Available:
Library | Call Number | Material Type | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Searching... State Library of Oregon | 025.2761 Flahe | 4-Week Loan | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... State Library of Oregon | 025.2761 Flahe | 4-Week Loan | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Though today's consumers have unprecedented access to health information, its quality and veracity varies widely. Public libraries can play an important role in supporting library users in their health information seeking efforts. In this book Flaherty shows how to guide library users to high quality health information by relying on up to date, authoritative sources. She also demonstrates why taking the initiative to offer health promotion programming can be a valuable form of community outreach, serving community needs while increasing visibility. Library directors, programming staff, reference librarians, and health educators will all benefit from this book's patron-centered stance, which features
a historic overview of the consumer health movement and how it intersects with public libraries; guidance on finding and evaluating the best print, electronic, and app-based health information sources, with advice on keeping up to date; an in-depth look at collaborative efforts to provide and sponsor simple health-related activities in public libraries, spotlighting programs in action at libraries across the county; instructions on creating, planning, preparing, marketing, and evaluating a public library health program; discussions of important issues surrounding health information provision efforts, including patron privacy and liability concerns; and guidelines for public libraries' role in public health efforts, including disaster preparedness.Armed with this book's expert advice and plentiful examples of successful initiatives, public libraries will feel empowered to make a difference in community members' health and well-being.
Reviews (2)
Choice Review
This is more of a primer aimed at librarians working in public libraries than a comprehensive guide to the subject. Flaherty--who is on the faculty at the University North Carolina and has extensive experience in a range of library settings, including public, academic, and medical research--brings a concise, practical approach to his subject. No health or science background is required of the reader; Flaherty's audience is generalists and library administrators. The text is divided into seven brief chapters, each of which contains an "In a Nutshell" paragraph that summarizes that section's content. Chapter references offer the reader a wealth of opportunities for further inquiry. This feature is, perhaps, the most useful aspect of the resource. Subjects covered include a history of consumer health in public libraries, strategies for providing patrons with health information, health programming, community outreach, and future opportunities. [Disclosure: Choice is part of the American Library Association, which published this book.] Summing Up: Recommended for library science collections. --John B. Napp, University of Toledo
Library Journal Review
Finding accurate and reliable medical information can be a daunting task for the general public. Keeping abreast of the latest trends and maintaining fluency with the literature can also be frustrating for librarians. With this well-researched selection, Flaherty (Sch. of Information & Lib. Science, Univ. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) discusses how libraries historically provided consumer health information and programs, then examines current practices related to maintaining consumer health collections, partnering with local organizations to improve community health, and ethically answering health-related reference questions. Brief essays by a variety of professionals on related topics (serving patrons with mental illness, the media coverage of Ebola) enhance the volume, but their placement frequently interrupts the flow of the text. The chapters on health programming and working with community organizations are packed with specific ideas public librarians can easily adapt to their own institutions. A section on reliable information on nontraditional medicine would have strengthened the work. VERDICT For readers interested in understanding the public library's historical and contemporary role in offering consumer health information.-Lydia -Olszak, Bosler Memorial Lib., Carlisle, PA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.