Meeting Minutes

Present: Betsy Anagnostelis (BA) UCL (NCL), Melanie Brocklehurst (MB) LSBU (SEL), Ruth Fosker (RF) NHS London, Paul Hockney (PH) QM (NEL), Angela Horrocks (AH) Kingston University (SWL), Gary Horrocks (GH) KCL (SEL), Sarah Lawson (SL) KCL (SEL), Richard Osborn (RO) NHS London, Anne Weist (AW) NHS London
John Wolstenholme (JIW)  Chair  TVU (NWL)

Apologies: Paul Ayris (PA) UCL (NCL), Ray Phillips (RP) NHS London, Janet Smith (JS) Imperial College and CPD25 (NWL), Cheryl Twomey (CT) NHS London - eKAT, Jane Williamson (JW) NCLSHA

1. Minutes of previous meeting (23rd January 2006)

The minutes of the last meeting were approved, with the addition of one sentence at the end of item 2 – “An UMSLG survey indicates that NHS considerations are influencing policies in this area”.   BA agreed to circulate details of this survey, presented at the UMSLG Forum.  GH would circulate a paper produced by KCL on the issue of walk-in access to e-resources. ACTION: BA & GH

2. Matters arising

• JS had sent a message to report that CPD25 is organising an event on VLEs during 2006/7.
• RO would ask CT about an event on NCC resources for HEI staff. ACTION: RO
• AW reported that the London Health Libraries Staff Development Framework has been enthusiastically received by LKDN and it was looking to take this forward nationally.
• AW said that the Learner Support pilot programme had been very successful, with good participation by HEI library staff.  BA asked for a copy of the programme to be circulated. ACTION: AW
• GH agreed to contact CT about the qualitative analysis of e-journal statistics. ACTION: GH
• AH reported that the UHSL group is meeting shortly with UMSLG to share issues of common concern.

3. London Health Libraries / M25 procurement sub-group

BA gave a report on the work of the group and highlighted the following :

• The sub-group had analysed the Internurse questionnaires.  Most HEIs did not have funding available this financial year to take this forward.
• The group has discussed CINAHL and the effect of EBSCO now owning this database
• The Athens pilot was due to begin shortly, with Kingston and UCL as pilot sites. 
• It was understood that NHS Athens access to the Cochrane Library had been renewed
• A trial of the Social Policy and Practice database was being considered.  LSBU and KCL had already had trials and feedback was positive.  Interest was clearly wider than just social work / care. 
• BA would be circulating a questionnaire on Dialog to HEI libraries
• A proposal for a pan-London Athens account for placement students was being taken to the National Core Content Service Delivery Board.
• The national joint procurement of the Public Library of Science had been abandoned, due to publisher intransigence.

4. 2006/7 Action Plan

This was tabled. On the issue of lost / non-returned items, SL mentioned that KCL was working with its placement libraries to include a standard form of words on all reader registration forms.  JIW would send an e-mail to all HEIs asking for good practice in this area. ACTION: JIW

On the issue of collection listing, a discussion took place about the definition of core reading.  Were HEIs able to define this?  Ideally reading lists should be available on HEI library websites.  MB noted that LSBU was already doing this.

BA felt that the action plan should include a more strategic issue such as funding, but JIW wondered whether this was more of an issue for the SCONUL Health Strategy Group.

5. Strategic leadership of library services in London – looking towards the new London SHA

RF introduced a paper which had been prepared for Paul Pugh, Executive Director for Organisational Development for North West London SHA, who was leading a review of workforce functions in preparation for the creation of a new London SHA from July 1st.  A Chief Executive had been appointed for this new organisation (David Nicholson) but as yet there was no organisational structure and the situation was very uncertain.  The London Health Libraries Strategy and Development Group argued the case for strategic leadership of health library services in this paper and the HEI representatives on the group were keen to support the argument in any way that they could.  It was agreed that JIW would write to Paul Pugh on behalf of the group, highlighting the importance of joint HE/NHS working across London and how this would be jeopardised if strategic leadership on the NHS side was not maintained.

6. Any other business

• It was agreed that the pan-London student charter should be circulated as widely as possible.  The SHA library leads would ensure that all London Health Libraries staff were aware of its existence.
• PH raised the matter of MPET funding and the reductions that were expected in this financial year.  BA asked if any representation could be made to certain individuals and bodies, e.g. DH, LKDN, London Deanery.  Deans of Medical Schools needed to be aware that cuts in this funding were a threat to medical research.
• BA said it would be helpful if a copy of the new standard education contract could be circulated to members of the group.

7. Date of next meeting

The next meeting would be held on Monday 4 September at 12.30 pm.  RO would chair and would book a room at Victory House. ACTION:  RO