1 Health Information and Health Literacy: Public Library Practices, Challenges and Opportunities Ellen L. Rubenstein University of Oklahoma School of Library and Information Studies Room 120, Bizzell Library; 401 W. Brooks Norman, OK 73019-6032 erubenstein@ou.edu ABSTRACT This poster reports on a study of 18 libraries in two public library systems in central Oklahoma. The project sought to gain an in-depth understanding of how libraries are contributing to health information access and health literacy. The poster reports on preliminary results in regard to three aspects of the study: library personnel’s perspectives on the roles and responsibilities of libraries in reference to health information and literacy, how staff assisted patrons with health questions, and how they defined “health literacy.” This research highlights disparities in library staff’s understanding of health literacy, as well as some of the problems they encounter as they disseminate health information. Keywords Health literacy, public libraries, health information behavior INTRODUCTION The current medical climate in the United States offers multiple challenges to consumers. Because of less time allotted for patient appointments, it is common for individuals to leave feeling confused, unable to recall what was discussed, or simply missing information. After appointments, or when new issues occur, consumers may have difficulty in accessing their providers, finding them to be unapproachable or too busy (Borman & McKenzie, 2005). Patients often have to process health information independently without really knowing how to seek information or how to interpret the information they do find (Chobot, 2004; Kwon & Kim, 2009). In addition to the resulting gaps in patients’ knowledge about their conditions and potential treatments, patients with low health literacy skills are at an increased risk of not knowing how to cope with serious medical conditions. The goal of this project was to gain an in-depth understanding of how two library systems in central Oklahoma are contributing to health information access and health literacy through their programs and resources. The motivation behind the study was that Oklahoma consistently rates among the least healthy states, and this study addresses this by considering the role of public libraries within the spectrum of health information and health literacy. The research explores libraries’ and librarians’ practices and perceptions about health literacy and access to health information, and how public libraries are currently implementing strategies that address the health information and health literacy needs of the constituencies. RELATED LITERATURE Health literacy is directly related to health outcomes (Koh et al., 2012). As a concept, health literacy comprises “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015, para. 1). Further, only 12% of the adult population possesses what the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (2014) designates as “proficient” health literacy, making “limited health literacy…a major public health problem” (Johnson, Baur, & Meissner, 2011, p. 22). Even highly educated individuals often lack health literacy and “14% of adults (30 million people) have Below Basic health literacy” (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 2015). Low levels of health literacy are particularly prevalent among older, minority, immigrant, and low-income populations (NN/LM, 2014). Public libraries serve their constituent communities by providing information and services that help people navigate diverse areas of their lives; in addition to facilitating access to information, they offer computer training, children’s programs, book clubs, and a wide variety of community events. As entities that serve their communities, the goals of public libraries encompass ascertaining and addressing community needs, which includes understanding the health concerns of patrons (Borman & McKenzie, 2005; Kwon & Kim, 2009; Parker & Kreps, 2005). Studies that have examined health information and health literacy in public libraries have identified several issues relating to health information, such as librarians are often unsure of how to answer health questions and have little knowledge of health information resources (Luo & Park, 2013), and library personnel seem to prefer print sources ASIST 2015,November 6-10, 2015, St. Louis, MO, USA. Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are