Carly Rowley
I joined the Public Health England Knowledge and Library Services Surveillance team in March 2021. Prior to this, I was an NHS Librarian supporting staff of an acute trust, a specialist cancer centre and a community trust with evidence searches and training.

Aside from work, I am a qualified musician and completed a PhD in Music before re-training as information professional. I am a member of Liverpool Welsh Choral and enjoy both singing and dancing Argentine tango (when it’s allowed!) – I also enjoy reading, dressmaking and knitting.

I’m fortunate to have met many fantastic library professionals whilst part of the NHS. I really look forward to meeting more people, especially in the North East and Yorkshire/Humber areas.

Tanya Williamson
I joined Public Health England as a Knowledge & Evidence Specialist in February 2021 from Lancaster University, where I was a Faculty Librarian for Health & Medicine. My career in libraries so far has always been in higher education supporting a wide range of subjects over the years, so this is an exciting change for me. I’m enjoying the challenge of establishing a new role and service with a completely different user base.

I was lucky to attend ‘It’s Great Up North’ in Harrogate back in 2019 where I was impressed by the positivity, expertise and sense of community among the health librarians I met who were working in diverse organisations and roles. I hope to contribute to this community in my new role in the public health system, and get to know colleagues up North, particularly in the North West.

Supporting Local Authority Public Health (LAPH) teams
As Knowledge and Evidence Specialists in the Surveillance team, our remit is to support Local Authority Public Health (LAPH) teams primarily with evidence relating to COVID-19 response and recovery. We will also be on-hand to provide a library service to LAPH teams who do not have access to library support via an existing agreement with another library, or who do not employ an information specialist ‘in house’. Carly will be looking after the North East, Yorkshire & Humber regions, and Tanya will focus on the North West, working together where there is any crossover.

Ultimately, Public Health England (PHE) wants to support from LAPH teams by providing access to this valuable service. Specifically, providing the evidence and training LAPH teams need to make crucial public health decisions at local authority level.

The Service Offer
This new service is described to our users on the PHE Knowledge & Library Services webpage for Local Authority Public Health staff.
In brief, we're offering a PHE-funded knowledge and evidence service for LAPH Teams:
• Literature searching and information retrieval
• Enquiry services e.g. setting up user accounts; signposting to other services
• Document delivery
• Access to e-journals
• EBSCO Discovery for local authorities
• Training and development
• Current awareness updates and topic alerts

What this means for you
Whether you have an established, funded agreement to provide services to nearby Local Authority Public Health teams, something more informal, or nothing at, Carly and Tanya are keen to learn more about how our services can complement each other to best support public health, particularly in relation to COVID-19 response and recovery. We know that many health librarians in the North are already well-established and have great relationships and ideas that can help us shape the service where it is needed.

Please contact Carly Rowley (NE,Y&H) and Tanya Williamson (NW) if you're keen to discuss any aspect of the new service, and pass on our contact details to any LAPH staff you think we can help.

Carly Rowley & Tanya Williamson
Knowledge & Evidence Specialists
Regional Surveillance Team
Knowledge & Library Services
Public Health England
Enquiries: libraries@phe.gov.uk