Emerging roles of health sciences librarians

Health sciences librarians no longer find themselves only staffing reference desks or building collections. Their activities range from being active participants in health-care teams to providing training to the general public. Emerging roles are surfacing in all arenas served by health sciences libraries: educational, clinical, research, and administration. Librarians are meeting new skill demands by re-educating both on the job and through traditional coursework. New types of positions are being explored and new partnerships with health-care colleagues are being forged. This article highlights the reasons why these new opportunities exist and provides references to articles contained within this journal issue.