Meet Connie: National Medical Librarians Month
Every October we celebrate medical librarians for their invaluable contributions to furthering the work of healthcare providers, researchers, and medical educators. In this fast-paced, quick information, AI world, health science librarians are the best resource for timely, verified health information. In this blog series, we delve into the experiences and insights of some of our outstanding Lane Librarians.
First up – we are highlighting Connie Wong, our Medical Education Librarian. Learn more about Connie’s background, daily workflows, and take on new tech below.
Learn more about Connie!
What inspired you to become a medical librarian, and how long have you been in this field?
My journey started as a veterinarian, where I loved using research to solve complex cases. That passion led me to medical librarianship because I wanted to help even more people by connecting them to the best evidence out there. I’ve been in this field for over seven years.
Can you describe a typical day in your role as a medical librarian?
Every day is different but typically involves research support, teaching, learning, and exploring methods or tools to improve library services and collaboration. Most days include one-on-one consultations with students, nurses, or researchers to assist with literature searches and systematic reviews. Some days, I teach workshops on evidence-based practice and advanced search techniques. I usually spend an hour keeping updated on the librarianship research and news from key stakeholders, such as the National Library of Medicine. I also attend regular meetings and collaborate with colleagues to brainstorm new ways to support our users.
How has technology changed the way you provide library services?
Technology has changed how I connect with and support library users and busy health professionals working at hospitals by making everything more accessible and personalized. I can offer quicker and more accurate literature searches with advanced digital tools, including AI-assisted tools and literature databases. Virtual consultations and online workshops make it easy for me to reach users no matter where they are, and I can provide support beyond the library’s walls. Plus, tools for managing citations and sharing research help me collaborate more effectively and ensure users always have access to the latest resources.
What emerging trends in medical librarianship do you find most exciting or impactful?
As a medical librarian, I’m excited about several emerging trends shaping the profession. Integrating AI and machine learning enhances information retrieval, while librarians take on more prominent roles in research data management and promote open science initiatives. Automated tools for systematic reviews are streamlining evidence synthesis, and we’re seeing increased collaboration with health informatics teams, particularly as telehealth expands. Embedded librarianship fosters stronger interdisciplinary partnerships, and there’s a growing focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in collections and services. Additionally, supporting digital health literacy for patients has become essential, positioning us as crucial players in improving healthcare outcomes.
What are your go-to resources or databases that you would recommend to healthcare professionals?
As a medical librarian, I always recommend a few go-to resources for healthcare professionals to support both clinical decision-making and research. PubMed is essential for accessing a wide range of biomedical literature, while UpToDate and DynaMed are excellent for quick, evidence-based clinical summaries at the point of care. For systematic reviews, I recommend the Cochrane Library and JBI Evidence-Based Practice database, and for comprehensive medical content, including textbooks, ClinicalKey and McGraw Hill Access Series are versatile options. Embase is also valuable, particularly for international, medical device and pharmaceutical research.
Connie is a member of our liaison librarian group. Find out who your liaison librarian is and how to reach out on our liaison webpage. Next week, we will be learning more about Boglarka Huddleston, the manager of the Research & Instruction team of librarians at Lane Library!
