Hello everyone, I’m Stephanie Burns and I’ve recently joined the Library and Knowledge team at Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals NHS Trust as a Librarian.

My library background has been predominantly in the HE and FE sector. I’ve worked in a number of places… from the Shetland Isles, where I’m originally from, to the North West of England via Aberdeen and Dubai! However, my very first professional library role was in the NHS many years ago when I worked for the-then Grampian Health Board in Aberdeen. So, when I saw this job advertised, I decided to make the leap back into the NHS and I’m so delighted I did!

Everyone connected with the Library service here at Southport and Ormskirk have been so friendly and have made me feel extremely welcome. Margaret-Mary and Saffron here in the Library itself have been wonderful and have gone out of their way to confirm to me that I’ve made the right decision in moving back to the NHS. I have been amazed to see the diverse range of users the Library has and am excited to look at ways we can develop our outreach services within the Trust and community even more widely.

I feel I’ve come into the role at just the right time. As so many changes are currently happening with regards to databases and the Knowledge and Library Hub, I hope I can contribute to the promotion and training needed to ensure these services are used widely and effectively. I have many years’ experience of devising, delivering and marketing information literacy workshops and online training, as well as the design and creation of marketing material, so I hope this will hold me in good stead in this role.

Perhaps the best bit about my new role however is the feeling that I’m an actual Librarian again! Getting to test myself by completing literature searches and giving advice to staff is both interesting and challenging, and a pleasant change from my previous role in an FE College where dealing with behavioural incidents seemed to take up much of my day (from the students, not the staff I should add!) The essential role of providing the right information to aid in clinical decision making is one which I am enjoying immensely.

The importance of promoting health and information literacy is one of my passions and I’m keen to meet colleagues from other trusts in the North and beyond and to get involved in any way I can. I can be contacted at: s.burns16@nhs.net