Thursday: Plenary Session

Anne Brice, NHS National Knowledge Service, Oxford, UK
: Working with uncertainty: the role of DUETs in harvesting what we don't know

DUETs - Database of Uncertainties about the Effects of Treatments - was set up to provide answers to most important patient question. not pain but uncertainties. DUETs draws on three main sources to identify uncertainties about the effects of treatments:

* patients', carers' and clinicians' questions about the effects of treatments
* research recommendations in reports of systematic reviews and clinical guidelines
* ongoing research, both systematic reviews in preparation and new 'primary' studies

Hopefully, our medical library profession will make use of the same high standards regarding clinical studies: to make thouroughful literature searches and then clearly state uncertainties. These database may be called DUEL or DUAL: Database of Uncertainties on the Effect or Advantages of Libraries...

Heather Todd, University of Queensland Library, Australia: Library spaces - new theatres of learning: a case study

Their experiences: Physical usage is (of course) dominated by undergraduates. The library changed from a calm place to a rather noisy, social place. We define several library generations:
Lib Gen 1: collection centric
Lib Gen 2: client centric
Lib Gen 3: experience centric
Lib Gen 4: connected learning centric

Their are special user groups, for each you need special designed spaces: spaces for extroverts, spaces for the voyeur, for the introverts, etc pp. (where the hell they've got all the money for that lovely furniture?) Students loved to move the furniture around, so in a way they create their own library! (furniture that can be transformed from "group fur" to "individ fur") Survey: What they do in the library: study>email>assignment>meet a friend. Refurbishment was quite successful, so the usage doubled actually.

Policy for quiteness: Higher you go the quiter is gets

"Design thinking" : five step process for creating success (understand the user, observe real life, visualize the concept, evaluate/refine, implement it). Survey. Which communities user know/engage about: MySpace, Facebook > SecondLife. In that overall process, the library did become a change agent for the university.

The Library did a UQ Library Video Contest among their users. They should describe how to use the library: Incentive was 1.000 AUS Dollar as a first prize. Heather showed us the video, is was excellent and that much funny. Next time at this theater: Chronicles of LIBRARY MAN (The Runner-up by Phil Scott is Monthy-Phyton-like and genious too!)

Asked, how they managed to get the money for that great refurb, Heather told, that you need three things: User complaints, a former successful project, and - of course - a lot of patience.