The Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium: a blueprint designed in response to a community of practice need

Authors

Brenda Fay, Library Manager, Midwest Region Library, Advocate Health, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Lisa M. Buda, Rochester Regional HealthFollow
Anthony J. Dellureficio, Associate Librarian, Data Management Services, Medical Library, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
Sara Hoover, Metadata and Scholarly Publishing Librarian, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA.
Ramune K. Kubilius, Collection Development / Special Projects Librarian, Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Steven J. Moore, Librarian, Sladen Library, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI, USA.
Lisa A. Palmer, Institutional Repository Librarian, Lamar Soutter Library, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.

Department

Library and Information Science

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of the Medical Library Association

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Health sciences libraries in medical schools, academic health centers, health care networks, and hospitals have established institutional repositories (IRs) to showcase their research achievements, increase visibility, expand the reach of institutional scholarship, and disseminate unique content. Newer roles for IRs include publishing open access journals, tracking researcher productivity, and serving as repositories for data sharing. Many repository managers oversee their IR with limited assistance from others at their institution. Therefore, IR practitioners find it valuable to network and learn from colleagues at other institutions.

CASE PRESENTATION: This case report describes the genesis and implementation of a new initiative specifically designed for a health sciences audience: the Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium. Six medical librarians from hospitals and academic institutions in the U.S. organized the inaugural symposium held virtually in November 2021. The goal was to fill a perceived gap in conference programming for IR practitioners in health settings. Themes of the 2021 and subsequent 2022 symposium included IR management, increasing readership and engagement, and platform migration. Post-symposium surveys were completed by 73/238 attendees (31%) in 2021 and by 62/180 (34%) in 2022. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

DISCUSSION: Participant responses in post-symposium surveys rated MIRL highly. The MIRL planning group intends to continue the symposium and hopes MIRL will steadily evolve, build community among IR practitioners in the health sciences, and expand the conversation around best practices for digital archiving of institutional content. The implementation design of MIRL serves as a blueprint for collaboratively bringing together a professional community of practice.

First Page

710

Last Page

716

DOI

10.5195/jmla.2023.1503

Volume

111

Issue

3

Publication Date

7-10-2023

PubMed ID

37483366

Recommended Citation

Fay, B., Buda, L. M., Dellureficio, A. J., Hoover, S., Kubilius, R. K., Moore, S. J., & Palmer, L. A. (2023). The Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium: a blueprint designed in response to a community of practice need. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 111 (3), 710-716. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1503