IN DEPTH
Finding your way into a library and knowledge career in the health service
There are many pre-conceptions about what a career within healthcare libraries will involve. Here Alison Day and Dominic Gilroy look at the reality and explain how you can find your own way in the profession.
IF I had a pound every time I was asked how I select books to give to patients in hospital, I would be very wealthy. Those of us working in the health service do, of course, put patients at the heart of what we do by ensuring that the right evidence from research and knowledge of good practice is used at the right time and in the right place to inform healthcare decision making.
What sorts of work might I be doing? Work within healthcare libraries is a fusion between the type of work that takes place in academic, public and business libraries and information centres. The skill set required is very similar. Often as small library services, the library team need to be a “jack-of-all trades” jumping from customer services, information retrieval, information and digital literacy training to horizon scanning, website management, systems development and knowledge management facilitation. Everyone on the team has an important role to play in engaging with learners, staff and leaders within their organisations and spotting opportunities to proactively take the service to the customer wherever they may be – the bedside, clinic, surgery, com- munity or board room. People working in the healthcare sector love the variety of the work, the opportunity to develop and use a wide range of professional skills and the conviction that the work makes a real differ- ence to the health and care of the public.
30 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL
Alison Day (
alison.day@
hee.nhs.uk) and Dominic Gilroy (
dominic.gilroy@
hee.nhs.uk), Workforce Planning and Development Leads, Knowledge for Healthcare, Health Education England.
“The best thing about working at my Trust
is the incredibly supportive team environ- ment. We are working towards the common goal of improving patient care. The variety is great – every day is different.”
– Victoria Harrison, Deputy Library & Knowledge Services Manager, Royal Berk- shire NHS Foundation Trust
July-August 2022
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