Consumer health information services in public libraries in Canada and the US

Abstract

Abstract:In response to a growing demand from the public for health information resources, North American public libraries have provided varying levels of consumer health information (CHI) services since the 1970s. Due to the availability of funding in the US, many American public libraries have provided CHI services, although the majority of these have been as partnerships with health sciences libraries or via the "Go Local" programs. In Canada, where no specific funding has been available for CHI services, few public libraries have set up CHI services; health information has generally been provided by augmenting health collections or "virtually," i.e., by providing links to recommended electronic resources via the library's Web site. Murray 143 Consumer health movementThe demand for consumer health information (CHI) is not a recent phenomenon. Following on the heels of the 1960s consumer movement in the US was the women's health movement in the 1970s and 1980s. Feminist publications such as Our Bodies Ourselves and Healthsharing encouraged women to become active participants in their health care and spearheaded the health consumer movement in North America [1].

Differing Perceptions of Public Librarians and Users in Assessing and Developing Korean Consumer Health Information

“…6 For example, public libraries in Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom have developed and provided collections of health information resources, including paper-based and electronic databases or website links, and on-site services. 7 However, there are no such studies among Korean researchers, although a small number of researchers in the Health Science field have conducted research on health information assessment criteria for Internet users. 8 In addition, there are very few studies on the development of quality-assessed CHI resources that Korean public libraries can provide to users.…”

Could we do better? Behavioural tracking on recommended consumer health websites

“…Libraries and the information professionals who work within them are key information intermediaries, and they maintain this role with respect to consumer health information . Information professionals provide assistance to information consumers in finding, evaluating and making sense of consumer health resources; they teach to their patrons the essentials skills to perform these activities independently; and their services are being directly integrated into clinical practice to support information provision at point of care …”

“…[5][6][7][8] Information professionals provide assistance to information consumers in finding, evaluating and making sense of consumer health resources; they teach to their patrons the essentials skills to perform these activities independently; and their services are being directly integrated into clinical practice to support information provision at point of care. [9][10][11] Increasingly, the best and most up-to-date consumer health information is available on the Internet, and information professionals are directing patrons to online health information resources. In identifying the best possible online health resources, information professionals pay attention to a variety of factors including intended audience, and information accuracy, currency and completeness.…”

Crowdsourcing health literacy: The case of an online community

“…Over the last forty years, health literacy and consumer access to health information have become major concerns to a variety of constituencies, including medical professionals, government and community agencies, librarians, and consumers themselves (Kouame, Harris, & Murray, 2005; Murray, 2008; Rubenstein, 2012a). At the same time, the availability of health information on the Internet has grown exponentially; the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported that 80% of Americans who use the Internet use it to access information related to health issues (Fox, 2011).…”