Darren Flynn, Lecturer (Teaching) in Library and Information Studies, Department of Information Studies, University College London
The Department of Information Studies at University College London has been educating future librarians for over a century. While health has long been included in our curriculum and research agenda, it wasn’t until 2021 that the MA Library and Information Studies programme included a standalone module focusing on health librarianship. The 2026-27 academic year will see the launch of a new, revamped module ‘Information for Healthcare’. The new option module will explore how libraries and librarians can support healthcare decision-making from a multi-sector perspective that incorporates health, academic, school and public libraries.
In designing the module specification, I was keen to take students ‘under the bonnet’ of the health research environment and help them understand the broader context of healthcare research. In an age of rampant mis- and disinformation, influencer culture and dubious claims, I believe that it’s important that students can differentiate and – later as knowledge professionals – communicate what we mean by “evidence” in healthcare. It’s no longer, if it has ever been, sufficient just to say that ‘studies show…’, we need the tools to critically interrogate research as an information source and be able to more confidently describe the limits and potential of different pieces of evidence – as such, students will build their understanding of different types of study, their respective strengths and weaknesses, and consider how health research is translated into practice.
The week-by-week content will cover a range of topics and issues in health librarianship, including evidence-based practice cycle, key health information sources, systematic searching, health literacy and misinformation, and emerging areas such as AI in health research and digital health tools. Students will be invited to draw on their own experiences working in the sector and from the experiences of guest speakers from a range of health libraries – these will introduce learners to the range of roles and responsibilities on offer in different roles in health information and equip them with new knowledge and skills.
In addition, core health librarianship knowledge and skills have been weaved through the module and its assessment strategies – as part of their coursework, students will develop the information-specific elements of a protocol for a systematic review; this will allow students to demonstrate newly gained skills in scoping potential topics and checking for existing or registered reviews, translating research questions into framework structures, developing and testing search strategies and making recommendations for reference management. For their second assessment, students will identify two relevant research studies for a healthcare scenario and undertake a critical appraisal of the evidence – through these assessments, students will not only gain valuable skills and knowledge, but be ready to enter the profession with a portfolio of relevant work for a career in health librarianship.
We’re excited to offer this new module option on the MA Library and Information Studies programme and are proud to contribute to developing a new generation of health library professionals.
If you’re interested in the module and/or would like to know more, I can be contacted on Darren.Flynn@ucl.ac.uk
Health Libraries Group 