To give a progress report or a "snapshot" of the Electronic Libraries Programme is a challenging task. The programme, while still in its early stages, is progressing and expanding at a rapid rate. As libraries everywhere continue to grapple with and understand new information technologies, the eLib programme also reacts and adjusts to new developments. This article will attempt to give an overview of current eLib status by offering some examples and illustrations which, it must be remembered, form only a part of a much larger whole. Although the eLib programme consists of many projects, its strength is in the knowledge gathered and disseminated by the programme in its entirety. While individual projects have individual deliverables, the main deliverable of the eLib programme is knowledge - it seeks to provide answers to the important question of how UK academic libraries' services can best support and progress their HE Institutions into the 21st century.
This case study interrogates the delivery of the Shannon Trust literacy programme in a men’s category B London prison (HMP Wandsworth). This includes an exploration of prison libraries’ collaboration with the Shannon Trust, and how prison library staff practically facilitate the programme; from selecting prisoners to become literacy mentors, finding prisoners willing to become learners, and collecting feedback. This study also looks at some of the challenges faced by prison-based Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals when delivering a programme such as this. The study concludes with a set of recommendations for other LIS professionals considering programme delivery in the prison context.
It is expected in many different areas of professional and academic life that an individual can prove to others the impact of their research and, in recent years, the criteria of reach and significance have become common means of demonstrating the value of one’s work. In highlighting the former, there may be an inclination to concentrate on statistical measurement. Yet, as this paper reveals, another option lies in emphasising the variety of citing material that has come to light as part of the individual’s efforts to showcase the significance of their impact. The article outlines ten ways in which the diversity of the documents – and their authors – can be shown. Insights relating to separate criteria can be used in concert so as to strengthen an overall claim and thus provide a more compelling argument that one’s research has had a substantial effect on others.
This paper is based on results from qualitative research into Scotland’s public libraries collection development practices and the thoughts of library staff in regards to deselection (referred to in this paper as weeding). An open-text online survey promoted through professional newsletters, word of month, and social media, solicited rich, personal input from practicing library staff on the role, practice, and future of deselection in public libraries. From 36 responses, three main themes were developed: public perception, the role of governance, and continunity concerns. With pressure to provide the latest technology and published works for users, all in safe, usable spaces, Scotland’s libraries are weeding to remain relevant and responsive. Governance structures controlled policy and implementation of weeding practices, with respondents from Scottish public libraries overwhelming weeding via stock exchanges or with assistance from library headquarter teams/professional staff. The larger concern for collection development staff was having the budget, time and staff to make weeding a continuous, efficient process.
This research aims to investigate the affective stages developed in the Information Search Process (ISP) model developed by Carol Kuhlthau. The purpose of this study was to understand how feelings relate to the six stages of conducting a research proposal. Feelings experienced by information seekers include optimism, clarity, confidence and satisfaction or uncertainty, confusion, frustration, and disappointment. This work specifies how feelings affect the various phases of the research process. A qualitative methodology was used for this study. Twenty Information Studies (IS) graduate students from the Social Science department at Kuwait University, who had taken the Research Methods course, were selected for the study using purposive sampling. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in order to collect feelings, perceptions, and views of the participants. Data collected were analysed using the narrative approach of the interviews. The results showed that the feelings of students changed during the different stages of Kuhlthau’s ISP model. The study indicates significant implications for research on information behaviour. It may help students and teachers to be aware of the affective role at different stages of their research proposal writing. It also assesses the possible contribution of intermediaries in helping students during the research writing process.
The varied role of librarians in Higher Education increasingly includes a substantial amount of teaching, supported by expertise in learning design, pedagogy and technology enhanced delivery of learning. This role is demonstrably misunderstood or underestimated outside the profession, leading to difficulty for librarians achieving recognition for their expertise. This research analyses the job descriptions for 41 Higher Education librarian roles, advertised between Autumn 2016 and Summer 2017, cross-referencing them with the Higher Education Academy’s UK Professional Standards Framework, demonstrating the extent of librarian experience in learning and teaching. The job descriptions demonstrate that teaching forms a significant part of many librarian roles in HE and that Fellowship of the HEA is an attainable aim. It also indicates areas for development for librarians, in particular around assessing and providing feedback to learners. Potential further research is suggested to extend this project.
Clinical teams are professionally driven to adopt the latest evidence-based care ensuring optimal outcomes for patients. There can be delays in the latest evidence reaching practice. The radiotherapy multi-professional team in partnership with Clinical Librarians developed a lean process to undertake the real-time evidence-based live update of clinical radiotherapy protocols. Principles of Quality Function Deployment were deployed to create a lean process. The process was evaluated for the percentage difference to the radiotherapy protocol parameters over two years. Satisfaction of the live update was scored from 1: Very dissatisfied to 5: Very satisfied. Since 2014, 12 protocols have been through the process. The live update resulted in 80% of differences to the clinical protocol compared to the previous two years. Among 10 respondents, a mode of 5 was scored for satisfaction. This novel approach has been successful in providing a lean process ensuring that the latest evidence reaches radiotherapy practice.
In 2016 Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships were formed across the whole of England, bringing together care providers with commissioners and local authorities to plan local delivery of health and social care. Within this context, a small group of leaders working in broadly “evidence roles” within healthcare in the North East and North Cumbria (NENC), began discussing how those with the skills to support evidence-based practice might be able to better support healthcare decision-making at the system-wide level. The group focussed on the need for cultural change and making personal connections. Rather than provide “evidence products”, our aim was to build relationships between policy and decision makers and those in evidence roles. We agreed that we needed to: Develop a network of local people working in evidence roles in the healthcare field (STEMClub). Link local health library and knowledge services staff (LKS) into the work streams of the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (now the Integrated Care System). Raise awareness and gain support among senior stakeholders in the ICS, NHS England (NHSE), Public Health England (PHE) and Health Education England (HEE) of the aims of STEMClub. This case study describes our progress to date in developing the network and supporting the work of healthcare decision-makers and policy makers in the North East and North Cumbria.
Healthcare staff wellbeing is linked to patient outcomes. Arts programmes have been shown to improve physical and emotional wellbeing in hospital staff. Starting in 2016 NELFT has delivered an annual one day creative arts festival known as Arts Day. Attendees self-rated their wellbeing on arrival, as they left and as part of a longer term follow up survey. There was an increase in the average self-rated wellbeing score after each Arts Day. The long term follow-up surveys show that attendees felt valued and enjoyed meeting up with colleagues. There is limited evidence of the long term impact of Arts Day. Less than 5% of NELFT staff have been released to attend the events. Future success will depend on integration with the wider wellbeing agenda and modifications to reach more staff.
Clinical librarians, knowledge specialists and informationists have been working closely with medical faculties and hospital departments for some years with the aim of mobilizing evidenced-based medical research in the healthcare workplace. However, evidence of the effectiveness of these interventions is limited. This paper describes the initial findings of an embedded clinical librarian project in an emergency department (ED) of a rural NHS hospital. During the trial period 54 information requests were made by ED staff to the librarian and the librarian spent a total of 2600 minutes answering queries representing a considerable time and cost saving to ED department staff. The librarian was able to effectively mobilise evidence at the point-of-need, supporting evidence-based decision making, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and staff learning. Staff satisfaction with the embedded librarian service was consistently high.
This study evaluated a national collaborative project to develop generic, freely available e-learning modules on literature search skills for the healthcare workforce in NHS England. Feedback data was drawn from usage reports, an online survey embedded within each module and a separate online survey nationally distributed to health-related library staff. The modules evaluated positively; learners found them useful, they impacted on learning and confirmed or increased knowledge. Only 3% reported that the modules made no difference to their literature search skills. There was also evidence that some libraries were using the modules as part of their local training. The study suggests that although there are challenges in trying to develop a one size fits all approach to e-learning, collaborating with potential end users and trainers can help to maximise its usefulness.
In order to attract more non-medical staff, the Sir Thomas Browne Library at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital decided to create a marketing campaign called “Love Your Library.” The campaign sought to make non-medical staff aware of the library’s many services and materials available to them. During the campaign, the library increased the number of new members by 160%, with 25% of these being non-medical members. Future promotions will help create a community hub for staff and achieve a prominent position within the Trust.
Learning and knowledge sharing are of paramount importance at Oxford Health Foundation Trust which has recently embarked on a wide scale Apprenticeship program as well as other training courses. Newcomb Library staff piloted the project with an initial purchase of three games and held a Games Day at Warneford Hospital along with other game events. For evaluation, we sent a survey to all team leaders who borrowed the games and phoned a sample of participants. We also collected comments from those attending drop in sessions and loan statistics from our library catalogue. Awareness of the games is evidenced by increasing usage statistics. Responses from the feedback survey were positive. These experiences demonstrate how interactive learning through board games provided by NHS Library Services can improve learning for patients and staff.
First of all, a big 'thank you' to Louise Cooke who has stepped down as Joint Editor of Library and Information Research after three years of hard work.Louise was instrumental in moving the journal from a printed to an electronic format, a journey that was both exciting and frustrating as we grappled with the new technology and ways of working.As her co-editor I benefitted hugely from Louise's greater experience and her academic approach to the task, and on many occasions I had reason to be grateful for her advice and wisdom.I wish her well as she concentrates her
In late 2017 LIR published part one of a special issue of the journal showcasing papers outlining and analysing contemporary research methodologies, models and methods of relevance to the information profession and the LIS discipline (Broady-Preston, 2017). The series of papers presented here constitutes the second and final part of this 2017/18 follow up to the original 2012 issue (Broady-Preston, 2012). As before, all papers are unique to the journal and have been through rigorous double blind peer review prior to acceptance. A member of the regular editorial team managed the second of the four papers co-authored by the guest editor through the editorial process. Thanks are due not only to Diane but again to all those colleagues who completed reviews.
Mobile technology is offering opportunities and challenges in the way library services are delivered, from changing customer behaviour to the new methods of service provision and content accessibility.Handheld devices now offer location features that fit well with mapping and location of stock.In its simplest form a mobile optimised website can put the power of the library catalogue or SMS alert directly into the customer's pocket.
The absence of an appropriate theoretical framework for understanding and assessing influences on the development of education for library, archive and information work is reflected in a literature that is largely experiential rather than soundly grounded in empirical studies. Any development involves the introduction of innovations, and requires effective management. Drawing on theories on the management of change, the communication of ideas and the transfer of innovations, and incorporating the contextual evidence base suggested by comparative methodologies, this paper presents an analysis of the wide range of factors that need to be considered. A model developed from Porter’s ‘Value Chain’ theory provides a framework within which these factors could be considered not only in evaluating past developments in the field, but also in planning future innovations; a model that is arguably as relevant in professional practice in library, archive, and information work as in LIS education.
This paper reports on the Grounded Delphi method (GDM), a relatively new methodological extension of the Delphi method, achieved by incorporating aspects of Grounded Theory, as used in a recent doctoral dissertation. The research explored the skills, knowledge, qualities and professional education needs of information professionals in galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) in Australia, with a view to determining relevant educational requirements to enable information professionals to operate across these blurred cultural heritage boundaries. Implications of using GDM for LIS research, and for research methods in general, is that it improves the rigour of theory building in Delphi studies, while the consensus, or force ranking, aspect of Delphi assists in improving the relevant level of importance of categories derived from Grounded Theory.
This article introduces researchers in the library and information sciences to indigenous research methods by describing the context of indigenous peoples and how their indigeneity is defined. It also outlines why these methodologies are important and by describing a series of guiding principles, how the methods can be applied in indigenous research settings. An important aspect of the article is the consideration of whether non-indigenous researchers can be effectively users of the methodologies outlined. The use of indigenous research methods in New Zealand through kaupapa Māori methods are provided as a case study.
