Angela Noel Murrell
Angela Murrell is currently an Associate Librarian in the Health Science Library as a Liaison to the College of Medicine -Tucson. She brings 23 years of professional library experience in hospital, research, and academic libraries. She managed a medical school library for three years and has led professional associations such as a regional Chapter of the Medical Library Association and local professional and interest groups. She recently chaired the Joint Meeting Planning Committee for the Medical Library Group of Southern California and Arizona held in Las Vegas in January 2026. She earned her Master's of Library and Information Sciences degree from Louisiana State University. She also earned MLA’s Systematic Review Services Specialization (SRSS) Level I and Level II. Angela's research interests focus on information and data literacy, improving SR and research skills in health practitioners, and the history and indexing of transgender scholarship.
Session
Introduction: Health sciences librarians are currently seeing a shift in the workforce as many leaders are approaching retirement, leaving leadership positions open for professional organizations to restructure and fill with new leaders educated with specific leadership offerings. This study aims to investigate pressing needs for leaders in the profession and how those needs will shape future leaders in national and international organizations of health sciences librarianship.
Methods: This study used a mixed-methods design to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the attitudes and perceptions of leaders in the profession regarding opportunities for leadership development and their current needs and priorities. Researchers designed and piloted a survey on Qualtrics to identify pressing leadership needs and how professional organizations can develop better educational offerings to support these needs. The survey invitation and link were distributed to relevant health sciences listservs in North America. The qualitative analysis developed key themes utilizing Taguette.
Results: Among 157 survey respondents, most were academic health sciences librarians (n=87), followed by hospital librarians (n=51), with fewer from other settings. Senior leaders were underrepresented, suggesting turnover or survey reach limitations. Qualitative analysis revealed inconsistent mentorship, program suitability, and insufficient topic depth. The most important leadership skills centered around advocacy, management, and strong leadership vision.
Discussion: Findings suggest a growing need for cost-effective and targeted training for leadership in health sciences libraries. Particularly in accessibility, relevance, and mentorship opportunities, ensuring educational programs better equip librarians for leadership roles. Recommendations will aim to align training with participant needs and foster a more robust leadership pipeline.