Providing Health Information to Community Members Where They Are: Characteristics of the Culturally Competent Librarian

Abstract

Since all people make health decisions, all people need health information. Currently most people do not get health information from libraries; nevertheless, librarians can play an important role in the provision of health information if they listen carefully to community needs, develop cultural competence, and work with community partners. Librarians must collaborate to provide services where people are: physically, culturally, linguistically, educationally, and in many other senses. An example is given of a partnership between the librarian at Mars Hill Graduate School and the African Americans Reach and Teach Health Ministry that provides information services to faith communities in the Puget Sound area. Concepts discussed are summarized in a proposed list of cultural competencies for librarians. Health information is distinctive in its universal necessity. When asked how frequently reference desk questions are health related, one public librarian quipped that they were “second only to automotive related ” requests. While not everyone owns an automobile, 100 percent of our actual and potential patrons have bodies and minds, and 100 percent of those patrons make decisions about health. We may well be able to generalize about the individuals who are currently pursuing information in our libraries, but not everyone who needs health information is coming into our libraries. In fact, Tu and Hargraves (2003) found that in 2000 the majority of a sample

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