Journal of Medical Library and Information Science

On behalf of the chairman, Prof. Abbas Haghparast, and the editorial board of the journal, I proudly announce Iran's first English-language journal in the medical library and information science area.

The Journal of Medical Library and Information Science (JMLIS) is a peer-review and an open- access scientific journal that aims to publish a variety of articles by librarians, researchers, faculty members, and students of the medical library and information science. The articles accepted by the journal include research / original article, review article, letter to the editor, commentary, and case report. The journal scope includes all aspects of the medical libraries and health information sciences and related topics.

The decision to publish this journal was made due to the lack of English-language journals in the field of medical library and information science in Iran; however, the journal aims to move beyond national boundaries. We are confident that the contribution and participation of Iranian researchers in this field, as well as other countries, will improve the journal's quality so that we can soon see the journal indexed in reputable national and international databases.

This journal is the result of the outstanding efforts of teamwork for almost three years. The initial idea of the publishing the journal was discussed by the specialized council of the Central Library of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU) along with the faculty members of the Medical Library and Information Science Department of SBMU. Many face-to-face and online meetings were held by the Central Library Management, faculty members of the Medical Library and Information Science Department, and the SBMU-journals consultant, during these years to make it possible for the journal to be published in the best possible way.

Besides, the publication of this journal owes much to the endless efforts of many colleagues. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Zarghi, Vice-Chancellor of Research and Technology of SBMU for his endless support, as well as Director of Scientific Resources and Central Library of the SBMU, Chairman of the JMLIS, Editorial board members, Executive staff of the JMLIS, the faculty members of the Department of Medical Library and Information Science of SBMU and esteemed authors and reviewers of the articles, who sincerely devoted their time to realize this project. Being a professional and having a moral and scientific commitment to work without any expectations were all colleagues' characteristics that made them stand together like team members, and eliminating even one individual from this team leads to a significant gap in it.

Undoubtedly, to continue this path, we need the cooperation of all professors, students, researchers, medical librarians, and health information specialists from Iran and other countries. It is hoped that publishing this journal can be a step towards promoting the medical library and information science to provide better services to the medical community.

The domain of children's health is one of the essential parts of the health system. In crises, one of the most vulnerable groups is children, and it is necessary to predict essential planning in advance to support them. Such programs need to be prepared to meet the many information needs of children in crisis; this information should be varied and tailored to the type of children's questions. In the Covid-19 crisis, children had different experiences as a sensitive group. They were forced to abandon many natural habits and activities and live and act with certain restrictions. These limitations themselves led to the formation of new information needs, as well as the typology of children's information. In this article, we try to describe and explain the authors' views about this type of information. Typology of children's information in crises helps professionals to identify the types of children's information needs and prepare themselves to respond to them. Besides, this typology helps researchers conduct new research. Furthermore, this diversity of information also helps educators, the media, and families to respond to children's questions appropriately during crises; because these questions are natural.

Today, we sometimes see the resistance of researchers and managers of the health system to the concepts of scientometrics and their application in policy and planning, which is partly due to the inappropriate use of these concepts of science production and evaluation of researchers. Lack of sufficient knowledge about this field's benefits seems to be the main reason for this confrontation. Accordingly, researchers and managers who have a defensive attitude towards learning and using scientometrics concepts can be called "Scientometrics Immigrants," and people interested in this field can be called "Scientometrics Native." This defensive attitude can be due to aging, lack of sufficient opportunity to learn these concepts, distrust of indicators, etc. Recognizing and using scientometrics concepts (in general) in different dimensions can help other disciplines, health-related institutions, researchers, and managers in research and provide the basis for their research's quantitative and qualitative growth. Therefore, this article aims to examine scientometrics immigration and its dimensions and the role of librarians and medical informants, as well as scientometrics specialists in helping other individuals and health institutions in the field of production and dissemination of science.

Introduction: Increasing productivity in academic libraries can be due to knowledge management. The successful implementation of knowledge management requires appropriate infrastructures. In this study, to determine the level of readiness of SBMU-affiliated libraries and to implement knowledge management, the infrastructure of the management approach, organizational culture, human resources, organizational structure, and information technology has been examined.

Methods: The descriptive-survey research method was used to determine the status of the infrastructures studied to obtain the opinions of 58 librarians working in the libraries of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. The opinions of 10 experts obtained to analyze the qualitative validity. Content validity‏ ratio (CVR) was calculated to analyze the quantitative content validity, content validity index (CVI), and the validity of each item, which was considered 62% and 79%, respectively. Cronbach's alpha was also used to measure reliability, which was 0.92, indicating that reliability is appropriate. A 5-point Likert scale was used to weigh a 50- item questionnaire.

Results: The mean obtained for the infrastructures of the management approach was 2.72, organizational structure 2.66, organizational culture 3.13, human resources 3.26, and technology 3.21, respectively.

Conclusion: The status of the two infrastructures of management approach and organizational structure was undesirable, and the three infrastructures of organizational culture, human resources, and technology were at a moderate level. Consequently, these infrastructures need investment and exceptional attention to provide a suitable platform for the implementation of knowledge management in the SBMU-affiliated libraries.

Introduction: Lack of talent management in any organization makes talented employees unwilling to create new values and strategies. Therefore, this research aimed to identify and compare the current and favorable status of talent management in libraries of selected medical sciences universities of Tehran city.

Methods: This descriptive-analytical research was conducted by the survey method. The study population included 130 librarians working in central and faculty libraries in the medical sciences universities of Tehran city. The data collection tool was William J. Rothwell's questionnaire. Friedman test was used to compare and rank the components and Wilcoxon test used to compare the current and favorable status.

Results: The findings showed that each of the current statuses of seven components of librarians' talent management is in the range of 2.34 - 3.66 at a relatively favorable level. The "Assessing personal performance" has gained the first rank in the current status of talent management components. Each of the seven components of librarians' talent management is in the range of 3.67-5 at a favorable level. The mean of current and favorable status is 2.801 and 4.272, respectively. There is a significant difference between the current and favorable status of talent management from the viewpoint of librarians (p-value<0.001).

Conclusion: The current status of talent management has a gap with its favorable status. Library managers are recommended, to bridge this gap, to identify talents and seek to recruit, develop, educate, and maintain them, as well as educating talented individuals to learn specialized skills.

Introduction: The number of citations is a factor in evaluating the quality of scientific articles. The present study aims to examine the factors affecting the citation rate of cardiovascular articles.

Methods: In this scientometrics study, the research population is all cardiovascular articles in 2014 in Web of Science (WoS), including a sample of 381 articles studied. Pearson correlation coefficient, Mann–Whitney, Kruskal–Wallis, and Bonferroni tests were used to examine the impact of article features on citations.

Results: The results indicated that all quantitative variables (title length, number of authors, author's H-index, journal IF, number of pages, number of author's keywords, number of keywords-plus, number of references)had a significant relationship with the number of citations (P-value<0.001), except for the number of article keywords.  All of the qualitative variables (title length, number of authors, author's H-index, journal IF, number of pages, number of author's keywords, number of keywords-plus, number of references) also affect the number of citations (P-value<0.001). Open access articles, articles with the first author from Australia and North America, articles with international collaboration, and meta-analysis articles have received a more citation rate.

Conclusion: Paying attention to the factors affecting the citation rate of cardiovascular articles can be of help to cardiovascular centers for policy-making and researchers in determining the research approach. In this way, they can improve the citation of their works.

Introduction: Identifying the human resources' personality traits as the most predominant factor in achieving organizational goals and their impact on their creativity and self-efficacy is essential to improve the quality and quantity of an organization's performance. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between personality traits and self-efficacy and librarians' creativity at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences libraries.

Methods: In this descriptive correlational study, the statistical population included all librarians of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (N=50). The study instruments consisted of three questionnaires of the NEO Personality Inventory, Sherer's general Self-efficacy Scale, and Raudsepp’s creativity scale. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to test the correlation between personality traits with self-efficacy and creativity.

Results: The findings revealed a significant relationship between librarians' creativity and extraversion, openness to experience, and agreeableness. Besides, there was a significant relationship between personality traits of neuroticism and extraversion with librarians’ self-efficacy (P <0.01).

Conclusion: As the impact of personality dimensions on the self-efficacy and the creativity of the librarians, decision-makers and planners should pay particular attention to the personality components of librarians. Creativity and self-efficacy among librarians and other staff can be nurtured by conducting behavioral counseling courses to see greater efficiency and productivity in the organization environment.

Introduction: Considering the marketing importance in libraries and information centers, this study aims to identify and compare 4Ps marketing mix components, including product, place, price, and promotion activities in libraries of medical sciences universities in Tehran. 

Methods: This research is an analytical survey performed in three central libraries and 36 faculty libraries of Shahid Beheshti, Tehran, and Iran Universities of Medical Sciences. The survey questionnaire includes 48 questions about the 4Ps marketing mix.

Results: The mean score of product, place, and promotion marketing mix in Shahid Beheshti, Tehran, and Iran Universities of Medical Sciences is 2.91, 2.55, and 2.22 out of four, respectively. Their total average in price is also 0.31out of one. The highest average score of the product mix is 2.97 in Shahid Beheshti and Tehran Universities of Medical Sciences. The highest average place mix score is 2.62 in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. The highest averages score of promotion mix is 2.30 in Shahid Beheshti and Tehran Universities of Medical Sciences. Also, the highest average score of the price, 0.34, obtained by Iran University of Medical Sciences. ANOVA test showed no significant difference among the average score of 4Ps marketing mix in the intended Universities. (P> 0.05)

Conclusion: The survey shows that the product, place, and promotion marketing mix get an average score, but the price is the least. Considering the powerful competitors of the libraries in this virtual age, librarians should play an essential role in appraising and develop the current state of libraries.

Introduction: Emotional intelligence is non-cognitive intelligence that includes recognizing emotions and using them correctly. The use of emotional intelligence in libraries can be vital to librarians' success in dealing with users. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the components of emotional intelligence in librarians working in libraries of selected medical sciences universities in Tehran.

Methods: The study method is a survey. The study population included all 110 librarians working in 27 libraries of the faculties of Tehran, Iran, and Shahid Beheshti Universities of Medical Sciences. The standard questionnaire of Bradberry and Greaves emotional intelligence was used to collect the data. The mean and standard deviation were used to present the emotional intelligence score, student's t-test was used to examine the difference in emotional intelligence between male and female. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and age.

Results: The results revealed that the average score of self-awareness is 83.5, self-management is 69.7, social awareness is 72.1, relationship management is 67.5, and the overall emotional intelligence is 73.3. There was no significant difference between male and female librarians in terms of emotional intelligence, but there was a positive and significant relationship between emotional intelligence and age.

Conclusion: The results showed that emotional intelligence and its components in librarians working in medical universities are at the favorable level, but significantly are far from the ideal score. Consequently, the use of practical methods and workshops in universities is recommended to boost librarians’ emotional intelligence.

Introduction: In the flow of information and scientific communication, two formal and informal relationships are measured through co-authorship. The present study aims to discover the gatekeeper nodes in both types of scientific communication and seek to strengthen the health cycle of medical genetics information.

Methods: This research is applied in terms of purpose, and in terms of nature and method, it is a kind of mixed research, including survey method, scientometrics, and interview and social network analysis.  The research population was the researchers in the field of medical genetics in seven selected centers. First, using centrality indicators, gatekeepers were discovered in the formal communication structure. Then, interviewing formal gatekeepers, the gatekeeper's agents were identified in informal communication. The effectiveness of each gatekeeping factors in the informal scientific communication process was determined using the questionnaire.

Results: The network size represents an average degree of 122. Opinion leaders were extracted based on centrality indicators.  By interviewing with leaders, 15 units were identified as target nodes in the centers. Among them, the educational deputy had the most positive effect, and the ethics committee had the least positive effect on the research process. 

Conclusion: The low amount of degree indicators revealed that the medical genetic communication network is not efficient. Accordingly, most of the negative, informal communication issues are human communication factors such as professors' characteristics. In the research process, some institutions, such as the Ethics Committee, are an inhibitor of communication.

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic has many physical and psychological effects on medical workers around the world. As other health workers, supporting the hospital librarians’ mental health are necessary. This study aimed to evaluate anxiety, stress, and depression levels in hospital librarians in Tehran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 60 hospital librarians and 60 age and gender-matched academic librarians working at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and Iran University of Medical Sciences from May 2020 to July 2020. An online questionnaire was used to measure librarians’ mental problems (stress, anxiety, and depression) and evaluate welfare services and facilities, which hospital/faculty administrators provide during the pandemic. Chi-square and t-test were used to compare categorical and continuous variables between hospital and academic librarians, respectively. Multivariable regression was used to adjust the confounding variables.

Results: Of 120 librarians, 12 (10%) librarians screened positive for stress, and 23 (19.2%) for anxiety. The prevalence of stress was higher among hospital librarians than academic ones (16.6% versus 3.3%, P=0.032). Similarly, the prevalence of anxiety was higher among hospital librarians (38.3% versus 0, P<0.001). The mean scores of stress (9.13±6.63 versus 2.70±3.48), anxiety (4.66±4.89 versus 1.83±1.85), and depression (1.63±2.34 versus 1.40±1.65) were significantly higher among hospital librarians. After adjustment for confounding variables, higher stress (B=-0.19, P=0.001), anxiety (B=-0.27, P=0.037), and depression (B=0.52, P=0.010) were observed in hospital librarians.

Conclusions: The findings revealed that hospital librarians are at high-risk for psychological disorders. Accordingly, early administrative and psychological interventions targeting hospital librarians may be beneficial.

Introduction: The emergence of new information and communication technologies has emphasized the importance of obtaining reliable and up-to-date information. There is a need to encourage clinical residents to use up-to-date medical evidence in clinical decision-making, which could empower their information literacy skills. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between possessing information literacy skills and competencies of evidence-based medicine by clinical residents at Kerman University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Iran.

Methods: The present study was survey-based. The study population consisted of all clinical residents at KUMS. One hundred fifty participants were selected at random to participate in completing the questionnaire. The data were presented using descriptive statistics (mean; SD) and analyzed using statistical tests: Pearson correlation coefficient; linear regression; independent t-test.

Results: Pearson Correlation Coefficient between information literacy and evidence-based medicine was obtained 0.529 (p-value=0.001(. Also, there was a significant relationship between information literacy skills and evidence-based medicine competencies by the clinical residency. With a mean score equal to 3.22, the clinical residency’s ability as to the components "information need" and "information organization" was more than that with other information literacy skills. The clinical residents' ability to use pieces of evidence (3.09) in the evidence-based approach was also higher than that of other components in this approach.

Conclusion: Improving clinical residents' ability to apply information literacy skills to gain medical evidence improves their clinical decision-making performance and may lead to the improvement of health in society.