Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

 

Patrons seeking medical information are often trying to gain control following an upsetting diagnosis--working with them can be rewarding and difficult. In this practical, readable guide, consumer health reference expert Michele Spatz, gives you an understanding of the psychology of those seeking medical information and the skills necessary to respond usefully and appropriately.

Spatz outlines the most common inquiries and behaviors of health information searchers and the most useful go-to resources. Sample librarian-patron interactions in every chapter give you useful strategies and scripts. Dozens of templates and forms and tips on everything from setting up the reference desk to encourage confidential inquiries to using body language to signal your availability will help you create a welcoming, empowering atmosphere in your library.

Chapters on ethics and potential legal issues guide you through the nitty-gritty of what constitutes practicing medicine without a license, confidentiality requirements, and more. Sections on email, virtual, and telephone reference will help you establish clear guidelines, and creative tips on marketing to healthcare providers will help you forge valuable new partnerships. A section on self-care offers strategies for dealing with job-induced stress. Every information professional who helps patrons with health inquiries will want a copy of this useful, inspiring book.

 "...interesting and inviting to read from start to finish....recommended for all librarians, students of librarianship and specialists in health information."
-- The Australian Librar y Journal, August 2009
 
"Written in user-friendly, non-technical language, this book would be an excellent training guide for new reference librarians ... thoughtful and well-organized ... Would be a valuable resource for professionals working in direct health care, health-based helplines, and social services."
-- J Med Libr Assoc, 97(3), July 2009
 
"Librarians now have a practical handbook to help them respond appropriately to uniquely sensitive inquiries....recommended especially for the librarian just starting out or one who may only occasionally have to respond to health questions."
-- Booklist, January 1 and 15, 2009
 
"A wonderful reference resource....Perfect for library school students, graduate assistants (especially in medical libraries), and professional librarians...This book is a must-have for any medical library."
-- Reference and User Services Quarterly, Vol. 48, Issue 3
 
"This work helps the health and medical librarians as much as it helps the non-medical librarian to provide needed information to patrons...well-organized and superbly indexed work."
-- ARBA, March 2009
 
"Librarians now have a practical handbook to help them respond appropriately to uniquely sensitive inquiries...this guide is recommended especially for the librarian just starting out or one who may only occasionally have to respond to health questions."
-- Booklist, January 1 and 15, 2009
 
"A very useful guide for reference librarians in any setting - public, medical, or solo...written such that any librarian or information professional without a medical background could understand it."
-- Colorado Association of Libraries, December 2008
 
"'Answering Consumer Health Questions' is a must for any medical library collection looking for a solid reference and text for dealing with inquisitive patients."
-- The Midwest Book Review, December 2008
 
"Practical tips and tools for every health reference desk!"
-- Oregon State Library and Information Services Blog, December 2008
 

A writer, teacher, and consultant, Michele Spatz is past president of the Oregon Health Sciences Libraries Association and former chair of the Consumer and Patient Health Information Section of the Medical Library Association; she has taught two MLA CE courses on consumer health information over the past ten years. An alumnus of the University of Illinois, Urbana, she earned her BS as a park naturalist, and her master’s degree in Library and Information Science. As branch library director at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, Michele was the campus’s first librarian to earn tenure. In 1991, she moved to The Dalles, Oregon, to establish the Planetree Health Resource Center, a community-based consumer health library, for Mid-Columbia Medical Center. She continues to serve as its director.

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