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The article informs that most library science survey use Likert-style questions. It discloses that the Likert format is a five point set of Likert response that contains a middle point balanced by positive and negative options on either side, that the style can be adapted to assess many aspects of attitudes and opinions, and that the middle of a 5-point scale (usually the neutral scale) is often problematic because many respondents as well as researchers are uncertain on what it means.

In this article the author discusses medical librarians who have been trained to fulfill the role of informationist in their libraries. He is critical of statements which have been made which suggest that the roles of general medical librarians and informationists are not different, and suggests that research which has been conducted shows that the two do conduct different tasks in libraries.

The editor challenges librarians to put emphasis on evidence-based librarianship (E-BL). She defines E-BL and discusses its potential benefits, the level of commitment to producing high-level research evidence. She identifies elements that would increase production of EB-L and enhance library science research structure, which are data sharing and data banks, access to randomized population, and multi-state research cooperative agreements.

The author reflects on a survey which asked a sample of respondents on how they felt about the journal's October 2015 issue with matching responses from the editorial staff. The results showed that the journal looked different which is due to the magazine's keeping up with the times, that the criteria for accepting studies are not clear which the staff promises to be transparent next time, and that the articles are shorter due to a decision to shift to less lengthy articles.

The article offers information on the mapping study. It mentions a definition of the mapping study as a review that is designed to identify linkages, the use of mapping studies in library sciences to determine which journals publish the greatest number of related papers and details of the mapping process which begins with the identification of major journals related to the subject at issue and search for articles related to the subject that was published in the past three years.

The author reflects on the changes in the field of health sciences librarianship. She relates the story of a clinician who came to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Library, where the author works, searching for information on the mobile applications necessary for accessing the library's resources. A discussion how the Medical Library Association (MLA) has addressed a changing professional environment and the top research questions for health sciences librarianship is presented.

The author focuses on changes made in the periodical in 2015 including her appointment as editor of the periodical, emphasis of the periodical on the abstract while making the titles shorter, and adding more space within the main texts and adding photographs of the main author.

The article discusses the basics of bibliometrics which offers a measure of the impact or influence an article has. Topics covered include the importance of bibliometrics to scientists and those who sponsor scientists, the measures of scientist productivity and journal quality such as citation analysis, impact factor of a journal, and journal rank, and the tracking of these measures by Thomson Reuters, Web Science and Scopus.

The author reflects on the strengthening of evidence-based librarianship (EBL). He mentions that enhanced professional decision making is the goal of evidenced-based practice in medicine and librarianship. He suggests three ideas that could facilitate the pursuit of EBL such as the formation of research coalitions, a centralized data storage for Medical Library Association members, and a project clearing house.

The author discusses the reasons for adjusting the labels for research articles in the "Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA)" in July 2015. She says that clarifying how a paper fits in the research scheme could result in better presentations and more interest by readers. She adds that the categories are intended to urge librarians to come on board and do their research.

The author reflects on the achievements of the journal, its role in making health-related information available to health care clients and the changes needed to improve its readership. Topics discussed are the disruptive interventions in medical librarianship, the challenges for the journal's print edition such as cost, the interest of readers and health sciences librarians in published stories, and the initiatives planned to maintain interest and encourage submissions of science articles.

The article discusses mixed methods research (MMR) which combines qualitative research that uses a less structured system to gather data and quantitative research that uses a structured approach to gather data with a statistical study of the data. It states that MMR provides a comprehensive look at the problem and could improve the worth and quality of the study. In using MMR, biases, limitations and weaknesses of a study using one method can be also balanced by the integration of other method.

An introduction is presented in which the editor describes the transformations underwent by the journal until it finally ends up on its present format featuring four themes including Brief Research Reports, Collected Items of Interest, Research Section News and Letters to the Editor.

The author comments on the evolution of "Hypothesis: Journal of the Research Section of MLA," over the years. It is stated that, the journal was first published as a newsletter in the year 1987, and in the year 1990 its name was changed to "Hypothesis: Newsletter of the Library Research Section of MLA." It is stated that, the journal publishes research methods articles which are aimed at introducing readers to research methods relevant to health sciences librarianship.

The author focuses on changes on the way medical librarians offer information in light of the availability of new technologies such as smartphones and electronic health records (EHRs). She notes the capability of the smartphone Internet capability along with other applications for drug information to transform how the way information is being used in the clinical setting. She mentions the importance of such innovations to offer librarians with means to contribute to their profession.

A response to a letter to the editor is presented about the equal authorship in peer-reviewed medical publications.

The article provides information on the evidence ladder or hierarchy advanced by the "Journal of the Medical Library Association" when publishing studies. It gives idea on the level requirement for evidence-strength studies when used in decision-making by librarians, as well as the significance of qualitative research. A table presented shows the types of research and publication categories of the journal.

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various reports published within the issue including a review of the effectiveness of teaching methods, one about the use of rubrics in evaluation of student performance, and the article "Effectiveness of Adverse Effects Search Filters: Drugs versus Medical Devices."

The article presents a survey on 624 Medical Library Association (MLA) members who were asked on what they did and thought in their own research lives. The results implied that in order to improve research productivity, statistical and analytical support should be provided to members interested in research, that helping in writing grant applications and finding funding could also help in research output, and that there is a need to find out what young MLA members feel and want.

The article presents the author's views on clinical practice. The author states that the field of clinical practice is much like the practice of medicine 100 years ago. It is stated that evidence based medicine became the catch phrase at the end of the last century and still continues today. The evidence based literature is robust in many clinical specialties.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one on insight and information about research and another on list of events hosted by the Research Section at the upcoming MLA Annual Meeting in Seattle.

The article offers information on the Medical Library Association's Annual Meeting to be held in Minneapolis, on May 15-16, 2011, with "Rethink" as the theme.

An introduction is presented in which the co-editors discuss various reports within the issue on topics including development of an evidence-based information practice within a library, library and information science literature, and application of creativity to research studies.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one on new technologies that change the way information is delivered, one on Libray and Information Science literature and one on problems encountered with the judging process at the Medical Library Association (MLA) 2010 Annual Meeting.

Objective: The paper identifies and documents new health sciences librarian activities and roles during the period from 1990-2012., Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted using MEDLINE, Library and Information Abstracts, Library Literature, Scopus, and Web of Science. To find new roles that might not yet have been described in the literature, job announcements published in the Medical Library Association email discussion list archives from 2008-2012 were searched. For inclusion, an article needed to contain a substantive description of a new role and/or activity performed by librarians and be in the field of medical or health sciences librarianship. Papers that did not describe an actual (rather than proposed) librarian role were excluded., Results: NEW ROLES IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE LITERATURE SEARCH WERE: embedded librarians (such as clinical informationist, bioinformationist, public health informationist, disaster information specialist); systematic review librarian; emerging technologies librarian; continuing medical education librarian; grants development librarian; and data management librarian. New roles identified through job announcements were digital librarian, metadata librarian, scholarly communication librarian, and translational research librarian. New twists to old roles were also identified: clinical medical librarian, instruction librarian, outreach librarian, and consumer health librarian., Conclusions: While the main purposes of health sciences librarianship remain the same, the new roles represent major new activities so that, for many librarians, daily on-the-job work is completely different., Implications: This list of new activities should inform students contemplating medical librarianship careers, guide formal and continuing education programs, and encourage other librarians to consider these new services.

Objective: This study is intended to (1) identify emerging roles for biomedical librarians and determine how common these roles are in a variety of library settings, (2) identify barriers to taking on new roles, and (3) determine how librarians are developing the capacity to take on new roles., Methods: A survey was conducted of librarians in biomedical settings., Results: Most biomedical librarians are taking on new roles. The most common roles selected by survey respondents include analysis and enhancement of user experiences, support for social media, support for systematic reviews, clinical informationist, help for faculty or staff with authorship issues, and implementation of researcher profiling and collaboration tools. Respondents in academic settings are more likely to report new roles than hospital librarians are, but some new roles are common in both settings. Respondents use a variety of methods to free up time for new roles, but predominant methods vary between directors and librarians and between academic and hospital respondents. Lack of time is the biggest barrier that librarians face when trying to adopt new roles. New roles are associated with increased collaboration with individuals and/or groups outside the library., Conclusion and Implications: This survey documents the widespread incorporation of new roles in biomedical libraries in the United States, as well as the barriers to adopting these roles and the means by which librarians are making time for them. The results of the survey can be used to inform strategic planning, succession planning, library education, and career development for biomedical librarians.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to explore the impact of an informationist program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Library and to provide a basis for further program assessment. In 2001 the NIH Library began its informationist program, where librarians with training in both biomedicine and information science work alongside researchers. The goal of the program is to facilitate researchers' access to and usage of information resources. METHODS: The researchers used qualitative interviews with key informants to characterize the current informationist services of user groups. Subjects were selected to capture a variety of activities that would show patterns of how the program assists the researchers of various NIH groups. Following the interviews, the authors extracted recurring and significant themes from the subjects' comments. RESULTS: Interview subjects provided their views on the informationists' skills, impact, and team participation. Research results documented that informationists helped find resources, provided instruction, and worked as part of the research team. The NIH groups currently using this service value their informationists' knowledge of library resources and their ability to access information needs quickly. The informationists' skills in finding information save the researchers time, increase the efficiency of the research team, and complement the contributions of other team members. Training by informationists was found useful. Informationist services led to increased self-reported library use, albeit in some cases this use was entirely via the informationist. CONCLUSIONS: Informationists saved researchers time by obtaining requested information, finding esoteric or unfamiliar resources, and providing related training. These activities appeared to be facilitated by the acceptance of the informationist as part of the research team. This exploratory study provides background that should be useful in future, more extensive evaluations.