Managing a CHIS » Literacy
Information about two interrelated issues, health information literacy and health literacy are provided; resources helpful to the consumer health librarian are offered as well.
Health Literacy
The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
The National Center for Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education, completed an assessment of overall literacy skills of U.S. adults in 2003. For the first time the report included a section on health literacy focusing on “the ability to use literacy skills to read and understand written health related information.”
Health Information Literacy
Putting Information into Health Literacy
This brochure from the MLA Health Information Literacy Task Force provides a definition of health information literacy.
TILT: Texas Information Literacy Tutorial
For those of you involved in teaching information literacy, there's a classy new tutorial prepared by the University of Texas. Though prepared for undergrads, the tutorial could be used with consumers, too. The tutorial is especially good at teaching 1) what the Web does and DOES NOT have, and 2) the difference between professional and popular literature. From the introduction: "Information is available from printed books and magazines, as well as from online library databases, electronic magazines, and Web pages. To be "information literate" you need to know why, when, and how to use all of these tools. Advances in communication technologies profoundly changed how we learn about others and share our ideas with them. The invention of the printing press, for example, made books and pamphlets available to a wider range of people than was previously possible. As information circulated more widely it increased people's awareness of the world beyond their small community and -- in some cases -- led to revolutions. Since the Internet may affect people's lives in similarly transformative ways, we have chosen it as the main research topic in TILT."
Reading Levels
By Kate Smith
Family Health Library
The Children's Hospital
1056 E. 19th Ave.
Denver, CO 8021
voice: 303-861-6378
fax: 303-864-5385
e-mail: smith.catherine@tchden.org