Washington State University Libraries

Veterinary Preceptors

1. What are the unique needs of this user group?

Preceptorship program: veterinary students spend a minimum of one month in a private animal hospital mentored by a private veterinary practitioner. Currently, 31 private practices/hospitals in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho are participating in this program. This program can be regarded as an extension of the clinical curriculum at CVM/WSU in Pullman. The practitioners are appointed at WSU as adjunct clinical assistant professors (0225 job classification) and are paid a modest fee ($100 per student per week) for their teaching assistance. They are assigned patron type 45.

Preceptors need library support to support the teaching needs of the veterinary students that they mentor. The most useful support services include access to WSU's databases and full-text journals. Access to print veterinary journals (many are NOT available online) would be very desirable. According to my contact in VCS, " the preceptors perform a great service for WSU and they should be entitled to faculty library services."

2. How is this group currently supported by the Libraries?

The head of the Health Sciences Library (the liaison to the College of Veterinary Medicine) has worked with Veterinary Clinical Sciences to ensure that the patron type assigned will allow the preceptors online access to WSU-Pullman databases and e-journals. The VCS now provides lists of preceptors so that they can be readily identified.

3. How is this support communicated and promoted to them?

The liaison has also given informational and instructional presentations at CVM-sponsored meetings of WSU preceptors to provide them with information on how to access the WSU Libraries' services. Info sheets are also provided. She and the health sciences librarians also field email and phone inquiries from preceptors about how to access the system and troubleshoot problems.

4. Does this group have an official liaison from the Libraries?

The veterinary medicine subject liaison serves in this role, although unofficially.

5. What problems does this group have with accessing library services?

In the past proper coding of patron type was a problem, but that has been resolved. Ideally the preceptors should be able to order photocopies of articles from veterinary journals at WSU as well as interlibrary loans, just as the extension faculty do, but there is no billing system to accommodate this. It would not be workable for the VCS to launder the charges for photocopies and ILLs through an IRI in their department. Something similar to this has been set up in one of the other CVM departments, but it was a laborious undertaking and for a special case. The CVM also contracts out with 5-6 other veterinarians, but on a short term basis, and library support is probably not essential for this latter group.