Elizabeth Carney, NHS Forth Valley’s Librarian, looks at the changes to our NHS library services over the last 60 years.
“This piece from the Nurses’ League Magazine written in 1963 on the SRI Teaching Department Library gives a fascinating glimpse into a library service of the past, helping us to see how things have developed over time. There are also parallels we can draw to our current NHS Forth Valley Library Service.
As with the library in 1963, neither is our library simply a room of ‘stale’ professional books; it is a vibrant, modern and colourful space. Resources on offer include our main collection covering key clinical areas and topics such as leadership, law and ethics, and research methods, as well as a leisure reading collection and a book swap area, a wellbeing collection, and activity books. Today, we also have access to hundreds of online resources such as eBooks and eJournals via The Knowledge Network. The mention of ‘lounging chairs’ in the article also gives us the perfect opportunity to mention our Library Lounge – our comfy seating area where staff can rest and relax. Unfortunately, we don’t have any lamps, but we think it is a cosy and welcoming space nonetheless!
The discussion in the article around reference books and the importance of being able to easily find high-quality information as and when you need it was interesting. This need has not gone away but, as Mailer writes, it can be challenging (and time-consuming!) to find what you are looking for as the amount of information being published continues to grow. Today, alongside the more traditional reference books, we also have brilliant evidence summary tools to help with this. These interactive online reference tools can take you straight to information on a range of conditions and treatments and are now an important part of daily practice for many health professionals. We also offer a literature searching service and training sessions through which we support staff to locate the right evidence.
The emphasis on the library’s essential role in connecting people to information and evidence clearly comes through in the article. Regardless of the changing ways this information and evidence is provided and consumed, this core principle has endured and the NHS Forth Valley Library Service today remains committed to facilitating the location, access, and use of the evidence-based resources which staff and students require to support their ongoing learning, professional development, and evidence-based practice.”
To find out more about NHS Forth Valley Library Services today and how we can help you, please visit our StaffNet pages or don’t hesitate to get in touch with us directly: fv.forthvalleylibraryservices@nhs.scot.
Contact Amy Cawood, Corporate Records Manager, amy.cawood@nhs.scot, if you have any memories of using the libraries at SRI or FRI that you’d like to share.
