Editorial

HLG Nursing Bulletin Vol 33 (2)

To quote the Isley Brothers, “Summer Breeze, Makes Me Feel Fine”. And in the long hot summer, any kind of breeze would be welcome. Hopefully then, the Summer 2013 issue of LfN Bulletin will provide some welcome respite from the heat, as we take a look at technologies and social media, all of which is very cool.

Gillian Siddall has been lucky enough to attend two conferences in 2013; LILAC, which took place this year in Manchester, and the Workshop for Instruction in Library Use (WILU) conference at the University of New Brunswick. Here she provides us with a summary of both conferences, focusing on topics relating to our theme of technologies, social media and Web 2.0. The WILU conference however did not just focus on this area, unlike LILAC, whose focus was how technologies change the way information professionals support users. So, you can expect a full report of WILU in the next issue.

We’re all aware of the various things Twitter can be used for – telling the world how burnt your toast was, or gaining an insight into the mind of the professional footballer. But it is also extremely useful for the wide dissemination of information. Dr Natalie Silvey, one of Junior Dr’s Top 40 people to follow on Twitter(Junior Dr., 2012), is responsible for one of the clever ways of using the social media site as an information tool, as she describes how she set up the Twitter Journal Club.

Of course, it isn’t just those in the medical profession that have taken to sharing their thoughts in 140 characters. Librarians and Information Professionals have embraced Twitter in a big way, with many of them tweeting furiously about all manner of topics, from information literacy to the merits of knitting. So, we at LfN have put together a brief guide to tweeting, and given a list of some people in the profession that we follow.

The use of technology has come a long way since PDA’s were being used. (Colevins, 2006)  Long gone are the days of tapping at a screen with a stylus, with instead full touchscreen technology on your smartphone or tablet, and all manner of apps to use in both your personal and professional. Georgie Wildman relates how one HE institution, with its own app that its NHS users were unable to access, began to develop content for an app produced in house by its associated NHS trust that enabled those non-college users to have access to the same services through their portable device.

As usual, we also have a list of new articles recently published in our regular Current Awareness list. In addition, LfN is on the lookout for a Joint Study Day Organiser. More information can be found in this issue, or you can go to the website at http://www.librariesfornursing.org.uk.

The next issue of the Bulletin will be our bumper pre-Christmas double issue. As always, we welcome the submission of articles from you; whether you’ve been to a conference and would like to submit a report, or you’ve implemented a new working practice, or would like to review a book, or indeed anything that you think would be of interest, let us know. If you would like more information, please feel free to contact the editors, or check the LfN website.

Phillip Barlow and Emma Jane Ramstead

LfN Bulletin editors

References

Colevins, H. (2006) Nurse Refresher Students Get A Hand From Handhelds. Computers in Libraries. 26 (4), 6-8, 46-48.

Junior Dr. (2012) Twitter Top 40. Junior Doctor. (27), 9-13.