Same old, same old

Research and Development had a bit of a spring clean recently and found some notes for a library user group meeting held back in March 2001. Much has changed since then - not least the library user group closing - but much has stayed the same.

The notes show that 24 hour access was the top of the agenda. The situation now is the same as it was then - we're housed in an old building that is a little off site, and is vulnerable to break in and vandalism. There is therefore no out of hours access. Eventually there will be a new library, and rooms offering 24 hour access are right at the top of the wish list. They will probably be study rooms or computer rooms, rather than access too books and journals. Some books and journals are, of course, available 24 hours online with Athens.

In 2001 we proudly announced 12 (yes - twelve) online full text journals. Now we have over 1000 to offer you. In 2001 there were concerns over lack of databases for literature searching, now we offer you seven different databases through NLH.

In those days databases were bought on CD and copied onto the library servers for use on the library network. Eventually a select few pilot sites were granted access outside the library! The user group was busy discussing pay as you surf internet access. Now, of course, the library is on the Trust next work and everyone can access intranet and internet for free, and all the databases you need are internet-based. What progress!

In 2001 we were just finding our feet with offering training for you on literature searching. We started advertising courses in the Trust Training Prospectus and and handing out certificates to people who completed training. Now we offer very little training, as a team restructure left us without the relevant team members to train.

The issue of quiet study space over a space where people can chat still rumbles on. Again, we still lack the space to offer separate areas for different uses. Keep your fingers crossed for that new library where break out rooms are heading the wish list.

Finally, the user group asked about bibliographic software including Reference Manager or Endnote. We declined to buy it then, and don't buy it now, simply because demand is very low.

We no longer have a user group - sadly, it died young. However, its ghost lives on as we are always happy to have feedback, suggestions, compliment and complaints from you through any of our contact channels. You could even leave a comment on the blog!

(c) creative commons attributed

Save the planet!

OK - so you may not expect to get environmental tips from a health library, but we're currently selling these very fetching natural hessian, biodegradable bags. They are sturdy and stylish, and just the thing for filling with a spot of shopping or even an armful of library books. How do you get your mitts on these limited edition lovelies? Why - you trundle down to the library, of course. At just £2 each you wont find a cheaper way to save the planet this year!

Communications - part 2

We're still waiting for our voicemail issue to be resolved, but the good news is that we now have a proper email address which is library dot services @ colchesterhospital dot nhs dot uk. That's services plural and hospital singular - no dot or space between colchester and hospital.

Communications break down

We're having an upheaval of communication systems here, and are being plagued by gremlins.

If you are emailing us the "@essexrivers.nhs.uk" part of our addresses is now "@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk" Sadly this doesn't work for the general library email address and so far we've been unable to find out what our address is. So if you are emailing us internally we're on the global as Library Services RDE Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust. Externally...you can't email us at all. Every variation of our address that we've tried so far has bounced.

You could give us a ring instead...only we're unable to access our voice mail.

Fax and snail mail welcome!!

Image (c) creative commons attributed

Gone out backson bisy backson

We're currently short staffed - down to one full timer and a part timer, the other full timer being off sick. Next week our part timer will be on leave. While we're trying to get anything you request from us as quickly as normal it does mean we have a slight issue with covering our advertised hours. We've had to close early once or twice, and we've had to close at lunch from time to time.

If you are making a special trip to see us then please give us a ring before you set out.

When we close we open the book drop box, so you can leave your books there. The wesbite and all the stuff you can do with Athens carries on while we're not here.

(c) image copyright creative commons attributed

Easter

The library will be closed for the whole of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. Go easy on the chocolate...

(c) creative commons attributed

Same again, please

I often find that when I answer the phone the query is a simple one - "can I renew my library books?" And the answer is always yes - probably.

Why probably? Well, in principle all books are issued for three weeks at a time, and can be renewed twice. That means you can hang on to them for a grand total of 9 weeks - just over 2 months, which seems pretty reasonable to me.

So when can't you renew them? You can't renew them if they are horribly overdue. It's a matter of fairness. The person who is good and rings to renew on the due date gets the books for 9 weeks. If we let you renew when you ring because you've finally looked at that third overdue reminder you've already had the books for 9 weeks - why should you get them for longer? The point of library books is that they are a shared resource and everyone gets to have a go. If you hog a book for 9 weeks, renew and repeat twice that's an awful long time when that resource isn't available to anyone else.

You can't renew them if someone else has reserved them. This is tricky because often the reason you still want the book and someone else also wants it is that you are cramming for the same exam or studying the same module. Look at it this way. When you come in and ask for a book and it's out on loan to someone else you don't want me to let that person have the book for 6 more weeks. You want me to get that book back NOW! So its only fair that if you've got the book you bring it back.

How do you get around this? Well - sometimes I think you bite off more than you can chew. You go off with 6 big, fat, in depth books, and you know you're only going to get time to look at one or two. Why not just take a couple and then come back for the others when you have time? Or photocopy (within the law, of course) the section you really need.

The other option is to buy your own. Borrow the book from the library, read it, confirm that you really can't live without it for the duration of your course/exam revision, come to us, ask us for the full details and a current price. Then either order it from Amazon, or try Tomlinsons. They are the supplier we use and generally give a small discount on all titles - unlike Amazon where discounts vary from generous to non-existant depending on the popularity of titles. When you're done you can always make space on your bookshelves by selling your book through Amazon or ebay, or donating it to a charity bookshop.

So how do you go about renewing? The easiest way is to ring us up, during opening hours, with your library card at the ready, and read us the number on the front of the card. You can leave us a voicemail message or an email. In which case please give us that library number, and leave your name and contact details. If there is a problem with renewal then we'll contact you.

Renewals online? Not yet - sorry.

Oh - and finally - if you are renewing becasue you've finished with your book but can't get it back to us then don't forget the book drop box.

(c) creative commons attributed

Hanging on the telephone

More good news! The phone line has finally been fixed, so please feel free to give us a ring.

Seal of approval

If you visit the library website you’ll see that we are “proud to be the first Helicon Accredited Library in the NHS in Essex”. It looks impressive - but what does it mean?

Like everything else in this modern age NHS libraries are subject to quality controls. Libraries in the NHS currently use the Helicon (Health Libraries & Information Confederation) accreditation scheme, developed in 1998 and updated in 2005. Accreditation allows the Trusts that host libraries and the SHAs that fund us to see what they are getting for their money.

Helicon is a type of peer review. A typical assessing team will consist of a senior librarian from the area, a librarian from another region, and a third person who might be from clinical governance or HR or another part of the NHS outside libraries. Some teams will also have a “shadow” who is there to see the assessing process in action, either because their own library is due to be accredited, or because they are hoping to become an assessor themselves in future.

The assessment looks at a wide range of aspects of the library service, including age and subject coverage of book stock, equality of access for all staff groups, availability of IT resources and training, the qualifications and skills of library staff and the library budget. The assessors look at what they can see in the library, talk to key people in the organisation (directors of HR, training managers, chief executives), and look over the portfolio of evidence. This will include copies of library strategies, printouts of websites, minutes of meetings, copies of leaflets, training materials, budget statements, and so on.

An assessing visit is something of a snapshot and doesn’t take into account how much the service may have changed and grown (although three yearly revisits will give some indication of this). Nor are there extra points for those libraries that have done well despite being homed in an organisation that might be less supportive than others. And, as is often the way, there is a fair amount of subjectivity in the system. However, it’s all that exists while we wait for the release of a National Service Framework for libraries.

For various reasons the East of England have been slow to take up Helicon. This library was in the first wave of services to be assessed, and since then many others have been through the process. This library is due for reaccreditation in early 2008. Sadly, some recent changes could mean that we’ll struggle to reach even the basic grade, which would make us the first library in Essex to lose accredited status.

Ring ring!

We're experiencing problems with the library phone line. Please feel free to ring the usual number and leave a voicemail message - we're checking for them regularly. We're not answering the phone as all we get is a deafening crackle. You can always email us or send a fax or even a good old fashioned letter. Contact details are on the web pages.

The North wind doth blow...

...and the library team are praying that there will be no more snow as tomorrow (26th January) the first windows in the library are being replaced.

The job will take the best part of the week. We'll be closed because the library will be no place to study - it will be cold, noisy and full of solvent fumes. We also anticipate having to box up some of the journals and maybe some books so that bookcases can be moved to make it easier for the workmen to reach the windows.

While we're closed we're happy to take emails and phone calls. You can also return books to us.
Normal service resumes on Monday 5th of February. Meantime - don't forget to make the most of your online goodies with your Athens password!

Hello

Welcome to my blog!

This blog is for all users of the NHS library at Colchester General Hospital. This is where I will post information about the library - changes of opening times, changes of staff, new services - as well as handy hints on the world of information.

I'll also be providing links to other blogs and sites of interest.

Hope you'll drop in and let me know what you think.

Sara