gms | German Medical Science

The working environment of information specialists is undergoing profound changes. This is primarily due to rapid advances in digitalization and automation. New databases are being set up or new functions added to established databases. At the same time, data processing and analysis have reached a new level (e.g. through machine learning). In addition, many new software tools to support daily work are being developed. But how do information specialists find out about new developments and assess the practical suitability of new tools?

Nowadays, an abundance of information on new developments in information retrieval can be found on the Internet. In an online session hosted by Elke Hausner from the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, Helen King from Sage Publishing Ltd, Hannah O’Keefe from Newcastle University and Aaron Tay from Singapore Management University will present their Internet activities (including newsletters, blogs, and Twitter) and talk about their work and future developments.

PubTech Radar Scan (https://pubtechradar.substack.com/): A newsletter by Helen King about publishing technology companies, innovations and initiatives.

The Systematic Review Toolbox (http://systematicreviewtools.com): A web-based catalogue of tools that support various tasks within the systematic review and wider evidence synthesis process. It was originally developed by Chris Marshall and Anthea Sutton and is currently maintained by Chris Marshall and Hannah O’Keefe.

Musings about librarianship (http://musingsaboutlibrarianship.blogspot.com): A blog by Aaron Tay, who regularly reports on new (technical) developments in librarianship.

In addition, all three information specialists have Twitter accounts (with up to 6,000 followers).

Keywords: information retrieval, blogging, social media