A director I spoke to who wishes to remain private stated, “Why should I have to open up our library’s catalog to the state when we are the ones who have invested our time and budget in building our collection? It does not seem fair that it is state mandated and [that] accreditation may be lost if we do not comply.”^[1],[2] The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has made it mandatory for accredited public libraries in Texas to “batchload” their records to WorldCat to implement Navigator, “the statewide interlibrary loan program [that] embodies several grant programs that work together to enable library users access to materials not available at their local library. It also works with other programs in Texas, the Southwest, and the country to promote resource sharing and provide greater access to information for all Texans.”^[3]

Transitioning to a group catalog is a lengthy process and a bit of a hassle to complete. Staff must watch eight Kickoff Webinars, sign and submit agreement forms to the state (or else lose accreditation as a library), batchload every collection—and then Navigator training begins. Only when all of this is completed can your library finally go live!^[4] If you do not have a seasoned cataloger or knowledgeable IT staff on hand, the whole process can be very difficult. Constant communication with OCLC and the state library is a must if you are in this situation.

But should a library with a small service population and a budget not even an eighth the size of a metropolitan library’s have to open up its collection to avoid being red-flagged or risk losing their E-Rate? The whole process is dependent on budget and, ultimately, biased towards more generously funded libraries. I do not blame the director I spoke with for being territorial about his collection, which is funded by taxpayers. Which begs another question: Why weren’t the taxpayers asked whether they wished to open up their collection to the entire state? I also understand, however, the progress the state library is implementing. A group catalog means more options for library users, which can lead to better research. Having Navigator as a tool has its pros and cons, like most other things in life. So depending on which side you are on, Navigator can be a good thing or not such a good thing.

Has your library dealt with a transition to OCLC’s Navigator? Where do you side on this issue?

References

[1] Unnamed library director in discussion with the author, July 19, 2016.

[2] “Update on statewide interlibrary loan program status,” minutes of the Texas Library Systems Act Advisory Board (MS Word document), March 19, 2015: §6.

[3] “Interlibrary Loan,” Texas State Library and Archives Commission, April 7, 2016.

[4] “Implementation Process,” Texas Resource Sharing, August 2, 2012.

The post Group Catalog and OCLC’s Navigator: Burden or Blessing? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Recognizing this gap in sufficient health literacy, organizations from multiple sectors (including the Institute of Medicine, Public Library Association, and Red Cross) have contributed to the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy. The plan emphasizes the importance of cross-sector collaboration and authentic community engagement, particularly to “support and expand local efforts to provide adult education, English language instruction, and culturally and linguistically appropriate health information services in the community.”[4]

Public libraries are trusted community institutions that provide the information literacy expertise, community convening capacity, technology infrastructure, and equitable access to reliable resources that can improve health literacy. And community demand for these services is strong.

The Opportunity for All report notes that in 2009, an estimated 28 million people used public library computers for health and wellness purposes, such as learning about a disease, medical condition or illness, learning about diet and nutrition, or learning about a medical procedure. Patrons also reported using library computers to find doctors, identify support groups, and connect with healthcare providers.[5]

According to the results of the 2014 Digital Inclusion Survey, public libraries in the United States advance equal access to health information in many ways.

o 59.4 percent of libraries help patrons identify health insurance resources;
o 57.7 percent help patrons locate and evaluate free health information online;
o 48.1 percent help patrons understand specific health or wellness topics;
o 22.7 percent offer fitness classes; and
o 18.1 percent bring in healthcare providers to offer limited healthcare screening services [6]

This help occurs in many forms, such as informal point of use assistance, training from a library staff member or volunteer, or programming with local partner organizations. Margot Malachowski, Outreach Librarian with Baystate Health in Massachusetts, describes ways in which public libraries contribute to the “patient activation” process by providing skilled referral to physical, digital, and community-based resources.[7] By framing these contributions in the context of health literacy as well as the federal Healthy People 2020 initiative for public health improvement, it is clear that public libraries are an asset to the consumer health information ecosystem.

OCLC’s Health Happens in Libraries program was designed to magnify the role of public libraries as key contributors to community health. The program team recently produced a free, downloadable infographic for public libraries to use in conversation with patrons and other community collaborators about the many dynamic ways public libraries build healthy communities.

In the second article of this three-part series, we will share a brief overview of the evolution of this program and the resources developed for public library staff to take action on community health priorities. Part III will feature key learning from community health engagement efforts with five public libraries.

Erin Schadt and Kendra Morgan contributed to this article.

Note: This article is an extension of a poster presentation from OCLC and program partners from ZeroDivide at the American Library Association annual conference in June 2015 titled “Health Happens in Libraries through Community Engagement.” Comprehensive program resources can be accessed at http://oc.lc/ehealth.

Resources

National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy (PDF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries, The U.S. IMPACT Study

2014 Digital Inclusion Survey: Survey Findings and Results

Healthy People 2020

Health Happens in Libraries infographic

References

[1] L.W. Jackman, “Health Literacy: A National Responsibility—Our Brothers’ Keeper,” College & Undergraduate Libraries 20, no. 1 (2013): 95–106, doi: 10.1080/10691316.2013.761028.

[2] Mark Kutner, et. al., The Health Literacy of America’s Adults: Results From the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2006): 483.

[3] “Title V: Health Care Workforce,” Affordable Care Act (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015): 1,252.

[4] National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy (Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health, 2010): 2.

[5] Samantha Becker, et. al., Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries (Washington, D.C.: Institute of Museum and Library Services, IMLS-2010-RES-01).

[6] John Carlo Bertot, et. al., 2014 Digital Inclusion Survey: Findings and Results (College Park, MD: Information Policy & Access Center, University of Maryland College Park, 2015).

[7] Margot Malachowski, “Patient activation: Public libraries and health literacy,” Computers in Libraries 31, no. 10 (2011): 5.

The post Health Happens in Libraries Part I: Public Libraries Promote Health Literacy first appeared on Public Libraries Online.