Abstract
In 2016, the University of Washington Health Sciences Library (HSL) launched the Translational Research & Information Lab (TRAIL) in collaboration with four partners from across the campus. Capitalizing on each partner's skills, TRAIL coordinates data and innovation services focused on the needs of medical researchers through clinical data management, research data collection, cohort discovery, and emerging technologies. It includes a renovated, technology-enhanced space that has supported creative projects using virtual reality. Cross-partner collaboration has provided HSL librarians with opportunities to spread their proverbial wings beyond the confines of the library, providing key professional development opportunities and benefiting UW's clinical research community. The chapter will discuss and detail how HSL and its TRAIL partners have developed support models harnessing the skills of librarians to provide core support for clinical and biomedical tools laid the foundation for creative and mutually beneficial projects using new and emerging technologies and learning practices.
TopLiterature Review
Evolving librarian skillsets, maturing technology, and reduced barriers to access have had a profound impact on reshaping the role of the library in an academic environment ever seeking the cutting edge in research. Library-based research data services and technology-enhanced spaces are still in comparative infancy within the overarching librarianship scope. As such, existing literature predominantly highlights institutions’ experiences launching services without clear overall and profession-wide takeaways or best practices. As that area of librarianship matures and develops, future literature may better illustrate those lessons learned.
The librarianship landscape before TRAIL’s founding in 2016 was one with initial exploratory forays into research data services without many clearly defined and structured support projects. Tenopir et al.'s (2014) survey of American and Canadian academic research libraries indicated that while few research data services were actively employed in the libraries, many were in the development stage. They also found that most services focused on informational, consultant-style data services, such as helping to find a dataset or creating online finding aids, rather than technical, hands-on services like data curation or technical support for a tool or platform. Kennan et al. (2014) identified a lack of staff knowledge/skills and staff lack of confidence to be the top constraints against the development of research data management and bibliometric services among surveyed institutions.
Key Terms in this Chapter
REDCap: A browser-based data collection and database management for health sciences researchers to conduct studies, capture data, and create databases in a secure environment. It is compliant with major governmental health privacy regulations, including the United States’ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Electronic Health Record (EHR): A patient-specific digital record containing their medical and treatment history, including diagnoses, procedures, immunizations, allergies, and laboratory test results. Also referred to as an electronic medical record (EMR).
Biomedical Informatics: The use of computational techniques and approaches from disciplines like applied mathematics, computer science, and statistics to answer biological questions and analyze medical data.
Virtual Reality (VR): The use of computer technology, predominantly through a head-mounted display, to create and immerse the user into a three-dimensional simulated environment.
Translational Research: A multidisciplinary research approach that prioritizes effectively converting laboratory-based research into effective practice with real-world tangible outcomes, techniques, and medications that improve health care and overall public health.
Translational Research and Information Lab (TRAIL): A five-partner initiative at the University of Washington to share resources to establish and offer data-related services supporting the university’s clinical research enterprise.