link below to learn more.
Jules Bailey, Florida State University
Sarah Wade, Campbell University
Anna Biszaha, The Ohio State University
Chair: TBD
Chair: TBD
Co-Chair, Laureen P. Cantwell, Colorado Mesa University
Co-Chair, Bethany McGowan, Purdue University
Coming Soon....
For the most part, no. Membership in ALA and ACRL are not requirements. The HSIG ALA Connect Community is open to everyone (see link above on how to join).
Non-ACRL members may participate in working groups. Officer positions (i.e. Convener roles) do require official ACRL membership.
Health sciences is a broad term that encompasses many different professions, and this group does not make a distinction between different branches of health sciences. Whether you are a health sciences librarian serving a traditional population like a Medicine or Nursing college; another health sciences college, like Dentistry, Pharmacy, Optometry, or Public Health; or work with both health sciences and non-health sciences programs in your role, everybody is welcome!
Welcome to the club! Many librarians that identify as "health sciences librarians" do not actually have a background in health or science for that matter.
A good first step is to make connections with colleagues in the field. If you work in a health sciences library with more than one librarian, then you have a good start. For those of us in smaller libraries, or in institutions with one multipurpose library, you may have to look a little further.
The HSIG ALA Connect Community is a good place to introduce yourself and ask questions. You can also explore other professional organizations, like the Medical Library Association (MLA) or one of their smaller regional chapters. Many states have their own health sciences library organizations as well. Check out our Professional Development page to learn more about these groups.
You can also take a look at our Health Sciences Librarianship 101 page. We have collected some resources to help you get started, and then if you want to dive deeper on a topic, you can move into the Health Sciences Librarianship Toolbox for more resources.
Stay in touch with your fellow health sciences librarians through the HSIG Connect Community Discussion Board. You can ask questions of your colleagues, share interesting tools or tricks you have learned, and generally stay up-to-date in the profession.
To learn more about special topics, you can attend one of the HSIG's First Friday Forums. As the name implies, these sessions are held periodically on the first Friday of a given month and can explore a wide variety of topics relevant to health sciences librarians. The first hour is usually a presentation, followed by a half hour of open discussion.
If you want to get even more involved, you can consider volunteering for one of our working groups. We typically put out a call in the spring. Keep an eye on the listserv for announcements!
