The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland

Evidence, resources and updates for health and social care.

Author: Healthcare Library Tech Support

  • Christmas Opening Hours 2025🎄

    All branches of The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland will be closed on Wednesday 24th December to Thursday 1st January inclusive. Normal opening hours resume on Friday 2nd January 2026.

    Full details of Christmas opening hours for each of our locations can be found below.

    Contact your local branch directly if you have any questions.

    Royal Victoria Hospital
    Monday 15th – Tuesday 23rd December: 8:30am – 5:00pm
    CLOSED: Wednesday 24th December – Thursday 1st January inclusive

    QUB Medical Biology Centre:
    Monday 15th – Tuesday 23rd December: 9:00am – 5:00pm
    CLOSED: Wednesday 24th December – Thursday 1st January inclusive

    Antrim Area Hospital:
    Monday 15th – Monday 22nd December: 9:00am – 4:30pm
    CLOSED: Tuesday 23rd December – Thursday 1st January inclusive
    Returned books may be left in the box outside the library door

    Craigavon Area Hospital:
    Monday 15th – Monday 22nd December: 9:00am – 5:00pm
    Tuesday 23rd December: 9:00am – 2:00pm
    CLOSED: Wednesday 24th December – Thursday 1st January inclusive

    Altnagelvin Area Hospital:
    Monday 15th – Tuesday 23rd December: 9:00am – 5:00pm
    CLOSED: Wednesday 24th December – Thursday 1st January inclusive

    Access to E-Resources will remain available over the closure period at heathcarelibrary.qub.ac.uk

    All at The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland would like to wish you a happy and peaceful festive break and thank all of you who will be working through the holiday season. 🌟

  • Spring Bank Holiday opening

    The Healthcare Library at Altnagelvin, Antrim and Craigavon will be closed on Monday 26th May for the Bank Holiday.

    Branches at The Royal Victoria Hospital and QUB Medical Biology Centre remain open. Please call 028 9097 6021 or email info@healthcarelibrary.qub.ac.uk if you need assistance.

    Online resources are still available on the Healthcare Library website.

    All branches will open as normal on Tuesday 27th May.

  • Antrim Branch Closed Friday 16 May

    The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland at Antrim Area Hospital will be closed on 16th May.

    Library staff will still be available to answer queries via email or Healthcare Library Chatbot and access to e-resources is still available at https://healthcarelibrary.qub.ac.uk/

    We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

  • Antrim Branch closed Tuesday 29 April

    The Healthcare Library of NI site at Antrim will be closed on 29th April.

    Library staff will still be available to answer queries via email or Healthcare Library Chatbot and access to e-resources is still available at https://healthcarelibrary.qub.ac.uk/

    We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

  • Healthcare Libraries closed 24th January due to storm

    The Healthcare Libraries of Northern Ireland at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Medical Biology Centre, Altnagelvin, Antrim and Craigavon sites will close tomorrow (Friday 24th January) in response to the red weather warning of wind in place across Northern Ireland.

    Library staff will still be available to answer queries via email or Healthcare Library Chat.

    Libraries will reopen as normal on Monday 27th January.

    We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.

  • Christmas Opening Hours 🎄

    The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland branches will be closing on Monday 23rd December for the festive period.
    Normal opening hours resume on Thursday 2nd January.

    Full details of Christmas opening hours for each of our locations can be found below:

    The Royal Victoria Hospital
    Monday 16th – Monday 23rd December: 9:00am – 5:00pm
    CLOSED: Tuesday 24th December – Wednesday 1st January inclusive

    QUB Medical Biology Centre:
    Monday 16th – Monday 23rd December: 9:00am – 5:00pm
    CLOSED: Tuesday 24th December – Wednesday 1st January inclusive

    Antrim Area Hospital:
    Monday 16th – Thursday 19th December: 9:00am – 4:30pm
    CLOSED: Friday 20th December – Wednesday 1st January inclusive

    Craigavon Area Hospital:
    Monday 16th – Thursday 19th December: 9:00am – 5:00pm
    Friday 20th December: 9:00am – 4:30pm
    Monday 23rd December: 9:00am – 2:00pm
    CLOSED: Tuesday 24th December – Wednesday 1st January inclusive

    Altnagelvin Area Hospital:
    Monday 9th – Monday 23rd December: 9:00am – 5:00pm
    Saturday 21st December: Closed
    CLOSED: Tuesday 24th December – Wednesday 1st January inclusive

    All at The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland would like to wish you a happy and peaceful festive break and thank all of you who will be working through the holiday season.

  • New Specialist Librarian for Pharmacy and Healthcare Management

    The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Elliott as its new Specialist Librarian for Pharmacy and Healthcare Management.
    In his new role, Patrick will provide specialist subject support, including giving advice on using key library resources, guidance on developing literature searches, and offering tailored one-to-one and group training to pharmacists and healthcare managers.
    Additionally, he will work on ensuring Healthcare Library collections reflect the needs of these customer groups.

    Patrick’s previous experience includes working with students and researchers in academic libraries and he brings a wealth of experience to the role. Patrick will work alongside the rest of the Healthcare Library team in delivering and promoting effective use of information resources relevant to Healthcare Library customers.
    His work will be instrumental in advancing the Healthcare Library’s mission to deliver free library and information services, expert advice and training to support patient care, evidence-based practice and Continuous Professional Development.

    The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland welcomes Patrick and looks forward to the positive impact his knowledge and skills will bring.
    Pharmacy staff and healthcare managers are encouraged to contact Patrick for support on using the wide range of services available and to discover how the library can support their professional development and research needs.

  • Altnagelvin Library closed Saturday 27th January 2024

    Due to work being carried out to replace the existing light fittings with new energy efficient LED lights and as requested by Estates Services the Healthcare Library at Altnagelvin Area Hospital will be closed on Saturday 27th January 2024.

    Normal services will resume when the library opens again at 9.00am on Monday 29th January 2024.

    We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to you.

  • Healthcare Library E-resource access problem

    There is currently a problem periodically affecting some users accessing certain resources. We are working to restore full access.

    If you experience continual access problems, please email info@healthcarelibrary.qub.ac.uk or click the ‘Report a Problem’ icon on Library Search for assistance.

    Thank you for your patience while we work to resolve this.

  • Altnagelvin Healthcare Library – Now open Saturdays and evenings

    The Healthcare Library at Altnagelvin Area Hospital is again open on Monday to Wednesday evenings until 8pm, and on Saturdays from 9.30pm to 1pm.
    Full opening hours can be found below and on the Healthcare Library website.