Josette Kubicki, Reference and Instruction Librarian at Reese Library, was selected to participate in this year’s Evidence Synthesis Institute (ESI) through the University of Minnesota. Ms. Kubicki has been a teaching librarian at Reese Library since 2017, having worked previously as a librarian in both Florida and Australia. At the University Libraries, she provides information literacy instruction to classes in various subject areas, is the liaison librarian to the College of Education and Human Development’s Department of Teaching and Leading, and to the Pamplin College’s Department of Psychological Sciences, where she is embedded online in some courses. Ms. Kubicki’s participation in the Evidence Synthesis Institute reflects an expanding role for the Reese librarians as Augusta University moves toward becoming an R1 institution.
The Evidence Synthesis Institute, which is funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program Grant, is a very selective program that provides training for librarians in systematic reviews and similar evidence-synthesis methodologies outside the health sciences. It introduces librarians to advanced search strategy development, software tools, and quality assessment. The ESI also creates a supportive cohort of librarians as they are introduced to these new concepts.
Currently, the Augusta University Libraries provide a systematic review service through the Greenblatt Library which focuses on the health sciences. Systematic reviews have also been conducted in the social sciences at Augusta University. According to Dean Brad Warren, “Systematic reviews are a well-known and important research contribution stemming from the medical library field with applications outside that discipline. Ms. Kubicki’s inclusion in this program recognizes the value of the work and research in the College of Education and Human Development. It will provide the AU Libraries with additional expertise to better support our comprehensive research mission.” For more information about the Systematic Review Program at Augusta University: https://guides.augusta.edu/systematic_review
For more information about the Evidence Synthesis Institute: https://www.lib.umn.edu/about/evidence-synthesis-institute
