Session Title:

Building a Medical Library Knowledge Base Using LibAnswers

Your Name and Title:

Eve Melton, Manager of Library Services, KP Central Valley Area

Library, School, or Organization Name:

Kaiser Permanente

Co-Presenter Name(s):

Marina T. Aiello, Manager of Library Services, KP Fresno

Area of the World from Which You Will Present:

California, US

Language in Which You Will Present:

English

Target Audience(s):

Librarians (All types)

Short Session Description (one line):

The Kaiser Permanente Librarians have developed and employed a shared knowledge base using the LibAnswers platform in order to provide immediate answers to questions from health care professionals at multiple medical facilities. 

Full Session Description (as long as you would like):

In 2012, the Kaiser Permanente Libraries (kpLibraries) established and developed a shared knowledge base, “Ask a kpLibrarian,” using the LibAnswers platform to meet the evolving information needs of health care professionals.  To provide comprehensive, 24/7 digital content and resources, the KP Librarians have collaborated in developing the LibAnswers site and populating LibAnswers with frequently asked questions.  Additionally, the group has marketed the new resource to KP employees, while offering LibAnswers training to all Northern California KP librarians. 

By creating the LibAnswers site, the KP Librarians were able to immediately provide answers from “Ask a kpLibrarian” to all KP Physicians and Employees, as well as utilize the statistical analysis tool in the LibAnswers platform for maintaining reference metrics.  In addition to writing questions and responses for “Ask a kpLibrarian,” the librarians also developed criteria to capture information from each reference transaction, which has allowed kpLibraries to collocate and streamline all reference statistics.  In LibAnswers, the KP Librarians are able to answer questions from health care professionals while simultaneously managing the reference statistics surrounding those questions.

In this session, the KP Librarians will describe the process for developing and employing LibAnswers in multiple medical facilities, best practices for training librarians to utilize LibAnswers for responding to inquiries, and advice for audience members who are considering or planning to implement LibAnswers as a shared knowledge base at their organization.   

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:

Ask a kpLibrarian: http://kplibraries.libanswers.com