Poster presentationPresented at the Canadian Health Libraries Association Annual Conference, Calgary, Alberta, April 27-30 (2011

Le, Me-Linh

English

eCommons@USASK

The information needs of Canada's National Collaborating Centres for public health

University of Saskatchewan Research Archive

NCC Determinants of Health (Antigonish, NS) NCC Aboriginal Health (Prince George, BC) NCC Environmental  Health (Vancouver, BC) NCC Infectious Diseases (Winnipeg, MB)NCC Healthy Public Policy (Montreal, QC) NCC Methods and Tools (Hamilton, ON)The Information Needs of Canada‟s National Collaborating Centres for Public Heath Mê-Linh Lê, Health Sciences Library, University of Saskatchewan, me-linh.le@usask.caWhat are the National Collaborating Centres? INTRODUCTION 1Established in 2005 by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), thesix National Collaborating Centres (NCCs) aim to translate information forpublic health professionals, policy makers, and communities. Using thebest available evidence, NCC staff translate and exchange the evidenceinto various forms, including systematic reviews, evidence reviews, andconference presentations. Each Centre focuses on a different area ofPublic Health identified as being high-need. 21Finding public health evidence is notoriously difficultWhy study their information needs?Public health issues at forefront of health care in Canada andaffect everyoneNCC staff come from a wide variety of backgrounds with verydifferent search skills; only some NCCs have ready access to alibrarianLocating InformationRespondents equally comfortable searching for information or askingfor assistance from a librarianNCCs need to plan for how best to manage information access forstaff, which includes hiring new staff with requisite skills andproviding ongoing trainingLibrarians needs to better understand information needs of staffinvolved in „knowledge translation‟ (KT)“I think because of time constraints I try to get information quickly, and so might not be thorough in accessing all info sources”Broader ImplicationsInvest more effort at the university level to raise awareness of resources besides Medline or PubMed (e.g., Trip, HealthEvidence, Scopus)Improve promotion of grey literature repositories and search engines – respondents indicated many topics in Public  Health are lacking scientific evidence Offer training, searching assistance, and reference in a variety of formats and  intensities to accommodate the different educational backgrounds of public health professionals working in specialized organizationsLibrarians working in specialized organizations (especially those seeking „best evidence‟) will need to actively promote their services and skills; many researchers/scientists/staff may not see the benefit of consulting a librarianLibrarians must place a stronger focus on strengthening relationships with NCC staff and ensure that the Centres are aware of the range of services and support that librarians can provideLibrarians should be prepared to provide on-call contract service to NCCs without ready access to a librarian Librarians could assist NCCs  to provide clarity around what librarians can contribute to the “best evidence” processLibrarians can assist NCCs by providing training (via hands-on workshops or asynchronous tutorials) on a continuous basis to target new staff, allow for different schedules, and to constantly refresh and refine searching skillsLibrarians can assist NCCs in developing a standard search protocol for staff to follow; this will ensure consistency across projects and NCCsOffer to assist NCCs to create one general listserv on Public Health news in Canada that can be distributed to NCC staff and outsidersSemi-structured phone interviews with five Scientific Directors (ordesignates) between Jan – Apr 2011Online questionnaire sent to relevant NCC staff in April 2011,consisting of 41 questions on information use and needsSearching & TimeParticipants consider themselves effective but not efficientsearchersJournal databases and library websites are the first place people goto start a search; little awareness of specialized sites (e.g., Trip,HealthEvidence, DARE)62% find searching for information challengingTraining6% of participants have never received training on searching forand evaluating information; 38% have received one workshop44% of respondents will give up looking for information after 15-20minutes54% say a lack of awareness on resources available in publichealth is an impediment to use of information resources18 respondents (78.54% response rate)“I’ve done a Master’s degree so I know how to search that stuff. Most of the people that work here have either a BA or an MA or a PhD so we’re all quite familiar with how to search and gather   evidence”RATIONALE 2METHODS 3PRELIMINARY FINDINGS 4 IMPLICATIONS 592% say time is major barrier to using information resourcesTraining preferred in workshops or learned on own timeAccessing a Librarian64% have access to a librarian; 14% have no access; 21% areunsure“Training related to searching is available – I just have to make time to arrange it. Searching is a skill and the more you practice the better you get at it. I have limited time to practice.”70% consult with a librarian less than once a weekLibrarians are relatively new additions to NCC staff (except in thecase of NCCMT) and staff may not yet be familiar with theirexpertiseImplications for LibrariansNext StepsIndividual and collective consultation with NCCsThis research was supported by the University of Saskatchewan Library

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The information needs of Canada's National Collaborating Centres for public health

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