CILIP | Slice of Health Library Life: transferring skills and keeping relevant in a changing health information environment

Slice of Health Library Life: transferring skills and keeping relevant in a changing health information environment

An HLG study day held on 21st October 2004 at Rotherham General Hospital

A report by Janette Camosso-Stefinovic, Information Librarian, NICE National Collaborating Centre - Primary Care, University of Leicester

This one-day event for CILIP chartership candidates and those considering chartering was designed to provide insights into NHS information and knowledge services. It provided an opportunity to explore potential career moves, both for those currently working in health librarianship, and for those considering this area of work.
Speakers related their own career development experiences openly and frankly, describing the impact that having chartered (or not!) had had on the course of their working lives: the career opportunities that presented themselves, and the “cracking jobs” that were unattainable because chartership was an essential requirement.

Presenters included library and information professionals working in a range of roles: a surprising diversity of environments and users. As a relatively newly qualified librarian, with two years' experience supporting clinical guideline development, working alongside researchers and clinicians, and with limited daily contact with other librarians, this was an invaluable eye-opener for me.

Throughout the day I found myself thinking about common denominators, the underpinning core skills. Often we do not realise that our skills are transferable. One speaker from Rotherham PCT Knowledge Service described her successful move between sectors, transferring from an information officer role within a legal environment to a not too dissimilar role within health. She recounted how she had made a convincing case at interview by highlighting her transferable skills and being confident about her ability to pick up new areas of expertise.

One interesting question raised was: to what extent should we diversify, in an effort to reinvent ourselves? Are we in danger of “diluting the traditional craft of librarianship” in order to “keep relevant”? I thought a key message was that it is possible to successfully manage and respond to change without viewing it as a threat. In the context of an evolving profession, with major changes on the horizon, this event provided a useful space in which to reflect on what health library work might be like in five years' time. As one attendee pointed out, the posts we might apply for then may not even exist yet!

Ellie Clement, CILIP Chartership Regional Liaision Officer, facilitated a discussion on chartership as a tool for career planning. She suggested that we identify our key professional skills and experience, whether gained in past or present roles, and consider how these might transfer to other areas of health librarianship, indeed to other areas of library and information work. Ellie provided useful tips for those working towards CILIP chartership, such as building up a “big box” of evidence from which supporting material could later be drawn (for inclusion in the portfolio), taking ten minutes to note key things that happened in the working week, and periodically reviewing one's progress toward the desired target.

Aside from being a useful networking opportunity, this event was for me a reminder that the UK health information world, which at times feels like an extended family, continues to attract enthusiastic professionals who are well-equipped and willing to respond to changing user needs and to the evolving information environment. Sometimes a job title will not look like librarianship work (e.g. Project Officer). The key is to think broadly about what it is that we do, not to pigeon-hole ourselves or put up “mental barriers”, but to recognise opportunities for professional development as they arise.

Janette Camosso-Stefinovic, Information Librarian, NICE National Collaborating Centre - Primary Care, University of Leicester

Updated: 06 June 2005

Health Libraries

Slice of Health Library Life: transferring skills and keeping relevant in a changing health information environment