Reflections on student placement in NHS health libraries: Jasmine Wood
Hello, my name is Jasmine, and I am a postgraduate student pursuing a degree in Library and Information Management. Alongside my studies, I was given the opportunity to participate in a voluntary placement of fifteen days within the information sector of my choosing. I selected the NHS and from my time working with the KLS team at the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, I have learned many new things. Prior to this placement, I had never stepped foot within a health library and so to work within the heart of one these past few weeks has surely been a novelty which I don’t think will wear off anytime soon! The ability to gain insight, knowledge, and experience from this placement was certainly made easy by the KLS team at Stockport, who, these past few weeks, have been patient and keen in their making this experience as productive and inspiring as possible.
I’d always known, even prior to undertaking my postgraduate degree, that a library was more than just the books on it shelves, and my studies affirmed this. However, my time on placement has allowed me the chance to further immerse myself within a culture and environment of information which I’d otherwise never known. I’ve sat in on training sessions, familiarised myself with IT databases like KOHA and KnowledgeShare, and been introduced to the processes of collection management. Most notable of all, I have realised that the stereotype of libraries and librarians being self-contained and reclusive is far from the actual reality. Being a librarian within the NHS means having a vast network of fellow, like-minded professionals at your fingertips (or the click of a cursor) for support and advice; it means engaging with a range departments so very different from your own to ensure a smooth sailing of services; and finally, it means potentially connecting with every user who walks through those library doors as the attempt to meet their every information need is made.
I’m finishing this placement with a more refined skill set and a greater sense of self-assurance. I hope that I will find myself back working within a health library once completing my degree and am excited for all that a future as a librarian will hold!
Jasmine Wood – Stockport NHS Trust
