Skeptical Medical Reference: Helping Patrons Find Critical Resources for Consumer Health Issues

Authors

Samantha Hypatia Thompson, Collier County Public Library, Naples, FloridaFollow
Ambrose A. Thompson, New York Public Library, Tomkins Square BranchFollow

Date of this Version

6-25-2007

Abstract

With the popularization of the Internet, there has been a vast proliferation of consumer health material available to the public. Unfortunately, this has only accelerated a pre-existing trend- the fact that much of the material made available is unproven, unreliable, or outright fraud. This requires librarians to make a choice: are they passive and uncritical dispensers of information or are they critical educators who help patrons choose the best information available? In this article we examine the issues facing librarians in this matter and presents skeptical materials that may help librarians to answer critical health questions.