Academic Dental Librarianship in Canada: Taking Stock, Planning the Future

Abstract

The Oral Health Interest Group/Groupe d’intérêt en santé buccale of CHLA/ABSC, established in 2016, aims to act as a source of networking for dental librarians in Canada, conduct research, and advocate for the specialty. In the present article, the first produced by OHIG, the authors describe the current landscape of academic dental librarianship in Canada using data resulting from an informal consultation of all OHIG members. Examples of distinctive practice are highlighted through a series of vignettes, and the overview is set in context through a literature review of dental librarianship, focussing on Canadian contributions to the speciality. The article concludes with the authors’ reflections into possible directions the specialty may take over the next few years, noting the importance of increased embedded collaboration with faculty and the need to develop new skills, for example, to support research data management and new trends in scholarly communications.

Keywords

• Libraries
• Dental
• Evidence-Based Dentistry
• Library Services
• Information literacy
• Education