Emily Hurt has won the LILAC Information Literacy Award, which recognises an outstanding UK-based practitioner or researcher.
Emily Hurt, Clinical Librarian at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals won the award for her work on a project to increase research capacity and capability amongst health care professionals.
Emily’s work involved designing and delivering a series of highly effective workshops to improve the way that we use information in research.
Co-judge Dina Martzoukou, of Robert Gordon University, explained that: “This direction is innovative as it encourages staff to be research active and this is one of the emerging roles of librarians. It offers a good case in terms of the wider implications and value of information literacy.”
Emily said: “I’m extremely proud and honoured to have won this award – I’m the first non-university librarian to receive it. Information literacy (knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate and use it in an ethical manner) is a key component of evidence-based practice in healthcare, and something that I’m passionate about.”
Emily has a keen interest in research, improving the experience of staff working throughout the organisation, and sharing the outputs of her research projects with the wider library community. Emily worked with colleague Alison McLoughlin, Academic Research Nurse at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, to develop the workshops. Emily was nominated by her colleague, Tracey Pratchett, Knowledge and Library Services Manager. Tracey said: “I am absolutely chuffed to bits that Emily has won this award! Her passion, vision and determination have created a strong partnership with the research and innovation team; and a programme of training matched to the needs of health care professionals, which has been shared with the wider library community. Emily truly deserves this recognition for all her hard work.”