What works? What doesn’t?

For centuries, libraries have been places where people obtain information in a valued and trusted space. More recently, librarians have become information specialists who can help people find what they need and guide them through the many paths that lead towards finding health information for themselves and their families.

As information within libraries moves from the printed page and on to digitized sources available through public access Internet terminals, new questions arise about who is using this new technology and whether individuals are finding what they need. Dr Ellen Balka and her colleagues Karen Smith and Dr Anne-Marie Nicol spent considerable time examining some assumptions in order to better understand what role the library plays in patron’s information seeking, and more specifically whether those patrons consulted a librarian in conjunction with their online searches.

Libraries have been busy installing more and more computer terminals in an effort to provide equitable access for the population they serve. Canada, just like other countries, has clear policies to provide equal access as much as possible even to those who cannot afford their own computer or internet access. Services are free and every library in the country now provides some form of Internet access. So is all this working? The answer is yes, but only for some.

In the survey that Balka and her team undertook (in 2004) they found that just over half of all people questioned were under age 40. Three quarters were women, and slightly more than half had a university degree. English was the primary language for 74 percent of respondents. About a third stated they were going to visit a doctor regarding the condition or issue they were inquiring about.

What was particularly interesting was that about a third of the people interviewed were seeking information on behalf of someone else. More recent research done by the Pew Internet and American Life Project shows that this figure is still accurate. It would appear that the average search is done by a woman perhaps on behalf of a family member or partner.

So do people find what they need? Perhaps. But the emerging problem is that people are overly confident in their ability to use search engines and find trusted health care information. Most people are probably not as good as they think they are in terms of navigating online services even though in Balka’s study 71 percent indicated they knew how to tell when something was of high quality. Pew studies counter that by noting that in fact few people check the source and date of the information they find. Google might be fast and easy, but not take you to where you need to go.

This might be where librarians could help. People indicated that while doctors were the most trusted source of health care information—by a wide margin—the internet and librarians were also included in this category. Thus the Internet is not a substitute for other forms of information delivery such as a conversation with a physician, still tops in most people’s minds for solid facts about an illness. But librarians are an important way in which everyone could benefit from improved searches for up-to-date and reliable health information.

What is of concern is that if reasonably well-educated, English-speaking people are not doing as well as they could be in terms of finding what they want, what about all those marginalized people whose language skills may not be up to par? This is worrisome, because it is precisely those people with lower educational levels and more impoverished social circumstances who are likely to have more health problems.

Again, librarians may pay an important role. Balka and her colleagues suggest that designing information programs around people such as librarians might benefit everyone. Of course that costs money, but it might be a good investment in improving everyone’s health. We often forget that librarians are experts in information technology. They implement and upgrade systems and are constantly improving online access in buildings that are open at least six days a week, and in some cases even on Sundays. We all take for granted the invisible upgrades to hardware and software that are constantly taking place.

Not only do librarians help patrons with individual requests, but they also offer Internet classes, often targeted at specific groups such as seniors. We may also increasingly see rooms devoted to small groups working together to find what they need when their needs have some type of commonality.

By using a combination of technology and people we just might be able to provide the best way to help people help themselves when it comes to health care information. In the meantime, researchers will continue to monitor usage patterns in order to determine what is working and what isn’t. And no doubt libraries and librarians will continue to provide free services to anyone that walks through the door.

If you have a question or comment for Guenther, contact him at guenther@knowitallhealth.com