Evaluating a health sciences library residency program: what have we learned?

INTRODUCTION In difficult economic times, institutions must make decisions about their core values and where they should concentrate their limited resources. Survival of vital programs can take precedence over other programs that are recognized as valuable, but not essential. Funding for immediate needs can, and often does, preclude funding for future needs. Such was the issue facing the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) regarding its Academic Resident Librarian Program. Initiated in 1981 as a postgraduate appointment for librarians who were new to the profession and lacking librarianship experience , the program was suspended in 2007 for reevaluation and study. UIC has estimated that it costs the university approximately $14,000 per resident for recruiting and training, in addition to their salaries. This study was designed to determine what the value of the program is to the former residents, whether the goals of the participants in the UIC Library of the Health Sciences (LHS) residency program matched or reflected those of UIC, and if UIC should continue investing in the program. A survey was designed to probe the initial motivation for those entering the residency, their satisfaction with the program, their greatest challenges, their biggest rewards, new skills they developed, their retention rate in health sciences librarianship, and the most and least valuable aspects of the program. The results provide insight for institutions considering establishing a similar residency or in evaluating current programs. The responses also provide a view of the issues that new health sciences librarians face during the beginning years of their careers. published a Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) survey on internships, residencies, and fellowship programs [1]. At the time of publication eleven libraries offered residency programs. In 2001, twenty-two academic librarian residency programs were identified in the United States [2]. The ARL's SPEC kit defines a residency as ''post-degree work experience designed as an entry-level program for professionals who have recently received a graduate degree.'' This study adheres to that definition. The stated goals of the UIC program were: 1. increasing the pool of qualified academic librarians with an emphasis on traditionally underrepresented groups 2. providing an opportunity to work with leading academic library and information science professionals in a guided environment 3. preparing emerging academic library professionals, emphasizing strong commitment to research The decision by an institution to continue supporting a residency program is significant and has farreaching implications for the hosting institution, the profession, …