O PHL A Strength in Numbers: The Rewards of Partnerships CHLA Conference Ottawa, May 2007

1. Health Units Health Units with Libraries OPHLAStrength in Numbers:The Rewards of PartnershipsCHLA ConferenceOttawa, May 2007

2. Public Health in Ontario • Brief history • Scope of services • Current status Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

3. OPHLAWho Are We? • History • Current membership status • Mission and evolving role • OPHLA Partnerships www.ophla.ca Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

4. OPHLAPartnershipObjectives • Identify gaps in practice • Create innovative solutions • Secure funding • Build on awareness of public health environment • Provide professional expertise • Advocate on behalf of p.h. library and information professionals Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

5. Identifying gaps in practice • 13 out of 36 health units in Ontario had a library • Most libraries had no access to bibliographic databases other than MEDLINE via PubMed • Limited budgets; small journal collections • Inadequate staffing • Technological barriers • Organizational barriers to participation in knowledge transfer processes Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

6. Creating innovative solutions • Establishing a list of core public health resources as a tool promoting comprehensive access to information • Forming a business venture to purchase essential resources • Acting on behalf of ALL health units to increase the purchasing power • Finding a champion Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

7. Securing funding • Option analysis • External funding • Technical issues • Methods of product delivery • User support • Administrative support • Solution Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

8. Public Health Portals: PublicHealthOntario.ca & eHealthOntario.ca Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

9. SARS Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

10. Awareness of public health environment (post SARS) • Naylor Report (2003) • OPHLA submission to the Expert Panel on SARS and Infectious Disease Control (Walker Panel 2004) • Walker Final Report (2004) • OPHLA response to Capacity Review Committee and Agency Implementation Task Force reports (2005 & 2006) Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

11. Providing the expertise • Invited to pilot several IT tools and products for the Public Health Portal • Consulted on metadata, taxonomy and index for the portal • Prepared tutorials on effective use of information resources disseminated province wide • Invited to conduct the workshops to various public health organizations and bodies • Invited to participate in discussions and strategic activities related to Knowledge Transfer • Contributed content to the portal Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

12. Collaboration Tool Pilot Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

13. Advocacy and activities • Between March 2004 and March 2007 completed 24 projects: • OPHLA website • Development of knowledge projects • Workshop presentations • Responses to provincial and federal initiatives Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

14. Where We Are Now • All health units in the province receive free access to Medline, CINAHL and Academic Search Premier • Virtual Library on the Public Health Portal debuts in January 2006 • Agency Implementation Task Force recommends Library and Information Services to be a core program of the proposed Health Protection & Promotion Agency of Ontario (2006) • PH Capacity Review Committee issues its final report lauding the Virtual Library and recommending the hiring of information professionals to support Knowledge Transfer and Uptake activities (2006) • Negotiations are underway to include 3 more databases in the Virtual Library in 2007 • All public health staff have access to Knowledge Ontario resources • OPHLA website provides links to promote universal access to evidence-based public health information Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

15. Looking Forward • Supporting new Public Health Standards in Ontario • Becoming an OPHA constituent society • Expanding the Virtual Library • Developing online learning modules for public health staff • Actively seeking a role in Knowledge Transfer process • Partnering with the proposed Ontario Health Protection & Promotion Agency Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

16. Knowledge Transfer • Knowledge Management • Collection • Organization • Strategic preservation • Access • Evidence-Based Decision-Making • Political climate • Economic reality • Social influences • Organizational structures • Research evidence • Research Utilization • Resource allocation • Programs & services • Clinical practice • Health Policies • Outcomes • Client outcomes • Expenditures • Performance indicators • Research Dissemination • Presentations • Publications • Less formal communication channels Adapted with permission: Dobbins, M., Ciliska, D., Cockerill, R., Barnsley, J., DCenso, A. (2002). A framework for the dissemination and utilization of research for health-care policy and practice. The Online Journal of Knowledge Synthesis for Nursing, 9(7). Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007

17. “… availability more than quality determines which information resources will be sought.” (Chambers et al. 1991) Ontario Public Health Libraries Association, May 2007