Reflective practice and health sciences librarians: engagement, benefits, and barriers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2020.777Keywords:
Reflective Practice, Reflective Writing, Reflection, Medical Librarians, Health Sciences Librarians, Practice ImprovementAbstract
Objective: Reflective practice is common in nursing and other professions. In the published literature, there is very little about librarians’ use of reflective practice and no studies of health librarians’ use of reflective practice. This study examined the use of reflective practice among health sciences librarians, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers to use.
Methods: This cross-sectional study replicated the 2014 study by Greenall and Sen, using a version of their questionnaire. The research population in this study was health sciences librarians who were members of the MEDLIB-L email discussion list, Medical Library Association (MLA) chapter email discussion lists, and/or MLA section email discussion lists.
Results: There were 106 librarians who completed the questionnaire, ranging from those new to the profession through midcareer to longtime librarians. While a high percentage of respondents considered themselves to be reflective practitioners (77%), a larger percentage (87%) reported that they consciously spent time reflecting. Respondents selected a wide variety of benefits of reflective practice, while barriers tended to center on lack of time, knowledge, skills, or experience.
Conclusion: The diversity of benefits that respondents selected suggests that reflective practice can play an important positive role in librarians’ professional development. Reported barriers to reflective practice suggest that there is a need for educational opportunities to develop skills.
This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.
References
Rolfe G, Jasper M, Freshwater D. Critical reflection in practice: generating knowledge for care. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan; 2011.
Schön DA. The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. New York, NY: Basic Books; 1983.
Brookfield S. Critically reflective practice. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 1998 Oct;18(4):197–205. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chp.1340180402.
Australian Library and Information Association. Professional development for library and information professionals [Internet]. The Association; 2009 [cited 12 May 2019]. <https://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-standards-and-guidelines/professional-development-library-and-information-professionals>.
Bunker K. ALIA PD scheme – learning unleashed. Incite. 2017 May–Jun;38(5/6):12.
Hampe N, Lewis S. E-portfolios support continuing professional development for librarians. Aust Libr J. 2013 Jun;62(1):3–14. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2013.771766.
Association of College & Research Libraries. Roles and strengths of teaching librarians [Internet]. The Association; 28 Apr 2017 [cited 12 May 2019]. <http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/teachinglibrarians>.
Andretta S. Promoting reflective information literacy practice through Facilitating Information Literacy Education (FILE). Health Inf Libr J. 2008 Jun;25(2):150–3. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2008.00775.x.
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Certification: a guide for members [Internet]. The Institute [cited 12 May 2019]. <https://www.cilip.org.uk/resource/resmgr/cilip_new_website/professional_registration/certification_handbook_07031.pdf>.
Medical Library Association. Academy of Health Information Professionals: self review form for provisional members [Internet]. The Association; 2017 [cited 12 May 2019]. <http://www.mlanet.org/d/do/8935>.
Koufogiannakis D, Brettle A. A new framework for EBLIP. In: Koufogiannakis D, Brettle A, eds. Being evidence-based in library and information practice. Chicago, IL: Neal-Schuman; 2016. p. 11–8.
Instruction Section Proficiencies for Instruction Librarians Task Force, Association of College & Research Libraries. Standards for proficiencies for instruction librarians and coordinators. Coll Res Libr News [Internet]. 2007 Oct;68(9):570–5. [cited 12 May 2019]. <https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/7871/7871>.
Association of College & Research Libraries. Immersion program [Internet]. The Association; 3 Apr 2018 [cited 12 May 2019]. <http://www.ala.org/acrl/conferences/immersion>.
Holliday W. History of critical reflection as part of ACRL information literacy immersion. Email message to: Jolene Miller. 2018 Aug 8, 6:00 p.m. [6 lines].
Medical Library Association. The research imperative: the research policy statement of the Medical Library Association: executive summary [Internet]. The Association; 2007 [cited 12 May 2019]. <https://www.mlanet.org/d/do/940>.
Medical Library Association. Competencies for lifelong learning and professional success [Internet]. The Association; 2017 [cited 12 May 2019]. <http://www.medlib-ed.org/competencies>.
Medical Library Association. MLA competencies self-assessment [Internet]. The Association; 2017 [cited 12 May 2019]. <http://www.medlib-ed.org/products/2184/mla-competencies-self-assessment-rvd>.
Grant MJ. The role of reflection in the library and information sector: a systematic review. Health Inf Libr J. 2007 Sep;24(3):155–66. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2007.00731.x.
Sen B, Ford N. Developing reflective practice in LIS education: the SEA-change model of reflection. Educ Inf. 2009;27(4):181–95. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/EFI-2009-0884.
Sen BA. Reflective writing: a management skill. Libr Manag. 2010 Feb;31(1/2):79–93. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01435121011013421.
Edwards PM. Theories-in-use and reflection-in-action: core principles for LIS education. J Educ Libr Inf Sci. 2010 Winter;51(1):18–29.
Porter TD. A focus on reflective learning at the library instruction roundtable retreat. Ky Libr. 2014 Spring;78(2):14–9.
Reale M. Becoming a reflective librarian and teacher: strategies for mindful academic practice. Chicago, IL: American Library Association; 2017.
Tompkins EK. A reflective teaching journal: an instructional improvement tool for academic librarians. Coll Undergrad Libr. 2009 Oct–Dec;16(4):221–38. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10691310903355937.
Badia G. Combining critical reflection and action research to improve pedagogy. portal: Libr Acad. 2017 Oct;17(4):695–720. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/pla.2017.0042.
Macdonald K. Out of the boot camp and into the chrysalis: a reflective practice case study. Aust Libr J. 2009 Feb;58(1):17–27. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2009.10735832.
Greenall J, Sen BA. Reflective practice in the library and information sector. J Librariansh Inf Sci. 2014 Jun;48(2):137–50. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0961000614551450.
Grant B. MLA has improved the MLA competencies self-assessment! MLAConnect [Internet]. 13 Jun 2019 [cited 14 Jun 2019]. <https://www.mlanet.org/p/cm/ld/fid=1122&&blogaid=2578>.
