Provision of consumer health information in Alberta's Rural Public Libraries

Access to health services is a major challenge in many rural communities within Canada. Rural public libraries can serve as centres for health resources.

The aim of this exploratory study was to analyse the manner in which Alberta's rural libraries provide health information to their patrons.

A questionnaire including closed ended and open ended questions was sent to the 285 rural libraries across the Canadian province of Alberta. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis techniques were used for the data analysis.

The findings indicate that in three quarters of Alberta's rural libraries, about 10% of requests for assistance were related to health issues. The provision of health information in these libraries is hampered by the lack of Internet, private space for reference interviews, and staff and volunteer training. Library staff members were inexperienced in conducting reference transactions and reported lacking confidence in meeting patrons' needs and ethical standards.

Addressing these challenges will require the recruitment of more qualified librarians in rural library systems, possibly through incentive measures, and a comprehensive education and training programme for both staff and volunteers combined with the necessary resource support for the rural libraries.

When human and material resources are adequate, rural libraries can contribute to improving the health literacy of their communities.