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Dragonfly, Summer 1999 NLM and Health Information for the Public

Editor's note: Starting this year, the National Library of Medicine has added a new area of outreach to the Regional Medical Library contracts: health information for the public. As we start our foray into this program area, we are looking at NLM's scope statement, approved by the NLM Board of Regents in May 1999. Later articles will outline some of our ideas for outreach to the public, based on this scope statement. We will also be turning to community members, including you, to get advice.

NLM's goal is to improve the national infrastructure that supports the public's access to electronic health information. This infrastructure includes the intellectual organization, information technology, inter-institutional arrangements, and training that will be needed to ensure that all people in the U.S. have a known, accessible, understandable, and affordable source of current, authoritative health information.

Audience

NLM's efforts are targeted toward members of the public, health professionals seeking information for individual patients or whole communities, librarians and other health information providers, and health educators. NLM works with a variety of intermediaries, including family members, health care providers, public health professionals, librarians, educators and community -based organizations to reach those who lack direct access to electronic health information.

Priorities

• Organize selected authoritative electronic information that is available at low or no-cost, with an emphasis on science-based, nationally applicable resources.
• Develop easy-to-use access and delivery mechanisms that promote the public's understanding of health information, drawing on research in lay terminology, graphical and multimedia presentation, etc.
• Publicize reputable electronic health information services, including those available from NLM and other sources.
• Assist those providing health information to the public to make effective use of electronic services through Internet connections, training, and other means, with an emphasis on those serving minority groups, low income populations, seniors. Promote integration of NLM services with other electronic services covering regional, state, or local health information.
• Refer members of the public to regional, state, and local sources of reference assistance and document delivery and continue to serve as the national backup.
• Conduct and support research, development, and evaluation on the public's health information needs, information seeking behaviors and learning styles, information systems that meet the public's needs, and the impact of access to information.

Exclusions

• will not provide personal medical or health advice to individuals
• will not lead disease prevention or health promotion campaigns
• will not write new information content, but will bring gaps to the attention of NIH
• will not expand its acquisition and cataloging of print materials written for the general public, but will continue to acquire selected high quality print items

URL: http://nnlm.gov/pnr/news/199907/hip.html