RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
8.1 Involving users
Involving the people who use the resource centre in developing the collection
and services is an important way to ensure that the resource centre continues to
meet users’ needs. It also helps to attract funding, because it shows that the
resource centre is responding to a demonstrated need.
Encouraging users or staff from the organisation to become members of a
resource centre advisory committee (see Section 2.2: Advisory committees) is a
good way to involve these people. However, it is also important to encourage
them to understand what part the resource centre plays in their own work, how
it can help, and how their involvement in the resource centre can enhance both
their own work and that of the resource centre. It can be useful to arrange
meetings with groups of staff to talk about the how the resource centre can
assist them. For example, the resource centre can help them to update their
knowledge and support their personal development, or help them to complete a
training programme or distance education course. If possible, these meetings
should be held in the resource centre.
It is useful to spend some time during the strategic planning process (see Section
1.2: Strategic planning) listing different types of users and others interested in
the resource centre, and then grouping those with similar interests together, and
considering how to involve the different groups.
For example, groups of users may include:
• health workers
• allied health workers
• rehabilitation workers
• community workers
• members of the local community
• educators and trainers
• students
• members of health committees and health teams
• programme/project staff
• government staff
• people from related sectors such as education and environment.
8.1.1 Involving key people
Within each group, it is worth identifying key people to promote the resource
centre as information ‘gatekeepers’. It is also important to involve trainers and
people linked with communities based away from the resource centre.
Information gatekeepers It is useful to identify individuals within each group
who have a particular interest in information, and encourage them to become
champion resource centre users, or information ‘gatekeepers’ for their group
(such as nurses, students or members of health teams). They should be
2 SECTION 8: MAKING LINKS