Looking Back to Look Forward: 50 Years of Educating Health Sciences Librarians

Objectives: The research questions for this study include:
1. How has the education of health sciences librarians evolved over the last 50 years?
2. What has been the nature of the programs and courses for the education of health sciences librarians in the last 50 years?
3. What is the current state of educating health sciences librarians?

Methods: For the historical perspective on the topic, the authors conducted a literature review focused on the topic of the education of health sciences librarians from 1973 to present. Based on a content analysis of the articles, patterns and trends from the literature were examined to create a picture of the education of health sciences librarians for the past 50 years. The number of programs and nature of courses reported in the literature were captured. For the current state of educating health sciences librarians, the authors used the Association for Library and Information Sciences Education (ALISE) 2022 Statistical Report to determine the master's programs in library and information sciences with courses in health sciences librarianship and reviewed and analyzed the websites of the master's programs for more detailed information.

Results: The number of master's programs in library and information sciences (LIS) with courses in health sciences librarianship was stable from the 1970s to the 2000s with an increase in the number occurring in the 2010s. However, in the last decade, the number has decreased. A review of the curriculum section of the Association of Library and Information Sciences Education (ALISE) 2022 Statistical Reports, which has data for 58 LIS master’s programs in the United States and Canada, revealed that less than half (21) of the LIS master’s programs offer courses in health sciences librarianship, with most (10) programs only offering one course. Upon analysis of the master’s programs’ websites, eight (8) had official concentrations in health sciences librarianship. Most of the courses offered focused on an overview of health sciences librarianship and information resources in the field.

Conclusion: From the review of the last 50 years of health sciences librarianship education, there has been a decline in the number of courses and concentrations in this area in LIS master's programs in the most recent decade. Future research should focus on the reasons for this decline.