Medical Librarians

Over the years the duties of librarians have evolved along with the development of different kinds of libraries and the development of new technologies. As the medical field became more structured as a result of the popularity of managed health care programs, the need to organize, store, and retrieve archived materials, research, and other materials became increasingly important. Medical libraries were introduced to house these unique collections and with them came specialized staffing needs. Workers who were knowledgeable about medical topics, as well as who possessed strong information management skills, were hired to organize and retrieve information quickly for doctors, other medical professionals, and even for patients themselves. These libraries were first created within or near larger medical institutions as a way to store educational and research materials. As research and information has accrued, medical libraries have sprouted up in universities, corporations such as pharmaceutical companies, and large public libraries.