• Nicola Pearce-Smith.
• Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Supporting Public Health, Oxford, UK. nicola.pearce-smith@dphpc.ox.ac.uk
• Health Info Libr J. 2006 Mar 1;23(1):32-40.

ObjectiveTo establish a journal club for librarians, which aimed to develop appraisal skills and assist in the application of research to practice.MethodsFourteen health librarians were invited to attend a journal club. Each month a librarian was responsible for preparing a scenario, choosing a research paper, and selecting a checklist. The paper was appraised by the club, and a critically appraised topic (CAT) prepared. Six months later, a questionnaire was sent to all librarians.ResultsSix out of 14 librarians attended the journal club and five out of six returned the questionnaire. All five agreed that attending the journal club helped them develop appraisal skills, write a CAT and be more critical of research. Four agreed they always identified a research paper first, then formulated a question. One librarian agreed that applying results to their own practice was difficult, one disagreed and three were neutral.ConclusionJournal clubs can be effective at developing appraisal skills and writing a CAT, as well as increasing the reading of library research. Librarians still need assistance in identifying and using questions directly from their own practice. The journal club has helped some librarians to apply evidence to practice, but others find the research is not always directly relevant.

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