This survey – held once every three years – is now open and closes 14th June
Visit the site for more information and to complete the survey
Doing so helps increase the visibility of health librarians …
Why it is important for health librarians to be included in a Specialist Digital Health Workforce Census
Including health librarians in a specialist digital health workforce census is critical because it makes visible a workforce that is central to safe, effective, and evidence‑informed digital health systems. Health librarians work at the intersection of clinical care, research, information governance, digital literacy, and health informatics. When we are excluded from workforce data collections, our contributions are rendered invisible to policymakers, funders, and senior health administrators.
A digital health workforce census can be used to:
- map current workforce capability
- identify skills gaps and future needs
- inform funding, workforce planning, and training priorities
- demonstrate workforce impact on health system outcomes
If librarians are not counted, the data inevitably underrepresents the true breadth of specialist digital health expertise within hospitals and health services. This can lead to:
- underinvestment in library and knowledge services
- assumptions that digital health skills sit only with IT or clinical informatics roles
- missed opportunities to leverage librarians’ expertise in areas such as evidence synthesis, data quality, AI governance, and digital capability building
Inclusion in the census formally recognises health librarians as part of the digital health ecosystem rather than as an “optional support service”.