Some ‘odd’ new books for the Learning Academy Library
In September, we bought 11 new books for the Northern NHS Libraries CPD collection. An odd number because odd numbers are more memorable. I’m sure I read that somewhere……
CPD staff collection: a little reminder!
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always struggled to keep up with my continuing professional development. Taking time out to learn isn’t exactly easy. In the past, it was possible to take a day out of the workplace to go on a formal training course, but applying that learning to your own situation could be difficult. All that inspiration often faded away in the face of real world work. You might assume ‘Virtual’ training would be better, given you’re not as separated from that real world scenario, but there are different challenges instead. For example, you may not have that all-important time to reflect on what you’ve learned if you’re immediately plunged back into the job at hand, the moment you take off the headset and turn off the webcam.…
My LILAC 2022 Conference Experience
I am so grateful to the YOHHLnet committee for awarding me a bursary to attend the Librarians’ Information Literacy Conference (or LILAC for short). It ran from 11th-13th April at Manchester Metropolitan University. Though I was a bit nervous to attend my first in-person conference since 2019, I needn’t have worried at all as I had a fabulous time!…
The pen is mightier than the keyboard: promoting information skills to ambulance services
The Library and Knowledge Service for NHS Ambulance Services in England (LKS ASE) serves about 36,000 users in eight of the ten ambulance service trusts in England. With so many users the library needs to come up with creative ways to reach them, in particular non-users of the service. One solution is to put information in places they are likely to find it, typically professional journals and newsletters.…
Welcome to Helen Ashton, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS FT
Welcome to Helen Ashton who joined Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS FT recently.…
Poetry in health libraries workshops – a collective response
In June 2021, a group of NHS library staff dared to stretch our comfort zones a little wider by attending two poetry workshops delivered by Betty Doyle. The workshops were part of a pilot research project being conducted by MMU, exploring whether there was such thing as ‘poetry anxiety’ amongst health library staff. In just 4 hours (and in some cases 2!), we were transformed into poetry explorers, appreciators and creators.…
Liberation and creativity through poetry
I work as a Library Assistant in the Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust, one of the biggest acute NHS trusts in the country. In June I volunteered to participate in a series of poetry workshops. Staff from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) were conducting an action research project on poetry in health libraries, and they needed a diverse group of Northern NHS Library staff to explore an intriguing question: ‘Can poetry add to the existing NHS Health Library offer?’.…
Poetic ingredients in the mix
The opportunity to take part in a research project about poetry and wellbeing, by participating in online workshops, appealed to me because I have not previously associated poetry with health libraries and I was interested in discussing the potential benefits. I hadn’t anticipated writing much of my own poetry during the workshops, but that revealed itself to be the focus.…
Anyone can write poetry (and it doesn’t have to rhyme!)
Like (I suspect) many people, the word poetry fills me with anxiety and takes me back to excruciating English lessons at school when people would be asked to read lines of poetry aloud to an unreceptive and giggling bunch of teenagers. I enjoy reading novels but I rarely read poetry for pleasure and I feel that my school experiences did put me off.…
Dominic Gilroy - Deputy Head of Knowledge and Library Services (North West, North East and Yorkshire)
I’d like to thank you for invitation to contribute a piece to Northern Lights on my role within the Health Education Knowledge and Library Services Team. It provides me with an opportunity to stop and reflect on my new relatively new role as Deputy Head of Knowledge and Library Services.…