Spring 2017
Course DetailsInstructor
Dr. Ellen Rubenstein Course Experience When I first learned about this special topics course, I knew I needed to add it as my Spring 2017 elective. Health literacy and programming was a need I had observed in my public library experience and I wanted to become better equipped for the future. For example, in 2016 I had helped lead two Parent/Child Workshops for Spanish-speaking families in partnership with the Power of Families Project, connecting families with community resource professionals such as a bilingual speech and language pathologist and nutritionist. In class discussion, I was able to share about my experiences working with community partners for health literacy programming as well as learn more from what those other libraries have tried. Having that background enhanced my experience in the course by being able to combine real life work with theory I learned in class. I learned more about what resources are available for consumers in terms of health literacy, as well as how to evaluate them. While there are many challenges facing the overall health system in the United States, this class and the information from it has injected some hope that there are groups and researchers working towards improving outcomes for people. ALSC Competencies At the time of this course, I was a Bilingual Children's Associate responsible for children's programming at the Martin Regional Library. I. Commitment to Client Group: I.1, I.2, I.3, I.4, I.6 II. Reference and User Services: II.1, II.3 III. Programming Skills: III.2, III.3, III.6, III.7 IV. Knowledge, Curation, and Management of Materials: IV.1, IV.2, IV.3, IV.4 V. Outreach and Advocacy: V.3, V.4, V.6, V.8 VII. Professionalism and Professional Development: VII.2, VII.6, VII.7 |
Samples of CourseworkThe main project for this class was to "learn about a particular health consumer group's information needs and seeking, communication issues, and information barriers about a particular concern."
For this project, I chose to study Latino adolescents and their experiences with mental health. As I worked on the paper, I further narrowed my consumer group to immigrant Latino adolescents. The research I found was fascinating and relevant to the community with whom I was working. While I worked primarily with younger children, I supervised teen volunteers and could see parallels and correlations with what was reported in the literature. This assignment helped me achieve competencies in a number of different categories, but most especially in Commitment to Client Group and Outreach and Advocacy. Two competencies under the Commitment to Client Group were particularly relevant to this assignment:
One of the assignments leading up to the main project was source annotation in preparation for the final paper. This important research step helped me draw out important points from the studies I discovered and find connections. Essentially, it is a prewriting research exercise which builds the foundation for the final paper. I found this part of the process very effective and implemented it in future projects, most notably the Kids Read Directed Project. (It also means the citations are prepared early on in the project.)
This kind of research supported the competency under the heading of Professionalism and Professional Development, VII.2: "Stays informed of current trends, emerging technologies, issues, and research in librarianship, child development, education, and allied fields."
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Course Description from Syllabus
This course covers a wide range of consumer health information topics, including how diverse groups of people find and use health information, health literacy and how to determine whether sources are reliable, the role of technology in the access and presentation of health information, the digital divide as it relates to health, organizations outside of traditional health facilities, health communication and social support, and a variety of other issues related to this topic. We will be examining community, disciplinary, and functional practices, as well as individual and social aspects of health information needs, based on theoretical and empirical research. Each one of these topics could be a semester-long (or longer) class on its own, so you should think of this class as an introduction.
Student Learning Objectives from Syllabus
The main goal of this course is to familiarize students with issues and research related to consumer health information.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
This course covers a wide range of consumer health information topics, including how diverse groups of people find and use health information, health literacy and how to determine whether sources are reliable, the role of technology in the access and presentation of health information, the digital divide as it relates to health, organizations outside of traditional health facilities, health communication and social support, and a variety of other issues related to this topic. We will be examining community, disciplinary, and functional practices, as well as individual and social aspects of health information needs, based on theoretical and empirical research. Each one of these topics could be a semester-long (or longer) class on its own, so you should think of this class as an introduction.
Student Learning Objectives from Syllabus
The main goal of this course is to familiarize students with issues and research related to consumer health information.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand how consumer health information is an integral resource in our everyday lives;
- Identify appropriate consumer health information sources and current trends in consumer health;
- Develop an understanding of the challenges of providing consumer health information to users of diverse backgrounds, ages, and in a variety of environments;
- Identify the complex health contexts underlying individual and group health information needs, seeking, and use;
- Understand various contexts related to consumer health information provision including access, health disparities, health literacy, ethics, and barriers;
- Identify and evaluate various types of health information resources.