In the Region: HSLANJ Participates in ONE/NJ Research Day
(Front Row, left to right: Lia Sabbagh, Patti May, Robin Siegel, Jenny Pierce, and Erica Moncrief; Back Row, left to right: Michelle Brewer, Jeannine Creazzo, Robb Mackes, and Jan Skica)
The Health Sciences Library Association of New Jersey (HSLANJ) sponsored a table display at the Organization of Nursing Executives of New Jersey (ONE/NJ) Research Day held on June 22, 2007. This was possible thanks to an exhibit grant awarded to HSLANJ from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region. The conference highlighted the results of the statewide Readiness of New Jersey Nurses for Evidence-Based Practice survey. This survey was done to replicate the study conducted by Dr. Diane Pravikoff, who was the keynote speaker that day, and reported on in the September, 2005 issue of the American Journal of Nursing. Health Sciences Librarians were dismayed to read the results of the survey. We discovered that many nurses either did not know there was a library in their hospital or did know and thought it was only available for physician use. HSLANJ considered this conference to be a perfect opportunity to speak with nurses regarding what is available to them through NNLM/MAR, the National Library of Medicine and their own hospital libraries and librarians.
More than 100 members of ONE/NJ attended the conference and stopped by our table display. HSLANJ members Michelle Brewer, Jeannine Creazzo, Robb Mackes, Patti May, Erica Moncrief, Jenny Pierce, Lia Sabbagh, Robin Siegel and Jan Skica staffed the table, answered questions and gave out bookmarks with contact information stickers attached so that the attendees would know how to reach the librarian at their institution. Laptop computers were used to demonstrate the various databases that are available to New Jersey’s hospital libraries via the National Library of Medicine, HSLANJ’s Group Purchasing program and the New Jersey State Library.
Additional handouts included Fact Sheets created by HSLANJ members describing the evidence-based nursing resources available for demonstration at the booth. These included CINAHL, Joanna Briggs Institute, Mosby’s Nursing Consult, EBSCO’s Nursing and Allied Health Collection and Biomedical Reference Collection, National Guideline Clearinghouse and The Cochrane Library
In addition, the HSLANJ exhibitors participated in the Research Day ‘breakout sessions,’ that were part of the conference. The nine health sciences librarians each worked with one breakout group of nurse executives. Together, we created working documents for use by ONE/NJ that developed strategies for improvement in New Jersey of evidence-based nursing research and practice in the hospital setting, and for the improvement of nurses’ knowledge of, access and use of hospital library services and evidence-based information resources.
The entire day gave us a wonderful opportunity to interact with nursing executives from around the state. It was gratifying to hear so many of them express how much they appreciate all the work their hospital librarians do for them. We hope that HSLANJ can be involved in the ONE/NJ Research Day again next year, on an even bigger scale.
