What criteria do consumer health librarians use to develop library collections? a phenomenological study

Abstract

A better understanding of the criteria and contextual factors involved in the collection development process can assist with establishing high-quality consumer health library collections.

Deconstructing Cancer Patient Information Seeking in a Consumer Health Library Toward Developing a Virtual Information Consult for Cancer Patients and Their Caregivers: A Qualitative, Instrumental Case Study

“…Previously, the research team determined that the collection development policy for the PFL should focus on relevance to patron population, credibility, currency, and accessibility of the content and its format [47]. The same criteria could be applied to an online catalog, though the scope of accessibility would need to broaden to include digital accessibility.…”

“…In examining the resources provided to patrons by PFL staff, most were related to cancer topics including information on rare types, specific treatments, and clinical trials, with more than half of these resources available online. Previously, the research team determined that the collection development policy for the PFL should focus on relevance to patron population, credibility, currency, and accessibility of the content and its format [ 47 ]. The same criteria could be applied to an online catalog, though the scope of accessibility would need to broaden to include digital accessibility.…”

Decolonising Library Collections: Contemporary Issues, Practical Steps and Examples from London School of Economics

“…The absence of a collection development policy can lead to haphazard and inconsistent practice (Chaputula and Kanyundo, 2014). In contrast, it has been questioned whether collection development policies are 'the right weapon for this future battle' (Torrence, Powers, and Sheffield, 2012) as they may not describe all the collection development strategies and criteria used (Papadakos et al, 2014) and changes in practice are not always reflected in policies (Hunt, 2017). Where policies diverge from practice, they can become the 'occupant of the last folder in the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet' (Snow, 1996), which indicates that successful collection development policies should be dynamic and adaptable that change when the strategies and curricula of parent institutions change.…”

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

“…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 . They also attend to advertising, because such sponsorship could potentially affect the balance, coverage and objectivity of the information delivered on the site.…”

“…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. [12][13][14][15] They also attend to advertising, 12,14 because such sponsorship could potentially affect the balance, coverage and objectivity of the information delivered on the site. More rarely, librarians advise users to read privacy policies for disclosure of collection and use of personally identifiable information such as name or address.…”