Library Events

Library Open Weeks 2025

Image showing different parts of the two libraries - Sally Howell Library and Hirson Library

Thank you to everyone who took part in our recent library survey! We are grateful to the 232 respondents who shared their feedback. A key theme that emerged was the need to improve how we market and promote our library services.

In response, we are excited to announce two Library Open Weeks — both physical and virtual — taking place during the first two weeks of November. These will include events and sessions across Epsom, St Helier, and several community sites.

Please take a look at the timetables below and join in wherever you can - we’d love to see you there!

We are also inviting you to make a Library Pledge. Tell us how you plan to use the library - whether it’s visiting more often, exploring online resources, or asking the team for support. Please add your pledge to our virtual pledge board.

Get ready to celebrate the Library Open Weeks and discover how our amazing health librarians make a difference every day. Read the October 2025 Library Bulletin! Finally why not answer a few easy questions via our quiz and win one of our sponsored prizes!

**Epsom Library Open week Monday 3 - Friday 7 November**
Dates	Painted stone	Event
Monday 3 November Sally Howell Library - Meet, Learn and Explore	Koha: our library management system	Meet Yin & Catherine Learn about Mendeley, OpenAthens and how to join Explore library displays Enter our quiz with prizes (£25 Amazon vouchers, Wiley book up to £300, Tomlinsons books, a stethoscope)
Tuesday 4 November Hunt, Pledge & Win at Sally Howell Library!	An inspirational stone	Join the Library Treasure Hunt - find an inspirational/resource rock painted by Deborah Gouveia (Continuous Improvement Senior Programme Manager) Enter our sponsored quiz and win one of the prizes Add to our Pledge Board - how will you use the library?
Wednesday 5: Connect, Learn and Enter	An inspirational stone	Connect with Kerry (Clinical Librarian) Learn about the clinical librarian service, evidence searches and summaries, Lunch and Learns Enter our sponsored quiz and win a prize
Thursday 6: Connect, Explore and Meet	BorrowBox our eBooks, eaudio and emagazines app	Connect with Manda (Collections Development Librarian) about KnowledgeShare and our collections Explore the library focussed current awareness bulletin! Meet Lucy Rutter, Sales Manager from Bolinda (BorrowBox), Marisa and Potenza in the Ingredients Restaurant in Epsom (12-2pm) Meet Emma Hodkinson (UpToDate Customer Success Specialist, UK and Ireland) at the Epsom Grand Round (12:30 - 1:30pm)
Friday 7: Get ready for the weekend	The Digital Learning Solutions platform for MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint training	Explore the regular joint puzzle, Final chance to make a pledge and enter the prize draw, View our knowledge management display - Quality Improvement repository, ESTH Published authors Ask Potenza, Marisa and Manda any last-minute questions!

“Virtual Library Week:
Connect, Learn & Explore Online”

Drop in anytime between 8:30am – 10:30am or 12pm – 2pm Contact us at: esth.hirsonlibrary@nhs.net or esth.libraryepsom@nhs.net for the MS Teams link

Dates	Painted stone	Topic
Monday 3 and Monday 10 November	Mendeley our reference management software	Manage & Reference with Ease: Support with Trust procedural documents with Potenza and Marisa
Tuesday 4 and Tuesday 11 November	The NHS Knowledge and Library Hub	Find Articles Fast: “Explore the NHS Hub” with Kerry and Liz
Wednesday 5 and Wednesday 12 November	Kortext an eBook platform	Looking for books: “ESTH catalogue and Kortext” with Kerry and Liz
Thursday 6 and Thursday 13 November	UpToDate a point of care tool	Clinical decision-making tools: UpToDate and BMJ Best Practice with Kerry and Liz
Friday 7 and Friday 14 November	OpenAthens: password management system	Virtual Open House and general overview of the Library: Ask Us Anything with Potenza and Marisa

**Hirson Library, St Helier Open week Monday 10 - Friday 14 November**
Dates	Painted stone	Event
Monday 10 November Hirson Library, - Meet, Learn and Explore	KnowledgeShare a current awareness tool	Meet Manda and Agnies Learn about KnowledgeShare, Mendeley, OpenAthens and how to join Explore library displays and the library focussed current awareness bulletin! Explore the nursing and midwifery focussed MA Healthcare journal collection with Potenza, Marisa and Jas Atwal from MA Healthcare in the Ingredients Restaurant, Ferguson House (12pm - 2pm) Enter our quiz with prizes (£25 Amazon vouchers, Wiley book up to £300, Tomlinsons books, a stethoscope)
Tuesday 11 November Hunt, Pledge & Win at Hirson Library!	An inspirational stone	Join the Library Treasure Hunt - find an inspirational/resource rock painted by Deborah Gouveia (Continuous Improvement Senior Programme Manager) Enter our sponsored quiz and win one of the prizes Add to our Pledge Board - how will you use the library?
Wednesday 12: Connect, Learn and Enter	BMJ Learning eLearning modules mainly for clinical staff	Connect with Potenza, Marisa and Ali Boukabache (BMJ Customer Success Manager, Healthcare) in the Ingredients Restaurant in Ferguson House (12pm – 2pm) Learn about BMJ Best Practice, BMJ Case Reports and BMJ Learning Enter our sponsored quiz and win a prize
Thursday 13: Connect, Explore and Meet	Moodle our educational eLearning platform	Connect with Emma Hodkinson (UpToDate Customer Success Specialist, UK and Ireland) during the Grand Round in the Whitehall Lecture Theatre (12:30 – 1:30pm) Meet Laura and learn about our marketing approach Explore our bite sized library related eLearning
Friday 14: Get ready for the weekend	Browse journals via BrowZine	Explore the regular joint puzzle, Final chance to make a pledge and enter the prize draw, View our knowledge management display - Quality Improvement repository, ESTH Published authors Ask Potenza, Marisa, Agnies and Laura any last-minute questions!

Celebrate Black History Month

On an annual basis the library team celebrates Black History Month in a number of ways.

For 2025, Leonie Lindo (the artist) who was commissioned in 2024 to create a painting to support the "Reclaiming Narratives" theme met with the Library Team to record a special interview discussing her inspiration behind this beautiful piece. You can watch the recording below:

The theme for this year’s Black History Month is “Standing Firm in Power and Pride,” celebrating resilience, perseverance for justice, and the embracing of identity, history, and culture.

Read the short summaries chosen by Connie Halls , who completed a voluntary placement with the team during her university summer break. Connie chose five black britons who she feels epitomise this year's theme. Read the Black History Month summaries 2025.

In 2024 we celebrated Black History Month in a number of ways:

Summaries of Black Britons

The theme for Black History Month 2024 was “Reclaiming Narratives”, which is all about correcting and recognising the narratives of black culture and its history. Celebrate Black History Month with the Library Team. Read the short summaries of seven Black Britons chosen by Layla Atkinson (Year 11) from Royal Alexandra and Albert School during her work experience week in June 2024 with the library team.

We held a competition:

Black History Month Artist painting

“Honouring Motions to Stand” created by Léonie Lindo

Léonie Lindo (a self-taught realist painter) was commissioned to create an image entitled “Honouring Motions to Stand” to represent this year’s theme. Enter our competition to win a framed A4 sized, signed print of the image.

The competition was to read one of the books from our BorrowBox (electronic audiobooks and eBooks) Black History Month collection and write a short summary (no longer than 250 words) about the book.

The four best summaries were chosen and wee awarded a signed print of the image. The four winners were: Kirsty Hagan-Tetteh, Arlene Wellman, Florence Temeng and Anna Awoliyi.

We also had a live BorrowBox event on Thursday 17 October in the St Helier Hospital restaurant. Poppy Jackson (Sales Manager) from Bolinda came to support the event.

Credits for the images used for the summaries of Black Britons

Stormzy:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-61887653

Jason Arday:
https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/portrait-of-a/jason-arday-on-racial-m_6kAtKTQZb/#google_vignette

Michaela Coel:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3948190/

Lavinya Stennett: Courtesy
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/a35740129/lavinya-stennett-prioritising-oneself-self-care/

Little Simz:
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/little-simz-wearing-your-heart-on-your-sleeve-doesnt-make-you-weak-k2hwg65rf

Marcus Rashford:
https://www.thetimes.com/article/marcus-rashford-defends-charity-deals-against-claims-he-profits-from-campaigning-3lmj6wf0q

Khadija Owusu:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/khadijaowusu_iwd2023-march-support-activity-7036637043245883393-Iu6z

Health Information Week 2025

Health Information Week Banner

Health Information Week is a national, multi-sector campaign to promote high quality health information. This year, it will take place from 20 - 26 January 2025.

The themes for 2025 are:

Winter health
Mental health
Wellbeing
Health literacy and misinformation
Digital literacy

At Epsom and St Helier we are celebrating the week in the following ways:


Winter health Support the Trust's efforts to drive up flu and COVID-19 vaccinations. Check out the information on Victor and book your vaccinations as soon as possible!
Mental health Use your OpenAthens account to access MAG online Mental Health Collection.
Wellbeing Sign up to Borrow Box and see our collection of self help audio and eBooks. Pop into either hospital library and pick up a free sprout pencil.
Health literacy and misinformation Book an online session with Liz, our Knowledge Specialist, to grasp the significance of health literacy.
Digital literacy Join Rosy, our Library Learning Technologist online at the Digital Champions session on Friday 24 January from 10am-11am to find out more about the training sessions she provides.