Helping Consumers Find Reliable Health Information on the Internet

Abstract

Finding reliable health information should be the highest priority for all health information consumers when searching the Internet. However, without guidelines, support, and training, that can be an intimidating task. Outreach librarians from academic medical centers have developed projects and partnerships that facilitate the identification of, and access to, the most reliable health information the Internet has to offer. The University of Virginia's Claude Moore Health Sciences Library provides Outreach services in central, western, and southwestern Virginia where two Outreach Librarians work in partnership with several community organizations including Area Health Education Centers, cancer coalitions, senior centers, migrant programs, and public libraries. This article highlights several of those projects, many of which have been supported by subcontracts funded by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.

Key Words:

• Consumer health
• health sciences libraries
• public libraries
• outreach
• community organizations
• Virginia