Sharing one librarian’s expertise in selecting microbiome titles

Sharing one librarian's expertise in selecting microbiome titles

There's a significant and growing interest in gut health in both academic research and among the general public. While academic researchers were once simply cataloging the elements of the microbiome, they are now exploring and reporting on the gut microbiome's impact on overall health. In the consumer market, a groundswell of interest and investment in gut health products is boosting the size of the market, with projections that it could nearly double by 2030. On platforms such as TikTok, hashtags related to gut health, including #GutTok, have garnered over a billion views, reflecting the burgeoning conversation around gut health topics.

Libraries play a pivotal role by providing access to a wide range of resources, including ebooks that support the needs of those with academic or general interest in microbiome health. However, expanding library collections to include reliable and trustworthy titles on the topic can be challenging, especially for libraries without specialized staff. To address this, ProQuest, part of Clarivate, has collaborated with Lorna Goudie, Acquisitions Coordinator, Edge Hill University, to curate a list of recommended print and ebooks on microbiome health.

Experience and personal interest built a comprehensive list

Goudie's list, Microbiome Health, is part of the LibList program at ProQuest, which is featured on its ebook purchasing platforms. It is designed to help libraries build customized collections that cater to their users' particular needs. Goudie's experience as an acquisition librarian and personal interests, including her involvement with the IBS Network, led her to begin collecting a list of books that could help people with various needs and interests in gut health. She explains: "I wasn't picking books for one specific audience. Some of them might be more academic for someone doing research in that area. Some of the books are much more affordable, more accessible and could absolutely sit within a well-being or self-help collection."

The result is a comprehensive list of 43 titles that can serve a range of patron needs. Titles such as Food for Life: The New Science of Eating Well by Tim Spector; Why Gut Microbes Matter: Understanding Our Microbiome by Harry Flint and Gut Bacteria: The Secret to Health by Ujjwal Sonikaare written for those looking to improve their health or educate themselves on a chronic gut issue. A selection of academic titles such as the Gut Microbiome-Related Diseases and Therapies and Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis: Implications on Health can support students and researchers advancing their studies in the area.

While Goudie is an academic librarian, she stresses that many of the titles on the Microbiome Health Liblist would be at home in the self-help section of any public library.

Harnessing and sharing librarians' collection curation expertise

Like all ProQuest LibLists, the Microbiome Health LibList is designed to foster collaboration, exchange knowledge and amplify diverse perspectives in the library community by sharing the collection development acumen of academic librarians. Created by librarians who have specialized knowledge, these lists enable their peers to confidently assemble collections that address emerging needs at universities.

Other LibLists include:

• Rooted Wisdom LibList, curated by Jennifer Randall, formerly Special Collections & Archives Librarian at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke
• Mental Health & Wellness LibList, curated by Neil Grimes, Education & Curriculum Materials Librarian at William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ) and Linda Salvesen, Systems Librarian at WPUNJ
• Animal Allies LibList, curated by Derek Marshall, Director for Branch Libraries at Mississippi State University
• Indigenising the Curriculum LibList, curated by Yanti Ropeyarn, Senior Specialist, Indigenous Initiatives at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia
• Inclusivity in Healthcare LibList, curated by Maria King, Subject Librarian, School of Health and Social Care Information Services, Edinburgh Napier University, UK

Explore any ProQuest LibList by logging into your preferred acquisitions platform and searching for LibLists under the Curated Topics sections on LibCentral, OASIS and Rialto. Request a title list.