Teacher, trainer, or facilitator?

Abstract

This project report looks at the pedagogic identity of health librarians in the UK, predominantly National Health Service staff, and related challenges they face. Through an online workshop and a follow-up survey, the authors investigated how health librarians perceive themselves as teachers, the challenges they face when teaching healthcare staff, and what support they need. The findings reveal a multifaceted identity, with ‘trainer’ being the most common descriptor, followed by ‘facilitator’, with ‘teacher’ being the least common descriptor, though many librarians selected multiple identities. Key challenges faced were time, technology, practicalities, skills, and engagement. The study highlights the need for more professional development opportunities focused on pedagogic skills, particularly around confidence-building, teaching critical appraisal and statistics, and creating engaging learning environments.