Bringing the evidence base to the alcohol and other drugs sector.(a project by the Anne Harrison Award and members of the Alcohol and Drug Librarians and Information Specialists that aims to train members of the alcohol and other drugs sector)(Report)

The National Drug Sector Information Service is committed to supporting those who work to prevent or reduce the harm to individuals, families, communities and the nation caused by alcohol and other drugs. This paper describes a project to assist particular members of the alcohol and other drugs sector to improve quality and the transfer of research into practice, through information literacy training using the evidence-based practice process. The project was made possible by the Anne Harrison Award (http://www.alia.org.au/awards/merit/anne.harrison/) and involved members of the Alcohol and Drug Librarians and Information Specialists (ADLIS) group.

Background

The Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) was established in 1967 as the peak, national, non-government organisation representing the interests of the Australian alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sector, providing a national voice for people working to reduce the harm caused by alcohol and other drugs.

ADCA is funded by the Australian Department of Health and Ageing to provide a National Drug Sector Information Service (NDSIS) and AOD Clearinghouse for those working in the AOD sector.

Through its NDSIS and AOD Clearinghouse, ADCA currently provides a wide variety of AOD information services and products to the AOD sector, much as any special library would to its clientele. Whilst copyright restrictions mean that some of the services can only be offered to members of ADCA, on the whole we offer an information service to anyone working in the AOD sector which includes: researchers, medical practitioners, nurses, psychologists, social workers, youth workers and AOD workers. In particular the NDSIS strives to fill the information gap for those working in the AOD sector that are not attached to any major institution and so do not have their own library.

Identifying the need

One result of many AOD agencies not having their own library is a lack of information literacy training. This is linked to quality improvement which is becoming a key focus in the sector, through initiatives including workplace development and embracing an evidence-based approach (Rose 2008). Expertise in many aspects of evidence-based practice (EBP), particularly formulating the question, searching databases and critiquing results is well within the skill set of the health librarian (Brettle 2003). Whilst AOD researchers and physicians generally already possess these skills and in many cases also have the help of professional librarians when needed, a large portion of the AOD sector workforce is not so fortunate and lacks information seeking skills and the opportunity to learn them.