Understanding the librarian/user gap in perception of health information services: A phenomenographic approach

Abstract

The study aimed to illuminate different perspectives between public library users and librarians in perceiving the major challenges for consumer health information services and suggest how to reduce the gap between them. The study employed phenomenography, a qualitative approach, and conducted semi-structured intensive interviews with 40 public library users and 20 reference librarians at 12 public libraries in Florida and Maryland. Findings identified gaps between user needs and the assistance that librarians provide for them. Privacy issues affect the types of health information resources users prefer, where budget constraints influence the ones on which librarians focus. While traditional reference interviews stress clear communication between users and librarians, the present study underscores that non-verbal communication is crucial in helping users protect their privacy. Understanding the different perspectives of consumer health information services can provide insights for design and evaluation strategies of such service, and training and education of librarians and users.

Involving libraries in improving health literacy to achieve Sustainable Development Goal‐3 in developing economies: a literature review

“…Dalmer () also reported an increase in consumer health information requests in public libraries. However, the lack of awareness about library resources (Rubenstein, ; Yi, ), librarians’ need to understand their users better to plan services for them (Yi & You, ) and partnerships with health care organisations (Henry & Marley, ) are recurrent barriers to health literacy service delivery in the libraries. Other challenges were noted by Luo () and Rubenstein ().…”

"I Didn't Learn That in Library School"—Experiential Learning in Consumer Health for Future Public Librarians

“…Librarians, themselves, do not necessarily know how to discern between meaningful and questionable information (Flaherty 2013;Keselman, Smith, and Hundal 2014). Multiple studies have found gaps in knowledge about health information resources and the ability to use medical databases (Flaherty and Luther 2011;Smith 2011;Yi and You 2015). For example, Flaherty and Luther (2011) found that library staff in upstate New York were unable to provide trustworthy information about vaccinations, at times relying on popular resources that contradicted scientific research.…”

“…Library staff have their own concerns about providing health information. In interviews with twenty reference librarians and forty patrons, Yi and You (2015) sought to understand differences between each group's experiences providing and seeking health information. Librarians readily admitted that they did not consider themselves to be particularly health literate, citing lack of knowledge and inability to assess health resources.…”

“…Many patrons perform their own online searches without help from library staff, but when asked about their experiences, they describe several challenges, such as difficulty with medical terminology and lack of knowledge about databases and how to use them (Harris and Wathen 2007;Yi and You 2015). Although they often prefer books, they have concerns about the age of many print resources (Harris and Wathen 2007;Yi and You 2015). Even if patrons are comfortable using computers, having them located in areas of the library that lack privacy make them less attractive for research.…”

“…Smith (2006, 98) described public libraries as "the true front lines of medical librarianship today." Yet despite the fact that libraries are often a vital source of health information for many, public librarians often have limited proficiency or experience in helping patrons with their health-information-related needs (Flaherty and Luther 2011;Yi and You 2015).…”