Skye Bickett, DHSc, MLIS, AHIP 
Scientific Process and Research Manager 
ACGIH 

Editor’s note: This month, we are profiling Skye Bickett, who has served as a Librarian Selector for Doody’s Core Titles since 2011. 

Where do you currently work and what is your position? 

I work at the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) as the Scientific Process and Research Manager. 

Provide a brief description of your current organization and your role. 

ACGIH is a nonprofit organization that aims to prevent illness or disease caused in the workplace and protect workers’ health worldwide. In my role, I manage the process for developing, revising, and establishing Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) and associated documentation, perform systematic literature searches for authors of our publications, handle public comments regarding TLVs, obtain copyright permissions for reuse of images and other materials, perform technical editing, and provide updates for our database website and online store. 

When did you start in health sciences librarianship? What was your position? With what institution? 

I started my career in 2008 as an outreach librarian for the Northeast Georgia Health System and Foothills Area Health Education Center. 

Name two of the most important issues facing the profession today. 

The biggest issues facing our profession are related to human resources. Librarians, in general, are sorely underpaid and libraries are often understaffed. These dilemmas have caused stagnation in our field and prevented many, especially hospital librarians, from being active in the field and making connections with others. While I believe the problem is slowly improving, we still have a long way to go; however, I’m encouraged by the changes that some newer directors are making.  

What is one innovation, product, or service in your organization that you’re excited about? 

I’m currently working with our Technical Editor and Scientific Committee Coordinator to enhance ACGIH committees and our publication process. These improvements will lead to more effective committees and a more efficient publication process. Implementation begins in 2024, so we’re all excited for what’s to come! 

Why do you serve as a DCT Librarian Selector? 

I serve as a selector, because it’s important for librarians to have resources to turn to when they’re developing their collections. Medical librarians and content experts working together to review and select books to include in the collection is what makes DCT such a unique and wonderful resource. I found DCT to be extremely helpful since I started as a librarian and wanted to contribute when I could. Plus, the DCT staff is always so nice and easy to work with.  

Anything else you’d like to share? 

I encourage anyone interested to contact the DCT staff and become a reviewer. It’s a great way to give back to the profession and assist with collection development.