'Liberating Librarians': Health Libraries and Information Network (HeLIN)

Since our birth in 1997 Sparknow have developed a growing portfolio of work with healthcare libraries across the country. Following two well-received story workshops we ran at a Library Association conference in 1998, we were invited to run a residential 2 day event in High Wycombe for the health care librarians from the Health Libraries and Information Network (HeLIN) 1999. Exploring the changing role of librarians, this short intervention delivered sustained benefits.

NOTE: All client quotes in italics

Prologue

In 1998, Penny Simmons – Manager of Professional Development for the Library Association (now CILIP) – invited Sparknow to run two two-hour workshops on the changing role of librarians at the annual Work Place Libraries conference, Buxton, Derbyshire. We were asked to share some KM tools, in particular story techniques, to equip the librarians for the coming changes. Planning this with Penny, we sought to honour both the focus of the conference - the future – and the request for KM content, but also the plea for something active and participative as a tonic to the lectures given by the main speakers.

“Librarians usually know more than those they serve, but they don’t tell us… The days of the Golden Retriever are over" - Mark Killick, producer of Panorama, speaker at the conference.

The workshops – due in large part to the interest and keen engagement of participants – were a hit. We explored current perceptions of the Librarian’s role (- sadly this unearthed comments like ‘nursemaid’, ‘old teacher’, ‘tweeds and glasses’), then moved on to create visions and ambitions for the future, with the librarians re-casting themselves as ‘navigators’, ‘leaders’ and ‘innovators’. We helped people explore what assets they had and could share with others, including professional skills, know-how, access to resources and funds and ‘other people’ and/ or ‘networks’ as they are known in KM terms, then tackled some of the obstacles which might frustrate these ambitions.

The whole thing generated a buzz of interest, extended networks and led to future work and learning opportunities on both sides.

Situation

Dr Judy Palmer, now Keeper of Scientific Books at the Radcliffe Science Library, University of Oxford, was at that time Director of the Health Care Libraries Unit, leading a network of healthcare librarians in Oxfordshire, Bucks and Berks and Northants. She couldn’t come to the workshops herself, but she contacted one of the Sparknow team, said she was interested in a workshop on storytelling for healthcare librarians, and asked us to make arrangements with her to follow this up. She and Anne Brice then worked with us to design an event which would be part of an ongoing training and CPD programme which brought this network together regularly for residential training.

Having already undertaken a work programme on ‘Librarians in the 21st Century’, the sponsoring team invited Sparknow to design and run a residential weekend in High Wycombe entitled - “Accessing Change, Liberating Librarians” - which would seek to further explore the changing roles of Health Care Librarians. The focus was to provide simple practical story tools, within the context of KM theory and practice, to the health care librarians, so that even in a large complex organisation like the NHS they could initiate and influence change themselves. An attractive location was sought out, true to the desire to create a relaxing and fun space in which everyone could feel safe and have a voice.

Intervention

Over the weekend – held in April 1999 – participants were introduced to a variety of special techniques developed by Sparknow – including story exchange, picture-building, action planning and tailored group work sessions. As in Buxton, we spent time exploring current perceptions of the librarian’s role, thinking together about how this might change in future. We looked at what assets librarians have to share with others, what networks and alliances they have, then dealt with some of the potential obstacles which could frustrate their ambitions. Importantly we allowed plenty of time for reflection between activities.

Impact

Participants liked the fact they’d been afforded an opportunity for networking and exchange and they noticed that the amount of time they had been given to explore the new ideas and tools allowed them to carry out activities thoroughly, reflect and use the whole environment. They also said they valued the different inputs/ approaches used by facilitators, categorising them as:

• Stimulus, innovation and vision
• Structure, grounding and application
• Tranquillity, reflection and exploring perceptions

One particular piece of feedback, which in part catalysed a much larger inquiry into slowness and tempo in organisations, was the length of time we allowed for some exercises. At the outset, we were told, this time seemed far too long for the task set. But as the task developed, the time seemed to allow proper in depth exploration and development. We were also very particular in emphasising the range of senses involved in the making and telling of story. Certainly, it seemed to create a safe environment in which we could have a lot of fun. By the end of two days, the role of the health care librarian was being told as the story of Oscar Wilde’s Selfish Giant, Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, and St. Georgina and Dr. Agon.

It was also an experience which allowed librarians to notice how they already used story, language and elegant invitation to create community round their libraries. For example, one librarian had created a poetry competition for library users to submit poems about health. These were then displayed, and created a new traffic of visitors to the library who then encountered each other, and the library and its role in new ways. Stories like this enriched the insight of each individual, and allowed them to explore ways in which they might adapt and adopt the experiences of others.

In a recent conversation with Anne Brice, we asked what became of the tools and approaches we had offered them – “still using them”, she said.

And now, four years later, Anne has approached us for some guidance on the development of communities of practice and the role of story in the National Electronic Library for Health Specialist Libraries programme.