Local Organising Committee

Sue Thomas – Local Organising Committee Chair

I’ve worked in a variety of health and medical libraries for nearly forty years, having started by chance as a library assistant in St Thomas’s Hospital Medical School Library in 1979. Working in this branch of librarianship has been challenging, fascinating and emotional in equal measure. Returning to Wales in 1989, I set up the all Wales Health Promotion Library and believe passionately that everyone needs access to quality health and wellbeing information. The inequality gap for people accessing this information is still too great.

In my spare time, I love gardening, walking, swimming, weight lifting and yoga, as well as time spent eating good food and drinking wine with friends.

I’m looking forward to meeting old friends and making new ones in July 2018 in the Cardiff conference.

 

Sarah Bruch

I have a degree in Library and Information Management from Aberystwyth University and a Master’s degree in Health Informatics from Swansea University. I have worked within Hywel Dda University Health Board since 2001, working my way from being an assistant librarian to library manager. I work alongside four other librarians within my Health Board and also amongst many more health librarians within AWHILES. I also help to look after the AWHILES Twitter account. In my spare time, I enjoy crocheting and reading. I review all sorts of books for various websites including Amazon Vine. I also try to practice yoga whenever I can.

Kristine Chapman

I am Principal Librarian at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, responsible for the smooth running of all the libraries across the seven museums in the Amgueddfa Cymru family. I began my library career in the academic sector and in 2005 began to work at the Museum, becoming Principal Librarian in 2014.

I am honorary librarian of the Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association; Cambrian Archaeological Association; and the Cardiff Naturalists Society. I represent the Museum on a number of committees, including the Museum Librarians and Archivists Group (MLAG), Welsh Higher Education Libraries Forum (WHELF) and Cardiff Libraries in Co-operation (CLIC).I was awarded a CILIP Cymru Wales Welsh Librarian of the Year award for my sector in 2015 and participated in the CILIP Leadership Course 2015-2016. I enjoy practicing ballet (badly!), competing in hiking challenges such as the South Wales Three Peaks Trial, and messing about on social media, especially Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. I also have an MA in Ceramics, and spent 12 years as a pottery teacher.

Sarah Davies

I am the Macmillan Information and Support Services Facilitator for Cardiff and the Vale University Health Board. I oversee the running of three information and support centres, providing health information to patients, carers, staff and the public with the help of a team of volunteers. I also work in partnership with the third sector to provide information and support services.  I took up this role in February 2017 and previous to this was Senior Library Assistant in the Health Promotion Library, a national library providing health and wellbeing information. In my spare time I enjoy volunteering and am a qualified Halliwick Instructor with a disabled swimming club.

Joanna Dundon

I have been working at the NHS Wales Informatics Service since 2008, and my latest role as National Clinical Informatics Lead – Public involves developing a patient portal to access NHS Wales information and resources, and a personalised patient platform. I am keen that the public have access to up to date, accurate, relevant and easily accessible information about services in NHS Wales to help them to find out about and cope with their conditions, and co-produce their care with their health and care professionals. I am also service lead for the NHS Wales e-Library for Health.

I spent 21 years at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in South East Wales, and its predecessor organisations as Strategic Health Evidence Manager and previously as Library Services Manager. I began my career as Abstractor/Indexer at the King’s Fund in London after graduating with an honours degree in Librarianship and Information Studies then finished there as Assistant Technical Services Librarian. I have written and co-authored articles and book chapters on librarianship and use of information technology in health, and three systematic reviews.

I am the Wales representative on the Patient Information Forum Advisory Group (2016-present).

My interests are photography, travel and visiting archaeological sites and museums around the world.

Jemma Francis

I work as a Libraries Development Adviser for the Museums, Archives and Libraries Division in the Welsh Government. In this role, I provide advice and support to libraries on various activities including literacy, digital inclusion and health & wellbeing. I have previously worked in public, academic and government libraries in Wales and am a professionally qualified librarian. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, walking, shopping, watching films and going to the theatre. I am also a volunteer with the Royal National Institute for the Blind Get Online project.

Katrina Hall

I currently work as Team Lead, Knowledge Management with the Evidence Service at Public Health Wales. I have 20 years’ experience of working with healthcare staff, students and researchers within healthcare and academic library services. I recently revalidated as a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP) and in July 2016 successfully completed the year-long pilot CILIP Leadership Programme. Professional interests include knowledge management, marketing information services, customer service and evidence synthesis. In my non-working life I am a rambler, a cross stitch embroiderer and gardener – a novice at all three but they bring much enjoyment!

Lori Havard

I have been working at Swansea University since 2002, starting as the medical and health sciences librarian for the University. I proceeded to move into the senior management role of the Library in 2010, strategically leading in the subject support of librarians in teaching and research support, as well as managing customer and public services of the Library. I was awarded the Welsh Librarian of the Year during its inaugural year.

Prior to my role at Swansea University, I worked in the United States in various roles pertaining to health. I have worked in hospital libraries, including a University teaching hospital, and also was a content selector for the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus website for patient information.  Always passionate about public health and access to information, I am still at heart a medical and healthcare librarian!

Outside of the usual day job, I am Activities Officer for CILIP Wales, organising two conferences a year for members. I am also on the LILAC 2018 committee for its conference in Swansea, as well as chairing the Programme Group of EAHIL 2019. Throw in a stint arranging a Gregynog conference, a TeachMeet, and other various HLG Wales conferences, I have had a bit of experience with conference planning!

Ann Jones

Having worked in public library services since 1976, I am currently working on a number of programmes with central & local governments and the Society of Chief Librarians in Wales.

As Chair of CILIP’s Welsh Youth Libraries Group and a long term ASCEL (Association of Senior Childrens’ and Education Librarians) member, I helped to organise and took part in various local & national conferences, events and workforce development courses.

In my most recent public library role I was involved in various initiatives supporting the local prison librarian. These included providing health advice for prisoners and their families via a long term Macmillan Cancer Support Scheme and setting up reading groups for prisoners of varying abilities.

My passion for service delivery centres around staff development & training and public health & wellbeing. This provided the focus for my 3 years as Chair of The Society of Chief Librarians (Wales) from 2011 – 2014. For the past two years I have been commissioned to assess applications and subsequently monitor the successful projects awarded funding as part of the Welsh Government Transformation Fund Grant programme.

Mala Mann

I have been an information specialist and systematic reviewer for over 18 years. My particular expertise is in advanced literature searching and the development of systematic review methodologies which I teach on a number of programmes including SURE Systematic Review Course. During this time I have undertaken a wide range of systematic reviews projects for organisations including the Welsh Government, NICE, NSPCC and Public Health Wales . My current projects include conducting rapid reviews to support decision making in palliative care for the Palliative Care Evidence Review Service (PaCERS). I am involved in Cardiff University’s charity Educational Awards in Sierra Leone. In my spare time, I enjoy music, baking, photography, walking and trying to make jewellery.

Delyth Morris

I am a subject librarian in Cardiff University, responsible for the Schools of Dentistry and Medicine. This involves information literacy teaching to undergraduate and postgraduate students, collection development and research support.

Alongside these roles I have an interest in research, with publications including systematic reviews in medical and library literature, as well as NICE guidelines (I was previously employed as an Information Specialist for the National Collaborating Centre for Cancer (NCC-C)).

I also have wider involvement with the health library sector through my work with the University Health and Medical Librarians Group (UHMLG) where I am membership secretary.

Yasmin Noorani

I am the Academic Support Librarian for the College of Health and Behavioural Sciences at Bangor University, in North Wales. In my present role, I provide academic and research support to undergraduate and postgraduate student nurses and midwives. I also assist Healthcare Sciences and Sports Sciences researchers with literature searching for systematic reviews and other studies. I am line manager for the Academic Support Assistants at the University’s other Healthcare Sciences Library, situated in Wrexham, North East Wales. A key aspect of my post includes liaising with academic staff on library resource provision, especially with regard to the digital reading lists system. This helps to ensure that the electronic and print resources are meeting the teaching and learning needs of staff and students.

Angela Perrett

I have a Master’s degree in Health Information Management from Aberystwyth University. My library career has been long and varied, mostly in health, and includes working in all sorts of sectors: mental health, higher education, and Health Authorities. I have also been the Nursing Liaison Librarian at the University of South Australia, Adelaide. I am currently Library and Information Services Manager for the Royal College of Nursing Wales.  My role involves strategic management of library services, recruitment events, activist training, research and liaising with other RCN information services.  I have previously held several Committee roles for HLG Wales.  I attended EAHIL in 2010 in Estoril and presented on the changing roles of health library staff.  One of the best conferences ever. I like travelling, reading, dancing, art and watching films (the weirder the better!)

Rosemary Soper

Having completed my degree in English at Cardiff University, I obtained a post as a library assistant at the then Welsh National School of Medicine (later University of Wales College of Medicine or UWCM) in Cardiff. I took a year out to take the postgraduate diploma in library and information studies at CLW in Aberystwyth, and then returned to my job in Cardiff. A new unit was established to run the branch hospital libraries at Cardiff Royal Infirmary (CRI) and at Llandough Hospital. I ran this unit, with two members of staff, until the closure of CRI in 1999. In 2004, UWCM merged with Cardiff University creating a much larger University library service. In 2009, the library at Llandough Hospital moved into new premises and became the first Cardiff University site to provide 24-hour access. The library is named after the pioneer of evidence-based medicine, Archie Cochrane, who spent his career working in South Wales, and houses an Archive of memorabilia relating to his life and work. Following a reorganisation within the library service, I now have responsibility for managing the service to Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, with the job title Cardiff and Vale UHB Librarian. In my spare time I am a keen gardener and enjoy reading and history.

Rachel Sully

I began my library career at the Imperial War Museum where I catalogued ordnance manuals and digitised First World War Trench Journals. I made the move to the health sector and health librarianship in 2013. My 4 years at the Royal College of Nursing saw me working for the nursing profession to build a specialist library collection by harnessing new technologies such as patron driven acquisition.

I am now librarian specialist at NHS Wales Informatics Service, responsible for the strategic management of the NHS Wales e-Library for Health. This involves procuring e-resources at a national level for all NHS Wales staff and managing the on-going development of e-library resources and services. I chair two advisory boards to help shape the e-library, one made up of user representatives and the other NHS Librarians working on a communications and marketing strategy for all of Wales.

I have a keen research interest in Open Access publishing and collection development with published work in the latter. In my spare time I enjoy baking, vintage shopping and rummaging around antique shops and flea markets. I also enjoy swing dancing but don’t ask for a demonstration! You can find me on twitter @rl_sully.