Trouble shooting

• Batteries for clinical skills equipment can be found in the stationary tambour unit. Old batteries are put in the battery disposal next to the student photocopier. 
• Replacement specula (the conical disposable pieces) for the otoscope are in a cardboard box on the top shelf of the clinical skills cupboard. 
• Please ensure that the batteries are removed from the otoscope and fundoscope as they are returned. This is to ensure that all 4 batteries are present at return and also to protect the equipment from battery leakage. 
• Please check the contents of the stethoscope on return to ensure that the cuff, dial and instruction booklet have been returned.
• Broken/damaged items should be passed on to a supervisor for repair or replacement.

There were over 300 hardware loans at the Walton Library between August 2018 and July 2019. 

• Mice
• HDMI Cable
• Multiway Sockets (Extension Cables)
• Coloured whiteboard pens
• HDMI connector
• Screen Cable
• Network Cables

The most frequently loaned hardware items are coloured pens!

We still hold some paper journals here at the Walton Library. Here's a list of them - entries in red denote current periodicals, also displayed as individual copies (before they are sent to be bound). There's loads more available at the Research Reserve, including notable periodicals such as the Lancet.

Current individual journal parts kept here are not available for loan, bound journals are.

We sometimes agree to photocopy an article for NHS/access users at the weekend and charge per page due to the fact that NUIT own the photocopiers and creating an account takes too much time. (Although NHS users do have access to a number of e-journals on the NHS computers). Our students (and medical staff) have access to thousands of e-journals and e-books through their membership of the British Medical Association via the BMA website and Library tab. It’s worth reminding them of this if they ask for something we don’t have.

Many of the above titles are also available online, as we have a joint subscription.

If a customer ever asks for a physical copy of something we should have, but it isn’t on the shelf – you could look on Library Search or in the ‘Items at the Bindery’ folder on the shelves in the staff area. This shows which items have gone off to be bound. It can take 2-3 months for these items to be returned.

MCQs is short for Multiple Choice Questions. This collection is tailored towards the types of examinations that the students may undergo as part of their course within the medical faculty. MCQs are a form of assessment in which students are asked to select one or more of the choices from a list of answers. They are used to support revision for a number of different exams, including OSCE examinations. OSCE stands for Objective Structured Clinical Examination and is often used in health sciences. It is designed to test clinical skill performance and competence in a range of skills. It is a hands-on, real-world approach to learning and assessment.

In order to help students prepare for their MCQs we have a collection of texts covering some of the following areas: pharmacy, neurology, pathology, physiology, and dentistry.

MCQs can be found in the STC room, next to reserved items awaiting collection. They have a green sticker on the spine. When shelved, these items need marking separately on the statistics sheet. Students often don't know the MCQ collection by that name - they may ask at the service desk for "OSCE books" or "exam books". Generally, they're after MCQs!​

The Medicine in Literature (MiL) collection is a range of resources with medical related themes, including books, films, poetry and graphic novels. It's currently located within the STC, next to the Be Well@NCL collection. It originated as a reading list module entitled Medicine in the Community. This explored how the medical profession was portrayed in literature, films and the media in general. Since then the course content has changed to reflect a more patient-centered approach to medicine and this is encapsulated in its current title Patients, Doctors and Society.

The narratives and representations of health and disease in the collection help to put clinical skills into context, by giving insight into the complexities of what it means to be human. Bringing a human dimension to the practice of medicine fosters not only a capacity for empathy but broadens an understanding of the diversity of the patient population. Different values, beliefs and experiences can impact on health issues and outcomes in intricate ways. Reading between the lines makes for more compassionate and competent doctors.

A tweet by local author and Newcastle graduate Dr Kathryn Mannix encapsulates succinctly how reading medicine in literature can change the way one understands and practices medicine: "I read ‘Cancer Ward’ as a teenager and it formed my ideas about a cancer patient’s personal journal. I already wanted to read medicine at University but this book made me see patients as people first from the outset."

Kathryn's book "With the End in Mind" is available to borrow from the Medicine in Literature collection. Walton staff were also lucky enough to meet Kathryn in person. If you've got five minutes, you can read her interview with us here.

Medicine in Literature has also entered into a number of creative collaborations that promote the value of medical humanities in medical education. These include the Poetry on Prescription project with Sue Spencer. Sue is a lecturer in the Combined Honours Centre (part of the HASS faculty). Sue enjoys helping people and offering a listening ear - she thinks that reading and writing poetry has the capacity to help us see things anew and help heal us when we need it. Sue is an associate editor of the BMJ Medical Humanities journal and is seeking ways to encourage scholarship in the intersections between poetry, healthcare and professional practice. Taking inspiration from the Emergency Poet and the life, work and Legacy of Julia Darling, our Poetry Remedy and Off The Shelf promotions have been very popular with students and staff alike, working alongside Study Well@NCL and National Poetry Day.

If you’d like to take a closer look at the Medicine in Literature resources, check out the MiL LibGuide and browse by medical topic; see what’s new in our blog; check out the films in our DVD collection; view our Box of Broadcasts playlists; wax lyrical in our Medicine in Poetry section; or follow the links to other blogs, podcasts and resources inspired by medical humanities. Within the Walton, MiL is located in the STC room, facing the desks. You may also notice the beautiful displays throughout the library - there's often one in the cafe area and next to the group study rooms in the quiet study area. There are also frequent themed displays located by the main entrance turnstile.

The Walton's Be Well @ NCL collection is also located next to the Medicine in Literature shelves.

The books and films in our resources bring to life different ways of seeing and being. Literary depictions of human interaction, life and death, love and loss, illness and healing offer a lens through which to view and experience, albeit vicariously, the inner lives of others. In the words of Atticus Finch:

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

The STC has recently had a makeover and is now much trimmed down. The books are four hour loans during the day or overnight, if loaned four hours before the Library closes. These overnight loans need to be returned by 9:30AM the next morning (weekdays) and 10:30AM (weekends). We do not take bookings on STC items.

Please ensure that the return trolleys are in a tidy and safe position when passing by the STC.

Any shelving done here needs to be recorded on the pink statistics sheet by the Bookbin PC behind the desk. STC books can also be returned on the bookbin PC, but not the service desk PCs.

Reservations are held within the STC room on the right side of the shelf. They can be issued using the self issue machine within the room.

There is also a collection of stationery items held within the STC. Please direct anyone asking at the service desk for a stapler, guillotine, hole punch or scrap paper to the STC. Boxes of staples and other stationery equipment are located in the right hand tambour unit (next to the 'Need to Know' board.)

The Walton Library has 14 group rooms, (A-N), varying in size from 2-8 people. These can be booked online, up to two weeks in advance.

Facilities in Group Rooms

All group rooms have a whiteboard in. Whiteboard erasers are kept in the rooms, but whiteboard pens get issued with the group room key in a pouch. Additional coloured whiteboard pens can also be loaned from the desk. Rooms A, D, F, N and M have a large screen in. Rooms D, F, H, I, J, K, L and M have a PC in.

A fan is provided in each room.

Things To Watch out for and Handy Hints for Staff

Group rooms get very stuffy, smelly and warm! Students often sneak hot food into the group rooms - they need to be directed to the cafe area.

The group rooms are not soundproofed, and so students need to be reminded to keep their voices low (especially for the group rooms in the quiet study area).

Some students want to use group rooms as a prayer room. Unfortunately, this is not permitted. A list of available prayer/contemplation rooms on campus is available here.

Did you know: collectively, the group rooms were loaned out over 7000 times between August 2018 and July 2019!

Walton library headcounts occur once an hour at quarter past the hour. The clipboard with the headcount sheet and laptop availability sheet are kept on the bookbin PC desk next to Richard’s desk.

Headcounts

Headcount sheets can be found at: T:\Service Provision\Forms and Templates\Walton

There are two versions of the headcount one for closing at 22:00 and one for closing at midnight.

Each morning a new sheet is added to the headcount clipboard and dated. Headcounts start from 09:15 until the library closes.

PC clusters

There are four clusters in the Walton Library. The Linn and Dene are teaching clusters maintained by NUIT the Glen is a silent space and is also used for teaching. It is the responsibility of the library. The fourth cluster is the Tor cluster which covers all the other PC’s around the library.

Availability display screens on the walls next to these clusters will inform you as to its current use. If these are not functioning or haven’t been booked correctly consult the lollipop stands outside the room to see if it is ok to enter for headcounts etc.

Lost property

The Lost property manual can be found on the manuals shelf in the first large tambour unit behind the desk. The forms can be found at the front of the manual these describe what to do with various categories of lost property.

As there are no attendants at the Walton (and we actually close during term time), staff are rota'd in to cover opening up the Library. This involves arriving around/before 8:30AM to ensure the front doors are open and completing a few tasks which are listed at the very top of the daily timetable - see the noticeboards hotspot map if you're not sure where the daily timetable is.

Opening Up

There needs to be two members of staff (minimum) in the Library before you can open the main doors. On weekdays, the cleaners are generally first in to the Library, meaning you won't need to turn the alarm off. (You may, however, need to do this on weekends.) Regardless of what day it is, you'll need to know the code for the door lock. Speak to Edna for the door lock and alarm codes.

As mentioned above, all the information you need for opening up is listed on the daily timetable sheet, at the very top of the page. There is a few things you might not know, however:

- Once the service desk is open at 9AM, stash the desk open/self-service signs where the admin holds items go (next to the accessible PC).
- The student self-registration PC only needs to be turned on in September/October and January.
- There is a fire alarm test every Thursday morning. This will cause the front doors to slam shut - leave them closed until the third alarm has gone off.
- The daily headcounts sheets are contained within the blue plastic document holder next to the bookbin PC. Make sure you've got the right one depending on when the Library closes!

Closing Up

Everything you need to know about closing the Library is contained on the checklists below. It's fairly straightforward to follow but there are some subtle differences depending on who is on duty (and the time of year!), so please give the headcount a thorough read through if you're not familiar with the processes. Remember to file completed checklists/completed daily headcount sheets in Edna's tray (this is located next to the A4 B&W printer in the staff area.)

Alternatively, the tannoy scripts can be found at: T:\Service Provision\Procedures and Service Training\Opening and Closing Instructions\Walton

On a weekend, there are no porters at the Medical School reception. This means that access can only be gain via the out of hour’s door to the right of the main doors. This is Smartcard access only, however if there are 3 library staff available one may head down to open this door for users without a Smartcard so long as the customer is wanting to use the library. Customers will normally call the library if they are wanting to access the building.

Smartcards aren’t necessary to exit the building as there is a green button on the inside of the door which releases the lock.