Medical librarians

The ALIA/Health Libraries Australia (HLA) health specialist competencies apply to all Australian health librarians and health library technicians, who are library and information professionals who have obtained qualifications from an ALIA-accredited, post-secondary educational institution and are eligible for professional librarian membership or professional library technician membership of ALIA.

Miss Anne Harrison (1923-1992) was librarian-in-charge of the Brownless Medical Library at the University of Melbourne (1949-1983), and founder of the Central Medical Library Organisation (1953-1994). She helped pioneer the introduction of Medline into Australia, and was a founder of the Australian Medical Librarians Group in the early 1970s, and later of the LAA Medical Librarians Section (now ALIA Health Libraries Australia).

The Guidelines for Australian Health Libraries (the Guidelines), provide a framework for health librarians to deliver the best possible health library and information services to their clients. 

The fifth edition of the Guidelines builds on the solid base of previous versions, retaining the same four broad Guideline Areas, divided into more specific criteria against which individual libraries may be assessed. This edition contains a number of important revisions and improvements.

Miss Anne Harrison (1923-1992) was librarian-in-charge of the Brownless Medical Library at the University of Melbourne (1949-1983), and founder of the Central Medical Library Organization (1953-1994). She helped pioneer the introduction of Medline into Australia, and was a founder of the Australian Medical Librarians Group in the early 1970s, and later of the LAA Medical Librarians Section (now ALIA Health Libraries Australia).

This document identifies and describes the ALIA Health Libraries Australia (ALIA HLA) eight competency areas. Health librarians, from novice to expert, need a basic understanding of each competency area:

This document identifies and describes the ALIA Health Libraries Australia (ALIA HLA) eight competency areas. Health librarians, from novice to expert, need a basic understanding of each competency area:

Miss Anne Harrison (1923-1992) was librarian-in-charge of the Brownless Medical Library at the University of Melbourne (1949-1983), and founder of the Central Medical Library Organization (1953-1994). She helped pioneer the introduction of Medline into Australia, and was a founder of the Australian Medical Librarians Group in the early 1970s, and later of the LAA Medical Librarians Section (now ALIA Health Libraries Australia).

The Digital Health Literacy – Empowering your community to manage their own health future online training program includes information that will enable public library and health library staff to support and guide the community to navigate and understand the Federal Government digital health initiatives, such as My Health Record and how to access online health and well-being resources through libraries.

The Competency Mapping work has produced a list of approximately 110 health-related courses, events and programs offered in 2019 that are relevant to health librarians and technicians in Australia. The courses are also mapped to HLA's eight competency areas.

The Competency Mapping work has produced a list of health-related courses, events and programs offered in 2018 that are relevant to health librarians and technicians in Australia. The courses are also mapped to HLA's eight competency areas.