Health Literacy's Influence on Consumer Libraries

Health literacy has been redefined in recent years to move beyond an individual's own communication skills to include the skills of persons working within health care organizations, including librarians. Provision of consumer health services and resources, while a long-standing practice in hospital libraries, has also been redefined. As definitions of health literacy have evolved, so too have hospital librarian services as they embrace their role within health literacy. Many hospital medical and consumer health librarians have developed programs, services, and collaborations to further health literacy awareness, education, and initiatives for consumers, health care professionals, and their parent organizations.