Table of Contents

List of Diagrams & Figures
Preface
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 History of Consumer and Patient Health Librarianship – Michele Spatz
Chapter 2 Where to Start? Needs Assessment – Nikki Dettmar
Chapter 3 Strategic Planning for Success – Mary Grace Flaherty
Chapter 4 Bricks and mortar: Costs, Budgeting & Funding Sources – Cara Marcus
Chapter 5 Patient Friendly Technology – Today and Tomorrow - Gabe Rios & Emma O'Hagan
Chapter 6 Prized Assets: Staff - Jean Shipman & Erica Lake
Chapter 7 Health Reference Service – Nancy Dickenson, Carmen Huddleston, Gillian Kumagai, Jean Johnson, Edgar Lopez
Chapter 8 Ethical Issues in Providing Consumer and Patient Health Information –
Barbara Bibel with Michele Spatz
Chapter 9 Social Media for Health Consumers and Patients – Michelle Kraft
Chapter 10 Meeting health information needs of diverse populations: children, teens,
LGBT, low literate, ESL – Linda Stahl
Chapter 11 Cultural sensitivity and health information resources & services – Donna J.
McCloskey
Chapter 12 Marketing Health Library Services to Patients and Consumers – Jackie Davis
Chapter 13 Strategic Partnerships – In-reach – Carol Ann Atwood
Index
About the Editor
About the Contributors

About the Author

Michele Spatz is currently Business Projects and Intelligence Manager for Planetree, a nonprofit healthcare organization devoted to improving both providers and patients’ experience of care. She recently completed work on a grant-funded research project identifying patient-centered care practices among high-performing health systems and academic medical centers outside the Planetree network. In addition to her research responsibilities, Michele executes Planetree’s special projects, such as the one noted above. Michele received her Masters’ Degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois, and has a certificate in Lean Six Sigma from Villanova University.

Reviews

[A]n extraordinarily useful handbook for consumer health librarians. This subject is an important focus for many public services and reference librarians also. Every page of the guide affirmed many principles that consumer health librarians understand about consumer and patient health information services. This new book is highly recommended for all medical librarians and anyone interested in patient-centered care.
*Medical Reference Services Quarterly*

[A] valuable and comprehensive resource, one that steers their fellow librarians through the process of starting and maintaining a consumer health resource collection. . . .The Medical Library Association Guide to Providing Consumer and Patient Health Information is well written and full of constructive and timely advice. Any librarians thinking of starting a consumer health or patient health information collection would be wise to use it as the roadmap for their new venture.
*Journal of the Medical Library Association*

[T]his [is] a book worth adding to collections in many healthcare settings due to its transferable skills and ideas for marketing and liaison teams, as well as human resources, education and, of course, librarians. . . .This is certainly a title that belongs in every health library or on the desks of librarians, marketers and educators. It is comprehensive in its scope and covers all aspects of consumer and patient health and medical information.
*Australian Library Journal*

The Medical Library Association Guide to Providing Consumer Health and Patient Information equips the new consumer health librarian with essential tools to provide health information services for patients and families, and is helpful for even the most seasoned librarian. It is an ideal textbook for graduate courses in medical librarianship. The Guide includes many creative ideas, helpful tips, and best practices for providing consumer health information.
*Michelle Eberle, Consumer Health Information Coordinator, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region*

This up-to-date work on the breadth and depth of consumer health information dissemination should be widely read and kept as a reference. It will be beneficial to public, school, consumer health, and medical libraries alike.
*Jana Liebermann, Librarian, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services*