Daniel Park, Library and Knowledge Service Manager, The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
On the second day of the conference, delegates received an official welcome to Glasgow at the magnificent City Chambers from Jacqueline McLaren, the Lord Provost of Glasgow. Having spoken with her I can confirm that, aside from the Scottish brogue, she’s a true Yorkshirewoman: plain-speaking, sensible and full of good old-fashioned gorm—a rare and highly prized quality in today’s world of social media hype.
Looking back on the congress through a Yorkshireman’s eyes, I found that same common gorm running through much of what I heard, rather like the lettering through a stick of Scarborough rock. (Incidentally, I was shocked to discover that the Health Libraries Group conference I attended in Scarborough was a decade ago!)
Here are a half-dozen examples of common gorm in action from conference presenters:
Nicola Walsh and Monica Casey from NICE highlighted the importance of giving library staff time not only to acquire digital skills but also to process, apply and share them with colleagues. After all, teaching others remains one of the best ways to reinforce learning for ourselves.
Amanda Ross-White from Queen’s University, Canada revealed that successful media engagement often comes down to a remarkably simple formula: provide journalists with a strong, accurate story, create opportunities for them to speak with supporters and stakeholders, and keep them updated on progress. It turns out the press responds well to common gorm too.
Doug Knock from King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust showed how organisations can boost survey completion rates by simplifying impact assessment questionnaires so that they don’t deter respondents, while also offering incentives. For surveys involving multiple trusts, prizes can be a surprisingly achievable option. Who would have thought it?
Dietitian Lucy Aphramor delivered a passionate plea for greater personalisation in healthy living conversations. She argued that clinicians should first ask newly diagnosed patients how they are feeling before providing information or advice. Giving people space to express their fears and concerns helps them feel heard—and once they feel heard, they’re often far more receptive to what follows. That’s one piece of common sense I intend to incorporate into my own health information literacy training.
Lucy’s message found further support from Professor Steven Buchanan of the University of Stirling, who reported that information placed in guides—whether digital or printed—has limited impact unless a trusted intermediary, such as a clinician or librarian, helps people engage with it. His findings offered a reassuring reminder that human relationships still matter and that hospitals may not be handing everything over to AI just yet.
Lastly, Chiu Yun Lie from Leamington Spa Hospital described her work supporting a satellite facility that previously had no dedicated information service. Starting with informal visits to the staff café, armed with a laptop and leaflets, she gradually developed a dedicated digital service tailored to local needs. Her success grew from a simple but powerful idea: personalise the service and take it to where people are.
Finally, both courtesy and common sense require me to thank NHS England for providing the funding that enabled me to attend this congress. Their support gave me the opportunity to learn from colleagues across the world, reflect on my own services, and discover yet again that, however sophisticated healthcare becomes, there’s still plenty of value in a bit of common gorm.
Health Libraries Group 