Reflections on student placement in NHS health libraries: Laura Norris

Hi! My name is Laura and I am a postgraduate student studying a master’s degree in Library and Information Management. For my placement, I opted to work within the NHS and managed to enter a role in Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care Trust. Throughout my short time here, I feel as though it has only confirmed my desire to work within the health information sector. Whilst there is a greater depth to some tasks I hadn’t thought much about (like making reading lists!), I have been reassured that it isn’t as complicated or bureaucratic as it seems on the inside. Everyone, from the KLS team I’ve worked alongside to the receptionists of the medical education building, has been kind, supportive, and has gone out of their way to make me feel welcome.

I have been able to undertake a wide range of tasks during my placement. Evaluating the library’s website, participating in knowledge mobilisation cross-trust, weeding and helping to update the exam book collection, and even helping with a literature search; all of these things have not only been fulfilling personally but have also given me the opportunity to demonstrate and develop my capabilities as an emerging information professional. Seeing the sector from the inside has brought excitement and insight for the trajectory of my career, and I would like to especially thank all of the KLS team at Tameside and Stockport who have been willing to show me the ropes, give me relative free reign on tasks I have completed, and had valuable conversations about the sector’s past, present, and future.

Being disabled, I have always felt strongly about the quality of health information from source through to patient. Keeping medical practitioners as up to date as possible with peer reviewed and trusted sources is the lifeblood of our health services and can make a huge difference in both life quality and expectancy for patients. Having the opportunity to watch health literacy training occur in real time, as well as advertising these services – whether through having an information stand for staff or developing social media posts for the trust’s account – have brought me immense satisfaction throughout my placement. It is my hope that I can continue to promote literacy and the library as a beacon of knowledge all throughout my career.

Laura Norris – Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care Trust