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Much has been said about the evolving role of the medical librarian in recent years. Forces driving this evolution have included a challenging economic environment, dramatic changes in higher education and health care, emerging technologies, workflow and process changes to meet shifting constituent demands, and the need to keep the profession relevant. Budget cuts are forcing hospital libraries to provide new services with limited resources. Also while technology has enabled increased access to information, there is a great need for high-touch positions, characterized by emphasis on personal attention and service, to bridge the gap between technology and end users.

In the midst of change, calls for increased collaboration with nontraditional library constituents and the exploration of emerging opportunities have frequented the literature, including a special issue of the Journal of the Medical Library Association dedicated to this topic. Similarly, in her 2014 Janet Doe lecture, Margaret Moylan Bandy, AHIP, FMLA, called on health sciences librarians to pivot into new roles by finding opportunities to build on existing skills and relationships and by initiating new services 

Objective: 

This study investigated responsibilities, skill sets, degrees, and certifications required of health care navigators in order to identify areas of potential overlap with health sciences librarianship.

This article is co-authored a member of the University of Kentucky Nexus Innovation Network project