Library Services

Library Services is our statewide specialist information and research service.

Department of Health, Tasmanian Health Service, and Ambulance Tasmania staff use us to support their clinical/health practice, quality improvement and research activities, and professional learning.

Select and click on a service provided by our Library team for more information:

• Article or book requests
• Consultations and training
• Digital skills and technology support
• Literature searches
• Evidence syntheses / Literature reviews

Article or book requests

Do you have a specific request for an article, book chapter, or book? Use our Item Request service for help with information access.

Turnaround for article and book chapter requests is usually less than 24 hours.

We recommend installing Department tool LibKey Nomad for quick access to our Item Request service.

Consultations and training

Do you have a question about EPOCH and information resources? Are you starting a clinical audit, quality activity, or research project?

Contact or visit Library Services and let us connect you to the tools, information and/or services you need for work, learning, or undertaking projects in our organisation.

We offer advice and guidance on:

• Using Department information resources to support evidence-informed approaches to care and service delivery
• Using Department information resources to support professional learning
• Setting yourself up for research success in our organisation
• Planning and designing research and quality projects
• Planning, designing and conducting evidence syntheses

Our Library team also offers customisable training and presentations to individuals and groups, online or in-person.

Our sessions help staff develop competencies and skills:

• Searching and identifying quality health information in EPOCH
• Searching research databases, basic and advanced
• Managing information for projects e.g. citation manager Zotero
• Monitoring and staying up to date with research in your specialty
• Practising an evidence-based approach to care and service delivery

Contact or visit Library Services in your region to discuss training options for you or your group.

Check the EPOCH Calendar for upcoming scheduled Library training events.

Digital skills and technology support

The digital transformation of health services demands extensive upskilling by staff in their day-to-day clinical practice or administrative activities using digital tools and software.

Our Library team is available to help staff:

• Connect to Department WiFi
• Register for and install Department clinical mobile apps
• Develop confidence using Microsoft Office software
• Develop confidence managing online information and tools for work and learning

Literature searches

Do you need to find literature on a work- or research-related topic but limited with your time? Or is looking for evidence a challenge?

Partner with one of our Library team’s experienced search specialists and take the ‘heavy lifting’ out of your searching.

Literature searches are conducted to find information that helps:

• Inform patient care decisions
• Inform service or program planning
• Write a guideline, procedure, or policy
• Justify starting a project
• Design a research study or quality project
• Write a journal article
• Write an ethics or grant proposal

Use our Evidence Search service for support with your literature search.

Evidence syntheses / Literature reviews

Evidence synthesis is a research method for conducting a systematic, reproducible, and comprehensive literature review on a well-formulated research question(s).

This type of research:

• Requires a protocol or design plan
• Follows guidelines for conduct and reporting
• Documents searches for transparency and reproducibility
• Requires a team that includes a librarian/information specialist

Examples of evidence syntheses are:

• Systematic reviews
• Scoping reviews
• Rapid reviews

What type of review is right for you?

Our librarians offer advice and support with:

• Refining the research question
• Selecting appropriate search methods and resources
• Designing and executing search strategies
• Delivering search results
• Reporting the search methods