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Health Sciences Libraries Journal Vol. 1, Issue 2 (2025) – Published

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The Winter issue of our Health Sciences Libraries Journal is now published.

You can access our journal at: https://journals.ucc.ie/index.php/hslj/index

 

Volume 1, Issue 2, Table of Contents:

Editorial

  • By HSLJ Editor-in-Chief, Jean McMahon

Practice-Based Articles

  • We All Have a Story to Tell: Why Librarians Should Write about and Share What They Do, Martin O’Connor
  • Time for SerendipiTEA: A Health Library-Led Cross-Organisational Randomised Coffee Trial, Paul Breen and Liis Cotter
  • The Anatomy of a Journal: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How, Mary Dunne, Breeda Herlihy and Julianne O’Callaghan
  • Face Value: How Living with An Appearance Difference Informs Library Customer Service, Maeve Kerins

Regular Features

  • Marcia Crocker Noyes: The Librarian Who Never Left, Meg Fairfax Fielding
  • A Day in the Life of a Medical Librarian in an Academic Family Medicine Department, Alex Henigman
  • Becoming Tusla’s First Librarian, Ian Feerick
  • A Reflection on Forty Years Working in Libraries, Helen Fallon
  • SHOUT: Sharing Hints, Outcomes and Useful Techniques, Mary Dunne

Reports and Reviews

  • Sharpening Search Skills: Reflections on a Peer-Review Search Strategies Course, Aileen Garrihy

Updates

  • IN MEMORIAM. Dr Bríd McGrath BA (Mod), MLitt, PhD, DLIS

The deadlines for our Summer 2026 issue are:

  • Research articles (peer review) – January 10th 2026
  • General submissions – April 1st 2026

For information on submitting an article please see https://journals.ucc.ie/index.php/hslj/about/submissions

Journal club meetings

HSLG Virtual Journal Club, Wednesday 10th December 2025 – Open Access & Library Publishing

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HSLG Virtual Journal Club, 10th December 2025, 11:00 – 11:45am

Our next journal club meeting will be hosted by Gerry McManus, Library & Information Services, St. Vincent’s University Hospital.

View Gerry’s presentation slides

Article:

Ma, L., Buggle, J. and O’Neill, M. (2023) ‘Open access at a crossroads: library publishing and bibliodiversity’, Insights: the UKSG journal, 36(1), p. 10. https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.613

Discussion Questions 

  • From a library perspective, what does an ideal OA environment look like?
  • Is this OA vision feasible under current conditions?
  • Is small scale library publishing a viable option?
  • Can we break out of metrics-based research assessment? How can we advocate for this?
Conference · Home

Celebrating Our Collective Power: Finding Strength in Difference – HSLG Conference 2026 – Call for abstracts now open

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We will hold our annual conference in the Ashling Hotel, Dublin on Thursday 12th March 2026.

Our theme is “Celebrating Our Collective Power: Finding Strength in Difference“.

We all have different values, preferences, priorities, stakeholders, professional goals and ways of working. This diversity provides benefits to our profession with greater access to new ideas and innovations.

  • Technology – how do we prepare for technological innovations such as AI
  • Impact – how do we make a difference to others
  • User Engagement – how do we ensure our services meet the varied needs of library users
  • Resilience – how do we function well in the face of adversity
  • Lifelong Learning – (such as CPD)

Submit your abstract to contacthslg@gmail.com by Tuesday 13th January 2026. Please include a presentation title, name of presenter(s), organisation, abstract of 250-300 words, and whether you will speak for 10 or 20 minutes.

Successful presenters will have the conference fee waived.*

Ticket Prices:

HSLG member: €35

Non-LAI member: €80

LAI member/Student/Unemployed: €50

[*Note: Standard presentation will be limited to a maximum of two presenters, with short presentations limited to one.]

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HSLG AGM

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The Annual General Meeting of the Health Sciences Libraries Group will take place online on Thursday 27th November 2025, from 11:00-12:00.

HSLG members are invited to register for the AGM via Eventbrite. The AGM will take place via Zoom, and a link to join the meeting will be circulated closer to the date.

We are also inviting nominations to the HSLG committee for the term 2025-2027. Information on the nomination form and submission instructions are here, but do get in touch if you have any questions. Nominations must be received by no later than 5pm on Monday 24th November.

Come join us to hear about what we have done in 2025, as well as our plans for 2026.

Events · Home

Ovid Platform & Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Training

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The Health Sciences Libraries Group is holding an in-person CPD event on Ovid Platform & Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). This event will be held on Tuesday 28th October 2025 at the Health Research Board.

This is an LAI CPD credited event and is open to all LAI members. Non-LAI members are welcome to join a waiting list by contacting contacthslg@gmail.com.

Morning session: Introduction to your resources and literature searching on the Ovid Platform, Rani Southern-Darbar, Senior Customer Success Consultant, Wolters Kluwer.

Afternoon session: How to critically appraise a Randomised Controlled Trial using The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme, Miriam Williams, Library & Information Service, Tallaght University Hospital

Register here through Eventbrite.

HSLG members can apply for funds to cover the registration fee and/or travel expenses for this event. See more here HSLG Bursaries – Health Sciences Libraries Group

Home · Journal - HSLJ

HSLG launch our new Health Sciences Libraries Journal

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The HSLG committee are delighted to announce the launch of our new diamond open access Health Sciences Libraries Journal (HSLJ).

The purpose of HSLJ is to provide a forum for those working in the library and information sector to share and showcase knowledge and experience. Through harnessing our collective knowledge, we aim to enhance our ability to make evidence-informed decisions in practice, enable creativity and change, and promote our value and professional abilities.

You can access our journal at https://journals.ucc.ie/index.php/hslj/index

Volume 1, issue 1, table of contents:

Editorial

  • By our Editor in Chief Jean McMahon

Practice-based articles

  • Cultivating the Power of Curiosity in Professional Practice, Mary Dunne
  • Strengthening the Future of Health Science Librarianship: An Introduction to Coaching and Mentoring, Eimear Carney
  • Guiding Success: Staff Support for Undergraduate Nursing Students in Academic Poster Design, Ann Byrne and Irene O’Dowd
  • Navigating Complexity: Strategies for Libraries in a Rapidly Changing World, Mairéad McKeown and Amy Bond
  • Practical Techniques for Being More Creative at Work, Peter Reilly

Reports & reviews

  • Report of the HSLG Conference 2025, Jim Healy

Regular features

  • SHOUT: Sharing Hints, Outcomes and Useful Techniques

Please consider submitting an article for future issues. We welcome submissions from those across all sectors with topics that are of potential interest to health librarians. There are a number of submission types. Research articles will be peer reviewed. Practice-based articles include items such as case studies, project reports and commentaries. We also welcome book, podcast, website reviews and recommendations, product reviews and event reports.

We aim to publish two issues each year.

  • The deadline for general submissions is 01 April (for summer) or 01 October (for winter).
  • The deadline for (peer reviewed) research articles is 10 January (for summer) or 10 July (for winter).

For more information on submitting an article please see https://journals.ucc.ie/index.php/hslj/about/submissions

Events · Home

Summer Celebration: Joint HSLG and A&SL members networking evening 2025

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On a gloriously sunny Tuesday evening, 17th June, HSLG and A&SL hosted another successful joint networking event for members in the Mansion House’s Oak Room. The Role of Librarians in algorithmic and AI literacy: a competency-based approach was presented by Professor Aphra Kerr of Digital Media and Communication at the School of Information and Communication Studies, UCD, and co-PI at the Research Ireland funded ADAPT Centre for AI and Digital Content Technology (2021-2026).

Aphra discussed the Media and Information Literacy approach to algorithmic and AI literacy used by the European-funded Algowatch Project. She also discussed how researchers at Irish colleges are utilising AI in their work and the key blind spots in the new regulations pertaining to AI. Aphra concluded her talk with the librarian’s role in AI literacy. A great evening was had by all.

Conference · Home

HSLG Conference 2025 – Presentations

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Our 2025 Annual Conference on Cultivating Curiosity: a Wonderland for Librarians was held in Ashling Hotel on Thursday 6th March.

We would like to thank our wonderful speakers for their permission to add their presentation slides here.

Keynote Speaker: Sue Lacey-Bryant – Making Curiosity Count

Mary Dunne – Conceptualising Curiosity 

Peter Reilly – Cultivate your Creativity by Being Curious!

Dympna McGettigan – Health Information Calendar: a health calendar for all

HSE Library ILL Team – Everything, Everywhere All at Once…But in One Place!

Ann Byrne – Follow the White Rabbit: Guiding Nursing Students to Creative Poster Presentations

Niall O’Brien – Following Protocols: adventures in tracking the lifecycle of review protocols

Aoife Lawton – LAI Library Labour Market Taskforce Report: key findings

Mingli Gong – What are the CPD Needs & Challenges in Engaging ICT for Librarians in Ireland?

Mairéad McKeown & Amy Bond – Knowledge Cafe: How We Make Better Sense of a Rapidly Changing and Complex World

Amy’s Top 10 Tips for Hosting a Knowledge Cafe

Conference · Home

Registration for HSLG Conference 2025 – now open

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The HSLG committee are delighted to announce that registration is now open for the Annual HSLG Conference which takes place on Thursday 6th March in the Ashling Hotel, Dublin.

Our theme for 2025 is “Cultivating curiosity: a wonderland for librarians”.

Our theme explores the role of curiosity within librarianship, which includes:

  • Innovating, challenging and being open to new ideas, experiences and perspectives
  • Planning for the future / creating or adapting to environments of change
  • Delving deep. Understanding and providing evidence of value
  • Lifelong learning
  • Believing impossible things – and making them happen

Register now: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/hslg-conference-2025-cultivating-curiosity-a-wonderland-for-librarians-tickets-1092203563259?aff=oddtdtcreator

The programme is packed with interesting and relevant speakers, with plenty of time to network. Highlights include keynote speaker Sue Lacey Bryant, CILIP President, and a knowledge café led by Mairéad McKeown and Amy Bond of Bord Bia.

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The HSLG makes the Bernard Barrett Bursary award available to HSLG members from across Ireland to enable members to attend the annual conference. Members may apply for funds to cover the registration fee and/or travel expenses: https://hslg.ie/about/hslg-bursary/

 

HINT · Home

Final issue of HINT – Winter 2024

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The first issue of HINT, the newsletter of the Health Sciences Libraries Group was published in Autumn 2003. Over the years, more than 50 issues have been produced. We would like to take this opportunity to thank every single person who has written for, edited, and produced these issues. HINT has been a vital way for health librarians to stay connected, share developments in our profession, and support one another.  The Winter 2024 issue will be our final issue as we move our publication to an open access journal in 2025. We look forward to receiving your future contributions.

HINT Winter 2024 is available now from https://hslg.ie/hint/

Issue contents:

Christmas Message from the HSLG Committee – Niamh Lucey
Rotunda Hospital Commemorative Plaque Unveiling – Anne O’Byrne
Renovation of the Library at University Hospital, Kerry – Jennifer Butler
Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy – M. J. Tooey
Librarians in interesting roles – Louise Farragher
Latest News from the HSLG Mentoring Programme – Jean McMahon
HINT Transition to Open Access Journal – Mary Dunne, Breeda Herlihy
Book Recommendation: Self-care for winter by Suzy Reading – Yohanna Anderson
Research, Knowledge, Information and Relationships – Bernard Barrett
LITE reading (Library, Information, Technology & Evidence)- Mary Dunne