"Exciting", "fascinating" and "cutting-edge" are terms used by NHS librarians to describe a profession that has been transformed by the increasing demand for evidence-based healthcare.
The change has been phenomenal, says Anne Brice, who chairs the continuing professional development panel of the NHS regional librarians group.
"Librarians are no longer seen as just providing a support service. It's brought us centre stage, as evidence-based practice requires real expertise in handling information and knowledge. And it's focused attention on the skills that people need in order to formulate questions, locate, find, judge and appraise evidence."
The transformation has begun to dilute the traditional vertical career path of NHS librarians within libraries. There is still a need for accreditation from the Library Association but NHS librarians are beginning to take on other roles in the health service such as managing research and development programmes, teaching the use of information systems, or working in clinical effectiveness teams.
NHS library adviser Veronica Fraser, who works in the information policy unit of the NHS executive, says electronic technology has played a pivotal role in this transformation, causing a reappraisal of the value of knowledge and of the information broker role of librarians. The NHS is establishing a national electronic library for health (a pilot will be launched on November 27) which is designed to provide instant access to high-quality evidence via the NHSNet intranet and the internet.
Shane Godbolt, head of library and information development in the London region's north Thames area, says clinicians often have neither the time nor the skills to find the evidence they need to make fully informed choices in critical clinical situations. This is where librarians come into their own.
He recalls an incident in which a clinical librarian was asked to find out whether there was a suitable drug regime for a patient who was epileptic, schizophrenic and heavily pregnant. The turnaround time on this inquiry was one hour. A mistake in such circumstances could have been hugely costly in financial and human terms.
Clearly, NHS librarians lead more exciting lives than in the past but is there room at the top to allow for career development? No more than in the past, it seems. There are only eight NHS regional librarian posts in England and no directly equivalent posts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Recommended salaries for health sector library staff Director of health libraries/regional librarian £39,280 Deputy/associate or assistant director of health libraries £22,150-£33, 225 Health authority, faculty or trust librarian £18,825-£26,560 Assistant librarian £16,505-£18,825 Senior library assistant £11,075-£15,505 Library assistant £8,860-£11,075
• These salary bands do not take into account London weighting and other benefits.
Source: The Library Association
