Running head: LIBRARIES & INFORMATICS

Informatics, Libraries, and Librarians Christina Magnifico Emporia State University

Author Note LI800XI, Introduction to Informatics, Professor Christopher Hinson.

LIBRARIES & INFORMATICS Abstract Libraries and librarians have always been on the forefront of knowledge management and the dissemination of information. As technology advances, however, both libraries and librarians will be forced to adapt their skill-sets to satisfy the increasing need for informationists. This paper seeks to define how libraries utilize informatics, how librarians can embrace informatics and to illustrate examples of how informatics will be utilized in the field of information science in the future. Keywords: informatics, information science, libraries, librarians

LIBRARIES & INFORMATICS Informatics, Libraries, and Librarians Informatics is a relatively new field and one that is still developing its own identity. The

use of informatics in libraries has become an increasingly hot topic of conversation at library and information science conferences over the past several years. Though the need and use of informatics in information organizations is not new, the skill sets required to utilize informatics within these organizations is a new area of librarianship that is just beginning to be explored. Librarians have always been able to adapt to the changing information science landscape by reinventing themselves as the delivery of information has been transformed; now they will need to create new roles in order to continue to be leaders of information dissemination and knowledge management. Defining informatics The International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science (2003), defines informatics as the science of information [that] studies the representation, processing, and communication of information in natural and artificial systems. A more modern definition comes from the University of Edinburgh Informatics Department (n.d.), Informatics studies the representation, processing, and communication of information in natural and engineered systems. The field of informatics is a complement to information science. Whereas informatics studies the undercurrent of information, information science studies the broad strokes of information, such as theory, pedagogy, and the dissemination of information. Informatics is continually being redefined as the way information is stored, processed, and delivered changes to fit the needs of society. With this in mind, information organizations must continue to integrate informatics into the information environments they have created.

LIBRARIES & INFORMATICS Informatics in libraries Frisse et al. (1995), discussed informatics in librariesspecifically medical librariesfrom the perspective of an information organization: The birth of new forms of institutional and corporate knowledge created from aggregate data raises the potential for a new form of librarianship that will require a synergistic reformulation of the roles of the [informatician and the librarian]. As librarianship and informatics continue to evolve, different approaches will be needed to further develop the relationship between libraries, librarianship, and informatics. Moving forward, libraries must look to their relationship with informatics as collaborative, interprofessional and, in some cases, interdisciplinary. The diverse nature of libraries makes the relationship with informatics unique, and each type of library can use informatics in order to improve their management of information. Medical libraries. Medical libraries have been one of the most avid adopters of informatics (Blumenthal, 2014), specifically medical informatics, bioinformatics, and the management of clinical information. Medical libraries have also utilized informatics to analyze the literature services that they offer within their institutions in order to create a database and web interface (Hinton, et al., 2013; Perry et al., 2005). According to Hinson (2005), part of the reason that medical informatics have become so pervasive in medical libraries is due to the fact that there are now more programs of study found in the United States. These programs teach

medical informatics in order to help librarians and informationists assist healthcare personnel in their work of synthesizing information from the patient at hand and science in general to make appropriate decisions (Hinson, 2005).

LIBRARIES & INFORMATICS Public libraries. Unlike medical and health sciences libraries, public libraries have a different relationship with informatics. The branch of informatics that public informatics are concerned with is community/social informatics. Social informatics focuses on the relationship between communities and information technology and how information technology can be designed or redesigned and used to the benefit of the community (Le Roux, 2009). Public libraries seek to help their patrons connect with digital technology. When patrons come to the public library for help, they are seeking assistance with one of four literacy types: basic literacy,

computer literacy, library literacy or domain literacy (Williams, 2012). These four literacies help patrons navigate the world of information, especially as we move into an increasingly digital age. Librarians and informatics Librarians help patrons develop social capital (Williams, 2012), or the collective value of all social networks and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other (Briggs, 1997). Through the use of informatics, librarians assist patrons with the difficult task of information collection, analyzation, and dissemination. Libraries have always been user-centered and the introduction of informatics into libraries, some of it through the LIS curriculum in library science programs, pulls the focus of librarians directly to their interactions with patrons. LIS education. Many library and information science students are now being given the opportunity to take informatics courses. These courses offer students a glimpse into the field of informatics and they instruct them on how to apply it to the information professions. LIS programs are empowering graduates to help their patrons overcome the digital divide. The inclusion of informatics into the LIS curriculum allows library science students to transcend traditional boundaries between libraries, archives, and museums (Marty & Twidale, 2011). One of the common challenges between all of these information organizations is the need to classify

LIBRARIES & INFORMATICS and categorize information. The systematic approach to the management of information is the perfect area for informatics to thrive, and provides an opportunity for information science students to utilize the skills they acquire in their library and information science education.

The future of informatics Social informatics, medical informatics, bioinformatics, community informatics, and museum informatics; these are just a handful of the types of informatics that exist today. Information organizations have become interested in exploring the opportunities that the study of informatics can provide. Areas of informatics, such as museum informaticsthe study of the sociotechnical interactions that take place at the intersection of people, information, and technology in museums (Marty & Twidale, 2011), offer up promising research opportunities and help librarians overcome some of the challenges facing the library landscape. The connection between the digital world and library and information science has been identified in a variety of arenas. Academic libraries, medical/health science libraries, and even public libraries are now bridging the gap between the diverse universe of information and the user, often the librarian (Sula, 2013).

Conclusion As information organizations continue to adapt to the ever-changing landscape, they will begin to rely more heavily on informatics in order to function in todays advanced society. Informatics is a powerful tool that will help librarians tackle complex problems using research, knowledge management, and database construction. As an extraordinary complement to information science, informatics helps to build the systems and define the processes by which librarians organize information. A traditional library and information science education use to not include

LIBRARIES & INFORMATICS informatics, but the LIS education has adapted to the progression of technology and now

integrates informatics into the curriculum. With time, informatics will become more prevalent in all information organizations, as well as the use of informatics to disseminate information. To quote Perry et al. (2005): Boundaries are disappearing between the sources and types of uses for [information] managed by informaticians and librarians. Definitions of the professional domains of each have been impacted by these changes in information[and] professionals in these disciplines are increasingly functioning collaboratively as boundary spanners. Thinking of librarians as spanning boundaries is the first step in destroying the traditional stereotype of libraries and librarians. It is also the perfect opportunity for librarians to work on developing interprofessional relationships, which will go a long way in the collaborative environment that information has created today.

LIBRARIES & INFORMATICS References

Aspray, W. (2011). The history of information science and other traditional information domains: models for future research. Libraries & the Cultural Record, 46(2), 230248. Blumenthal, J. (2014). Creating the future. Journal of the Medical Library Association, pp. 24. Briggs, X. (1997). Social capital and the cities: advice to change agents. National Civic Review, 86(2), 111-118. Frisse, M., Braude, R., Florance, V., and Fuller, S. (1995). Informatics and medical libraries: changing needs and changing roles. Journal of medical education, 70(1), 30-35. Hinson, C. L. (2005). Legal informatics: opportunities for information science. Journal of Education for Library & Information Science, 46(2), 134153. doi:10.2307/40323866 Hinton, E. G. ., Oelschlegel, S., Vaughn, C. J. ., Lindsay, J. M., Hurst, S. M. ., & Earl, M. (2013). Building and evaluating an informatics tool to facilitate analysis of a biomedical literature search service in an academic medical center library. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 32(3), 235243. doi:10.1080/02763869.2013.806855 International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science. (2003). Informatics (2nd ed.). London [etc.]: Routledge. Le Roux, C. J. B. (2010). Social informatics vs community informatics: a brief overview of their origins and current status. Mousaion, 28(1), 3444. Marty, P. F., & Twidale, M. B. (2011). Museum informatics across the curriculum: ten years of preparing LIS students for careers transcending libraries, archives, and museums. Journal of Education for Library & Information Science, 52(1), 922.

LIBRARIES & INFORMATICS Perry, G. J., Roderer, N. K., & Assar, S. (2005). A current perspective on medical informatics and health sciences librarianship. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 93(2), 199205. Sula, C. A. (2013). Digital humanities and libraries: a conceptual model. Journal of Library Administration, 53(1), 1026. doi:10.1080/01930826.2013.756680 University of Edinburgh. (n.d.). What is informatics? [website] Retrieved from http://www.ed.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.40075!/fileManager/What%20is%20Informatics.pdf Williams, K. (2012). Informatics moments. Library Quarterly, 82(1), 4773.