Community-based organizations' perspective on health information outreach: a panel discussion.
OBJECTIVE
A panel was convened to elicit guidance for librarians in initiating and implementing community-based health information outreach.


METHODS
Participants included a panel of individuals from communities or community organizations who represented the types of groups with which librarians or information specialists need to interact and an audience who represented health sciences libraries, public libraries, academic institutions, government agencies, funding agencies, and community-based organizations and could contribute to a discussion on community-based health information outreach.


METHODS
The panel was presented with a hypothetical community setting and asked to respond to a series of questions: What do librarians need to learn about the community before they make their visits? What methods of outreach have been successful in your work? How would you implement and sustain a health information program in your community? How would health information interventions reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health?


RESULTS
The panel helped to frame many of the issues that may confront librarians as they initiate information-related programs in communities.


CONCLUSIONS
There is clear consensus on the need for librarians to make the effort to reach out into the community, to make the contacts, to seek to understand the community, to talk with leaders, and to respect the community as they promote and teach the use of health information resources. It was confirmed that librarians and libraries have an important role in diminishing health disparities by improving access to health information.
Dutcher
Gale A
GA
National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA. dutcher@nlm.nih.gov
Hamasu
Claire
C
D003159:Community-Institutional Relations / Q000592:standards; D032921:Consensus; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D016245:Librarians; D018966:Library Materials; D007999:Library Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010934:Planning Techniques; D024382:Professional Role; D014481:United States