The on-site library now boasts some additional features for learners at the hospital to progress their studies and for colleagues wishing to spend their break times with a good book.
Three ‘pods’ have been created, which can be used as ’hot desk’ areas which offer quiet workspaces with ambient lighting and power points for laptops and mobile phones. These are open during the library’s opening hours, and have mainly been used by students who need a quiet spot for studying or for colleagues who may need a temporary workspace, often working across one of the Trust’s many sites.
In addition to the pods, the library has also been kitted out with a new IT suite where the team are able to deliver training to colleagues on things like finding and appraising clinical and medical evidence.
Rounding out the improvements, the facility has been fitted with a cosy and comfortable reading area which features a dedicated corner of self-help and other mindfulness and wellbeing books, as well as comfortable seating ideal for break-time reading. This forms part of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH) health and wellbeing offer for colleagues, which aims to provide support for mental, financial and physical wellbeing.
The library has also begun to host social activities for colleagues including a book club which is proving to be exceedingly popular, and colleagues can also take up the offer of a ‘blind date with a book’ project where individuals are able to pick up a wrapped-up piece of literature to take home and keep.
Patients are able to also benefit from the facility, which has a variety of reading books which are provided by Doncaster City Council and a team of fabulous Trust volunteers who deliver a library trolley service on to the wards.
The new facilities were officially opened by Suzy Brain England, Trust Chair, who said: “Our library facilities are one of the many things about DBTH which attract students and learners to completing their qualifications with us. We are exceptionally lucky to already have such high-quality services. These new facilities and the new information technology will give our library colleagues the infrastructure to bolster these already fantastic services.
“The new IT facilities are particularly important as it will allow for further training for our people, enhancing our commitment to development – something that is exceptionally important as we work towards our goal of becoming a university teaching hospital trust in the future.
“Thank you to our library team for their efforts in making these new facilities possible and to our estates team who have facilitated their ideas and finished the area beautifully.”
