Using research to justify your service: cause and effect.

The article presents the keynote address of Muir Gray to the 1996 Health Libraries Group Conference in Exeter, England. Gray, the champion of health librarians, shared the vision of the librarian epidemiologist, who combined professional skills with a knowledge of research design. The increasing number of librarians have a foothold in both domains. The 1996 conference examined the role of librarians in supporting the evidence-based practice of others. A knowledge of research design help a library manager make an effective case for the instigation, continuation and survival of the service. The librarians undertaking the ADEPT module on aetiology are introduced to principles of cause and effect, in the specific context of a library manager.