Distribution channel management in e-government: Addressing federal information policy issues

Part of the promise of electronic government (e-government) is its ability to transform the delivery of information services and products from government to users. E-government allows federal agencies to supplement and even supplant private sector roles intermediating between government agencies and users, creating unintended consequences in terms of policy, theory, and practice. The problem is called “channel conflict” in the marketing literature, and the typical response is called distribution channel management (DCM). After reviewing the literatures of e-government, information policy, and DCM, the paper explores differing DCM philosophies of two federal agencies: the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Census Bureau. An examination of these two DCM programs provides insights on how federal agencies may be able to manage their various channels for e-government offerings despite tensions in the current legal and policy context. The paper concludes by using DCM literature to help frame options for dealing with these tensions.     

Comparing Web search engine performance in searching consumer health information: evaluation and recommendations.

Identifying and accessing reliable, relevant consumer health information rapidly on the Internet may challenge the health sciences librarian and layperson alike. In this study, seven search engines are compared using representative consumer health topics for their content relevancy, system features, and attributes. The paper discusses evaluation criteria; systematically compares relevant results; analyzes performance in terms of the strengths and weaknesses of the search engines; and illustrates effective search engine selection, search formulation, and strategies.     

Delivering a MOOC for literature searching in health libraries: evaluation of a pilot project

In an era when library budgets are being reduced, Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC's) can offer practical and viable alternatives to the delivery of costly face‐to‐face training courses. In this study, guest writers Gil Young from Health Care Libraries Unit ‐ North, Lisa McLaren from Brighton and Sussex Medical School and Liverpool University PhD student Michelle Maden describe the outcomes of a funded project they led to develop a MOOC to deliver literature search training for health librarians. Funded by Health Education England, the MOOC was developed by the Library and Information Health Network North West as a pilot project that ran for six weeks. In particular, the MOOC target audience is discussed, how content was developed for the MOOC, promotion and participation, cost‐effectiveness, evaluation, the impact of the MOOC and recommendations for future development. H. S.     

Current access to health information in Zambia: a survey of selected health institutions

OBJECTIVE: To assess the current situation of access to information by health staff at selected central, provincial, district hospitals and health centres in Zambia. METHODS: Government and non-governmental institutions were visited in the Lusaka Urban District and nine rural districts in the North-Western, Western and Central Provinces of Zambia in 2001. Thirty interviews were held with provincial and district health directors, medical doctors, nurses and clinical officers in district hospitals and rural and urban health centres. In 2006, a follow-up visit was undertaken to the health centres in the Lusaka Urban District in Lusaka Province and the Sesheke District in the Western Province. RESULTS: There is limited access to health information for health workers in Zambia. In hospitals and health centres, where there is access, it is usually provided in an ad hoc manner without a central policy from the government. In all the places visited, there was also an overwhelming expressed need for different types of information relating to the professional or personal needs of health care workers. CONCLUSIONS: The study found that access to information was very poor. There were some excellent examples of local initiatives showing that, even under difficult financial and infrastructural circumstances, it was feasible to improve health workers' access to information by using low technology, information access initiatives. These existing local initiatives deserve to be scaled up, while new initiatives should be adopted to improve access to information in a much more structured way. Of paramount importance is the formulation and implementation of an information policy that will guarantee the provision of health information to Zambian health workers.     

Expert searching in health librarianship: a literature review to identify international issues and Australian concerns

Background: The traditional role of health librarians as expert searchers is under challenge. Objectives: The purpose of this review is to establish health librarians’ views, practices and educational processes on expert searching. Methods: The search strategy was developed in LISTA and then customised for ten other databases: ALISA, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar. The search terms were (expert search* OR expert retriev* OR mediated search* OR information retriev*) AND librar*. The searches, completed in December 2010 and repeated in May 2011, were limited to English language publications from 2000 to 2011 (unless seminal works). Results: Expert searching remains a key role for health librarians, especially for those supporting systematic reviews or employed as clinical librarians answering clinical questions. Conclusions: Although clients tend to be satisfied with searches carried out for them, improvements are required to effectively position the profession. Evidence‐based guidelines, adherence to transparent standards, review of entry‐level education requirements and a commitment to accredited, rigorous, ongoing professional development will ensure best practice.     

Unmet needs for health information: a literature review

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Evaluation of distance learning delivery of health information management and health informatics programmes: a UK perspective

The aim of the article is to review evaluations of distance learning programmes in health information management, in order to identify the critical success factors for such programmes and discuss future directions. The emphasis is on the UK experience, based partly on reflections on the experience of one programme at University of Wales Aberystwyth (now over 10 years old), and partly on a policy review conducted for the NHS Information Authority and the NHS Information Policy Unit. The methods are, as far as possible, those of a systematic review of existing research, with, additionally, an overview of relevant policy developments for lifelong learning. The topics covered include the aims, objectives and educational philosophies of the programmes. The evidence, combined with the UWA experience, indicates the importance of face-to-face interaction, to complement distance or virtual learning. A student-centred approach to curriculum design and delivery is essential.     

FOIA, federal information policy, and information availability in a post-9/11 world

Access to government records is increasingly shifting to a nether world-governed neither by the FOIA and the Privacy Act, nor by an executive order on classification. Instead, new categories of records, labeled “sensitive but unclassified,” “for official use only,” or “critical infrastructure information,” are being created in a variety of agencies, and are governed by agency regulations. Statutory authority is found in a number of separate laws, such as the Homeland Security Act and the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. These categories can be assigned by agency officials, contractors, or those in the private sector who originated the records; many records categorized this way are not subject to appeal or review by agencies or the courts, or to any automatic “declassification” process that has applied to documents withheld under the FOIA or subject to classification. Trends toward increased secrecy at all levels of government have become sufficiently alarming that individuals across the political spectrum have begun to speak out, and members of the access community (e.g., newspaper editors and public interest groups) have formed coalitions to focus debate on the need to rethink the balance of access with privacy and records protection, and to lobby actively for reinstatement of principles of access that have governed records policy for the past 35 years.     

The Journey Project: a case study in providing health information to mitigate health disparities

The Journey Project, part of the Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries' Social Work Information Specialist in Context Fellowship, was designed to merge social work and consumer health librarianship skills in order to improve the provision of health information to patients. A resource notebook was created encompassing the many dimensions of cancer health information. A social work informationist distributed the notebooks and provided individualized consultations with respect to patients' health information needs. Areas of congruence as well as key differences between social work and consumer health librarianship emerged during the course of the project. Merging the two professions into the role of a social work informationist increased the ability to attend holistically to clients' health information needs.     

The information market for research and higher education: How to integrate all relevant information in a network of repositories?

Publishing Research Quarterly -     

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.     

Health Index Plus: a CD-ROM product for consumer health information

Health Index Plus, a consumer health information CD-ROM database, was field-tested by staff and patrons at a public library in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Ease-of-use, database content and quality, and appropriateness for audience were evaluated. Overall, patrons found the database simple to use. The contents focus on topics of popular interest and provide access to scientific material that is normally not available or comprehended by many public library users. Although some indexing problems and other shortcomings were noted, the database is recommended for public and other libraries providing consumer health information.     

Providing health information to the general public: a survey of current practices in academic health sciences libraries

A questionnaire was mailed to 148 publicly and privately supported academic health sciences libraries affiliated with Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC-accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada to determine level of access and services provided to the general public. For purposes of this study, "general public" was defined as nonaffiliated students or health care professionals, attorneys and other nonhealth-related professionals, patients from affiliated or other hospitals or clinics, and general consumers. One hundred five (71%) libraries responded. Results showed 98% of publicly supported libraries and 88% of privately supported libraries provided access to some or all of the general public. Publicly supported libraries saw greater numbers of public patrons, often provided more services, and were more likely to circulate materials from their collections than were privately supported libraries. A significant number of academic health sciences libraries housed a collection of consumer-oriented materials and many provided some level of document delivery service, usually for a fee. Most allowed the public to use some or all library computers. Results of this study indicated that academic health sciences libraries played a significant role in serving the information-seeking public and suggested a need to develop written policies or guidelines covering the services that will be provided to minimize the impact of this service on primary clientele.     

Camp for all connection: a community health information outreach project.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the Camp For All Connection project is to facilitate access to electronic health information resources at the Camp For All facility. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS/RESOURCES: Camp For All is a barrier-free camp working in partnership with organizations to enrich the lives of children and adults with chronic illnesses and disabilities and their families by providing camping and retreat experiences. The camp facility is located on 206 acres in Burton, Texas. The project partners are Texas Woman's University, Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library, and Camp For All. BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The Camp For All Connection project placed Internet-connected workstations at the camp's health center in the main lodge and provided training in the use of electronic health information resources. A train-the-trainer approach was used to provide training to Camp For All staff. RESULTS/OUTCOME: Project workstations are being used by health care providers and camp staff for communication purposes and to make better informed health care decisions for Camp For All campers. EVALUATION METHOD: A post-training evaluation was administered at the end of the train-the-trainer session. In addition, a series of site visits and interviews was conducted with camp staff members involved in the project. The site visits and interviews allowed for ongoing dialog between project staff and project participants.