More than meets the eye at the library
The breadth of resources and tailored support available at the library come as a pleasant surprise to a lot of members.
Over the course of two post-graduate diplomas and the restorative diploma leading to a master's, I have had to do a lot of essay writing. The staff at the library anticipate your needs and suggest materials that they think may be of interest to you, depending on what you want to know about.
Why the BDA library is different
I got so much more out of the courses I have taken because of the resources the staff provided me with. There are a lot of materials which dentists and dental students are usually unaware of, like “packages” which are folders of articles on a particular subject. The staff at the library are amazing, they reply promptly to requests and are so knowledgeable and proactive.
Information on very specialised topics
Literature searches are an invaluable service. I told the library staff the topics of my essays, and they did the literature search. Then I read the abstracts of the texts they found and put in a request to read about five or 10 of the articles. The articles are free to read which is very student friendly. For one essay I had to research how long crowns last, so I asked for studies based around the model of a randomised control trial on the longevity of crowns.
The library uses databases like PubMed and Medline which search lists of published articles, and you can choose what you want. With so many essays on specialist topics to do, this was a great help. I am someone who prefers reading books than reading online, and there are a lot of physical resources available in addition to online materials. You can visit the library if you are a BDA member, or the staff will post the materials to you.
You can visit the library if you are a BDA member, or the staff will post the materials to you.
Some of the resources I used for my studies
In order to collect high-level evidence for my thesis I had to do a systematic review and one of the librarians recommended a book specifically on how to do this. The book highlighted the processes that I needed to take, and it enabled me to conduct the systematic review to a high standard.
My master’s was in restorative dentistry and I had to write a thesis on composite resins and tooth wear. As I was about to start, I heard that a book was going to be published called Practical Procedures in the Management of Tooth Wear by Subir Banerji, Shamir Mehta et al. The library staff ordered a copy to the library as soon as it was published and sent it to me. In fact, it was such a good read that I ended up buying a copy for myself afterwards.
What life would have been like without the library
If I had not been able to use the library, it would have made things much harder because I would not have been made aware of the resources available. I would not have got as much out of the courses either, and I would have found it more frustrating. The library definitely widened my learning experience.
It is a good idea to have a chat to the librarians, because when they know what you are interested in, they will recommend things to you.
Advice for dentists interested in library resources
It is a good idea to have a chat to the librarians, because when they know what you are interested in, they will recommend things to you. Over the years I was recommended several books that I did not know existed. Actually, I did not go to the library physically for years, I did it all on the phone and by email. When I did go in, it was really lovely to meet everyone in person after having been in contact with them for so long.
Dr Sabina Wadhwani BDS (Lond), MFGDP(UK), PgCert. (Medical Education and Mentoring), FHEA, Dip Rest Dent (RCS Eng), Dip Implant Dentistry Eastman, UCL, MSc Restorative Dentistry (Plymouth).
