WITH APOLOGIES FOR ANY CROSS POSTING
UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCE LIBRARIANS (UHSL)
'Making a Difference': contributions of higher education library and
information professionals to the Government's nursing, midwifery and health
visiting strategy
This report of a national survey is now available on the UHSL website;
www.uhsl.ac.uk
The survey was commissioned by the University Health Science Librarians
group (UHSL).The report describes the Government strategy Making a
Difference, which sets out a new model of nursing education including the
opportunity to fast-track and promotes more flexible approaches. .
The overarching aim of the project was to examine ways in which library and
information services (LIS) in NHS/university partnerships involved in
supporting Making a Difference were responding to the new curricular model
and how they might support it in the future. Almost ¾ of institutions
approached responded to a questionnaire.
Topics covered by their responses include:
 the degree of LIS involvement in curriculum planning;
 how pre-registration students are supported;
 means of coping with increasing student numbers;
 characteristics of nursing students who are LIS users;
 changes in pre-registration nursing students’ use of LIS;
 changes in academic staff’s perception of the LIS role;
 user education;
 the impact of increasing amounts of time spent on placement;
 the effects of the step-on, step-off model of progression.
The conclusion examines present and future issues around learning
approaches, distance provision, students, staff and user education and
makes recommendations.
Project authors:
 Graham Walton, Faculty Librarian (Health, Social Work and Education),
Learning Resources, University of Northumbria
[log in to unmask]
 Maurice Wakeham, Anglia Polytechnic University Academic Liaison
Librarian, Health and Social Care
[log in to unmask]
 Dr. Pat Gannon-Leary, Researcher, Information Management Research
Institute, School of Information Studies, University of Northumbria
[log in to unmask]
The University Health Science Librarians group was established in 1996. It
seeks to act as a forum for the interchange of ideas and contribute towards
the discussion of issues relating to Health Sciences in higher education.
The group's activities include
 organising regular study days
 providing a rapid response at a national level to matters of concern to
members
 disseminating information on health science librarianship
 liaising with groups with complementary interests.
|