Respect and trust – How does the library benefit the Nursing Science researcher?
Library and the Department of Nursing Science work together in a variety of ways. Jaana Koskenniemi, a doctoral candidate in Nursing Science and a university teacher, shares her experiences with using the library and its services.
Your research focuses on ethics in nursing care. What is the topic of your research, exactly?
”I study respect in the care of older patients especially from the perspective of patients; what it is, how it is manifested and what factors relate to it. Respect is the basis for high-quality ethical nursing practice. It creates a positive and safe atmosphere for the whole nursing community and is also reflected in the encounters with the patients’ next of kin. I hope that my research will help to sustain and promote a culture of respect.”
Are there many previous studies on this topic?
”There are surprisingly few empirical studies on respect. It has also been defined on a very general level. One of the aims of my research is to create a patient-centered measure to define respectful conduct and to evaluate the quality of care.”
Is it easier to find theoretical literature?
”There is a lot of basic information and theoretical articles on the concept of respect, which I have been able to use. Even older articles on the subject are interesting and with finding and getting the hold of these materials the library’s information specialists have fortunately offered a lot of personal assistance.”
Is library always so eager to help the Department of Nursing Science?
”The cooperation between the Nursing Science and library has been seamless and has also been persistently developed over the years. Library personnel regularly visits our staff meetings and strategy days to inform us about library services and new resources. They also always actively ask how the library could improve its services or collections."
How do you see the cooperation in the field of IL teaching?
”Together with the library, we have developed and implemented an information seeking course for our first year master’s students. Due to this our new students will receive expert guidance in information seeking and reference management already at the start. These skills are essential for all levels of study. In addition, students can later deepen their knowledge by participating in the library’s information retrieval clinics where they can get assistance with their own topical searches. These courses are also offered for post-graduate students wanting to improve their skills! Nowadays, library sessions include not only information seeking, but also reference management instruction which is important especially to the younger generations.”
What library databases are especially important for Nursing Science researchers?
”I would single out ResearchGuide, which has a special section tailored for Nursing Science. From ResearchGuide, you’ll easily find the most important information seeking channels, e-journals and e-books. There is a wide coverage of materials for different study levels and for researchers.”
The future of university libraries is much discussed at the moment. Would you like to see some changes or modernisations in the library?
”During the past eight years I’ve seen the tremendous enthusiasm with which the library has been developed. I think that we can be very happy with the current situation. The library has the ability to keep up to date and fortunately it also keeps us up-to-date. In particular, I would like to thank the library staff for excellent customer service.”
Interviewer: Ilmari Jauhiainen
Translation: Kristiina Hintikka
Photos: Krista Voitto
Do you want to tell how library has helped you in your research? Contact us (library@utu.fi) and we'll arrange an interview with you.