Clinical Librarianship in the Republic of Ireland: current trends and future opportunities

Abstract

This paper will provide an overview of the current status of Clinical Librarianship in the Republic of Ireland. TwoClinical Librarians roles and a Clinical Informationist pilot project are described. Despite some evidencesuggesting largely positive attitudes held by both librarians and clinicians towards the concept, ClinicalLibrarianship has not flourished in Ireland, as it has in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. This paper willexplore the likely causal factors for this underdevelopment and look towards future opportunities for ClinicalLibrarianship in Ireland.