The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland

Category: Headlines

  • You Said, We Did! (Customer Journey Map 2021 – 2022)

    In December 2021, we conducted a Customer Journey Map (CJM) with a member of The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland.  In advance of the session, they booked an Individual Study Room in our branch at QUB Medical Biology Centre to avail of the new parent/child booking option and bring their little boy with them on the day. 

    While completing the booking, and, during their visit, they noted several issues that could have made their experience better:

    1. The room booking confirmation email did not mention the parent/child option and noted that maximum occupancy was only for 1 person – this was felt to be confusing
    2. There was no seat for a child in the room and they had to leave the room to ask for one

    Following this exercise, and the very valuable insights and recommendations the customer provided on the day, the email booking confirmation was changed to reflect the parent/child occupancy option and child size chairs were purchased for the two Individual Study Rooms and are now in situ.

    If you too would like to book the same facility, just select one of the Individual Study Rooms under the Group Study Room Booking – Biomedical Library option in the Service Applications menu at qub.ac.uk/qol.

  • Current awareness bulletins – feedback required

    Tell us what you think of our current awareness bulletins

    Click the link below to complete a short online survey about the Healthcare Library’s current awareness bulletins.

    Current awareness bulletin feedback survey: https://forms.office.com/r/cDgRv19u35

    This is your chance to tell us what you think of our bulletins, and if there are any improvements that we can make to this service. View and subscribe to bulletins at: https://libguides.qub.ac.uk/healthcarelibrary/currentawareness 

    Any questions? Please email Richard Fallis.

  • E-Book User Experience Survey

    In partnership with colleagues across the UK and Ireland, the library is running a survey about e-books.  We would like to know how you use e-books (or why you don’t), what you want and expect from e-books; and what your experiences are.

    This will help inform decisions about the future provision of e-books.

    Can you help contribute to this survey and help us understand your needs better? 

    The survey is open until the 23rd May

    https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BDDTRRY

    Image supplied by www.pixabay.com (Man with E-Book Tablet)

  • Retirement of Zetoc alerts  

    Zetoc alerts is a current awareness service from the British Library that allows you to set up alerts for the table of content for particular journals.  The British Library sadly announced this service is being retired/discontinued on 1st August 2022.   If you have any alerts set up via Zetoc these will stop from 1st August.   

    There are alternatives to Zetoc available to you, which you may wish to consider switching to now, and the Library has outlined some of these on its Current Awareness Libguide. 

    If you should have any further queries or need further advice please don’t hesitate to contact your specialist librarian. 

  • ClinicalKey: an overview of what’s new

    ClinicalKey will be changing in the coming months. New content and features will be added, including a new mobile app.

    To learn about these changes, HSC staff can sign up for the Healthcare Library training session below, run by Koon Wan Chan, Customer Success Manager at Elsevier.

    ClinicalKey: an overview of new content and features

    Tuesday 28th September 2021

    10:00 – 10:45 AM

    This session will be delivered on-line via MS Teams. To receive a link to join the session, please email Richard Fallis, Specialist Librarian for Medicine, Dentistry and Healthcare Sciences: richard.fallis @ healthcarelibrary.qub.ac.uk

    In the meantime, Healthcare Library members can continue to access ClinicalKey by going to www.healthcarelibrary.qub.ac.uk > Databases A-Z > ClinicalKey

  • Wellbeing @ the Library in Craigavon

    Wellbeing @ the Library in Craigavon

    The project was launched 22nd June 2021 with the aim of promoting the benefits of reading for health and wellbeing to HSC staff and students on placement in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust. It was initiated by the SHSCT Promoting Wellbeing Division in partnership with the staff in the Healthcare Library in Craigavon Area Hospital and with the support of the Trust’s Psychology Department. The project was funded by the Staff Health and Wellbeing Steering Group and the Southern Area Mental Health Implementation Plan.



    The scheme is endorsed by health professionals and has three main objectives:

    To support the health & wellbeing of the staff & placement students in the Southern Health & Social care Trust

    To inform & support the professional development of staff & placement students

    To improve the aesthetics of the healthcare library for staff & its users.

    The stock is available to all SHSCT staff and students on placement. To borrow any of the books, you need to be a registered member of The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland – registration is free and can be completed online at: www.healthcarelibrary.qub.ac.uk/signup. For staff who cannot visit the library in person, books can be posted to their work address within the Trust.

    Library staff are happy to help so please call in, phone or email if you need assistance.

    Tel: 028 37562107 email: healthcare.library@southerntrust.hscni.net

    Some of the titles are also available as e-books, including: Your guide to understanding and dealing with dementia; Can I tell you about cerebral palsy; The sleep solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It; The Pursuit of Perfect: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living a Richer, Happier Life.

    The Wellbeing Collection in the SHSCT is the second collection to be established in a Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland branch, the other is in the Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland at the Royal Victoria Hospital.

  • Covid-19 Library Update (October 2022)

    Currently all libraries are open and measures are in place to reduce potential for viral transmission.

    • It is strongly advised to wear a face covering in all libraries, even if you are sitting at a PC or study space.
    • Study rooms are available in the Healthcare Library branches at the RVH, and at QUB MBC Building. These are still bookable through Queen’s Online.
    • Please continue to place your requests for material as before. If there are any problems or delays, we will get in touch.
    • If you currently have an item on loan, it may, as always, be requested by another reader and you will be asked to return it within 7 days.  However, we are aware this might present difficulties, so please contact your nearest Healthcare Library branch if this is the case.
    • Perspex screens are in place in some library branches.
    • Hand sanitiser and cleaning materials for touch points are available in all Library branches.

    Electronic resources are available to access outside of the Library, from home or from your office space. You will need valid HSC membership of the Library, so please contact us if your membership has lapsed. Specialist Librarians are contactable to help with any assistance required using the electronic journals, databases or literature searching.

    Updates will continue to be posted to our Keeping Up to Date section on the Library homepage and Library Twitter account. Please note that staff are available to help onsite and assist with enquiries in person in each library branch and via Library Chat, email, phone and social media if you are unable to come to the library, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns or questions.

  • Current awareness bulletins and HSC emails

    If you subscribe to Richard Fallis’ medicine, dentistry and healthcare sciences current awareness bulletins, but are not currently receiving them via your HSC Trust email, please remember that you can still:

    Any questions? Please email: Richard.Fallis@healthcarelibrary.qub.ac.uk 

  • On the move? Update your Membership Details.

    On the move? Update your membership details with The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland.

    If you are moving to a new location or post at the beginning of February as part of HSC Changeover Day, it is important to update your details with The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland. Updating your details will ensure a seamless service from The Healthcare Library especially when using the online request form or borrowing items. This will ensure that if the Library is posting books out to you, they are sent to the correct work address. The same applies to any books or article requests from other libraries on your behalf.

    You can easily update your details by accessing the ‘Change of Details’ form through The Healthcare Library website. Once you have completed the form, click on Submit. When the Library has processed your change of details form, you will receive an email from us by way of confirmation.

    As always, if you have any questions about your membership, please contact us by emailing: info@healthcarelibrary.qub.ac.uk or make contact with your nearest library branch.

  • Ripping up the rule book – Automatic Renewals

      From 25th September, the Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland will no longer be reminding you to renew your loans or asking you to return them because you have kept them too long. Instead we have listened to your comments and will automatically renew your books for you, if they have not been requested by another Library member or your library membership is due to end.

      What will this mean for me?

      • Less hassle – no more remembering to renew your loans.
      • More time to use your books and less pressure to meet Library deadlines.
      • No more fines for books just to be returned to the shelves – fines will just be added on to late books which are in demand (requested by another Library member).

      How will this work for me?

      • You take your books out as normal. They will be issued for your usual loan period.
      • The day before your books are due back, we will send you a ‘Renewal Update’ email, which will tell you what books are being renewed for another loan period and what books have not been possible to renew.
      • If a book that you have on loan is requested by another Library member, we will send you a ‘Book in Demand’ email asking you to return it. This means you will have up to one week to finish using it, but this may be less depending on when the item was due. Don’t worry, you can always request the book again if you haven’t quite finished with it.
      • Sometimes it will not be possible to renew a book even though you haven’t received a ‘Book in Demand’ email. Please see our webpages about renewals and requested items to find out more.

      How do I request a book which is on loan to someone else?

      • Most library items that are on loan to other people may be requested which means that they should be returned within one week from when the request is made. This ensures that popular items are made available for as many people as possible.
      • Standard books can be requested using the Library Catalogue.

      We hope you find our new automatic renewals service useful but please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We always welcome feedback about all of our services so please let us know what you think.