Friday 28 February 2020

Things in the library 28 Feb ....

The Lancet PsychiatryThings about depression and exercise...
This article in The Lancet Psychiatry  concludes that sedentary behaviour displaces light activity throughout adolescence, and is associated with a greater risk of depressive symptoms at 18 years of age. Increasing light activity and decreasing sedentary behaviour during adolescence could be an important target for public health interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of depression

Things about Health Visitors...
The Institute of Health Visiting has just published a report on the State of Health Visiting in England, the results from a survey of 1040 practising health visitors. The full report can be accessed here

Things about Book sale...
Link to updated list of books available for sale in the library, 40 more title have been added.

More things about old books...
Books that we don't sell are collected by Better World Books, they sell second-hand books online and also.help to provide a steady stream of books to be digitised by the Internet Archive. Any book that does not yet exist in digital form will go into a pipeline for future digitisation, preservation and access. Every time you purchase a book from BetterWorldBooks, they donate a book to someone in need. The books they donate go to hundreds of non-profit organisations – you can see them on their Impact Map. In particular, Books for Africa and Feed the Children partner with them to take large numbers of donated books and get them to people who need them.

Things about science...
Discovery Night returns on Friday 13 March 2020.   From 4 - 8pm University of Sheffield's laboratories and lecture theatres will be open to the public for an evening of science for the whole family. There'll be talks, exciting demonstrations and hands on activities from across science, engineering, medicine and dentistry. Full programme:  www.sheffield.ac.uk/discoverynight
There will be plenty of fun science activities for children, and lots of opportunities to put on a lab coat and have a go yourself.  Find out about our research and get inspired by science.
Everyone is welcome and the event is free so bring your friends and family and spread the word.  Recommended age 5+.Everyone welcome. No booking required, just turn up.
Venue - Firth Court and the Alfred Denny Building
Date - Friday 13 March, 16:00 - 20:00

Things about organ and tissue donation...

From 20 May 2020, organ donation in England will move to an 'opt out' system. You may also hear it referred to as 'Max and Keira's Law'. This means that all adults in England will be considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups.

Things about epilepsy...
Developed in partnership with Epilepsy Action, SUDEP Action and Young Epilepsy, this Epilepsy Toolkit will support systems to understand the priorities in epilepsy care and key actions to take. It provides opportunity to assess and benchmark current systems to find opportunities for improvement. It is produced with reference to an expert group of stakeholders and is supported by NICE.

Things to attend...
Reading group on 4th March  will be discussing Day of the Triffids, come and join us 17:15 in the Illingworth Library, F Floor Stephenson Wing.

Things to eat...
With the snow falling outside and all the miserable wetness everywhere it is definitely still time for comfort food. This butternut squash and chickpea curry from Tom Kerridge is easy to make and is also vegan.


Friday 21 February 2020

Things in the library 21 Feb...

Things that were won...

Our recent 70th birthday quiz - based on our website - was won by Choire Wilson based at Ryegate - congratulations and enjoy the fizz Choire! Look out for more quizzes and prizes during our 70th birthday celebration year.


Things not to miss...
The Grand Round on Thursday 30th April (the day before our actual birthday) will be given by an external speaker Sue Lacey Bryant, Review Programme Manager Health Education England who was involved with the Topol Review published last February.  To refresh your memories the Topol Review was an independent report commissioned by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to provide advice on:

  • how technological and other developments are likely to change the roles and functions of clinical staff in all professions over the next two decades to ensure safer, more productive, more effective and more personal care for patients;
  • what the implications of these changes are for the skills required by the professionals filling these roles, identifying professions or sub-specialisms where these may be particularly significant;
  • the consequences for the selection, education, training, development and lifelong learning of current and future clinical staff.

This has the potential to affect all clinical staff and services so do take the opportunity to hear more about it, ask questions and discuss the implications with  Sue Lacey Bryant who was closely involved. More details later but please put the date in your diaries.

Things about Outcome Measures...
Another date to save is for 5th National Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) Annual Research Conference 2020 The Diamond, Wednesday 10th June 2020.

The Conference will be hosted by ScHARR and chaired by Professor John Brazier, with support from the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and Humber.  The conference was founded by John and colleagues back in 2016 and goes from strength to strength.

The conference attracts clinicians, researchers, academic, patient representatives, students and early career researchers working or interested in Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) research.

Things about Eczema...

New Sheffield study of newborn babies seeks to prevent eczema. A research collaboration between the University of Sheffield and the University of Manchester will seek to understand how our skin develops from birth. The study will follow 175 newborn babies during their first year of life. Researchers hope to identify those with a high risk of developing eczema to improve standards of neonatal skincare. In the UK alone, one in five children and one in 12 adults have atopic eczema.

Things to buy...
We have a good selection of second-hand books that we are selling. These are mostly those which we have replaced with a newer editions. The current list of what is available is here - although some of these will have already been sold but some more books will be added next week. Why not come up and browse and buy a coffee and biscuit whilst you are here (25p reduction if you bring your own cup...which is the same cost of a biscuit!)

Things about diversity in NHS...
Chairs and non-executive directors are crucial to providing the governance needed to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan. They also play a key role in driving forward transformational change across the health service. But as a community of leaders, they are often not representative of the staff they govern or inclusive of the communities they serve. Research suggests that they are insufficiently diverse across gender, race, disability and age to be as effective as they need to be. To address this, the NHS Confederation is establishing an independent taskforce to improve the diversity of chairs and non-executive directors in the NHS. Find out more about the working group, its members and why diverse leadership matters for the sustainability of the NHS.

Things about maps...
If you love maps and have an eye for detail you might find helping out with this very rewarding and interesting. The Ramblers are trying to make sure any missing paths are recorded before 2026. It is easy to take part - sign up then you will see a random small piece of map along with two older version of it and the clear instructions show you what to look for and how to draw in any missing paths for them to then investigate.

Things to make...

Pancakes...it is that time of year again - the start of Lent is marked by eating pancakes next Tuesday Feb 25th. For something different this year why not try a stack of American Blueberry pancakes?



Friday 14 February 2020

Things in the library 14th Feb...

Things to visit the library for today...
Free home-made heart biscuits (while stocks last) for all our library users today...and a reminder that via our Book a Librarian service you can arrange 1:1 or small group training on a variety of subjects....any time of the year not just on St Valentine's Day.




Things for a healthy childhood...
A safe, supportive and happy childhood environment is widely understood to be vital for a child’s development, health and wellbeing over the short- and long-term. Conversely, an established body of evidence shows a correlation between a disruptive, adverse or chaotic childhood environment and an increased prevalence of physical and mental health problems. Despite this established evidence base, the BMA's analysis of recent data highlights insufficient investment in England across a range of services to support a healthy childhood, with funding for a number of different services being cut in recent years. This lack of resource is likely to have an adverse impact on child health in England.

Things about microbiomics...
The Department of Neuroscience at University of Sheffield will co-host an event on Thursday 16 April to mark the launch of the Sheffield Microbiomics Network. This one-day symposium will take place in Sheffield (location TBC) and is open to anyone working in a field relating to microbiomics, or who is keen to embark on research in this area. Please register using this link. Anyone involved in microbiomics research in Sheffield (in any university, NHS or other institution) would be very welcome to join.

Things about indoor air...
There seems to be plenty of air outside at the moment...I just wish it would stop rushing around so fast! However whilst we are all stuck inside at this time of the year this RCPCH report on indoor air quality seems timely. This report is based on a systematic review of the science of indoor pollution, and conversations with children, young people and families. They make recommendations for Government and local authorities, and provide guidance for families.

Things about resilience...
Too many children and young people nationally do not receive the support they need to improve their mental health and wellbeing. There is ample evidence that, despite increased investment in, and policy focus on, mental health services for children and young people, the numbers of children and young people requiring support are going up. Thresholds for accessing support remain high, waiting times are long and there is significant inequity in provision between different local areas.

The purpose of this research from the Local Government Association is, firstly, to explore some of the factors which are contributing to this nationally challenging context and, secondly, to develop an evidence base for how local government and its partners can work most effectively together to deliver a coherent and joined-up offer of support for children and young people’s mental health. The research is based on a review of the existing evidence base, workshops with around 80 participants from councils and their partners in health and in-depth engagements with eight fieldwork areas.

Things about the NHS...
When the NHS Long Term Plan was published in January 2019 Healthwatch were asked by NHS England to engage with people across the country about how people wanted the priorities to be implemented locally. Here's what over 40,000 people told them. Key findings summarised below:

  • People affected by cancer, and heart and lung conditions had a much better experience of care services than people with other issues.
  • The positive feedback about cancer and heart and lung services appeared to be for a variety of reasons, including speed of diagnosis and treatment, access to rehabilitation, and quality of information and communication from professionals.
  • People affected by other issues, especially mental ill health, dementia or learning disabilities, told us that the support often wasn’t in place for them and that professionals did not give enough consideration to their full range of needs.

Things about St Valentine...

On February 14, around the year 270 A.D., Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns. The emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. Claudius believed that Roman men were unwilling to join the army because of their strong attachment to their wives and families. To get rid of the problem, Claudius banned all marriages and engagements in Rome. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. The sentence was carried out on February 14, on or about the year 270.
Legends vary on how the martyr’s name became connected with romance. The date of his death may have become mingled with the Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan festival of love. On these occasions, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed. In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius decided to put an end to the Feast of Lupercalia, and he declared that February 14 be celebrated as St Valentine’s Day.

Things to make...
A special chocolate and chilli dessert, very simple...and sinful!










Friday 7 February 2020

Things in the library 7th February...

Things to read...

Watch out for meteor showers and the plants in your city...our next book is the 1950s sci-fi classic 'Day of the Triffids' which we will be discussing on 4th March. Our last read Edith Wharton's  'Age of Innocence' scored 71%. One interesting fact I found whilst researching the author (whose maiden name was Jones) is that it is believed the phrase 'keeping up with the Joneses' was originally referring to her wealthy New York, high society family.

Things to watch...
Health Education England NHS have launched two short animations showcasing the benefits of working with NHS Librarians & Knowledge Specialists:



- Why work with Librarians and Knowledge Specialists?

- The benefits of working with Librarians and Knowledge Specialists 

Please take a couple of minutes to watch these and if you or your department want help to manage your knowledge do please talk to us. That's why we are here!


Things to listen to...
University of Sheffield Concerts have announced their upcoming season which brings a host of musical treats to take you from the cold winter nights right through to the cusp of summer.
They have jazz offerings in the form of two trios – the Barry Green Trio and the Jason Rebello Trio. Expect inventive, versatile and accomplished playing from these stalwarts of the UK and international jazz scenes.
In March world music fusion from Kabantu is on offer along with a concert from  the Ligeti Quartet, playing music to honour stop motion animators while blending pop and techno influences.
To round off the season Will Pound pays a return visit to present A Day Will Come – a musical journey across the states of the European Union. Mark Radcliffe, from BBC Radio 2, thinks Will is “a flat-out genius”. Come along and find out for yourself!
Complementing these performers are a range of concerts from the talented musicians found within the University. On offer is a range of concerts from student ensembles, free lunchtime and rush hour concerts and Sound Junction; the boundary-pushing weekend of music presented in conjunction with the University of Sheffield Sound Studios.

Things to attend...
world food festivalMany University events are open to the public -including public lectures, drama, exhibitions and family events. the deatails can be browsed here. The World Food festival is coming up on Sunday 16th February.

Do you use music ...
If you are working in Sheffield (or its direct surroundings), and employ music making or listening in any activities in a professional capacity, involving (others) then Music Mind Machine lab at the University of Sheffield Department of Music would love to hear from you! They are interested in any ways, no matter how big or small, in which your organisation is using music for health or wellbeing.
For example, it may be that you are using music with individuals or groups, to support mental, social, or physical health or wellbeing. Specific aims might include (but not limited to):

  • actively promoting physical health
  • improving mood and providing comfort
  • promoting access to music
  • bringing together and build connections within the community (community music)
  • easing pain
  • increasing mobility and promoting exercise
  • reducing stress and or anxiety
  • promoting education

Their goal is to make the topic of music for well-being more visible and easy to access, as well as to create a map of music and well-being in Sheffield. This project is supported by Research England.

Things to announce...
Next week we will announce the winner of our 70th birthday library website quiz...we are gathering some nice prizes for this and our next quiz thanks to Blackwell's Bookshop,  SmörgÃ¥s (the Scandinavian themed cafe located opposite the Hallamshire hospital) and some other local businesses.







Things to eat...

These Blueberry cheesecake brûlée pots are a great and very easy dessert to make.