Users of health libraries

Are you interested in contributing to HLWIKI International - hlwiki.ca? contact: dean.giustini@ubc.ca To browse other articles on a range of HSL topics, see the wiki index. Introduction See also Consumer health information | Evaluating health information | Health libraries | Privacy in social networks | Teaching library users Users of health libraries have historically presented their information needs to medical and reference librarians at the service desks. However, users are much more self-sufficient today than they were even ten years ago and consequently seek assistance and expertise for complex research issues and clinical questions. Part of the trend away from providing basic reference services is due to the ease-of-access to health information on the Internet. In fact, due to the speed and efficiency of search engines and social media, the teaching and training efforts of librarians and library staff (especially in the area of information literacy) have played a role in the reduction of library gate counts and reference statistics. Some questions and consultations continue to rise, particularly where major research programs are in place and where systematic review searching is performed. It must be said that health librarians are concerned that users are not very well-versed in doing their reviews of the medical literature and that they accept whatever they find - much to the detriment of their research and clinical activities. Consequently, there are many different types of library users that should avail themselves of information that can be found in a well-stocked library. The information needs of users are complex, and include allied health professionals, nurses, pharmacists and physicians. Other groups that should be encouraged to use health libraries include dental hygienists, diagnostic medical sonographers, dietitians, medical technologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, radiographers, respiratory therapists, and speech language pathologists. A range of health professionals in medicine, dentistry and nursing as well as allied health professionals are involved in the delivery of health care. In the information age, health professionals present considerable training and educational needs to the health library. With an emphasis on evidence-based health care, and the pressure to assimilate large amounts of information, and the need to renew credentials and continuing education credits, health library users have many reasons to seek out the expertise and assistance of health librarians and library staff. Members of the health professions must be proficient in using new computer technologies, and understand current perspectives in medical ethics, interpersonal communication, information literacy, human resources and social media - among other competencies. Health librarians can provide a lot of help in helping health professionals reach their learning goals, but only when they take the opportunity to express them fully in the library. Recent academic reports & studies A 2010 JISC report summarized 12 user behavior studies sponsored by RIN, JISC, and OCLC in the UK and the US between 2005-2010 Project description: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/reports/2010/digitalinformationseekers.aspx Project report: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/reports/2010/digitalinformationseekerreport.pdf In 2007, ACRL published a report on the University of Rochester’s "Studying Students" project (see: http://bit.ly/gCUBxx). This project employed a team of librarians and anthropologists in an attempt to discern how undergraduate students gathered information while preparing research papers. Here’s one of the more interesting findings of this project: "...library staff undertook a reference desk survey to understand changing patterns at the reference desk and followed that up with a set of brief interviews in the student union...The survey and interviews revealed that few students understand what reference librarians do and how reference librarians can help them, nor do they consider asking for the help reference librarians are trained to provide. Rather, students tend to feel that they are good at finding their own resources and answering their own questions. If they need expert advice, they turn either to their instructors or, surprisingly, to their families, whom they contact by phone or e-mail." A group of Illinois academic libraries, inspired by the Rochester project, did a study of undergraduate information-seeking behaviours (see: http://bit.ly/a8HZVZ). It employed a team of librarians and anthropologists. Their May 2010 report found that: "While the majority of students we interviewed struggled with one or more aspects of academic research, very few students sought help from a librarian. In fact, one of the most striking aspects of the ERIAL study was the near-invisibility of librarians within the academic worldview of students." Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries (ERIAL) Project References Caffarella RS. Planning programs for adult learners: a practical guide for educators, trainers and staff developers. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA; 2002. Case DO. Looking for information: a survey of research on information seeking, needs and behavior, 3e. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2012. Gilchrist D, Oakleaf M. 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