Pauline Blagden

Biography

Pauline joined the NHS after working in academic libraries and in library research.  She has a long-standing interest in CPD and is a member of the HLG CPD panel as well as being a committee member of LIRG.  She currently has a part-time secondment to NHSU as Project Manager of the Widening Participation in Learning - Developing Libraries Project.

Abstract - Widening Participation in Learning - Developing Libraries Project

In the context of the ‘Widening Participation in Learning' agenda in NHS and social care organisations, the NHSU has a prime aim to widen participation in learning for all staff, particularly those who have not traditionally had opportunities or support for learning.

Libraries are a key resource for the support for learning.   NHSU recognises their importance and the considerable expertise that their staff possess. NHS libraries are already moving towards providing services to a wider range of NHS staff (i.e. “non-traditional” users). But do NHS library staff have the knowledge and skills to do this effectively?

In 2004, the NHSU is undertaking a project to enhance and expand the knowledge and skills of NHS library staff across the South East of England, in order to support a more diverse range of potential learners.   As part of the project, three workshops were held to raise library staff awareness of the Widening Participation Agenda, and to identify the development needs arising from it.   Development needs were considered using structured activities to address the following questions:

• What needs to change in your library?

• What development/training do you need to make these changes happen?

• How do you want to acquire these skills/this knowledge?

Over the coming months, NHSU will be delivering a programme of development activities to address the needs that library staff identified in the workshops, and to support them in bringing about the changes that will be necessary to expand their services.

Our interactive session will begin by outlining some of the key drivers behind NHSU and the Widening Participation Agenda and the implications for libraries.   We will then describe the methodology of the Widening Participation in Learning – Developing Libraries Project in the South East. Participants will have the opportunity to consider the training and development needs of NHS library staff in relation to Widening Participation.   We will do this using a modified version of the structured activities used in the three workshops in the South East.

In considering the feedback from the activities, we will compare the results with those obtained from the project in the South East, and outline the programme that NHSU will be delivering to meet the needs which were identified in the three workshops.

By the end of the session, participants will have learned about NHSU and the Widening Participation Agenda and had the opportunity to consider the skills, knowledge, resources and support they will need to make their services welcoming to a wider range of users.

This page was last updated on: 7 June, 2004