Area Health Education Center (AHEC) outreach librarian

Abstract

Area Health Education Center (AHEC) librarians are first, and foremost, outreach librarians. Improving health care and the distribution of health‐care professionals in rural and under‐served areas is the origin of the AHEC program. AHEC librarians play an important role in clinical education and patient care. Their role has characteristics of both academic medical center and hospital librarians. Their primary clientele are clinicians and administrators who have patient care, professional development, or educational needs for information access. In addition, they provide curricular support to the clinical education of undergraduate and graduate health sciences faculty and students. AHEC librarians provide reference service, interlibrary loan, collection management, and perform many administrative tasks for the AHEC. Three areas of librarian expertise are particularly important. clinical reference, educational support, and outreach services.

Citation

McDuffee, D. (2004), "Area Health Education Center (AHEC) outreach librarian", Reference Services Review, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 69-73. https://doi.org/10.1108/00907320410519478