Librarians in the Outpatient Clinic, a Five-Year Retrospective

Abstract

This article is a retrospective review of a patient resource library in a busy urban outpatient clinic, which resulted from a unique collaboration among the clinic administration, a comprehensive cancer center, and an academic health sciences library. During the first five years, the library has seen 27,134 visitors and answered 7,635 information requests. Internet resources were used in more than 50% of the transactions, followed by print brochures (34%). The results of a three-year Institutional Review Board-approved study analyzing information requests are presented. Ongoing experiences and future initiatives that support the clinic's mission and patient satisfaction are also discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic medical centers
• consumer health
• consumer and patient health information services
• information seeking
• outpatient clinics
• patient resource libraries

Notes

© Lee A. Vucovich, Tracy E. Powell, and Cara L. Wilhelm

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lee A. Vucovich

Lee A. Vucovich, MS, MLS ([email protected]) is Assistant Professor and Assistant Director for Reference Services, Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, LHL110, 1720 2nd Avenue S., Birmingham, AL 35294-0013.

Tracy E. Powell

Tracy E. Powell, MLS, MA ([email protected]) is Associate Professor and Clinical Services Librarian

Cara L. Wilhelm

Cara L. Wilhelm, MLS ([email protected]) is Assistant Professor and Clinical Reference Librarian, both at Lister Hill Library at University Hospital, University of Alabama at Birmingham, WP P235, 619 19th Street S., Birmingham, AL 35249-6806.