Happy New Year and welcome back to Library Services’ Library Link Newsletter! 2021 will be a big year for Library Services and we look forward to sharing all of the exciting things to come. Click on the newsletter image below to view a printable PDF edition.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to hslibrary@smh.ca. Thank you, and happy 2021!

Hello and happy December Unity Health Toronto!

Welcome to Library Service’s newsletter! This is a special edition of our newsletter representing 2020 as a whole. All of the numbers you see below represent some of the accomplishments Library Services are most proud of! Please click on the newsletter or the file below to view a PDF version of the newsletter!

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to hslibrary@smh.ca

Since September 2020, the Library Services team has completed Phase 2 and is nearly finished Phase 3 of the Collection Harmonization Project. This work has involved the detailed analysis of all library resource subscriptions at our three sites; notably with usage statistics from 2017-2020, cost-per-use trends, overall cost, site-specific clinical specializations, interlibrary loan request statistics, and identified information needs based on the Needs Assessment Project (2019). Subsequently, building upon our evidence-based approach, we shared proposed collection changes with Education Council and received approval to proceed with cancelling and expanding licenses to library subscriptions. The results of this work are, firstly, a huge improvement for equity of access to library resources across the network, and secondly the establishment of a core collection of shared resources available to all of Unity Health Toronto staff and physicians.

In November we shared details about the changes for access to ClinicalKey at St. Joseph’s, and also previewed new databases which will soon be available to St. Joseph’s to supplement gaps in lost resources from that cancellation. We are very excited to share a glimpse of the new Library Services “core collection” of shared resources for Unity Health Toronto, listed below. These databases comprise the core collection of shared resources across the network.

Many of these new library resources and changes will take effect in January 2021. These changes will also include expanded access to journal titles across the Unity Health Toronto network, and will be shared in January. The Library Service team will ensure to communicate all of these changes as far-reaching as possible to make certain that staff and physicians at all sites are aware of their new access to brand new resources.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns related to this work, about the new library resources, or to propose other new resources, please get in touch! Please contact Zack Osborne, Manager of Health Information & Knowledge Mobilization at zachary.osborne@unityhealth.to, or contact hslibrary@smh.ca.

Library Services is excited to announce the next steps in our efforts to harmonize and bring new resources to Unity Health Toronto. Since 2019 our team has been working towards library resource harmonization across the three sites to ensure equitable access to resources and library service across the network. If you’re interested in learning more about the library’s collection harmonization work and goals, please check out our blog post.

As part of the harmonization work, we analyzed collection usage data, consulted outcomes of our Needs Assessment Project (2019), prioritized clinical information needs across three sites, and identified gaps and overlap in the legacy library collections at all three sites. Based on a thorough cost-benefit analysis and with approval from Education Council, Library Services will cancel access to ClinicalKey at St. Joseph’s Health Centre. Staff, physicians, and students at St. Joe’s will be unable to access ClinicalKey after November 30, 2020. Those who had a ClinicalKey account will be emailed directly, notifying them of this update. Starting in January 2021, all St. Joe’s staff, physicians and students will gain access to a host of new databases and journals which will greatly enhance St. Joe’s electronic collection. Many of these platforms and journals will cover gaps in the literature previously identified by legacy collections.

Starting January 2021, all staff, physicians, and students at St. Joe’s will have access to:

• CINAHL Complete
• Access Medicine
• Natural Medicines
• PsycINFO
• Longwoods HealthcareBoard Corporate Package

If you require access to any resource for which the library does not have a subscription, Library Services can acquire articles through our interlibrary loan service. For more details, see our interlibrary loan page here: https://bit.ly/SJHCILL. If there are any resources you believe the library needs, please feel free to make recommendations here: https://bit.ly/Libfeedback. As always, if you have and questions or concerns, please email the library at library@stjoestoronto.ca.

Thank you  for your continued collaboration. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to ensure equitable access for all of our Unity Health Toronto sites.

Hello Library Linkers!

Welcome to the November Newsletter! We have an exciting edition for you this month: we have updates to our Anti-BIPOC Racism collection, a new Hold Pick-up service is now being offered at St. Joes, our Library hours have changed, and much more! Click on the newsletter below to view a PDF version of the newsletter for more details. If you have any questions please reach out to hslibrary@smh.ca. Happy November!

Starting November 2, Hold Pickup service for library material will be available at St. Joseph’s Health Centre! This includes print books and journals in our main collection, as well as titles from the Leadership Collection and new Anti-BIPOC Racism collection. Holds can be retrieved from the Library during open space hours.

Below are instructions to place your Hold Pickup:

1. Find the item(s) you want to borrow

First, use our St. Joe’s library catalogue to find the item(s) you’d like to borrow by searching here:

2. Submit your request for a hold pickup

To place your request for a hold pickup, please fill out the required information on this form: https://hsict.libwizard.com/f/holdpickupsjhc

3. Pick up the item(s) you requested

To pick up your requested item(s), please visit the Library at St. Joe’s (Sunnyside Building, 1st floor east), and locate your item(s) on the Hold shelf next to the Library office.

When returning the library item(s) you borrowed, please use the drop-box located by the library entrance in the hallway.

This form and service are intended for staff, Physicians, researchers and learners at St. Joseph’s Health Centre. If you’d like to request Hold Pickup for St. Michael’s Hospital, please use a different site-specific form found here. If you have any questions or would like clarification, please reach out to library@stjoestoronto.ca and we will be happy to help.

After requesting recommendations from staff, physicians and learners and conducting their own extensive research, our Library team is introducing 30 new books to Unity Health Toronto’s library system. All books will be focused on the topics of dismantling systemic racism and white supremacy, systems of oppression and discrimination and anti-BIPOC racism.

This new resource will be named the Anti-BIPOC Racism Collection. The scope and inclusion criteria that largely determined which books were selected include titles relating to health professions, a focus and relevance to Canada and a publish date within the last ten years. There will be three copies of each book at Unity Health; one available at each site’s library.

“This year, we saw a demonstrated need for greater understanding and social change with regards to anti-racism,” said Zack Osborne, Manager of Health Information and Knowledge Mobilization at Unity Health Toronto. “As an organization and as individuals, we felt a responsibility to make changes where we can and to facilitate access to learning related to anti-racism, equity and social accountability.”

This collection, which is expected to arrive later this month, will be constantly evaluated and evolving to reflect recommended books, the addition of books that are constantly signed out and new books that should be added.

Examples of some of the new books that will be arriving are: “Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor” by Layla F. Saad; “Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy, and Premature Birth” by Dána-Ain Davis; and “Strong Helpers’ Teachings: The Value of Indigenous Knowledges in the Helping Professions” by Cyndy Baskin. The full list of new books arriving in October can be found in this the Library Services blog post.

“We felt that adding the Anti-BIPOC Racism Collection to our library will help amplify BIPOC narratives and experiences, promote self-directed learning and dialogue, and impact changes in non-BIPOC individuals to confront white supremacy and help become anti-racist,” said Osborne.

The Library team at Unity Health that created this collection is composed of Osborne and his colleagues Karen Devotta, Library Technician; Teruko Kishibe, Information Specialist/Archivist and David Lightfoot, Information Specialist.

The article by Selma Al-Samarrai, Communications and Public Affairs, Unity Health Toronto

NOTICE!

in line with the public health measures in the City of Toronto and Unity Health Toronto, library spaces and in-person service points are closed for the time being. Library services will continue to be offered virtually; for more information on our virtual services or if you have any questions please contact us at: hslibrary@smh.ca or by using our contacts page. Be sure to check our workshop calendar for upcoming virtual instructional sessions, and follow our blog for library news and updates.

Library spaces across Unity Health Toronto are all open for staff-use. As we navigate changing needs and pandemic safety precautions, our space and service hours may change with sudden or little notice. Please consult this page (updated frequently) for our most current space and service hours.

There are two separate times listed below each site: “Open Hours” and “Staffed Hours”. Open Hours indicates the days and hours when Unity Health staff may use the Library space. Staffed Hours refers to the hours when there is a Library staff member present to assist with any services, questions, or issues. If you have any questions about these hours, please feel free to reach out to hslibrary@smhlibrary.ca.

PLEASE NOTE: Library staff are available virtually to assist you every weekday by email or by booking an appointment with an Information Specialist. The hours below refer to our in-person library spaces and service points only.

St. Joseph’s Library: library@stjoestoronto.ca
St. Michael’s Library: hslibrary@smh.ca
Providence: library@providence.on.ca

Hello Library Linkers!

Happy spooky season and welcome to our October Newsletter! This edition covers service updates including our new Collaboration & Partnerships webpage, an update to our collection development work for new anti-BIPOC racism and EDI titles, new service hours for library spaces across the network, and much more. Click on the newsletter below to view a PDF version of the newsletter for more details.

In our August Library Link Newsletter we shared preliminary details about our work to develop and add titles to our collection related to anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, dismantling systemic racism, white supremacy, oppression and discrimination. Our primary objectives for acquiring these works for our collection are to provide resources for all Unity Health Toronto staff, physicians, researchers, students and volunteers to support and facilitate access to self-directed learning, amplify BIPOC experiences and narratives, promote dialogue and self-reflection. Library Services has ordered the list of books below which will be available at each of Unity Health Toronto’s sites in mid-late October. Thank you to everyone who shared their suggestions for the new collection using our Recommend a Resource form. This will be an ongoing effort, so please consider any titles you’d like to see added to the collection and share your suggestion here: bit.ly/uhtrecommend

21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality (2018)

Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine (2015)

Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do (2019)

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Black and Blue: The Origins and Consequences of Medical Racism (2012)

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (2020)

DECOLONIZING MENTAL HEALTH: Embracing Indigenous Multi-Dimensional Balance (2020)

Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity (2017)

Determinants of Indigenous Peoples’ Health: Beyond the Social (2018)

The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race (2016)

How to Be an Antiracist (2019)

From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation (2016)

The History of Immigration and Racism in Canada: Essential Readings (2008)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2010)

Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor (2020)

How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide (2018)

Medicating Race: Heart Disease and Durable Preoccupations with Difference (2012)

Pourin’ Down Rain: A Black Woman Claims Her Place in the Canadian West (2020)

The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power (2020)

Metis Health: The Invisible Problem (2011)

Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy, and Premature Birth (2019)

Social Issues in Contemporary Native America (2014)

There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous & Black Communities (2018)

So You Want to Talk About Race (2018)

Strong Helpers’ Teachings: The Value Of Indigenous Knowledges In The Helping Professions (2016)

Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada (2020)

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race (2017)

They Call Me George: The Untold Story of The Black Train Porters (2019)

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (2018)