CILIP | guide

Working in an NHS Trust: Library Services Manager (1)

by Dorothy Curtis

Organisation
Working within the NHS gives a huge variety to your role as the libraries are generally small so everyone is expected to have a hands-on approach. The opportunities for trainee librarians are great because of the variety of tasks, getting involved in enquiry work and management of the staff team from day one.

NHS libraries are usually working with comparatively small budgets and so library resources can be limited. The service is very much a "special library" one with current awareness services and urgent action requests for patient care taking priority. There is a wider range of users than one would imagine at first. Porters and Nursing Auxiliaries may rely on the library for their first experience of computer use whereas Subject Specialists such as Nurse Consultants may need training on the use of evidence-based healthcare literature. Junior staff of all kinds: doctors, nurses, optometrists, radiographers etc. need support for their education and training.

Main Duties
• Managing stock egg ordering items; classification and cataloguing of new stock and editing stock to ensure currency of information.

• Inter-library loan service to provide specialist materials not provided by the library itself.

• Liaising with Trust Management and the Regional Library Advisers to ensure the library service reflects the Nationally Agreed standards for NHS Libraries.

• Maintaining Intranet pages with links to journals; databases, useful websites and resources for a variety of healthcare professions.

• Helping to provide a general enquiry service to local NHS Staff via phone, fax and email.

• Providing tours and inductions for new staff and students on placement in the hospital or primary care setting.

• Providing training in literature search techniques across a variety of healthcare databases.

• We are also part of the South West Library Link providing information exchanges in our Regional area.

Dorothy Curtis
Library Services Manager
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust
Cheltenham General Hospital
dorothy.curtis@egnhst.org.uk

Updated: 24 October 2005

Health Libraries

Working in an NHS Trust: Library Services Manager (1)