Information Literacy of Online Health Consumers in Minnesota

In the United States 72% of Internet users look online to find health information, with some being high quality and other information dangerous. The University of Minnesota is a land grant institution, and the Health Sciences Libraries have a strong outreach role, educating health information consumers across Minnesota about high quality resources. In 2016, we conducted a study at the Minnesota State Fair to identify where Minnesotans find online health information, how they use it, their confidence in assessing it, and what they think is missing. Convenience sampling yielded a total of 255 participants who valued the ability to access online health information and used it for a variety of purposes. A high percentage of participants thought they had the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate online health information, yet were uncertain about indicators of quality. They felt that current resources lacked personalization and evidence-based information. Our study recommendations on further educational outreach around online health information include promotion of interactive educational websites, partnerships with public libraries to host large-scale education sessions on the topic, and skill building around assessment of health websites

An Information Science Needs Assessment of School of Public Health Researchers at the University of Minnesota: Summary Report

This needs assessment was conducted by two UMN librarians November 2016 - January 2017 as part of a multi-site study led by Ithaka S+R. The aims of the study were to capture the evolving needs, opportunities, and challenges of public health researchers in the current environment; and to provide actionable recommendations for how to advance public health research. This report details the methodology and summary results of the UMN data. Analysis of the data will be reported in a manuscript (in preparation)

Two Years in the Making: Library Resources for Transgender Topics

Inspired by Reid Boehm’s presentation “Beyond Pronouns: Caring for Transgender Medical Research Data to Benefit All People,” at the Research Data Access and Preservation Summit (RDAP) in March 2018, four librarians from the University of Minnesota (UMN) set out to create a LibGuide to support research on transgender topics as a response to Boehm’s identification of insufficient traditional mechanisms for describing, securing, and accessing data on transgender people and topics. This commentary describes the process used to craft the LibGuide, Library Resources for Transgender Topics, including assembling a team of interested library staff, defining the scope of the project, interacting with stakeholders and community partners, establishing a workflow, and designing an ongoing process to incorporate user feedback

“A Supernova that Sparks in Every Direction”: A Long-Term Assessment of the Research Sprints Faculty Engagement Program

Article will be published in College & Research Libraries in March 2024. This is the accepted version of the manuscript prior to copyediting.PREPRINT: Article to be published in College & Research Libraries in March 2024. This is the accepted version of the manuscript prior to copyediting. The Research Sprints program offers faculty partners the opportunity to collaborate intensively and exclusively for one week with a team of librarians to achieve significant progress on research or teaching projects. This longitudinal study extends previous immediate and short-term assessments by interviewing Research Sprints participants at two research-intensive institutions 2-4 years after their concentrated week. The authors evaluate the enduring impact of the program on the participants’ projects, research/teaching practices, and relationships with the library. Participants report achieving project goals, improved skills and student success, and greater awareness and appreciation of librarians’ work

Information Science Solutions to Communicating Public Health Research Findings to the Public

This was a presentation at the Medical Library Association annual conference, May 2018, Atlanta, GA. The study which was presented on was the local (UMN) analysis of a larger multi-site study led by Ithaka S+R.We conducted a needs assessment of public health researchers November 2016 - January 2017. The aims of the study were to capture the evolving needs, opportunities, and challenges of public health researchers in the current environment and provide actionable recommendations. Participants (N=24) were recruited through convenience sampling and one-on-one interviews were audio recorded. Qualitative analyses were conducted using NVivo 11. The data revealed that researchers recognized the need to communicate the significance of public health research findings to the public, yet felt they lacked the skills and resources necessary. Many researchers questioned the value of making articles, research data, and other outputs openly available. They expressed their frustration in trying to make complex data sets and research findings easily digestible by broad audiences. Finally, they did not make the connection between their professional marketing activities and dissemination. Information professionals can assist public health researchers in modernizing and broadening their dissemination practices by considering alternative forums, such as repositories and open education resources, and by utilizing formats, such as data visualizations, that more effectively convey research findings. Libraries can also introduce researchers to plain language summaries of research outputs and ways in which social media is being used to communicate to the public. These strategies could advance public health communication to the public, practitioners, and policymakers, as well as contribute to open science

Executive Summary Presented to the School of Public Health: Information Needs Assessment of Public Health Researchers

The executive summary was made public to the School of Public Health September 2017 and offers directive suggestions for how to make best use of the skills and expertise of the University Libraries.A needs assessment was conducted by the University of Minnesota Libraries of School of Public Health faculty researchers. Qualitative analyses revealed unique information science needs, some misunderstandings, and a wealth of challenges. Librarians offered potential solutions to improve research processes.University of Minnesota Librarie

A qualitative analysis of the information science needs of public health researchers in an academic setting

Objectives: The University of Minnesota (UMN) Health Sciences Libraries conducted a needs assessment of public health researchers as part of a multi-institutional study led by Ithaka S+R. The aims of the study were to capture the evolving needs, opportunities, and challenges of public health researchers in the current environment and provide actionable recommendations. This paper reports on the data collected at the UMN site. Methods: Participants (n=24) were recruited through convenience sampling. One-on-one interviews, held November 2016 to January 2017, were audio-recorded. Qualitative analyses were conducted using NVivo 11 Pro and were based on the principles of grounded theory. Results: The data revealed that a broad range of skill levels among participants (e.g., literature searching) and areas of misunderstanding (e.g., current publishing landscape, open access options). Overall, data management was an afterthought. Few participants were fully aware of the breadth of librarian knowledge and skill sets, although many did express a desire for further skill development in information science. Conclusions: Libraries can engage more public health researchers by utilizing targeted and individualized marketing regarding services. We can promote open science by educating researchers on publication realities and enhancing our data visualization skills. Libraries might take an institution-wide leadership role on matters of data management and data policy compliance. Finally, as team science emerges as a research priority, we can offer our networking expertise. These support services may reduce the stresses that public health researchers feel in the current research environment

How Data and Publishing Intersect for Public Health Researchers

These are the annotated slides for presentation at the Research Data Access & Preservation Summit, Chicago, IL, March 21, 2018.We conducted a needs assessment of public health researchers November 2016 - January 2017. The aims of the study were to capture the evolving needs, opportunities, and challenges of public health researchers in the current environment and provide actionable recommendations. Participants (N=24), whose interests ranged from statistics to social sciences, were recruited through convenience sampling, and qualitative analyses were conducted using NVivo 11 Pro. Six themes emerged - two focused on data management and publishing. Overall, data management was an afterthought for participants; most named at least one aspect that was significant to them, but they did not grasp the breadth of data management or its long-term importance. This lead to frustration with data sharing mandates, as they were unprepared when it came time to submit the data to a repository. Participants also had a preference for publishing articles via traditional methods; simultaneously, they placed a high value on disseminating their research findings beyond articles and did so via multiple avenues, including presentations, webinars, white papers, stakeholder reports, and code sharing. They expressed interest in new ways of disseminating their work which included data sharing, social media, and data visualizations. This presentation will detail the intersection of these findings and outline strategies to mitigate challenges and support researchers in their dissemination of research data in the publication process.University Librarie

Information Literacy of Online Health Consumers in Minnesota

This study was conducted by the Health Sciences Libraries at the 2016 Minnesota State Fair in the Driven2Discover research facility.In the United States 72% of Internet users look online to find health information, with some being high quality and other information dangerous. The University of Minnesota is a land grant institution, and the Health Sciences Libraries have a strong outreach role, educating health information consumers across Minnesota about high quality resources. In 2016, we conducted a study at the Minnesota State Fair to identify where Minnesotans find online health information, how they use it, their confidence in assessing it, and what they think is missing. Convenience sampling yielded a total of 255 participants who valued the ability to access OHI and used it for a variety of purposes. A high percentage of participants thought they had the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate OHI, yet were uncertain about indicators of quality. They felt that current resources lacked personalization and evidence-based information. Our study recommendations on further educational outreach around online health information include promotion of interactive educational websites, partnerships with public libraries to host large-scale education sessions on the topic, and skill building around assessment of health websites