Emily Hopkins gave this presentation at the Career Development Group's National Conference 2011. The theme this year was : "The Practical Professional", Monday 21st November 2011

1. “We’re not in Kansas anymore...”
A case study of Manchester Health Information and
Resources Library’s move into a new organisation under the
NHS restructure, and how the library is evolving in a
changing and challenging landscape.
Emily Hopkins: Library Manager

2. Origins of the library service
Manchester PCT Library: 20
year history
Public Health Resource &
Information Centres: 30 year
history

3. Merger of Library & Resources
• Ongoing talks to merge the two services
• Two services had long history of working together
• Cost savings, avoiding duplication
• Merger eventually happened November 2009
• Library Manager post vacant until I started July 2010
• Combining policies, procedures
• Encouraging staff to develop & learn

4. 350 crates…
• Became clear we
needed to vacate our
building
• Suitable alternative
accommodation not
found immediately
• Packed library & sent to
storage
• Estates worked on
finding us suitable
accommodation

5. Moving in to Fallowfield – March 2011

6. NHS Reorganisation
• Complex!
• Resulted in our service moving into a different Trust

7. Transfer to Manchester Mental Health
• 1st April 2011
• Working with Trust Outreach Librarian
• Producing webpages, leaflets etc – all branded
• Making contacts with Learning & Development

8. Developing the Service
• Reviewed Library Strategy, Collection
Development Policy
• Luckily – good collection of mental health
material & overall, stock still relevant
• Reviewing journal subscriptions as we go along
• Developing user consultation

9. Barriers
• Trust not used to library services!
• IT issues
• Perception that we are only for Public Health
staff

10. What have we learned?
• Professional, transferable skills are valuable
• Flexibility!
• Detailed “subject” knowledge picked up on the job
• Need to align – and re-align – services & constantly
evaluate
• Librarians are valuable anywhere
• Oz may be a strange new land – we should embrace the
opportunities…
• But don’t look to the Wizard for answers!