Health Information Outreach Award 43

The University of Florida UF Health Science Center Libraries' HSCL Health Information Outreach project will bring health information resources & literacy skills training to librarians, community organizations, and members of the public throughout Alachua County. Using the mobile outreach kit, the project team will equip librarians and other community 12s to teach their users about health information resources, and to understand the challenges those with limited health literacy face in understanding health information, regardless of their location or available facilities. Based on evidence from an information needs assessment, the customized curriculum will include training participants how to find and use validated health information resources, such as MedlinePlus, both on and offline. Participants at these trainings will learn how to critically evaluate health information resources, as well as how to teach their users to do so. The curriculum will also cover topics in health literacy, such as understanding the impact of limited literacy on health care outcomes, recognizing the signs of limited health literacy in a user, and developing strategies to provide resources and education for these users. The goal of this project is to improve the public's access to reliable health information resources by empowering librarians and community 12s to provide their users with the best evidence in health research, enabling them to make informed decisions about their health.