Building the Systematic Review Core in an academic health sciences library
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2019.711Keywords:
Systematic Review, Evidence Synthesis, CapacityAbstract
Background: The authors present efforts to build capacity at our institution for conducting systematic reviews and other forms of evidence synthesis through partnerships and a recharge model. This report describes how we successfully created and launched a for-fee systematic review core at our library.
Case Presentation: Throughout 2014 and 2015, library leadership proposed different models for getting institutional and financial support for librarians and staff to better support university researchers conducting systematic reviews. Though well received, initial requests for financial support were not funded. The executive director of the Health Sciences Library released two years’ worth of salary and benefits to fund an evidence synthesis and retrieval librarian position. With this new position, the team formed a charge-back core facility in partnership with our university’s Clinical Translation and Science Award hub. A series of procedural decisions and operational changes helped the group achieve success. Within eighteen months after launching the Systematic Review Core, we reached maximum capacity with more than twenty ongoing reviews.
Discussion: Assigning a dollar value to our expertise put us on par with other subject matter experts on campus and actually drove demand. We could act as paid consultants in research projects and shifted the perception of librarians from service providers to research partners. Affiliating with our partners was key to our success and boosted our ability to strengthen our campus’ research infrastructure.References
Institute of Medicine (US), Committee on Standards for Systematic Reviews of Comparative Effectiveness Research, Eden J. Finding what works in health care: standards for systematic reviews. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2011.
Lefebvre C, Glanville J, Wieland LS, Coles B, Weightman AL. Methodological developments in searching for studies for systematic reviews: past, present and future? Syst Rev. 2013;2(1):78. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/2046-4053-2-78.
Koffel JB. Use of recommended search strategies in systematic reviews and the impact of librarian involvement: a cross-sectional survey of recent authors. PLoS One. 2015;10(5):e0125931. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0125931.
Li L, Tian J, Tian H, Moher D, Liang F, Jiang T, Yao L, Yang K. Network meta-analyses could be improved by searching more sources and by involving a librarian. J Clin Epidemiol. 2014 Sep;67(9):1001–7. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.04.003.
Meert D, Torabi N, Costella J. Impact of librarians on reporting of the literature searching component of pediatric systematic reviews. J Med Libr Assoc. 2016 Oct;104(4):267–77. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3163/1536-5050.104.4.004.
Rethlefsen ML, Farrell AM, Osterhaus Trzasko LC, Brigham TJ. Librarian co-authors correlated with higher quality reported search strategies in general internal medicine systematic reviews. J Clin Epidemiol. 2015 Jun;68(6):617–26. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.11.025.
McGowan J, Sampson M. Systematic reviews need systematic searchers. J Med Libr Assoc. 2005 Jan;93(1):74–80.
Spencer AJ, Eldredge JD. Roles for librarians in systematic reviews: a scoping review. J Med Libr Assoc. 2018 Jan;106(1):46–56. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2018.82.
Bullers K, Howard AM, Hanson A, Kearns WD, Orriola JJ, Polo RL, Sakmar KA. It takes longer than you think: librarian time spent on systematic review tasks. J Med Libr Assoc. 2018 Apr;106(2):198–207. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2018.323.
Saleh AA, Ratajeski MA, Bertolet M. Grey literature searching for health sciences systematic reviews: a prospective study of time spent and resources utilized. Evid Based Libr Inf Pract. 2014;9(3):28–50.
Bernard Becker Medical Library. Systematic reviews [Internet]. The Library; 2019 [cited 20 May 2019]. <https://becker.wustl.edu/services/systematic-reviews/>.
Mayo Clinic Libraries. Systematic reviews: library services [Internet]. The Libraries; 2019 [cited 20 May 2019]. <https://libraryguides.mayo.edu/systematic-reviews/services>.
New York University Health Sciences Library. Systematic reviews [Internet]. The Library; 2019 [cited 20 May 2019]. <https://hslguides.med.nyu.edu/systematicreviews/libraryservices>.
Norris Medical Library. Systematic review support [Internet]. The Library; 2019 [cited 20 May 2019]. <https://nml.usc.edu/use-the-library/systematic-review-support/>.
Peterson S, Rogers H. A mixed-methods analysis of authorship requirements among systematic review services. Presented at: MLA ’19, 119th Annual Meeting and Exhibition of the Medical Library Association; Chicago, IL; May 2019.
George A. Smathers Libraries. Systematic reviews: is it right for you [Internet]. The Libraries; 2019 [cited 20 May 2019]. <https://guides.uflib.ufl.edu/SR>.
Riegelman A, Kocher M. For your enrichment: a model for developing and implementing a systematic review service for disciplines outside of the health sciences. Ref User Serv Q. 2018 Fall;58(1):22–7. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/rusq.58.1.6837.
Knehans A, Dell E, Robinson C. Starting a fee-based systematic review service. Med Ref Serv Q. 2016 Jul–Sep;35(3):266–73. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2016.1189779.
Kung JYC, Chambers T. Implementation of a fee-based service model to university-affiliated researchers at the University of Alberta. J Med Libr Assoc. 2019 Apr;107(2):238–43. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2019.497.
National Institutes of Health. FAQs for costing of NIH-funded core facilities [Internet]. The Institutes; 2013 [cited 20 May 2019]. <https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-od-13-053.html>.
Government Publishing Office. Content details 2 CFR § 200.468 - specialized service facilities [Internet]. The Office; 2014 [cited 20 May 2019]. <https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-sec200-468>.
Haley R. A framework for managing core facilities within the research enterprise. J Biomol Tech. 2009 Sep;20(4):226–30.
Reich M, Shipman JP, Narus SP, Weir C, Madsen R, Schultz ND, Cameron JM, Adamczyk AL, Mitchell JA. Assessing clinical researchers’ information needs to create responsive portals and tools: My Research Assistant (MyRA) at the University of Utah: a case study. J Med Libr Assoc. 2013 Jan;101(1):4–11. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3163/1536-5050.101.1.002.
Bramer WM, de Jonge GB, Rethlefsen ML, Mast F, Kleijnen J. A systematic approach to searching: an efficient and complete method to develop literature searches. J Med Libr Assoc. 2018 Oct;106(4):531–41. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2018.283.
McGowan J, Sampson M, Salzwedel DM, Cogo E, Foerster V, Lefebvre C. PRESS peer review of electronic search strategies: 2015 guideline statement. J Clin Epidemiol. 2016 Jul;75:40–6. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2016.01.021.
Downing A. The consequences of offering fee-based services in a medical library. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1990 Jan;78(1):57–63.
