APLA 2015

As soon as I started with the Janeway Resource Centre (JRC) for the Children's and Women's Health Program at the Janeway Hospital, I knew things needed to change. The JRC is not physically located in the hospital, nor did it have an easy to find online presence. As a result, it has been severely underutilized since its creation in late 2010. I knew one of my first priorities would be to market the JRC, specifically making sure staff and patients and their families know we exist for them and their health information needs. And so, with a kind of carte blanche support from my manager, I have set out on an adventure of change to make the JRC not only known, but known as a reliable source of pediatric and women’s health information in this province.

Changes made since November 2014 include;

• A name change
• New marketing materials including pamphlets and posters
• A new library management system
• A new physical layout of the library space
• New programing – Janeway Reading Program, Breastfeeding Support Clinic
• Extensive marketing of the JRC to the staff of the Janeway using internal meetings, coffee sessions and education days
• Using physical space for internal purposes such as education days, parent sessions and clinics
• An online presence with Eastern Health
• An army of volunteers to help facilitate all this change

I will discuss the above changes; including why they were made, the impact they have had and the feedback I have received. I will also discuss whether these changes have increased our usage, and whether or not they were worth it.