'To each according to his needs': public libraries and socially excluded people

To deliver a comprehensive and efficient service to all the community, public libraries must first identify needs and allocate an appropriate level of resources. This article focuses on public libraries in England. It outlines: the Government's policy on social inclusion; the needs of the various socially excluded groups; partnerships and funding; staff training and motivation; and examples of good practice.

Public librarians as a resource for promoting health: results from the Health for Everyone in Libraries Project (HELP) librarian survey

Public libraries are located in all communities, and two thirds of adults visit one each year. Libraries give the public access to computers and the Internet, and librarians offer technical assistance for accessing information. The interests and training needs of public librarians for assisting the public in accessing health information have not been addressed. One public library/librarian in each North Carolina county was randomly selected to complete a written questionnaire to assess health-related information services and librarians' skills for providing these services. 84% of librarians (83/99) completed the questionnaire. Results indicate that librarians answer more than 10 health-related questions per week, feel moderately comfortable answering these questions, and are very interested in receiving additional training for addressing health-related questions. Creating public library/public health partnerships holds much promise for enhancing the ability of community members to access desired health information.

Helping the public 'Discover Health' in their local library. Providing health information in public libraries: a partnership approach in Scotland

A partnership between the Specialist Health Promotion Service of NHS Tayside and Dundee City Council developed a project, 'Discover Health', to bring health information to the public. The two main formats used were traditional leaflets and Internet access via the People's Network, both available in public libraries. The steering group for the project was made up of staff from both organisations. The NHS side secured the funding; the Council side provided the accommodation and information and communication technologies. The partnership worked well, and the project is continuing, with expansion in the pipeline for other areas within Tayside. The various aspects of the functioning of the partnership are discussed. A literature review of similar initiatives is included.

The library as finals resting place: expanding service to health sciences students during final exams

To increase services to health sciences students during their final exam period, and to demonstrate to campus administration that the library is in tune with the students' fluctuating needs, the Kornhauser Health Sciences Library, University of Louisville, increased its hours of operation; created an inviting, comfortable environment; and offered free snacks and drinks for the students. The event, coined the "Finals Resting Place," was a positive public relations tool that strengthened the library's relationship with its students. Moreover, it reinforced the library's role and mission to the campus administration, particularly that of the dental and medical schools.

Real-time reference: the use of chat technology to improve point of need assistance

Chat reference refers to the use of instant messaging and call center software to support interactive text or voice communication with library patrons. Instant messaging has been integrated into many e-commerce environments, and into the social lives of many teenagers and young adults, affording a level of immediacy and intimacy not possible with e-mail applications. The convergence and interoperability of new and emerging technologies can be used to develop new communities of users that view libraries as being essential to their education, patient care, and research activities.

Seniors connect: a partnership for training between health care and public libraries

Kaleida Health Libraries, in partnership with the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, presented "Seniors Connect: A Health Information Project." The program was funded by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and the Kaleida Health Foundation. The purpose of the project was to teach African-American and Hispanic senior citizens or their caregivers residing in the city of Buffalo how to search the Internet to find quality, accurate, understandable health information. Attendees were taught to distinguish quality information from inaccurate, misleading, and fraudulent material. A total of fourteen training sessions were offered. The Seniors Connect program was initiated with health fair at each branch library, conducted by Kaleida Health staff, to provide an opportunity for participants to learn about health care services available in their community; observe demonstrations of health information searches on the Internet; learn about new treatment modalities for diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid abnormalities, and hypertension; and interact with area health care providers and library staff. The sessions were highly rated by attendees and many participants expressed their gratitude for a program geared specifically toward seniors.

Facilitating access to consumer health information: a collaborative approach employing applied research

Responsibility for the provision of consumer health information typically lies within the public library domain or the health sciences library arena. In many communities, both types of libraries provide support for consumer health information services, often with varying levels of expertise. Public library employees may or may not be trained in the use of health and biomedical information resources. Conversely, health sciences library staff may or may not be familiar with information needs of the lay public within their community. To offset these potential differences, a model was developed to assess the health information needs of community members and to provide training for public library staff regarding use of relevant electronic consumer health information resources.

A successful cross-training experience of reference service at UCLA

This paper describes a successful cross-training and reference librarian exchange experience involving two librarians at UCLA, one based at the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library and the other based at the College Library, which primarily serves undergraduates. The experience has increased the reference skills and expertise of both librarians by introducing them to new sets of reference tools and databases, and has broadened their network of colleagues within the UCLA Library system. The participating libraries have also benefited from the exchange, and the program is expanding to include other UCLA libraries.

Bridging the distance: bibliographic instruction for remote library users

Electronic information resources are proliferating, library collections are increasingly accessible via the Internet, and the number of end users who access library resources remotely is on the rise. Changes in user behavior drives a corresponding change in the way instructional programs must be delivered to meet the needs of remote library users. This paper discusses some technologies currently available for remote instruction, assesses their use, and offers views on future trends.

Health InfoNet of Jefferson County: collaboration in consumer health information service

Health InfoNet of Jefferson County is a new collaborative consumer health information service of the Jefferson County public libraries and the UAB Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences. Working with the input and cooperation of local voluntary health agencies, health care professionals and other health information providers, the intent is to improve the efficiency with which consumers might access such information while avoiding duplication of effort on the part of the information providers. Various considerations in InfoNet's mission include providing service not only to established library and Internet users, but also those on the other side of the "digital divide" as well as those with low literacy skills or English as a second language. The role of health care professionals in guiding their patients to the best consumer health information resources is emphasized.

Canada's national initiative to advance access to electronic journals

This paper describes a national experiment in the licensing of full text information in journals, primarily in the fields of science, technology and medicine. It discusses the initiative of the federal government of Canada through the creation of the Canada Foundation for Innovation as a new funding agency, with an objective of improving research and creativity in Canadian science. The successful efforts initiated by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries/Association des bibliothèques de recherche du Canada to create a funding opportunity to develop the 'information infrastructure' for Canadian researchers and the resulting Canadian National Site Licensing Project (CNSLP) progress is discussed. The evolution of a project governance structure to maintain the support of the 64 participating institutions is reviewed and the need to develop an appropriate exit strategy at the conclusion of the federal funding is also considered.

Electronic health record meets digital library: a new environment for achieving an old goal

Linking the electronic health record to the digital library is a Web-era reformulation of the long-standing informatics goal of seamless integration of automated clinical data and relevant knowledge-based information to support informed decisions. The spread of the Internet, the development of the World Wide Web, and converging format standards for electronic health data and digital publications make effective linking increasingly feasible. Some existing systems link electronic health data and knowledge-based information in limited settings or limited ways. Yet many challenging informatics research problems remain to be solved before flexible and seamless linking becomes a reality and before systems become capable of delivering the specific piece of information needed at the time and place a decision must be made. Connecting the electronic health record to the digital library also requires positive resolution of important policy issues, including health data privacy, government encouragement of high-speed communications, electronic intellectual property rights, and standards for health data and for digital libraries. Both the research problems and the policy issues should be important priorities for the field of medical informatics.

Developing a healthcare law library

Legal materials are expensive, bulky, and extremely time sensitive. Selecting the appropriate means of ensuring easy access to easily-retrievable, timely legal materials is of extreme importance to any lawyer. The author gives an overview of the various means of retrieving necessary research, including the strengths and weaknesses of each of the various options.