Consumer Health Information Services and Programs

Best Practices

Edited by M. Sandra Wood

Publication date:

22 March 2016

Length of book:

178 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442262720

Consumer Health Information Programs and Services: Best Practices presents examples of successful and long-standing library programs and services that provide health information to consumers—the general public, patients, and families or patients – who seek information about health and diseases. This best practices volume brings together library programs and services currently offered in hospital libraries, public libraries, academic health sciences libraries, and standalone consumer health libraries, covering a range of topics and special programs.

Advice and best practices provided by these experienced CHI librarians will help readers who are planning a new consumer health information service, or who are looking to upgrade and expand their current program or service.

This best practices book will highlight successful library consumer health information programs and services, offering advice and tips about all aspects of providing health information to the general public and patients, from planning and establishing a CHI program, to offering specialized services to special populations. Readers will find both solid, tried-and-true methods for providing these services, as well as guidance on using newer, updated techniques to reach persons needing health information.

List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. A Most ResourceFULL Consumer Health Information Center
Cara Marcus
Chapter 2. The University of Tennessee Medical Center’s Preston Medical Library and Health Information Center Story
Sandy Oelschlegel, Martha Earl, and Kelsey Leonard
Chapter 3. Health InfoNet of Alabama
Kay Hogan Smith
Chapter 4. Consumer Health Information Service in the Public Library
Barbara M. Bibel
Chapter 5. Rewards and Challenges of Children’s Health Education: An Ongoing Community Partnership to Reach Local Preschoolers
Deidra Woodson and Donna F. Timm
Chapter 6. Collaborative Outreach Between a Hospital Library and a Public Library
Margot Malachowski, Anne Gancarz, and Ellen Brassil
Chapter 7. Consumer Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs Library Network
Priscilla L. Stephenson, Teresa R. Coady, Diane K. Kromke, Laurie A. Barnett, and Cornelia E. Camerer
Chapter 8. The Learning Center: A Cancer Consumer Health Library at MD Anderson Cancer Center
Elizabeth Brackeen
Chapter 9. The Big Health Library Umbrella: Our Mandate to Provide Information for All Literacy Abilities
Jackie Davis

Index
About the Editor and Contributors

Consumer Health programs can be challenging to get started and to maintain, but M. Sandra Wood has come to the rescue. Consumer Health Information Services and Programs is a collection of writings that looks at a variety of successful consumer health programs and allows the reader to benefit from their experience. Each chapter focuses on a different program and offers background information, a description of the program, and information about lessons learned. People directly involved with these programs share their experience and discuss best practices they have learned. What did it take to get started? What worked? What didn’t? How did they fund their program? What kind of partnerships were formed? All of this is covered and much more. Chapters are clearly labeled so that you can easily find specific sections and simply skim the information you need. However, I highly recommend reading all of this book. There is so much to be learned here. Not only does the reader benefit from the information offered, but it’s hard not to be excited and inspired by the wonderful programs that are detailed in this book. Whether you are looking at starting a new consumer health program or reassessing an existing one, this book is great place to start.