Meet Boglarka: 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.
This week we are highlighting Boglarka Huddleston, our Manager of Research & Instruction. Learn more about Boglarka’s background, day-to-day work, and take on new tech below.
Learn more about Boglarka!
What inspired you to become a medical librarian, and how long have you been in this field?
I am not sure I can pinpoint an inspiration – I feel like the choices I made in life led me down the road that ended with me being a medical librarian. I have worked in academic libraries for over a decade and specialized in the health sciences. Then last year, I accepted my current position as the Manager of Research & Instruction at Lane Medical Library. Medical librarianship is such a dynamic profession with constant learning, evolving technology, and the ability to contribute to important healthcare initiatives and advancing medical research. I love all of it!
Can you describe a typical day in your role as a medical librarian?
A typical day involves a healthy mix of 1) answering research questions from all areas of medicine with varying difficulty, 2) teaching classes that can be a basic how-to-use a certain database or a more complex topic like working on systematic review projects with healthcare teams, and 3) collaborating with other librarians on various projects to help the library stay on top of emerging trends in health information.
How has technology changed the way you provide library services?
Technology has had a tremendous impact on library services. The way users access and interact with information looks nothing like it did even 5 years ago. Most of our resources are online, which allows access from anywhere in the world. Advanced search tools and AI-driven algorithms help us retrieve precise, relevant information in a matter of minutes, which in turn support evidence-based healthcare practices and research. Overall, technology has increased the speed, accessibility, and scope of medical information services.
What emerging trends in medical librarianship do you find most exciting or impactful?
I feel like AI is the obvious answer here – machine learning algorithms for literature searches or predictive analytics are reshaping how information is found and analyzed, allowing for more efficient evidence-based research. I also find the open science movement very impactful as it promotes equity and free access to scholarly publications and data, enabling greater collaboration and transparency in medical research.
What are your go-to resources or databases that you would recommend to healthcare professionals?
Medical professionals’ #1 go-to resource should be their friendly, neighborhood medical librarian 😊.
Boglarka oversees our liaison librarian program at Lane Library. Find out who your liaison librarian is and how to reach out on our liaison webpage. Next week, we will be learning more about Anu Moorthy, our electronic resources librarian!