Job Description

The Library Services team at Unity Health Toronto is introducing exciting and transformative changes to the ways it supports the information, learning, and service needs of hospital staff, physicians, and learners across its health network. We are seeking a creative, outgoing, and collaborative information specialist to join the team, to contribute their energy and enthusiasm for connecting people with the information and services they need.

The Information Specialist - Outreach & Training will work in an embedded fashion within designated hospital programs (e.g. nursing teams, health disciplines groups, medicine, etc.) by working closely with their leadership, attending huddles, practice councils and clinical rounds to identify gaps in their information and/or skills training, use library resources to help close those gaps, offer training or acquire vendor-led training, collaborate with those groups to curate online resource guides, ensure library collections meet their practice or information needs, fulfill literature search requests, and continuously engage with designated programs to conduct outreach and awareness activities for how Library Services can support their work.

This is an exciting opportunity to work alongside healthcare heroes, supporting their evidence-based decision-making in patient care, contributing to their professional learning and skills development, and fulfilling timely and in-depth information and research services.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Outreach and Information Services

The role demands proactive engagement with staff and teams in the designated hospital program area(s) to ensure their information, research, and training needs are met. The position also requires advanced knowledge of medical databases (e.g. MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, etc.), literature search strategy development, highly developed technical/computer literacy skills, superior client management skills, advanced experience with citation management programs, project management competencies, and knowledge of medical terminology.

In order to satisfy client information needs, the Information Specialist:

• Establishes strong and positive relationships with clients from designated programs, units and departments across the network;
• Advises clients on information monitoring strategies (e.g. alerts) to ensure hospital staff, students and physicians are accessing the most appropriate and timely knowledge in their individual fields at all times;
• Collaborates with clients on projects that directly inform clinical practice or support new and ongoing research;
• Curate information pathfinders or resources guides (LibGuides) in consultation and collaboration with client groups to support their research literacies, clinical skills development, or other information needs;
• Provides effective expert literature searching utilizing a variety of appropriate and available medical databases;
• Responds to general reference inquiries from clients that can include, but are not limited to clinical decision-making, retrieving citation information, accessing online resources including audiovisual skills training materials, and locating specific factual data.

Training and Instruction

• Develops and delivers training and instruction services to staff in designated hospital program(s);
• Provides orientation sessions for new staff, students and physicians on library services and products;
• Develops and provides customized training sessions for client groups and individuals tailored to their expressed needs;
• Collaborates with Education colleagues to ensure training is adequate, innovative, and meets the needs of the Library\xe2\x80\x99s clientele across the three sites;
• Leads or contributes to assessment of training outputs;
• Creates and adapts learning/curricula for remote interactive videoconferencing delivery (e.g. Zoom);
• Remains current about trends in health education, the principles of adult education, and online learning.

Collections

• Communicates with health professionals in designated program area(s), solicits suggestions for possible additions or cancellations of journals, books, databases, and other resources;
• Selects, assesses, and evaluates print and online resources to support staff, students and physicians in specific program areas; ensures collections across the three sites are current and relevant.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master\xe2\x80\x99s degree from a Library and Information Studies program accredited by the American Library Association
• Minimum of one year professional experience in an academic and/or health sciences library environment (preferred)
• Experience developing library promotion and training resources and a strong interest in planning and leading creative and engaging promotional and/or teaching/learning materials (e.g. Canva, Visme, Mentimeter, Padlet, Loom, Miro, etc.)
• Ability to communicate and collaborate with a variety of health care professionals, senior hospital administration, clinical teams, students, physicians and scientists
• Ability to conduct both precise and broad curated literature searches, preferably using MEDLINE/PubMed and other key health sciences databases
• Experience developing and providing information literacy instruction, and customized training on medical database search skills
• Familiarity with the concepts of evidence-based practice
• Project management skills to plan, organize and coordinate various activities
• Proficiency in the use of common computer software applications and specialized library technologies with experience using research databases, library discovery systems, Microsoft Office products, citation management tools, web content management systems (for example LibGuides)
• Some familiarity or understanding with systematic review search methodology
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate as an effective member of a team
• Demonstrated ability to multitask, balance competing priorities and meet deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability to work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively and to promote teamwork, diversity, equity, equality and inclusiveness
• Proactive customer service orientation
• Ability to keep current with and embrace new technologies

Note:

As a condition of employment, all external hires will be required to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination or documentation unless a valid accommodation under the Ontario Human Rights Code exists. Please note, if you are extended an offer of employment, you will be required to provide proof of vaccination in Ontario QR Code format. All internal candidates must be in compliance with Unity Health Toronto\xe2\x80\x99s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.

Unity Health Toronto