The South East London Health Libraries’(SELLIB) Impact Survey 2011

John Gale King's College London

Violet MeierLewisham Healthcare NHS Trust

South East London Health Libraries (SELLIB)

3 university libraries 4 libraries in acute trusts 2 mental health trust libraries 1 community trust library 1 hospice library

Collaboration across sectors

Building on work from 2009 survey Demonstrating our worth

◦ Funding◦ Staff◦ Space

Why?

Online survey Advantages Disadvantages

How?

• Literature Reviews• Both groups of patients and individuals• Even borrowing books can have an impact

on patient care

Improving Patient Care

Improving safety and reducing side effects Legal as well as medical responsibilities Patient choice Academic work leading directly to

improvements in clinical practice A better qualified workforce having a direct

impact on patient care

Improving Patient Safety

Providing information for training sessions Critical appraisal having a direct impact on

patient care Information being passed on through formal

and informal networks Revealing areas of ignorance in need of

future research

Keeping staff up-to-date

Providing the evidence to justify pilot studies for new treatments and initiatives

Providing evidence for clinicians to bid for money for new services

Affecting the way care is organised and which treatments are provided

Direct impact on the commissioning of services

Improving the provision of health care

Finding material over and above what is available free to the end user

Rare and unusual conditions Quick supply of information to support

prompt decisions Recognition of our work in managing e-

journals Anytime, anywhere access

Going the extra mile

Finding information Keeping up-to-date Reservoir of peace and quiet for study

Helping readers gain qualifications

Support for teaching Finding material hard to get hold of

elsewhere Writing for publication Research Help with drawing up search strategies for

systematic/literature reviews

Continuing professional development

Demonstrates value of the library service Shows how libraries are meeting

organisational needs Raises profile of the library Highlights value of the library as a space Shows benefits of collaboration

Conclusions

Useful evidence for London library review and in local negotiations

Use of quotes in publicity materials St Christopher’s – results presented to the

Library Committee to show the libraries’ impact

What have we done with it?

Can use the results to continue demonstrating impact

Short surveys are relatively easy to do – potential for repeating a similar exercise in two to three years’ time

Abstract submitted to HLG conference

What next?