To coincide with the launch of the Health Research Board’s new strategy, the National Documentation Centre on Drug Use changed its name to the HRB National Drugs Library in January 2016. We have refreshed our website www.drugsandalcohol.ie to reflect this change.

We continue to provide the same range of resources and services to facilitate the use of research in decision-making by those working in the area of problem substance use.

There are a number of easy ways in which you can keep up-to-date:

• Follow us on Twitter @HRBdrugslibrary, or sign up to receive links to new research straight to your email account.
• Read our quarterly research and policy bulletin, Drugnet Ireland, which provides summaries of recent Irish policy developments, events and research.
• Sign up to our monthly electronic newsletter with links to new publications, Dáil debates and news items. 

Those working in the drugs area will be aware that drug-related research is highly complex, primarily rooted in physical and mental health, but also incorporating other areas such as criminal and social justice, social science, and education. You can search our entire collection of Irish and international research using our simple or advanced search facilities. And our practitioner resource provides direct links to key documents and subjects relevant to health and social-care professions.

If you are looking for up-to-date Irish data, you may be particularly interested in our Interactive drug-treatment and alcohol-diary data tables, found on the key Irish data page. Also on that page, you can access our factsheets on cannabis, cocaine, sedatives, and opiates.

And our very first alcohol factsheet, compiled by the librarians, was recently published. Alcohol: the Irish situation draws together information on treatment, prevalence, mortality and crime in Ireland in one convenient document.

As librarians, we have a significant role to play in facilitating knowledge transfer and exchange. Throughout the research process we can provide relevant resources and services, culminating in the effective dissemination and use of findings. We will continue to engage with researchers and practitioners to achieve this ultimate goal.