Nia Wyn Roberts

Biography

After finishing library school I worked briefly for at the Department of Health library in Leeds before joining the University of Oxford Health Care Libraries as an assistant librarian in May 2001.  Since joining the library I've had a number of posts including working as a project officer in setting up an outreach library service to primary care staff in Oxfordshire.  I am currently librarian at the Old Road Campus library.

Abstract - Reach out to primary care: Development of an outreach library service for primary care in Oxfordshire

In the summer of 2001, the University of Oxford Health Care Libraries
[Institute of Health Science Library and Cairns Library] were approached
to set up a pilot project to improve the quality of library services offered to primary care staff in Oxfordshire.

In April 2002, the University of Oxford Health Care Libraries,developed the library service to allow NHS staff, working within the five primary care trusts in Oxfordshire, access to a full library service. Changes were implemented allowing them to access all library services without having to physically visit a health care library. In November 2002, a qualified health care librarian was employed to raise awareness of the new outreach library service and to provide library skills training to primary care staff throughout Oxfordshire.

The aim of this presentation is to look at the drivers behind the change and outline the results of the initial scoping study. I will explore the challenges faced in setting up the service and introducing a dedicated primary care outreach librarian. In addition, I will outline the methods used to overcome these barriers, report on the feedback
received from the independent evaluation study and introduce the aims for future service development.

This page was last updated on: 23 July, 2004