In November this year, Redcliffe Hospital hosted 42 health librarians (plus many others via Teams) for the 2023 Queensland Health Libraries Network Professional Development Day. Filled with thought-provoking sessions across a wide range of topics, it was a wonderful opportunity to come together and discuss the current state of medical librarianship and some of the changes on the horizon.
The day kicked off with an overview of the research programs within Redcliffe Hospital and Metro North’s Community and Oral Health directorate. It was great to hear how valued libraries are within these teams and interesting to learn how a librarian can be officially integrated into research pathways to ensure better outcomes (even when working only 11 hours a week with no actual library!). Technology updates followed, with the Queensland Health Office of Research and Innovation providing an update on the State-wide RedCap roll out (survey and database tool used to capture research data) and then Ebsco got us up to speed with the latest updates and helpful functions within DynaMed.
The middle session hit on some of the hot topics of 2023: open access and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Dr Danny Kingsley provided an engaging overview and discussion of how open access has changed the publishing landscape, particularly around read and publish deals, market consolidation and open access books. Gina Velli from the Princess Alexandra Hospital Library highlighted implications of Large Language Models (LLM) in research and libraries, covering current regulations and policies, potential uses, and emerging concerns regarding the impact of AI in these areas. This was complemented by Marco Fahmi from the Queensland Government Data and Information Services, giving us a glimpse into how AI and LLM might be integrated into workflows in the future.
Gemma Siemensma, Manager of Grampians Health Library and the Health Libraries Australia (HLA) convenor, was in town to talk about the great achievements of HLA throughout the year and the priorities for 2024 and beyond. She also provided an insight into the lay of the land for Victorian health libraries, and how Grampians Health Library extends their services outside of the traditional library sphere to get involved in consumer health, hospital policies and documents, and research committees. The trend for librarians to think outside of the box and find innovative ways to support their organisation was continued by Kim Meers (Redland Hospital Library), who outlined opportunities such as becoming a Research Integrity Advisor and her work with health literacy.
Plus, there were cataloguing tips, a rundown of the ALIA Qld Mini Conference, the implementation of High Value Conversations program in Mackay and a wonderful interactive session (and drama performance!) from the Sunshine Coast Health Institute Library team on maintaining strong relationships with patrons, despite their [inappropriate/annoying/poorly formed] service requests. But the best thing was the opportunity to mingle, chat and connect with colleagues that you usually only get to speak to over the phone/email/Teams. A big thank you to all the presenters for sharing their time and expertise, Kim and Jane Orbell-Smith for hosting, Daniel McDonald for running the getting-to-know-each-other-better quiz, Ebsco for sponsoring morning tea, and JR Medical for some sweet, sweet chocolate to help keep us lively throughout the day. We’ve had word that the next PD day is potentially in Cairns (if it’s published here it has to happen right?!?) so hopefully we’ll be tackling 2024s hot topics in the hot tropics.