Monday 7 August 2023

Meet Austin Health's Chief Librarian, Elizabeth Harris.

Liz joined Austin Health in 2020 as a Clinical Librarian. Now Chief Librarian, Liz leads a team of five specialised medical librarians to provide high-quality information resources to support the Austin community in evidence-based practice, research and learning.

“My favourite thing about my job is the people I work with – the Library team and all of our Library users. Austin is such a positive environment to be in and there’s a real sense that everyone is working together,” says Liz.

“When we show people the resources we have, or how to find the information they need, or when we solve a problem for them, it’s rewarding to know we’ve helped make their work easier and ultimately contributed to the best patient care.”

Liz loves the fact that every day in the Library is different; at any time, librarians might be meeting one-on-one with clinicians to provide research support, delivering training sessions to groups over Teams, or answering references questions in person at the Library.

The Library is a welcoming and inclusive space that meets the diverse needs of Austin Health’s clinicians. There’s room to study in silence, meet and talk as a group, or just have a break from the bustle of the hospital. It’s also an online space, with remote access to journals, e-books, point-of-care tools and databases.

Last week we celebrated Library and Information Week, which is all about celebrating the work of libraries around Australia. This year’s theme is 'Where’s the Source?’, highlighting the importance of critical literacy skills.

“It’s becoming harder than ever to distinguish credible information from misinformation, but libraries are here to help! Librarians have an important role in supporting the health workforce to use relevant, evidence-based knowledge," says Liz.

“We put a lot of time and effort in selecting the best resources and training clinicians in how to use them, so patients here receive high quality care based on the best and latest evidence.”