10 - Librarian Support of Predoctoral Dental Education in the US & Canada: An Update

Objectives: Most dental institutions have librarian liaisons and library services available to their constituents. However, they are often unaware of these services and how they can be leveraged for student and faculty benefit. This study aims to provide a summary of library services and resources that support dental education and research. This summary demonstrates trends in dental librarianship, services and resources that can be adapted to serve the needs of dental-related education programs and the growth of the dental librarianship over the last five years.

Methods: The research presented is an update of a study conducted in 2017. An environmental scan inventoried services that dental librarians provide. The survey instrument was updated to include questions regarding new technologies and services that have emerged over the last five years, including 3D printing, research data management, data visualization, and more. The study population consisted of librarians who work in dental libraries or college/university libraries that serve the 79 CODA accredited DMD/DDS pre-doctoral programs in the United States and Canada. An IRB-approved survey instrument was distributed via email to the identified librarians.

Results: A total of 73 responses were received for a response rate of 92%. Most dental programs have a dedicated librarian liaison providing curricular and research support through various approaches. Examples include evidence-based dentistry instruction and curricular support, research and grant support, access to emerging technologies, collaboration on evidence syntheses, curriculum committee service, and accreditation process involvement. When compared to the data from the 2017 survey, most responses were consistent with a few exceptions; for instance, there were notable increases in the amount of official systematic review support programs and dental faculty scholarly collaborations, while there were notable decreases in accreditation and IRB assistance..

Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that librarians provide support to dental education in a variety of ways, including curricular and scholarly support. While most areas of dental librarianship have been consistent over the last five years, there were some notable differences in today’s data compared to that of five years ago. The service models cited here can be adapted in dental-related education as well as health sciences education programs across North America.