Clinical librarians,a new tribe in the UK: roles and responsibilities

Aims: The aims of this research were to determine the background, education, training experience, roles and responsibilities of practising Clinical Librarians (CL) in the UK. This paper reports the findings of a survey undertaken in 2007 at the third Clinical Librarian conference. This research builds on research undertaken by Harrison and Sargeant in 2002 and Ward in 2004, and can be considered as part of a longitudinal study of the role of the CL in the UK. Objectives: The objectives of the research were to define and gain a broad understanding of the role of the CL in the UK highlighting similarities and differences amongst the professionals and provide evidence for a baseline of skills and activities for the CL role. The type of sampling used was Judgemental. Results/analysis: Results/analysis detail the skills and activities undertaken by CLs. Searching for information for Clinicians was the activity most frequently undertaken. Developing good relationships with other healthcare professionals was considered essential. Two‐thirds of the respondents held a postgraduate library qualification. Conclusions: Crucially a new model for the UK CL role is derived drawing on the findings of this study and the existing literature.     

Virtuous reality: moral theory and research into cyber-bullying

This article draws on a study investigating how 11–14 year olds growing up in England understand cyber-bullying as a moral concern. Three prominent moral theories: deontology, utilitarianism and virtue ethics, informed the development of a semi-structured interview schedule which enabled young people, in their own words, to describe their experiences of online and offline bullying. Sixty 11–14 year olds from six schools across England were involved with the research. Themes emerging from the interviews included anonymity; the absence of rules, monitoring and guidance and, the challenges associated with determining the consequences of online actions. The findings demonstrate the advantages of adopting a character-based moral theory to compliment rules and/or consequence based moral theories as the basis for future research into cyber-bullying. The findings evoke some wider implications for future research into cyber-bullying that might equally be applied to investigations into other Internet related moral concerns.     

The promise of post‐publication peer review: how do we get there from here?

• Post‐publication peer review (PPPR) has not achieved its promise and potential.
• Few articles receive PPPR – even those in high‐profile journals.
• PPPR is difficult to find and needs to be linked to the original article.
• Academics require recognition if they are to contribute their time to PPPR.
• Improving PPPR would improve the scholarly corpus.

     

Pivoting: leveraging opportunities in a turbulent health care environment

Purpose:

The purpose of this lecture is to challenge librarians in clinical settings to leverage the opportunities presented by the current health care environment and to develop collaborative relationships with health care practitioners to provide relevant services.

Discussion:

Health care organizations are under financial and regulatory pressures, and many hospital librarians have been downsized or have had their positions eliminated. The lecture briefly reviews hospital librarians'' roles in the past but focuses primarily on our current challenges. This environment requires librarians to be opportunity focused and pivot to a new vision that directs their actions. Many librarians are already doing this, and colleagues are encouraging us to embrace these opportunities. Evidence from publications, websites, discussion lists, personal communications, and the author''s experience is explored.

Conclusion:

Developing interdisciplinary and collaborative relationships in our institutions and providing relevant services will mark our progress as vital, contributing members of our health care organizations.