Shopping for health information

In this time of ongoing health care changes, consumers need to become better informed to actively participate in their health care decisions. As a result, hospital libraries are being challenged to address this need. Scottsdale Healthcare's Health Sciences Libraries have responded to this challenge by establishing a Health Information Center at the premiere shopping mall in the area. Implementing a Health Information Center at a mall is a unique way to bring medical information to the community. The purpose of this paper is to describe the planning process, the implementation, and the future vision of the Health Information Center at Scottsdale Fashion Square.     

科技期刊编辑从网络获取信息知识的3途径

科技期刊编辑应充分利用网络传播的便捷,拓展获取信息和知识的途径,变被动等待为主动发现。通过浏览科技期刊学会(协会、研究会)网页来跟踪了解行业的新动态,获取重要信息与机会;通过加入科技期刊编辑QQ群,广交良师益友,吸纳群体智慧;通过品读编辑学者博客,丰富内涵,提高修养。     

Promoting literacy in a digital age: approaches to training for information literacy

Information literacy, and other similar ‘literacies’, such as digital literacy, mediacy, and informacy, are concepts relating to knowledge, skills, and attitudes, at various levels, in dealing with information in varied formats and diverse situations. The breadth of scope of these concepts implies that training must be equally broad, varied, and context-sensitive. This is exemplified by two case studies of information and digital literacy training. The first is a training programme in information literacy for the scientific staff of a multinational pharmaceutical research organization. The second is a summer school dealing with digital literacy, primarily for information professionals from countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union.     

Community access to health information in Ireland

This paper is based on a research project conducted on consumer health information (CHI) in the Republic of Ireland, the results of which were published in a report entitled Well Read: Developing Consumer Health Information in Ireland. The paper describes the research methodology and the Irish experience in relation to CHI followed by a discussion of access problems, illustrated with examples from the special needs and primary care sectors. The role of information providers in relation to primary healthcare and libraries is examined briefly, and finally the main research conclusions and recommendations are highlighted.     

The hospital library: access to information for rural health professionals

This article examines some recent literature about the low physician-population ratios in rural areas. In an attempt to discover those factors which seem to preclude successful health care delivery in rural areas, it discusses a definition of the city as the place where the maximum lines of communication converge. A new concept, the "invisible city," is proposed, and the health care community in the United States is seen as an example. The library of the rural hospital, then, is defined as the location of the rural health professional's primary entrance into his own invisible city by means of professional communication through the biomedical literature.     

Terminology deconstructed: Phenomenographic approaches to investigating the term “information”

Although considerable attention has been focused on information users in recent years, little phenomenographic research into the word “information” has been conducted, perhaps because cursory consideration may suggest that work of this type is less useful than explorations of areas such as information-seeking. The lack of an established methodological framework discourages inquiry and, if understandings of the term are unique to each individual, there seems little scope to develop even broad principles for practice. Nevertheless, phenomenographic research helps professionals to learn how far users’ attitudes to the term “information” are consistent with their own and can reduce confusion between information providers and their clientele. Despite the absence of an accepted framework, several individual techniques are available. Ultimately, the research findings may prove highly instructive. They may, for example, influence the use of the word “information” by professionals when they interact with clients, whilst also offering insights into information behavior and information worlds.     

Public library computer training for older adults to access high-quality Internet health information

An innovative experiment to develop and evaluate a public library computer training program to teach older adults to access and use high-quality Internet health information involved a productive collaboration among public libraries, the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and a Library and Information Science (LIS) academic program at a state university. One hundred and thirty-one older adults aged 54–89 participated in the study between September 2007 and July 2008. Key findings include: a) participants had overwhelmingly positive perceptions of the training program; b) after learning about two NIH websites (http://nihseniorhealth.gov and http://medlineplus.gov) from the training, many participants started using these online resources to find high-quality health and medical information and, further, to guide their decision making regarding a health- or medically-related matter; and c) computer anxiety significantly decreased (p < .001) while computer interest and efficacy significantly increased (p = .001 and p < .001, respectively) from pre- to post-training, suggesting statistically significant improvements in computer attitudes between pre- and post-training. The findings have implications for public libraries, LIS academic programs, and other organizations interested in providing similar programs in their communities.     

Business information sources for health sciences librarians.

As the health care industry becomes more business oriented, health sciences librarians will encounter more patrons seeking business information. Administrators and managers of health care facilities are primarily in need of business information. This paper discusses those resources with which health sciences librarians must be familiar to successfully meet the challenges of these new demands. It identifies traditional and online sources, and emphasizes business sources geared to the health care industry. The business managers of the health care facility represent a new patron market for the health sciences librarian.     

The health periodicals database: full-text access to consumer and technical health information

The HEALTH PERIODICALS DATABASE, produced by the Information Access Company, is a unique online file which provides full-text access to both general interest health-related literature and key technical resources in the medical field. Available on DIALOG and CompuServe, the database is described as a useful tool for information on the health, fitness, and nutrition industries. Special features of the database are reviewed and comparisons are made with resources of similar scope.     

Providing consumer health information via health professionals

The Health Education Center in Pittsburgh, a community-based health promotion agency which provides library services to health professionals, students, and the lay public, received a resource grant in 1981 from the National Library of Medicine to study professionals' awareness of consumer health information (CHI) materials for their patients and clients. A survey of telephone patrons and on-site library patrons provided details on health professionals' use of the CHI resource center: their areas of interest, the material formats they preferred, and the intended use of the materials. Health professionals' demand for information about consumer-oriented materials and their satisfaction with the HEC library suggest that such a resource can be a valuable asset to a community.