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To top of page The Medical Library Association Guide to Health Literacy at the Library

Edited by Marge Kars, Lynda M. Baker, and Feleta L. Wilson

 



2008 (250 pages, 6 x 9 in., soft cover)
ISBN: 978-155570-625-8

MLA member: $67.50
Nonmembers: $75.00

Nearly a quarter of the U.S. population struggles with low literacy—and low health literacy. The inability to read, understand, and effectively utilize health information is linked to higher levels of chronic disease, more frequent emergency room visits, and early mortality. The cost and quality of care implications are enormous, and health literacy is a hot topic for policy makers and researchers—and for libraries struggling to respond to patrons’ unmet health information needs.

This authoritative MLA guide will help you understand the vital role that medical, hospital, public, and health libraries are uniquely qualified to play in improving health literacy. You will learn innovative ways to use collection development, the reference interview, community health information, and web resources, as well as strategies for working with special needs populations, including seniors, the disabled, ESL groups, and people of diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Case studies illustrate best practices, including ways to partner with health care providers and other organizations to create and fund health literacy programming in your community and make your library a vital player in this increasingly important information needs area.

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To top of page Reviews

"The content is authoritative and written by practitioners who define health literacy as it pertains to their own work. . . . This reference is highly recommended for community college libraries, medical libraries, and graduate library school collections in academic libraries." --American Reference Books Annual

To top of page Table of Contents

List of Figures, Tables, and Appendices
Preface

Part I. Health Literacy: Understanding the Issues
1. Introduction to Health Literacy Lynda M. Baker, Marge Kars, and Feleta L. Wilson
2. Review of the Literature Nancy Schaefe
3. Social Practices in Talk as Components of Health Literacy Charlene Pope

Part II. Health Literacy Issues in Special Populations: The Influence of Culture, Ethnicity, Special Needs, and Age on Health
4. Cultural Competence and Health Literacy Misa Mi
5. Impact of Patient Low Literacy on the Individual and Family Feleta L. Wilson
6. The Association Between Literacy and Health: Providing Health Information to Adults with Low Literacy Heather J. Martin and C. Nadine Wathen
7. Health Literacy for People with Disabilities Shelley Hourston
8. Health Literacy and America's Senior Citizens Marcy Brown
9. A New Digital Divide: Teens and Internet Literacy Ellen Freda, Jonathan Hayes Goff, and Andrea L. Kenyon

Part III. Health Literacy Issues in Public and Hospital Libraries: Providing Programs and Services to Help Consumers Understand Their Healthcare
10. The Health Reference Interview: Getting to the Heart of the Question While Assessing Your Customer's Literacy Skills Karyn Prechtel
11. Public Libraries and Health Literacy Barbara Bibel
12. Health Literacy in Canada: Highlighting Library Initiatives Susan Murray
13. Consumer Health Services to Hospitals: The Front Line for Health Literacy Julie Esparza
14. Health Literacy in Action--The Bronson Experience Marge Kars

Part IV. The Future: Ways to Initiate and Become Involved with Health Literacy Programs
15. Intervention Programs for Health Literacy Cleo Pappas
16. Forming and Funding Collaborations to Address Health Literacy Kristine Alpi and Dina Sherman

About the Editors and Contributors
Index

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