H istory of Medicine 2.0

Using creative media to improve

information literacy teaching for

1st year medical students.

The Learning and

Research Services Team

is responsible for the

provision of information

literacy in the University

of Sheffield Library.

This year, the liaison

team for medicine

replaced a leaflet, which

introduces the resources

needed for Phase 1

MBChB students to

complete their first essay,

‘The History of

Medicine’, with a short

video using the Library’s

creative media facilities.

This was shown in the

mandatory ‘Introduction

to the Library Services’

lecture.

The main aims behind switching to a video format from a

leaflet were…

To make the information more accessible.

To make it more visually engaging.

To effectively demonstrate the Library’s online re-

sources.

The video format allowed

the students to access the

information anywhere, at

anytime.

Uploaded onto YouTube

the video was well-suited

to being shared and pro-

moted on social media.

It was also made available

on the Medical School’s

VLE, Minerva, and from

the Library’s Information

Skills Resource.

To ensure the video was en-

gaging and maintained the

students’ attention; pictures,

music and visual aids were

used.

Creative Commons pictures

courtesy of the Wellcome

Trust provided interest and

allowed us to engage with

the subject area.

Screencasts of the Library’s

catalogue, StarPlus, and

online database, Medline via

Ovid, enabled us to give clear

search tips and highlight key

aspects of the interfaces.

The video was broken up into

four clear chapters to allow

the students to easily navigate

the video to find the infor-

mation they needed.

The video was produced in-house using Camtasia

which was licensed and available for staff use. Assis-

tance was provided by the University’s Creative Media

Team, with special thanks to Pete Mella [pictured]

Vicky Grant, Faculty Librarian

Anthea Tucker, Liaison Librarian

Cat Bazela, Information Assistant