
Consumer health information services in public libraries in Canada and the US
Author(s) -
Susan Murray
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the journal of the canadian health libraries association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.159
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1708-6892
DOI - 10.5596/c08-037
Subject(s) - public health , business , web site , public relations , health information , health care , library science , world wide web , political science , the internet , medicine , computer science , nursing , law
In response to a growing demand from the public for health information resources, North American public libraries have provided varying levels of consumer health information (CHI) services since the 1970s. Due to the availability of funding in the US, many American public libraries have provided CHI services, although the majority of these have been as partnerships with health sciences libraries or via the “Go Local” programs. In Canada, where no specific funding has been available for CHI services, few public libraries have set up CHI services; health information has generally been provided by augmenting health collections or “virtually,” i.e., by providing links to recommended electronic resources via the library’s Web site.