The last set of standards was published in 2007. A lot has changed since then in our work environment, but some things have stayed the same ... Thank you to our professional colleagues who worked on this project!
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
MLA's “Standards of Practice for Hospital Libraries and Librarians, 2022” have been revised to reflect the technological, environmental, and budgetary changes so visible in hospitals today, with updates to meet the dynamic needs of 21st century hospital libraries and the institutions they serve. The document serves a two-fold purpose:
• as a guide for hospital senior and departmentlevel leaders, librarians, information technology (IT) teams, and accrediting bodies to ensure that libraries have the resources and services to effectively meet the hospital's KBI needs, to support evidence-based practices, quality and safety program development, and improved patient outcomes.
• as an organizational benchmark to be used to meet the KBI needs for continuous access to point of care resources, to improve access to documented best practices that improve patient outcomes and contribute to quality and performance improvement initiatives, while being mindful of budget, space, and staffing constraints.
While many of the library practices remain constant over the years, the Committee updated or added content to
• demonstrate the commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all health care environments.• create consistency through the use of the broader term “hospital” or “health sciences library” in place of “medical library.”• bring to light the increasing involvement of librarians with IT applications and teams, including KBI source links in electronic health records (EHR), mobile application support, and interactions with electronic resource products and vendors.• broaden the concept of library space to include physical and virtual libraries.• highlight new research available for calculating staffing ratios and coordinating staffing with library service levels. • expand roles in teaching, researching, and appraising evidence-based literature across clinical specialties and to hospital staff at every level.• emphasize the significance of the librarian having an advanced degree and AHIP certification• expand suggested duties of the librarian to include
- support for publishing and adhering to copyright laws.
- developing a needs assessment and strategic plan for the library.
- planning physical and virtual library spaces including an intra- or internet presence.
• reference additional materials to support these recommended, evidence-based library practices.
The 2022 “MLA Statement Calling on Hospital and Health System Executives to Fund Libraries and Library Staff,” co-signed by multiple credentialing and health care institutions, adds additional support to the maintenance of library services. The health sciences librarian is positioned to play a key role in the hospital. The ubiquitous nature of the internet and primarily online collections, existing and disruptive technologies, and evolving means of communication by medical, nursing, and allied health staffs, patients, and the community require new strategies, strategic planning, allocation of adequate resources, and selection and evaluation of appropriate information resources and technologies. It is the hope of the Hospital Library Standards Committee that the material herein advances these efforts.
