Implementing an Interdisciplinary Systematic Review Service

We are continuing to introduce you our speakers for the IFLA Social Sciences Libraries’ webinar Systematic Review Success: An Introductory Workshop for Librarians & Information Professionals 

Second presenter is Ryan Harris (North Carolina, USA).

Ryan Harris, MLIS, AHIP serves as the Associate Dean for Public Services at the J. Murrey Atkins Library, University of North Carolina Charlotte. In this role he provides strategy and leadership in a variety of Public Services including research, instruction, circulation and resource sharing. Ryan has actively supported systematic reviews in his current and past work covering topics including medicine, social work, and education.

The theme of the presentation:
Implementing an Interdisciplinary Systematic Review Service

Abstract: An academic library that serves a wide variety of departments and programs was approached by the Associate Dean for Research from its College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) about piloting a formal systematic review service. Some systematic review support had been done on an ad hoc basis for the CHHS faculty, supported by the subject librarian for health and human services, and the Department of Special Education and Child Development, supported by the Associate Dean for Public Services, but a formal service was not offered. The Dean of the CHHS was interested in its faculty doing more systematic reviews and was willing to provide funding to provide access to systematic review screening software. Due to workload demands it was determined that a pilot program would be offered to provide formal support for systematic reviews. Librarians would work with several research teams to develop and execute search strategies, help with the screening software, provide documentation of searches, and assist in writing the methodology. Librarians would be included as co-authors in any publications resulting from this pilot program. In order to gauge interest in this type of service, a workshop was developed by librarians and offered to faculty at CHHS. This workshop provided an overview of systematic reviews, including the definition of a systematic review, an overview of various systematic review standards, question development, the literature search process, the review process, various available tools for risk of bias assessment, and activities including evaluation of research questions and of existing published systematic reviews. Faculty interested in participating in the program had to submit a proposal with their research question and research team. Librarians and the associate dean for research reviewed all submissions. After the selection of CHHS faculty to participate in the pilot program, the Associate Dean for Research from the School of Education reached out to librarians to see if there would be the possibility of offering a similar service for education faculty. The pilot program has been going on for the 2022 – 2023 and 2023 – 2024 academic years. Librarians have worked with 19 research teams since the launch of the pilot.

Save the date

We invite you to attend our webinar on June 5, Wednesday, 10 am-11:30 am ESTPlease check your time zone.
Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/IFLASocSciWebinar1