This document discusses the role of public librarians in providing health literacy and information to patrons. It outlines that health literacy involves obtaining, processing, and understanding basic health information to make appropriate decisions. As more Americans use libraries for health information, librarians must be aware of updated resources and provide information in a clear, non-judgmental manner. The document recommends librarians evaluate and refer patrons to reputable sources like MedlinePlus and avoid providing medical diagnoses or treatment advice.

1. CONSUMER HEALTH LITERACY
Shirdellah Groulx
Professional Development Office
Indiana State Library

2. HEALTH LITERACY
 “The degree to which individuals have the capacity
to obtain, process, and understand basic health
information and services needed to make
appropriate health decisions.“ – National Network of
Libraries of Medicine
 Timely and relevant information about health
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3. PUBLIC LIBRARIES
 More Americans are using the library to get
information
 Technology makes information more accessible to
patrons – smart phones, tablets
 Public librarians need to be aware of what is “new”
out there
 Public librarians are “keepers of knowledge.”
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4. THE ROLE OF A PUBLIC LIBRARIAN
How to be an effective librarian
 Language appropriate for audience
 Awareness of commonly asked
questions
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5. LIBRARIAN
 Non-judgmental
 Open-minded
 Empathetic
 Well-Informed – staff
trainings, conferences, workshops
 Self-awareness
 Limitations
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6. LIBRARIAN SKILLS
 Ability to evaluate information
 Mathematical ability
 Literacy – information, digital
 Auditory skills
 Mastery of medical terminology*
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7. LIBRARY
 Clear cut policies
 Collection development policy
 Admit controversy
 Resources available in community
 Guidelines as outlined in RUSA Guidelines for
Medical, Legal and Business Resources
 Consult your lawyer/legal counsel
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8. WHO ARE OUR RESOURCES
Pharmacies
Community health centers
Hospitals
Urgent care centers
Police/fire department - EMS
Is this passing the buck?
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9. Referral is the best action
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10. SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY
 The library has its own social worker, Leah
Esguerra, because of the significant increase in the
number of homeless people.
 They have a good relationship with community
services.
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11. LET’S TEST OUR KNOWLEDGE!
A B
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12. A B
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13. A B
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14. AND…
As much as we love watching crime
drama, do not follow the protagonists’
ways of identifying the drug!
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15. GUIDELINES:
 Catherine Arnott-Smith, PhD
1. Do not interpret medical information.
2. Do not give medical advice or provide medical
opinion.
3. Do not recommend a method or procedure of
treatment
4. Do not recommend a drug or alternate drug.
5. Do not provide a diagnosis.
6. Do not recommend a particular practitioner.
7. Do describe your role, its limitations, and the
limitations of medical information.
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16. HEALTH LITERACY: SOURCES
 INSPIRE MedlinePlus database
 PubMed
 Healthcare.gov
 INSPIRE
 US Department of Health and Human Services
 WebMD
 Mayo Clinic
 National Networks of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM)
 Consumer & Patient Information Services (CAPHIS)
 Medical Library Association – members
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17. HEALTH LITERACY: INSPIRE RESOURCES
 Biomedical Reference Collection: Basic Edition
 Access to more than 100 full text journals covering such disciplines as clinical
medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pre-clinical sciences and the health care system.
 Health Business™ FullTEXT
 Full text coverage of nearly 130 well-known administrative journals such as H&HN:
Hospitals & Health Networks, Health Management Technology, Modern Healthcare, and
many others.
 Health Source: Consumer Edition
 Rich collection of consumer health information available to libraries worldwide. This
resource provides access to nearly 300 full text, consumer health periodicals, including
American Fitness, Better Nutrition, Fit Pregnancy, Harvard Health
Letter, HealthFacts, Men's Health, Muscle & Fitness, Prevention, Vegetarian Times, and
many others.
 Health Source®: Nursing/Academic Edition
 550 scholarly full text journals focusing on many medical disciplines.
 MedlinePlus
 MedlinePlus will direct you to information to help answer health questions. MedlinePlus
brings together authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.
 MEDLINE®
 MEDLINE® provides authoritative medical information on
medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical
sciences, and much more.
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18.  MEDLINEPlus – www.medlineplus.gov
 National Library of Medicine consumer website
 Resources are collated by medical librarians
 Little commercial content compared to others
 Transparent Collection Policy -
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/criteria.html
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19. RESOURCES
 National Network of Libraries of Medicine -
http://nnlm.gov/members
 Consumer and Patient Health Information Services
– http://caphis.org/chis/librarian
 PubMed - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
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20. OTHER RESOURCES
 INSPIRE.in.gov
 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Health
Insurance Marketplace
 http://marketplace.cms.gov/
 Healthcare.gov
 Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
 Commonwealth Fund
 FamiliesUSA
 Health associations
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21. For more information:
Shirdellah “Shir” Groulx
Southwest Region Coordinator
Indiana State Library
sgroulx@library.in.gov
317-605-3772
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