My thanks to List members for responding to my invitation, made back in
June, for all lis professionals in England, whose chief responsibility is
to meet the needs of primary care professionals to get in touch.
In all, 48 colleagues completed the survey and many more with an interest
in this way of working have been identified.
The key findings of the subsequent survey of Outreach Librarians are set
out below, for your information:
The provision of Outreach support to primary care staffs in England is
patchy.
A significant number of PCTs appear to lack support of this kind.
A significant number of outreach posts are under threat
These librarians perceive a wide range of professional development needs
Many Outreach Librarians feel a degree of isolation.
Respondents identify significant barriers in working with primary care
staff groups, notably time pressures and frustrations with IT.
The survey captured the views of librarians regarding the core content of
NeLH and elicited many constructive suggestions on practical ways in which
NeLH may be able to support the work of these library and information
professionals.
A follow-up workshop for outreach librarians is being planned and a brief
final report on the project will be prepared towards the end of the year.
Meanwhile, both a single page summary and the full Survey report have been
pepared. These are available, on request, from [log in to unmask]
With the usual apologies for cross-posting (Does anyone know just how great
the overlap is between some of the key lists in health librarainship?)
Sue
Sue Lacey Bryant
Outreach Librraian Support and Development Programme: Project Lead
Medical Knowledge Manager - Doctors.net.uk
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