HLG Nursing Bulletin Vol 36 (1)
Welcome to the latest issue of HLG Nursing Bulletin, which contains articles on a variety of topics that will be relevant to libraries and librarians, both directly involved in and around nursing, but also (we hope) to the wider community of library and information professionals.
Social media is becoming an increasingly important tool for libraries to maintain contact with users. But, it is important to get the balance right when it comes to its use – unless you are prepared to pay someone solely to run your social media presence, then you need to find the time between that, and getting everything else done. What’s more, how do you know what platforms to use, and how to go about using them? Louisa Fulbrook discusses these, and other issues, in her summary of the NHS Social Media Conference held in Leeds.
For those that may have missed it, revalidation is the name of the game in nursing, and we as librarians find ourselves at the forefront of the issue, especially when it comes to CPD. But, CPD alone is just part of it for the nurses going through the process. Reflection on their learning and practice is a key element in revalidation and, if nurses can’t do it well, then they may end up having a problem. Daniel Park relates his thoughts on a session from this year’s Health Libraries Group conference dedicated to the provision of sessions on reflective writing for clinicians.
In July, an article appeared in one of the major daily newspapers (and which was picked up soon after by many of the others) concerning statistics of plagiarism among nursing students in the UK. Plagiarism as an issue is always a concern, but it’s perhaps most worrying when the word is attached to those in healthcare. But, headlines alone do not always tell the whole story. Joanna de Souza provides an opinion from the teaching side on the issues that face her students, and how librarians may be able to help further.
In other news, we’re delighted that the HLG CPD Panel have now appointed joint leads in Lesley Allen and Lynsey Hawker, and look forward immensely to working with them on joint efforts to bring you study days and events from the top drawer. If you have any ideas as to what you might like to see, let us know.
As always, we’re on the lookout for articles on all topics. If you were at HLG and would like to write something we’d love to hear your thoughts. Or, if you have a new system in place, have implemented some new training regime, have a book you’d like to review, or just have an opinion on something in the world of nursing and healthcare libraries that you’d like to tell us, we’d love to hear from you. Details of how to contribute can be found at the end of this issue, or on the HLG Nursing website.
Phillip Barlow
HLG Nursing Bulletin editor
Health Libraries Group 