Apprentices

We know that starting a course can be a bit nerve-wracking, especially if it’s been a long time since you last did any studying - but don’t worry, we’re here to help!

If using the library seems a bit intimidating with all the different resources, links and passwords, our friendly Librarians are happy to provide library inductions and training sessions tailored to your needs.

Or, if you’re more confident and want to have a go yourself, all our resources are accessible through the library website with links to online guides, tutorials and videos to help get you started.

First steps

• Join the library

Library membership will give you 24 hour access to the library itself, allow you to use our self-service machines to borrow books whenever you need, and you will be able to log in to the library catalogue to request books and journal articles.

You can do that using our online form here: https://now.koha-ptfs.co.uk/cgi-bin/koha/opac-memberentry.pl

• Create an NHS OpenAthens account

This will let you access all of our online resources. You can do that online here: https://openathens.nice.org.uk/

Now you’ve got those two things done, let’s have a look at what else we can help with!

Need to find a quiet space to work on an assignment? Your library has a range of quiet study areas, plenty of Trust PCs, or places you can plug in and work from your own device. You can print and scan for free using your Trust computer login.

If you need an online meeting with your tutor, we also have pods available to book: https://library.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/library-pods

We offer one to one or group training, either in person in the library or virtually via MS Teams. We can also arrange to come out to you if a suitable space with a PC and internet access can be found. We provide training on a range of different topics including:

• Accessing and using online library resources
• Literature searching using medical databases
• Critical appraisal
• Referencing

You can search the library catalogue to find books. The catalogue includes NHS libraries from across the North of England so, if we don’t have the book you need and one of the other libraries does, you can request it and it will be sent to your local MWL library for you to collect.

While we obviously have a large collection of clinical books, we also have books on leadership, management and study skills available for you to borrow.

Full text journal articles: https://library.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/journals

You can access and print full text journal articles from thousands of journals via BrowZine or LibKey Nomad. You can find out more about these through our website, or book a training session to learn out how to access and use them.

Current Awareness: https://library.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/current-awareness

Our Current Awareness Service, KnowledgeShare, delivers the latest evidence, research and guidance to your inbox, keeping you up to date and saving you valuable time. Whether you need updates in a specific specialty or across multiple areas, we ensure you never miss important developments.

• Medical databases: https://library.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/databases

You have access to a wide range of databases that you can use to find relevant and useful published research articles. We have guides available on how to use the main ones and remember, you can always book a training session with us if you’d like some help to get you started.

Want to know more?
This page lists just some of the ways the library can help you. If you want to know more about what we do, have a look at our FAQ page: https://library.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/faqs or get in touch. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have or arrange an induction to show you around.

You can email us anytime at: library@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk. We’d love to hear from you.