Drop-in training sessions

"Hmmm... maybe I'll just 'Google' it!"

I think it's fair to say clinical staff have a really tough time trying to keep appointments that are not absolute necessities. Things can change pretty quickly on the wards. One minute you've got a free half hour to do some CPD and before you can switch on a PC it's all changed and you're rushed off your feet. We as library staff do not know this from first hand experience of course, but we're reliably informed this is often the case.

Keep a look out for the poster

We also know from various discussions with various people that many staff members working on the wards would like to know more about accessing the online resources. It's all very well and good us telling you all about these things but unless you know a) where to look and b) how to use them, it's not really a lot of use to you is it?

So how do we resolve the issue of supplying the demand for training whilst knowing that staff's spare time can be a fickle thing?

One idea is to hold informal 'drop-in' sessions in our training room. We'll open the room up for 3 hour slots and let you guys pick a convenient time to pop in and learn how navigate yourself around the labyrinth of online resources. Feel free to bring your lunch and a coffee with you.

In these sessions you can find out how to search the databases (Medline, CINAHL, BNI etc.) and get access to online journals.
You can discover Anatomy TV, learn how to use UpToDate and see how BMJ Learning works. If you just want to come along and get help with registering for an Athens account, we can help with that too.

Dates and times for sessions are as follows, these dates are also available on the calendar at the bottom of the blog page. Details can also be found on the poster in the library and on 'Post IT':

• 14th March 10am - 1pm
• 2nd May 12pm - 3pm
• 13th June 10am - 1pm
• 11th July 12pm - 3pm
• 26th September 10am - 1pm
• 14th November 12pm - 3pm

If none of these dates are good for you, but you would still like some training, please contact us. We're always happy to arrange either one-to-one or group training, in the library or at a place suitable for you.

Until next time...

Boost your mood, forget the weather

What a lovely idea!

Mood boosting books in the Healthcare Library

The weather outside is rubbish! It's cold, wet and seriously windy. It's enough to put anyone in a bit of a grump. But here's something we now have available in the library which we hope can help to lift your spirits - 'Mood Boosting Books'. A selection of uplifting titles picked by readers and book clubs around the country.
Of course these books aren't just for beating the winter weather blues. If you're feeling a bit down about work or in your personal life, it's amazing what a good book can do for your entire outlook on things. The scheme also teamed up with Macmillan Cancer Support to involve readers diagnosed with cancer to produce a list of recommended books.

Why wait until your on holiday to enjoy a heart warming novel or true story? How about getting inspired by some beautiful poetry?

Relax with a hot drink - anytime!

Pop down to the library and find something great to read that will hopefully make you feel so much better afterwards.

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the work place, or if you want a quiet place to have a nice sit and a read, come pay us a visit. You can pick up one of the mood boosting books (or a book on maxillofacial surgery if that's your thing), find a quiet space to sit in and even enjoy a hot drink with our new coffee machine, any time of day or night.

I can personally recommend the novel This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes, my wife is currently enjoying A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen.

Full list of mood boosting titles can be found here and the Macmillan mood boosting recommendations here... enjoy!

Until next time...

All the wonders of an Athens account

Hello all. Yesterday I explained about the wonderful things we have in the library to offer. Today, I shall dazzle you with the magic of on-line resources.

SWICE homepage

YOU can search the healthcare databases, access e-books, e-journals and much more by simply registering for a NHS Athens account at the SWICE (South West Information for Clinical Effectiveness... in case you're interested!) page. The registration process is FREE, very straightforward and if you use a trust PC you can activate your account pretty much instantly. For those of you who have registered before, but need to do so again, you will notice that layout is a bit different. This is because of an "upgrade" (apologies for the slight cynical sarcasm) recently, but it works in much the same way. Just make sure you enter 'Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust' as your organisation and a email will be sent to you with the activation link. Click on the link, set up your own password and ta-da!... you now have an NHS Athens account.

So what do you get with an Athens account? Well, as I said previously you'll now be able to carry out literature searches using the healthcare databases including MEDLINE; CINAHL; BNI and more. You'll be able to save, retrieve and print your search results and (fingers crossed!) link to the available full text articles.
You'll also have access to over a 1000 journals on-line. You can search for journal titles and see what access there is here. If there is access to the journal you're looking for, the search results will display the start and end dates of availability. It will also tell you if the journal is available in print at the library. If the journal isn't available electronically or in print and you want an article from a particular issue, let us know and we'll get it for you, no problem.
The e-books that are available can be found here. You'll also be able to find them by searching the library catalogue.

But databases, books and journals are not the end of it, no sir. Your Athens username and password will also let you access lots of other exciting things such as Anatomy TV, BMJ Learning and UpToDate. Links to these sites can also can be found on this blog and I'll go into more detail on each later on... oh the anticipation!

For those of you that haven't already rushed off to register/re-register/renew your Athens account, I'm sorry if this post has sounded a bit like a sales pitch. We really just want you all to make the most of this brilliant resource that will hopefully help you achieve top quality evidence-based care (there I go again... sorry!).

As with anything library or information related, please contact us with any questions or queries we're always more then happy to help.

Until next time...

Hello and Welcome!

Healthcare Library at Salisbury District Hospital

Hello and welcome to the new blog for all things related to the Healthcare Library at Salisbury District Hospital. On this blog you'll get the latest news on e-resources, training, books and all manner of things relating to information for health care... sounds exciting right!

Space to study

Let me just give you a little background info on the library for those who don't already know. The library is situated in SDH Central near Hedgerows coffee shop. The library is staffed by one full time librarian, two part time librarians and two full time library assistants. There will always be a member of staff in the library from 9 to 5 (Like the Dolly Parton song), Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. Library members can access the library 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using their trust ID badge. You can register for library membership either in the library or by completing and returning a form.
There are 13 PCs in the library, all connected to a colour printer. 9 of the PCs reside in our handsome little training room which also has a large plasma screen, perfect for training sessions or watching a DVD (educational DVDs of course, we don't encourage you to sit in there and watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy!). If you desperately want to use a computer and they're all in use, fear not because we also have 6 brand new laptops you can use in the library.

Self-issue machine

As you might expect the library has books, around 27,000 titles in medicine, surgery, psychology, nursing and management. Most titles are loaned for 28 days and can be renewed twice providing they have not been reserved by another reader. Library members can come in at 3 am on a Sunday and take out books thanks to a nifty bit of kit we like to call 'the self-issue machine'.
We've also got over 400 journal titles in the library. You can't take the journals out but you can photocopy articles.

So that's the physical library. We also have loads of brilliant electronic resources which I'll explain at a later date.

I hope you find this blog useful and mildly entertaining. Any constructive criticisms or compliments are always welcome.

Until next time...