Knowledge gaps among public librarians seeking vaccination information: A qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Library and Information Science
• Public Health
• Health Communication

Background:

• Public libraries serve as vital community resources for specialized health information.
• Consumer Health Information (CHI) services face challenges related to patrons, librarians, resources, and library infrastructure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the challenges and needs of public librarians in providing consumer health information.
• To identify knowledge gaps among library workers regarding health information requests.
• To assess the role of public libraries in meeting public health information needs.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving interviews with nine library workers across eight public libraries in four library systems.
• Exploration of common CHI requests, collection development, and the perceived role of libraries.
• Presentation of a hypothetical scenario to gauge librarian responses and identify knowledge gaps.

Main Results:

• Library workers reported common CHI requests and discussed their collections.
• Responses to a hypothetical scenario indicated potential knowledge gaps among staff.
• Findings underscore the importance of understanding and addressing medical knowledge gaps within library settings.

Conclusions:

• There is an increasing necessity for formal training and support for public librarians in CHI.
• Public librarians must formally evaluate their skill sets to identify and address knowledge gaps.
• Libraries need to strategically allocate limited resources to effectively meet public health information demands.