title: Expert searching in public health.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The article explores the characteristics of public health information needs and the resources available to address those needs that distinguish it as an area of searching requiring particular expertise.
  
  
  METHODS
  Public health searching activities from reference questions and literature search requests at a large, urban health department library were reviewed to identify the challenges in finding relevant public health information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The terminology of the information request frequently differed from the vocabularies available in the databases. Searches required the use of multiple databases and/or Web resources with diverse interfaces. Issues of the scope and features of the databases relevant to the search questions were considered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expert searching in public health differs from other types of expert searching in the subject breadth and technical demands of the databases to be searched, the fluidity and lack of standardization of the vocabulary, and the relative scarcity of high-quality investigations at the appropriate level of geographic specificity. Health sciences librarians require a broad exposure to databases, gray literature, and public health terminology to perform as expert searchers in public health.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Library New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene 455 First Avenue, Room 1233 New York, New York 10016, USA. kalpi@att.net
authors.forename: Kristine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Alpi
mesh_terms: D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000592:standards*; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D016245:Librarians; D007993:Libraries, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D007999:Library Services / Q000592:standards*; D011361:Professional Competence; D011634:Public Health; D014481:United States; D018875:Vocabulary, Controlled