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The article focuses on the development and implementation of a book discussion group in a consumer health library, aiming to promote health literacy and engagement with patients, healthcare providers and community members. Topics include the planning process; book selection aligned with health themes and observances; the transition from virtual to in-person discussions; and also highlighting increased participation and positive feedback from attendees.

A consumer health librarian and nurse educators collaborated to conduct health literacy workshops to teach healthcare providers skills to reduce the health literacy burden of their patients. The workshop content included health literacy overview, patient literacy levels, teach-back, evaluation of patient educational materials, and finding consumer health information. Forty-eight healthcare providers registered, and 39 in total attended one of five workshops and represented eight healthcare disciplines. Feedback from the workshops was positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Having diverse representation in clinical trial participation is important. Historically, rural residents have been underrepresented in clinical trial research. Public librarians have an opportunity to promote clinical trial participation among rural residents by offering consumer health information services that help patrons to understand what clinical trials are and how they can find relevant clinical trials. Case Presentation: A consumer health library and a clinical trial center located at a large academic medical center collaborated to provide clinical trial information programming to rural public libraries. The group was awarded a Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) Community Outreach Grant and was able to plan, develop, promote, and implement programs including training workshops, a speaker event, and a book discussion to rural public librarians. Discussion: Marketing the programs to rural public libraries was difficult and many barriers were encountered. Though registration and subsequent participation were low, participants expressed interest and gratitude for the programs. For any future programs targeting this population, further strategies will need to be implemented to ensure increased registrations and attendees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic librarians at Virginia Commonwealth University collaborated to develop and conduct a one-hour long session aimed at seniors about finding reliable online senior health information. The librarians focused on demonstrating a free, local, senior health database, Senior Navigator. Development of the class and an overview of the session are provided along with an annotated list of additional senior health resources librarians can use to find reliable senior health information for their patrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Librarians in all library settings may receive health-related questions from patrons. Librarians in settings outside of medical and consumer health libraries may not have received training or experience in consumer health information provision. Two medical librarians with extensive consumer health information experience developed a two-day training workshop for local area librarians. The first day of the training focused on finding and evaluating medical apps for patrons. The second day emphasized consumer health information provision: consumer health reference interview, ethics, website evaluation, and demonstrations of several reliable consumer health websites. This paper explores the development and implementation of the consumer health information workshop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a brief review of the development and history of the Community Health Education Center (CHEC), a library for patients and their family members over its past 14 years. Over time, CHEC management recognized new patient needs and evolved to meet the needs of its users through a variety of value-added services. This article discusses current services that CHEC offers including reference, business services, and health and wellness programs. Libraries planning to provide consumer health information services to patients and their family members can learn valuable lessons from the history, development, challenges, and services of CHEC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]