Onboarding new librarians is a critical process that can lay the foundation for long-term success, especially in a high-stakes hospital setting. While assessing training needs (Marshall et al., 2024), assigning a mentor (Platt, 2023), and scheduling regular check-ins (Rogelberg, 2022) are established in the literature as best practices, a variety of additional techniques can be implemented to enhance the support provided to new librarians and tailor a combination of approaches best suited to their unique needs.

Drawing from my recent experience in preparing for the onboarding of an employee in a newly established hospital librarian role, the following are recommendations that proved to be particularly effective, as well as lessons learned for future onboarding. These insights are a blend of my personal experience and informal feedback from colleagues, including the new employee, offering a fresh perspective on enhancing the onboarding experience for hospital librarians.

• Supply terminology resources. A list of commonly used institution-specific and medical acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms can assist your new librarian in navigating the complex terminology used in meetings and everyday interactions with clinicians. Medical terminology tutorials such as the one provided by MedlinePlus are particularly beneficial for librarians new to the health sciences and may not be familiar with the fundamental components of medical terminology.
  
  
• Provide your new librarian with a curated, comprehensive resources guide. Although a spreadsheet of over 170 links might appear daunting (image 1), the guide I developed is a resource I would have greatly appreciated during my onboarding period. Consolidating resources into a single document, organized by relevant subheadings, will greatly enhance your librarian’s transition into their new role. Subheadings in the document include frequently visited websites, employee resources, evidence-based practice resources, professional association listings, and training and professional development opportunities. MLA’s Hospital Library Caucus’s guide for new hospital librarians deserves special mention.
  
  
• Schedule multiple observations of colleagues’ presentations. Our hospital library provides instruction sessions on topics such as advanced searching skills, library database overviews, and evidence-based practice. Each librarian brings a unique teaching style to their presentations. Inviting your new librarian to observe multiple presentations of similar content delivered by different librarians exposes them to various teaching methodologies. It also allows your new librarian to become acquainted with the library’s resources as tailored to the specific audience’s needs. Such observations can ultimately enhance the librarian’s confidence and versatility in delivering instruction, ensuring they can effectively engage with diverse audiences across various platforms.
  
  
• Supply exemplars to your new librarian. Examples of email replies to recurring inquiries and service requests can establish clear standards for professional communication and support. These samples illustrate effective approaches to addressing patron needs and demonstrate the tone and language that reflect the library’s organizational values. By analyzing these exemplars, your new librarian can better understand how to address patron inquiries, convey information clearly, and foster a positive relationship with library users. This practice helps ensure consistency and reinforces the importance of exceptional customer service in our role as hospital librarians.
  
  
• Share the library’s strategic plan with your new librarian. During the onboarding process, the emphasis often rests solely on job duties, limiting a new librarian’s understanding of their role within the larger organization. The strategic plan outlines the organization’s objective and the reasoning that supports library policies and procedures. This broader perspective enables your new librarian to grasp the significance of their contributions and fosters a sense of purpose in their work.
  
  
• Encourage your new librarian to attend nursing congress or similar shared governance meetings. Attending these meetings offers invaluable insights, as the discussion topics provide context for incoming literature search requests. Additionally, congress serves as an excellent opportunity to learn about emerging challenges, organizational priorities, and the overall structure of the healthcare system. By participating in this meeting, you may discover, as our new librarian experienced, how research identified through a librarian-mediated literature search can be incorporated into the development or revision of hospital policy and procedures. Further, meeting attendance exemplifies the embedded librarianship model and helps foster connections that can serve as a foundation for future collaborative projects.
  
  
• Provide ANCC Magnet® resources. Hospital librarians employed in a healthcare system that is either Magnet-designated or has initiated the Journey to Magnet Excellence should be well-versed in nurse-sensitive indicators. National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) benchmarks are significant to nurses, and therefore, they hold great importance to us as well. Understanding these indicators enables your new librarian to provide relevant research support and resources to nursing staff, facilitating evidence-based practice and impacting patient care outcomes.

Upon reflecting on this experience and considering the feedback from our new librarian, I have identified areas for improvement. Communicating the roles and responsibilities of hospital employees to the new librarian would have been helpful. Having this knowledge can help guide the reference interaction, allowing the librarian to customize the assistance offered. For example, in our interactions with students and trainees, we adopt an educational approach. Conversely, when supporting practicing clinicians, unless they specifically ask for assistance navigating a resource, we deliver direct information. Another enhancement to future onboarding will include providing in-person tours of important meeting locations rather than simply supplying a list.

A well-rounded onboarding process for new hospital librarians is essential for their success and the overall effectiveness of the library within the healthcare system. Providing a comprehensive resources guide, sharing the library’s strategic goals, and encouraging participation in shared governance meetings not only equips librarians with necessary tools but also instills a sense of purpose. Enhancing familiarity with institutional and medical terminology and diverse teaching styles can empower new librarians to communicate effectively, thereby fostering strong professional relationships. Supplying sample correspondence and industry benchmarks to your new librarian helps them navigate their role and align their efforts with long-term goals. Ultimately, these strategies contribute to a more competent and confident workforce, promoting the library as an indispensable resource in patient care.

Image 1: Resources guide screenshot

References

Marshall, C., Schuchardt-Peet, C., Callaway, J., Adams, H. S., Kraft, M., Gillespie, L., & Posillico, S. (2024). Building confidence & competency: Assessing and addressing new hospital librarians’ professional development needs. Journal of Hospital Librarianship, 24(1).

Platt, C. (2023). Orientation: Laying out the welcome mat (or not) for new employees. Virginia Libraries, 67(1).

Rogelberg, S. G. (2022). Make the most of your one-on-one meetings. Harvard Business Review, 100(6), 139–143.

DCT Featured Article – November 12, 2024