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.

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• Virtually all libraries (98 percent) offer free public Wi-Fi access—in 1994 only 21 percent offered public Internet access;
• Close to 90 percent of libraries offer basic digital literacy training, and a significant majority support training related to new technology devices (62 percent), safe online practices (57 percent), and social media use (56 percent);
• Seventy-six percent of libraries assist patrons in using online government programs and services;
• The vast majority of libraries provide programs that support people in applying for jobs (73 percent), access and using online job opportunity resources (68 percent), and using online business information resources (48 percent);
• More than 90 percent of public libraries offer e-books, online homework assistance (95 percent), and online language learning (56 percent).

Facility renovations

The survey results show the average public library was built around 1970, which predates the digital age. This is a major limitation in updating buildings to meet community technology needs. The survey analysis suggests that “libraries are significantly more likely to offer certain types of services to patrons, including new and emerging technology activities, if their buildings have been constructed or renovated within the last five years.”

Public library spaces will need to adapt to these changes in order to meet the needs of their communities. According to the survey, “One in five libraries reported renovations in the last five years, with city libraries more than twice as likely (33 percent) to report this than rural libraries (15 percent).”

“Those who receive formal digital literacy training were significantly more likely to use the internet to pursue economic opportunities and cultivate social ties. Those who received formal training were fifteen percentage points more likely to use the internet to look for a job,” observed Internet researcher John Horrigan, as cited in the Digital Inclusion Survey Executive Summary.

What is Digital Inclusion?

Digital inclusion has three main prongs:

• Understanding the benefits of advanced information and communication technologies.
• Equitable and affordable access to high-speed Internet-connected devices and online content.
• Taking advantage of the educational, economic, and social opportunities available through these technologies.

Raising awareness

In addition to offering public technology services and programs, raising awareness is a key aspect of digital inclusion. The ALA has also created tools to help tell the digital inclusion story. Downloadable infographics are available for librarians to share 2014 data on social media and with stakeholders. Specific state-by-state information is available as well as an interactive national map with data visualization tools.

Public libraries play a vital role in advancing the cause of digital inclusion. Providing public technology, broadband connections, and wireless services are key to bridging the digital divide. The basic technology assistance and programs most libraries provide are vital services as demonstrated by the survey results. Public libraries are the place in the community where the physical world and the virtual world interface as an entry point.

“Today libraries are less about what we have than what we can do with and for our patrons,” ALA President Sari Feldman said in a recent press release. “As community demands shift, libraries are transforming.”

Resources

Gravatt, Nancy. 2015. “2014 Digital Inclusion Survey Results Released.” American Library Association. Accessed Jan. 3, 2016.

“Digital Inclusion Survey.” American Library Association. Accessed Jan. 3, 2016.

The post 2014 Digital Inclusion Survey Report: Public Libraries as Basic Community Technology Infrastructure first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Measuring impact and outcomes is getting easier. Public librarians have an assortment of tools available to demonstrate the impact of library services in their communities. National initiatives like the Impact Study and PLA’s Project Outcome provide new standards and tools to measure library services.

Indicators like circulation or program attendance are valuable metrics. However, these are only indicators, a measure of volume rather than value. It’s important to align indicators with the desired goals and outcomes of a service to demonstrate its impact. Demonstrating impact is essential to the ongoing health of America’s public libraries. Measuring outcomes of library services helps to tell the story of why resources and funding are needed to sustain and grow existing services.

One nationally funded tool, the Impact Survey, was developed in 2009 to compile information for a study titled “Opportunity for All.” Researchers from the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) and the U.S. Impact Study Research Group aimed to measure digital inclusion initiatives and their effects on public libraries across the country. In the six years since the study was initially conducted, the Impact Survey has shown some trends in responses from public library technology users. One key trend is that the majority of respondents have access to the Internet, but come to libraries to receive assistance from library staff or volunteers.

The Impact Survey has grown to become a standardized measurement tool for public libraries. It is now on its third iteration and offers many self-service tools that are easy to use. If you are looking use outcome measurement at your library, below are additional resources to investigate:

• Impact Survey: Tool to measure impact of public library technology services.
• PLA’s Project Outcome: Performance measurement tools for areas such as civic/community engagement, early childhood literacy, economic development, and job skills.
• Digital Inclusion Interactive Map : Comparison between American Community Census data and Digital Inclusion Survey results.
• Edge Initiative: Assessment tools to align services with growth and community priorities.

Tools like these help link goals with performance indicators. Through this comparison, public librarians can continually improve the services they offer. They can also take the next step of adjusting them to better fit local community needs.

Resources:

1. Samantha Becker et al., 2011. Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries. Washington, D.C.: Institute of Museum and Library Services. Accessed October 25, 2015.
2. Becker, Samantha. 2015. “Outcomes, Impacts and Indicators” Library Journal 140, no. 15: 26. Accessed October 25, 2015.
3. Becker, Samantha. 2015. Impact Survey: Measuring Your Library’s Impact. Accessed October 25, 2015.
4. Teasdale, Rebecca. 2015. Project Outcome Launch – Seven Surveys To Measure Impact. Accessed October 25, 2015.

The post 21st Century Library Measuring Sticks first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The American Library Association recently published the 2013 Digital Inclusion Survey that supports this. The Digital Inclusion Survey—which was conducted by the American Library Association, the Information Policy & Access Center at the University of Maryland, and the International City/County Management Association, and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services—aims to explain “how public libraries help build digitally inclusive communities.” In a national survey conducted between September and November 2013, public libraries reported whether or not they provide public access to computers and the Internet, digital services, instruction for digital literacy, and tools for “civic engagement, education, health and wellness, and workforce/employment.”

The website (http://digitalinclusion.umd.edu/content/2013-digital-inclusion-survey-results-published) allows you to view results on an interactive map that allows you to search by library name or geographic area. This is especially interesting when seeing how public libraries compare on a national and state level. For example, when I compared the northern half and southern part of Illinois, the responses were pretty comparable in terms of Color Printing, Laptops, Internet, Scanners, Internet Skills, Online Learning, and Computer Skills. Yet there is a significant difference in the amount of computers available. In northern Illinois, there are over 2,000 computers at public libraries compared to less than 1,000 in southern Illinois. However, you can also see geographic demographics, so if there are significantly less people living in southern Illinois this may account for fewer computers.

Another interesting feature is the “State Details” tab that lets you see how a state measures up to the national response. Illinois public libraries are on par with the national average for educational programs and exceed the national average for summer reading. However, Illinois falls short by nearly 10% of the national average of “general familiarity with new technologies” and almost 4% of “mobile apps to access library resources and services.”

Nevertheless, the report is a refreshing reminder of the valuable services libraries offer. 98% of public libraries provide “some form of technological training to patrons” and 95% of public libraries provide assistance with employment resources. As a business liaison, this is particularly encouraging to read.

The Digital Inclusion Survey is a significant way to see how public libraries are excelling and where they are falling short. In our ever-changing digital world, these types of figures are so important for us to be aware of. If we want to continue to be vital resources to our communities, we need to be cognizant of how we can improve the resources and tools that are available at our libraries.

All of the facts and information in this essay were taken from the Digital Inclusion Survey website (http://digitalinclusion.umd.edu/content/2013-digital-inclusion-survey-results-published). Check it out to see the results from your library and/or geographic area. The 2014 survey will begin collecting data this September.

The post Surveying the Digital Inclusion Survey first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The Spice Girls said it best: “Tell me what you want, what you really, really want.” And with that in mind (probably minus the dance moves), the Digital Inclusion Survey was developed so that public libraries can tell stakeholders what they really, really want to know about how libraries help build digitally inclusive communities.

The Digital Inclusion Survey will generate unique data that will illustrate the essential role libraries play in digital literacy, economic and workforce development, health and wellness, civic engagement, and e-government. The survey findings will highlight what stakeholders not only want to know but need to know: the unique attributes of library services for community well-being, and what libraries provide that few other community-based entities can provide.

The survey is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and conducted by the American Library Association and the Information Policy & Access Center at the University of Maryland College Park, in partnership with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). Yes – the ICMA – the membership organization of the external stakeholders all libraries want to reach. That should further illustrate how important digital inclusion is to policy makers today.

As part of a recent invitational seminar for public library researchers[i], library leaders and library funding authority representatives were interviewed to find out what type of data-based information external stakeholders found compelling, and what libraries were finding the most effective for advocacy. A few of the key findings include:

·         “Access to information” is not an issue that resonates with most policy makers. They respond to information about how help improve healthcare, the economy, unemployment, and education.

·         Library leaders recognize the power of combining national statistics, local statistics, and anecdotal evidence of individual successes for telling the most meaningful story about the library’s value.

·         Stakeholders at the local, state, and national levels value data that is current, and prefer not to receive data that may be seen as past its “shelf-life.”

By participating in the Digital Inclusion Survey, libraries will be able to meet all of the aforementioned expectations, and more. Participation in the survey will allow your library to:

 ·         Get a better sense of your community’s needs, challenges, and opportunities through interactive tools and how your library’s services add value to your community.

·         Communicate with decision makers about the value of your library’s technology-enabled services and public access technologies.

·         Identify where your library’s services and resources are meeting community needs and where there might be room for improvement or a need for new partners to extend the library’s reach.

You have until November 15, 2013 to complete the survey and start telling your stakeholders what they really, really want (and need, to know).

The post Make Sure Your Stakeholders Know: Libraries Drive Digital Inclusion first appeared on Public Libraries Online.