Women caught in the multi‐causal web: A gendered analysis of Healthy People 2010

This essay is a gendered analysis of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Healthy People 2010 initiative (HP 2010). HP 2010 sets national health goals and priorities for public health agencies throughout the nation with a stated goal to “reduce health disparities” (p. 2), including disparities based on “gender, race, education or income, disability, geographic location, or sexual orientation” (p. 11). Given the focus on women’s medical research since the 1990s and the continued presence of gendered health disparities, it is important to investigate how public health policy defines, depicts, and prioritizes issues related to women’s health, particularly poor and minority women. A close reading of three sets of chapters related to physical disease, health care services, and sexual health issues from the perspective of women suggests that despite renewed promises, the “multi‐causal web” approach to public health does not promote conditions that would empower marginalized groups because it fails to address sex differences in health advice and prioritize economic and political changes necessary for marginalized groups. Underlying these issues is a lack of consideration for the role of socially constructed gender roles along with race and class in health status and inequities.     

Assessing the authoritativeness of Canadian and American health documents: a comparative analysis using informetric methodologies

Government publications have long been considered authoritative sources of information regardless of the format (electronic via the WWW or paper) they are published in, and with little consideration as to how they are researched and written. Given the greater accessibility that the WWW provides the public to this very important source of information on a wide variety of subjects, assessing authoritativeness becomes a bigger and more difficult issue. The research and comparative analysis presented here continues a pilot study that applies informetric methods, especially citation analysis, to assess whether the blind trust afforded government publications is appropriate in such an important area of public policy and to see whether the two different types of health systems in Canada and the United States might have an effect on how these publications are produced.     

Applying informetric methods to empirically assess the authoritativeness of Health Canada electronic documents

Government publications have long been considered authoritative sources of information regardless of the format [electronic via the World Wide Web (WWW) or paper] they are published in and with little consideration as to how they are researched, written, and published. Given the greater accessibility that the WWW provides the public to this very important source of information on a wide variety of subjects, assessing authoritativeness becomes a bigger and more difficult issue. This preliminary study applies informetric methods, specifically citation analysis, to assess whether the blind trust afforded government publications is appropriate in an important area of public policy that, particularly in Canada, is seen almost as a natural right of citizenship, public health care. The results of this study show that this trust is not misplaced as these publications are well researched and, with or without references, are used without discrimination.     

Data disaggregation: the case of Asian and Pacific Islander data and the role of health sciences librarians

Health disparities within Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities are often masked due to aggregated data. Lack of adequate data limits required health care services for these communities. While moving forward toward health equity, it is critical that disparities for API communities are acknowledged and addressed. This article focuses on the issues of aggregated data for API communities followed by suggestions on how health sciences librarians can support and promote better practices for data disaggregation.     

Iceland’s National Information Infrastructure

This article discusses Iceland's national information infrastructure in the year 2000. It focuses on the current information policy and legislation of the country. It looks at this policy as it is presented in government publications from the last 5 years and evaluates its effects, with particular regard to the education, culture and health sectors. It describes the foundation of a nationwide health database in Iceland, which was established by an Act of Parliament taking force on 1 January 1999. The idea for this database came from deCODE, a company that proposes to make use of the homogeneity and the vast genealogical information of the Icelandic nation to develop better drugs for common diseases. The company is a genomics research company, and is currently working with Hoffmann La-Roche. It has gained a 12-year monopoly on building such a database, the formation of which brings up many ethical questions, and also new possibilities for health management.     

Iceland's National Information Infrastructure

This article discusses Iceland's national information infrastructure in the year 2000. It focuses on the current information policy and legislation of the country. It looks at this policy as it is presented in government publications from the last 5 years and evaluates its effects, with particular regard to the education, culture and health sectors. It describes the foundation of a nationwide health database in Iceland, which was established by an Act of Parliament taking force on 1 January 1999. The idea for this database came from deCODE, a company that proposes to make use of the homogeneity and the vast genealogical information of the Icelandic nation to develop better drugs for common diseases. The company is a genomics research company, and is currently working with Hoffmann La-Roche. It has gained a 12-year monopoly on building such a database, the formation of which brings up many ethical questions, and also new possibilities for health management.     

How to create successful partnerships-a review of the literature

This literature review covers a wide range of publications (articles, books, reports and government publications) that provide an overview of the wider topic of partnership working. It is not a systematic review, but the authors' personal review, drawing largely on the resources available in the King's Fund Library. Partnership working is a key component of the UK government's modernization agenda, particularly in the health field. However, the principles of achieving successful partnership are generally applicable. The review therefore concentrates on literature that can provide guidance for people planning to set up a partnership, or re-evaluating an existing partnership. The sections of this review comprise: definition of partnership working; types of partnership; partnership initiatives; drivers; critical success factors; barriers; benefits; the process of partnership working; evaluation and assessment tools; demolishing the Berlin Wall: government policy on partnership working; exemplars of library information service partnerships.     

Authorship outlets of academic health sciences librarians.

Journal articles are the most common publication format for U.S. academic health sciences librarians. This is consistent with the findings of other researchers. Of the total publications in this study, 68% were in journals. Watson found that 69% of the academic librarians' publications were published in some type of journal [8]. Similarly, Yerkey and Glogowski found that 67% of the publications in their study were journal articles, although their population consisted of all types of authors of library/information science materials [9]. Both the present study and Watson found that monographs were the second most common publication outlet. Watson found that 16% of the total publications were monographs; the current study identified 14.8% of the total publications as monographs [10]. Although Watson's findings are similar to the newer results, it is important to note that Watson's study was conducted in a different manner and included book reviews, which were not counted in the present study. The health sciences librarians in the present study published more than two thirds of their articles in library/information science journals and 27% in health sciences journals. Similarly, in Yerkey and Glogowski's study, the second-largest number of library/information science articles appeared in medical and health sciences journals [11]. Fang also found that 22.57% of the journal articles on health sciences librarianship or by health sciences librarians were in medical journals [12. This seems to demonstrate the desire of health sciences librarians to communicate with the health professionals. Yerkey and Glogowski that library and information science is an interdisciplinary field, "borrowing and supplying information to and from other disciplines"[13].     

Selected sources of current population, vital, and health statistics

This annotated list is a guide to government and nongovernment sources of population, vital, and health statistics. It is arranged first geographically, giving sources for local, regional, state, national, and international statistics, and secondly by issuing body. Below the national level sources for only the California area are included, but they are representative of publications of similar health jurisdictions. The list is selective and concentrates on recent or regularly updated publications. A brief list of guides to other sources is included at the end.     

Academic medical libraries' policies and procedures for notifying library users of retracted scientific publications

Academic medical libraries have a responsibility to inform library users regarding retracted publications. Many have created policies and procedures that identify flawed journal articles. A questionnaire was sent to the 129 academic medical libraries in the United States and Canada to find out how many had policies and procedures for identifying retracted publications. Of the returned questionnaires, 59% had no policy and no practice for calling the attention of the library user to retracted publications. Forty-one percent of the libraries called attention to retractions with or without a formal policy for doing so. Several responding libraries included their policy statement with the survey. The increasing number of academic medical libraries that realize the importance of having policies and practices in place highlights the necessity for this procedure.     

Body Politics: Coverage of Health Topics and Policy in U.S. Feminist Magazines

This study considered health coverage in 3 highly circulated U.S. feminist magazines: Ms., Bitch, and Bust. The authors used critical discourse analysis to examine 80 print and online articles for representations of liberal, social, radical, and postfeminist feminist ideologies in health coverage; the rhetorical strategies publications used for health content and how they compare with mainstream women’s magazines; and their emphasis on health policy and public health initiatives. The findings suggested that the magazines relied on discursive approaches resembling those of mainstream magazines when covering health, such as prioritizing personal health issues and individualized responses. However, through distinctive feminist lenses, they also performed better than mainstream women’s magazines in presenting health issues, representing a broader range of concerns affecting women, addressing people from diverse communities, and suggesting opportunities for collective response.     

A bookshelf in public health, medical care, and allied fields

This bibliography of nonserial publications consists of 610 annotations. It is intended as a guide to the development of a collection for librarians and for health professionals in research and education. References are mostly to publications from 1960. Titles are in English. Both primary and secondary sources are cited.     

Health literacy and health information-seeking behavior of immigrants in South Korea

Health disparities are a significant source of inequity between immigrants and native people in South Korea. The present study investigated how immigrants seek health information for their different purposes according to their health literacy ability and sociodemographic backgrounds. The study assessed immigrants' health literacy skills with the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) and conducted surveys (N = 310) in districts with high immigrant populations. Overall, there were significant associations between health literacy ability, sociodemographic characteristics, and health information-seeking behavior among participants. The findings of the study extend the literature by addressing the association between health literacy and health information-seeking behavior in diverse sociodemographic contexts. Understanding the dynamics between the three factors provides insights for developing effective health information services and public policies to mitigate health disparities experienced by immigrants, ensuring the critical roles of online health information and health professionals as preferred or credible sources.     

A Practical Guide to Locating Government Documents on Health and Medicine

Identifying and then obtaining federal government publications can be a frustrating task for librarians. This article explains how the government's distribution system for publications operates, and offers suggestions for acquiring needed publications. Resources of use to health sciences librarians are included in the bibliography.     

Walk This Way: A Select Annotated Bibliography of Periodicals Emphasizing Sustainability,Environmental Responsibility,and Walkable Communities

A select bibliography of publications focused on sustainability, walkability, and the overall philosophy of “being green” within the urban environment is presented. The publications include a mix of scholarly, trade, and popular titles. The same categories of information are present for each entry. This bibliography is the second in a series dedicated to examining the broad subject matter of urban studies within a more focused lens. The first bibliography, examining housing policy, was published in The Serials Librarian, 65(2).     

Examining Housing Policy: A Select Annotated Bibliography of Housing Policy–Focused Periodicals

A bibliography of resources focused on housing policy is presented. The bibliography is broken up into two sets, a set of publications focusing on housing policy in the United States and a set focused on housing policy at a multi- or international level. Each entry is detailed with the same categories of information, where applicable. Useful online housing policy resources (organizations, data sets) are provided as well.     

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health issues, disparities, and information resources

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons, while widely diverse in many ways, share health disparities related to the stigma and discrimination they experience, including disproportionate rates of psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and suicide. Lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and the transgender communities have additional health concerns and disparities unique to each population. This paper highlights the national recognition of these health issues and disparities and presents web-based information resources about them and their mitigation.     

Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual,and Transgender Health Issues,Disparities, and Information Resources

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons, while widely diverse in many ways, share health disparities related to the stigma and discrimination they experience, including disproportionate rates of psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and suicide. Lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and the transgender communities have additional health concerns and disparities unique to each population. This paper highlights the national recognition of these health issues and disparities and presents web-based information resources about them and their mitigation.     

State publications

Many people contribute to this column, engaging in the difficult task of identifying the few best documents published by their states in the preceding year. They make their choices for several reasons: because the publication addresses a timely issue or has research value, or because it is a practical guide of use to a large audience. The publications selected may reflect the unique character or heritage of a particular state or may address conditions or situations endemic to that state. More often though, state publications describe local analyses or solutions to nationwide problems. In the wake of the Clinton Health Care Plan, many state governments tackled the issue of health care for its citizens. Annotations of state health care plans for Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, and Tennessee are presented. Many other contributions examine health conditions or specific diseases. The number of publications dealing with health and health care issues is slightly topped by those on environmental, conservation, business, and economic issues. The environment-related publications that were submitted address everything from rivers (CA) to mining practices (MT). from solid waste management (WV) to wetland protection (NH). Job training (NJ), temporary employment (KY), and workforce quality (MD) are a few of the many business and economic issues addressed. Publications that address a reevaluation of the education system (VA TN, MS, UT) and reorganization of government (MN, DE) also reflect national mood and trend. Crime and justice, families and child care, and minority issues are also popular topics. For a bit of local history, see Wisconsin's Rustic Roads …. South Carolina Highway Historical Marker Guide, Emigrant Trails of Southern Idaho, Flatwater … (NE), or Fruitful Fields … (HI). This column could not be accomplished without the contributions of many state publications specialists. I greatly appreciate the participation of the following contributors: