Evidence Synthesis Triage in an Academic Library

Abstract

Demand for librarians to support evidence synthesis is growing at Duquesne University, driven by the addition of the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the expanding number of health sciences programs. Health sciences students currently comprise 44% of enrollment, and in five years they are expected to increase to more than 50% of enrollment. The library’s traditional model, relying on a team of highly trained librarians to provide virtually all support, is becoming unsustainable. Evidence synthesis services require librarians with specialized training, ongoing skills-refinement opportunities, and continuing education. However, it is not practical to equip all librarians in a general academic library with this level of expertise, leading to frustration for both researchers and generalist librarians when complex evidence synthesis requests arise. Gumberg Library is developing a scalable, team-based service model that clarifies the roles of evidence synthesis–trained librarians and generalist librarians. This approach aims to expand overall capacity by developing a service model that emphasizes consistent triage of requests and warm handoffs from generalist librarians to the evidence synthesis team when necessary. To support this model, the health sciences librarian team is delivering targeted evidence synthesis training for the Teaching, Research, and Engagement department librarians. This training prepares all librarians to conduct effective initial consultations, help researchers refine questions, assess appropriate review methodologies, and connect researchers with relevant tools and resources as they prepare to take next steps in the process. It also defines tasks generalist librarians can reliably support—such as citation management, review software setup, and locating full text—while reserving advanced methodological guidance for evidence synthesis librarians. This program aims to improve responsiveness, enhance service continuity, and build a sustainable evidence synthesis support structure that meets growing demand for this specialized service.