HLG Nursing Bulletin Vol 32 (1)
Continuing from the last edition of the Bulletin here is the next in our series of “a day in the life of…” a member of the Libraries for Nursing Committee feature and a profile of one of our new committee members.
A Day in the Life of Andrew Dove
Andrew Dove
Deputy Librarian
Education Centre Library,
Leicester General Hospital
Gwendolen Rd.
LE5 4PW
Andrew.dove@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
I work as the Deputy Librarian at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. This role entails managing the Leicester General Hospital Library which is one of our three sites. In addition to this I manage the e-resources, training, library e- learning and the iPad project. This means most days I will be working on something different either training or site management or technology which keeps the job interesting but means there is no such thing as a typical day.
So today I start off the morning by sending out the certificates and course information email from a critical appraisal course we ran yesterday afternoon for a group of Registrars. This is a session we have been piloting over the last few months to see if it can be added to the training programme for Medical
Registrars across the area. We have had a high uptake and the
comments have been positive so we are hoping to roll this out from August.
I next arrange an information skills session for a member of staff who has contacted the library this morning who has been struggling with finding relevant literature for their course. This has been arranged for midday today at the Leicester Royal Site. The rest of the morning I spend updating the iPads, using iTunes to preload apps and links to the library resources so that they are ready for loan. We have been using iTunes rather than iCloud as iCloud is limited to a small number of devices per account. We have been lending iPads to members of staff for almost a year and we have just finished adding our video guides to the iPads so each device not only links to the content but also has a video with instructions on how to use it. You can read more about our iPad lending project in the Winter 2011 issue of the LfN Bulletin.
I spend the next hour sorting out all the incoming emails and then set off for the Leicester Royal Infirmary for the training session. We start by looking at the nurse’s question and devise a search for her in NHS Evidence and the healthcare databases. We run the search and I show her how to access all the articles either through electronic access or through library requests. By the end of the session she is happy and more confident about how to approach a literature search and we have emailed the articles found in the session so she can get to work on the course this evening.
For the rest of the afternoon I work on our final book orders for the General Library, spending the remainder of the book budget to replace the out of date books we have recently removed. We have had a major stock update and clearout over the last three months which is now finished. With these books ordered I create skeleton catalogue records on the library management system for each book ready for when they arrive in a few weeks’ time.
Committee Profiles
Emma Ramstead – My name is Emma Jane Ramstead and I am the new Outreach Clinical Support Librarian at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. I am based at Crawley Hospital Library but I also work at the medical library at East Surrey Hospital.
I completed my MA in Library and Information Management April 2011. Whilst studying I developed a passion for web 2.0 technologies and my dissertation was based on the use of wikis by young people in public libraries. I have worked as a library assistant within public libraries and then as a Staff Grade Associate Specialist support library assistant within a medical library.
My current role involves going out into the community and offering library services, to NHS staff who are not always able to get into the library. I work with a diverse range of NHS staff. I carry out training on using databases and I carry out literature searches on a query or a study need. I am presently working towards CILIP Chartership. I enjoy the diversity and complexity of the job.
I joined the LfN Committee to have a direct input in aiding an interest group and to work closely with library staff throughout the United Kingdom.
Health Libraries Group 