Introduction to Healthcare Knowledge and Library Services

The range of roles in healthcare knowledge and library services are many and varied. From 'traditional' librarian roles to those that break new ground, including clinical, embedded and outreach librarians and knowledge management, they are a vital ongoing support for this important sector.

This book provides a comprehensive, practitioner focused introduction to all aspects of knowledge and library work in the health sector. Starting with an overview of NHS England and how knowledge and library work sits within it, the book addresses such critical areas as services supporting evidence-based practice, the developing area of health information literacy, collaborative working, demonstrating impact and value and research discovery.

Geoff Walton is Reader in Information and Digital Literacies in the iSchool at Manchester Metropolitan University. He is currently working on the AHRC funded project 'Untold Stories: 75th Anniversary of the NHS'. Geoff recently completed three funded projects, two CILIP Information Literacy Group (ILG) funded projects and an ERDF funded project to create an elearning portal for Jeff Gosling Hand-Controls, the leading UK manufacture of adaptive engineering for cars and a User Experience project for the Insights People. His main research interests are information literacy, information behaviour, Technology Enhanced Learning, data literacy and public libraries.

Frances Johnson is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Information & Communications at the Manchester Metropolitan University. She has a PhD in Computer Science/Natural Language Processing from the University of Manchester and her field of expertise is in search technologies, information seeking behaviour and UX. She is currently associate editor for Data Technologies and Applications, and features editor in the Health Information and Libraries Journal.

Until his retirement in 2021 David Stewart was Head of NHS Knowledge and Library Services North at Health Education England where he was responsible for leading the strategic development, co-ordination and monitoring of all NHS library and knowledge services across the North of England. David's previous posts include Director of Information Services at the Royal Society of Medicine; Deputy Director of Health Libraries in Oxford Region and District Librarian for Medway Health Authority. David was CILIP President in 2019 and has chaired CILIP's Health Libraries Group and the NHS Regional Librarians Group. He was the founder of the CHILL network in London and the co-founder of the HEALER network which brought together a wide range of people interested in health libraries research. He was awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours in 2021.

Gil Young has worked in the academic, health and public library sectors. She is currently employed as a Knowledge and Library Services Development Manager for NHS England as part of a national team providing strategic leadership and vision to enable all NHS staff and learners to benefit equally from high-quality knowledge and library services. She is a CILIP Fellow and an associate member of the CIPD. Gil is a CILIP Professional Support Officer and was the first winner of the CILIP mentor of the year award. She is co-author of Practical Tips for Developing Your Staff (2016).

Holly Case Wyatt is NHS Liaison and Evidence Services Manager at Imperial College London. She has worked in libraries for 12 years, starting in public libraries specialising in health and wellbeing. In 2013 Holly led the Domestic Abuse, How Surrey Libraries Can Help project, winning CILIPs Libraries Change Lives Award. Since joining the NHS in 2015, she has worked as an Outreach Librarian delivering library services to NHS staff working in the community and as a Knowledge and Library Development Manager at Health Education England providing professional advisory guidance and quality assurance of knowledge services to NHS organisations. She holds a Master's degree in Library and Information Management and is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).