Professional News

Tyler Nix Appointed National Library of Medicine Associate Fellow

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 5, 2015) — An alumnus of the College of Communication and Information’s Library and Information Science (LIS) graduate program has been chosen as one of the 2015 Associate Fellows at the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Tyler Nix (class of 2015) was one of only three selected for an associate fellowship position this year. Nix, who is pursuing a career in health librarianship, was enthusiastic to receive news of his appointment to the position.

"As any graduate student will tell you, the job hunt can be overwhelming," Nix said. "The fellowship offers a combination of learning through a formal curriculum program, and leadership development through project-based work. So (my reaction was) it feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Nix pursued courses in the Library and Information Science program’s Health Information track during his graduate student tenure. The College of Communication and Information’s Library and Information Science master’s program has been ranked as a top 5 program for health librarianship by U.S. News and World Report.

"Health science librarianship works to connect patients, students and care providers with the best health and biomedical information available. A person's concern for their health and the health of their loved ones is universal. At some point, each of us will likely be faced with a health challenge. So there is a sense of relevancy there that is very compelling," he said.

Nix took advantage of opportunities offered through the LIS graduate program, and he also pursued practical field experience in health sciences librarianship both on and off campus.

"There have been so many opportunities to engage with the field in Lexington," he said, "I learned about health care navigators through a research project with the school and the University of Kentucky Medical Center Library faculty, and from there took courses in consumer health information, the search and evaluation of health science literature, and evidence-based medicine. I was also fortunate to work with the Frontier Nursing University librarians in expanding their institutional repository, with collections ranging from current nursing and nurse-midwifery instructional materials, to doctorate research capstones and historical materials from the Frontier Nursing Service."

The associate fellowship position will not be the first professional experience Nix has had with National Library of Medicine. He was one of a handful of student interns chosen to participate at the National Library of Medicine during the Spring 2014 Alternative Spring Break program offered through the School of Library and Information Science.

"The Alternative Spring Break program offered me a chance to intern at the NLM for a week in March 2014. We worked on projects and got to know the current associate fellows and meet several NLM staff members. So it was a brief glimpse of the environment at NLM and was very influential in terms of applying for the Associate Fellowship Program. I would recommend applying to Alternative Spring Break to any current library science students who may be considering it," said Nix who is hopeful that this new experience at NLM as an associate fellow will provide meaningful professional development opportunities and help him to plan his career.

"My long term plans are still in the making, so this position offers a chance to continue in-depth learning and participate in health science librarianship initiatives while building on the graduate school experience," Nix said. "The NLM is producing content and managing projects that are unique in the field, so I expect that the fellowship experience will strongly help to shape what comes next (for me)."

More information on the Associate Fellowship Program may be found at the National Library of Medicine’s website.  For more information on the Library and Information Science master’s program at UK, visit https://ci.uky.edu/lis/mslsonline. The School of Library and Information Science is part of the College of Communication and Information, UK’s official iSchool, part of group of information schools dedicated to advancing the field.

MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecca Stratton and Blair Hoover, 859-323-2395; rebecca.stratton@uky.edu, blair.hoover@uky.edu