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
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
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
Writing Skills for LIS Professionals – blogs, bursaries, journals and more!
The LAI’s Career Development Group (CDG) & Academic & Special Libraries Section (AS&L) are jointly hosting this online event on the evening of May 20th @ 6.30pm.
Join Marta Bustillo – Digital Learning Librarian (UCD), and Martin O’Connor – Communications Co-Ordinator (UCC Library), to discuss writing skills for library professionals.
Register for this free event here
On 1st October the HSLG committee were delighted to welcome academic & health librarians for an in person CPD event in the Health Research Board. Brian Galvin spoke about managing uncertainty through strategic foresight, and Ailish Farragher, Caitriona Lee and Louise Farragher gave a number of presentations on improving search strategy development and reporting for better evidence.
Foresight is an approach to planning and policymaking that attempts to manage uncertainty. It does that this by using a variety of tools to identify possible threats and opportunities in the medium or long-term. This is not prediction but an attempt to develop an information resource that helps with decision making in the present. Engaging in foresight work develops anticipatory capacity and enables a more active role in supporting policy making and mobilising joint action.
Improving search strategy development and reporting for better evidence – The IS team discussed how you can improve your search strategy development and reporting, ensuring your contribution to the review is to a high standard
- using PRESS peer review of search strategies to improve your search strategy and choice of search resources
- using available guidance for searching for systematic reviews, scoping reviews and rapid reviews (Cochrane, JBI etc)
- using established quality assessment tools (AMSTAR, JBI for Systematic Reviews) to guide search decisions
- using reporting standards (PRISMA-S) to guide search decisions and reporting
Guidance on terminology, application, and reporting of citation searching: using the TARCiS statement, and tools that can help.
Below are slides from these presentations:
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Document versions of the presentations:
Quality Assessment Search Strategies (PDF)
TARCiS (Powerpoint)
Following on from the success of our inaugural Literature Search Peer Review Buddy Scheme, the HSLG committee is pleased to announce the launch of a second round.
For more information see the round 2 details on the CPD Support area of our webstite
LIRG’s Lunchtime Series on research methods
The Library and Information Research Group is delighted to bring a series of CPD events during 2023, which includes a programme of online events introducing LIS practitioners to workplace research and a series of research methods lunchtime webinars.
Each session will run virtually on Zoom and start at 12pm.
Our guest speaker for this event is Leo Appleton, Chair of LIRG and Senior University Teacher, Information School, University of Sheffield.
LIRG’s Research Methods: Lunchtime Series.
The Library and Information Research Group is delighted to bring a series of CPD events during 2023, which includes a programme of online events introducing LIS practitioners to workplace research and a series of research methods lunchtime webinars.
Each session will run virtually on Zoom and start at 12pm.
This event is part of LIRG’s Lunchtime Series on research methods. Our guest speaker for this event is Leo Appleton, Chair of LIRG and Senior University Teacher, Information School, University of Sheffield.
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