1. South Tees Library Strategy

2. South Tees Hospitals Library Strategy 2017-2021
Supporting clinical and non-clinical staff, learners and patients to use the right knowledge and evidence; enabling high quality decision making, learning, research and innovation to achieve excellent healthcare and health improvement.
Introduction
Library Services are delivered from two site libraries within South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The Rodney Cove-Smith Library, The James Cook University Hospital
The Friarage Hospital, Northallerton
Nearly 70% of our customers indicate that the information we provide has an impact on patient care and the service has been assessed as the best performing NHS library service in the North East. However the NHS is continually changing, technology is changing and the way people learn is changing and publishing is changing. To continue to provide an excellent service to the Trust and be the best NHS library in the North East- South Tees Library service must embrace these changes.
This document outlines the vision and direction of the library service for the next 5 years and how the service will continue to align itself to the business objectives of the LRI, the Trust and Health Education England. A detailed implementation plan which will be reviewed annually is attached in appendix 1.

3. L R I South Tees Library Service of 2021 will
Be proactively customer focused and responding quickly to customer needs 
Continue to deliver efficient high quality services
LEARNING R
Work in partnership with stakeholders and external organisations to enrich the information offered to patients and carers
Work with the Trust to better mobilise knowledge within the organisation 
Excellence in Patient Outcome
RESEARCH I
Input to or influence patient care and service development in the Trust 
Embrace changes in technology to deliver information
INNOVATION

4. Appendix 1 Implementation Plan – reviewed annually

5. Customer focused Services
OBJECTIVE
ACTION
OUTCOMES
TIMESCALE
Customer focused Services
Develop better links with the departments
Pilot named library link/contact for departments
Improve two way communication between customers and library
Commence pilot Jan 2017 – review after 1 year
Produce tailored information for those departments
Continue to tailor protopages for specific departments or disciplines
Implement additional current awareness services recommended by the working group of Knowledge for Health
Increased use of Protopages (monitor usage stats)
Staff have a range of options open to them to keep informed of developments in their area of work/expertise
Ongoing
Recommendations have yet to be published – review once they have been published
Improve the promotion and marketing of the service
Organise events/displays which link to national and local initiatives eg week, Health Information week, Love Nursing etc.
Visit community hospitals to promote services
Increase profile of the library
Deliver more services remotely
Review library procedures to ensure that wherever possible services can be delivered remotely eg book loans, document supply, renewal/reservations
Library services are more convenient for the users
Review and update procedures by June 2017

6. Service input/impact OBJECTIVE ACTION OUTCOMES TIMESCALE
Offer more outreach services to the departments
Pilot “Library on Call” Service, review and extend to other depts
Increase use of library services
Commence pilot August 2016 – review March 2017
Apply specialist skills to support service improvement work and other developmental priorities
Provide evidence based information consultancy services (eg literature searches) to all staff
Professionals/managers/teams have the best available evidence to inform their decisions
Ongoing
Implement point of care knowledge resources and integrate into clinical systems where possible
Purchase Dynamed Plus and promote its use
Clinical staff make greater use of evidence based summaries.
Purchase Dynamed Aug 2016 – review July 17
Systematically gather impact information
Use Knowledge for Health impact to measure impact of document supply, training and literature searching
Information from surveys and case studies demonstrate/illustrate the impact of library services
Surveys commence August 2016

7. Embracing technology OBJECTIVE ACTION OUTCOMES TIMESCALE
Greater use of library systems’ remote functions
 Install and promote the use of the mobile device app for the library management system
 Customers can use their mobile devices to search the library catalogue and renew/reserve books
 31st December 2016
Simplify the sign-on to resources
Liaise with IT Department about getting Athens added to single sign-on as the Trust scheme is expanded
Staff will not require to login with Athens to access digital resources leading to an increase in convenience and use
Ongoing
Provide an enhanced single search portal
Purchase and implement a “discovery” system
Single search box will display relevant articles, books, Trust policies etc making it easier and quicker to access information
December 2017

8. Efficient, high quality services
OBJECTIVE
ACTION
OUTCOMES
TIMESCALE
Efficient, high quality services
Meet defined service standards
Continue to monitor defined service standards and participate in national quality standards (LQAF)
Customers have access to high quality services and the Library Service fully meets LQAF standards
Ongoing
Ensure library service obtains best value from systems and resources
Continue to participate in reciprocal document supply schemes
Where possible extend collaborative purchasing of resources and systems if savings can be made.
Investigate possible move to Soutron library management system
Document supply is achieved at a fraction of the cost of going directly to the British Library or BMA
Operating costs are kept to a minimum
A reduction in Library System costs (possibly 50%) if we switch to Soutron
Review by 31st June 2017
Ensure skills and knowledge of staff are developed in line with library service changes
Staff to participate in learning opportunities offered as part of the national training programme of Knowledge for Health
Staff have the confidence, skills and knowledge to provide new services eg patient information
Ensure physical library environment meets the needs and future needs of our customers  
Rationalise shelving at JCUH to release more space for group working (or for flexible learning “pods” if funding available)
Work in partnership with Postgrad and estates to ensure the replacement accommodation meets requirements
Customers have a pleasant, flexible environment which meets their learning needs.
31st December 2017
New location of FHN Library and Postgrad has yet to be confirmed.

9. Knowledge Management Patient Information OBJECTIVE ACTION OUTCOMES
TIMESCALE
Knowledge Management
Work with the Trust to better mobilise knowledge within the organisation
 Work with service improvement, organisational development and innovation teams to improve knowledge management across the Trust
Teams and work streams share information, learn from one another and avoid silo working
Ongoing
Patient Information
Work in partnership with stakeholders and external organisations to enrich the information offered to patients and carers
Work with local council run library services and with HEE to aid the provision of reliable information to patients/carers
Patients/carers are more knowledgeable about their conditions