Archive |
Introducing the HSLS Consumer CollectionWhen HSLS opened the Hopwood Library at UPMC Shadyside in 2000, the librarians faced the daunting but exciting task of building a consumer health information collection literally from the foundation. They sorted through catalogs, Web sites, and booklists to identify the best consumer health books available for purchase. As consumer demand for reliable health information grows, librarians of all types are facing the same dilemma we faced—of all the materials that are out there, what are the essential books to have on hand to begin a consumer health information service? Thanks to a grant from the Shadyside Hospital Foundation, and collaboration between HSLS and the Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA) (ACLA), we have an answer to that question. HSLS, ACLA, and area public libraries have joined forces on a project to identify a HSLS Consumer Collection to help libraries without consumer health expertise identify the best materials for their users. 
HSLS librarians selected over 350 titles that together provide a collection of reliable information addressing a broad range of common health issues. Using funding from the Foundation grant and ACLA, HSLS has placed materials from the HSLS Consumer Collection in four area public libraries, with four additional libraries to be added later this year. The libraries in turn provide us with information on collection usage so we can adjust the selections, removing less successful titles and filling any gaps with new titles. The result has been a double success: library users in Allegheny County have greater access to high-quality consumer health materials, and HSLS can offer a tested booklist to other libraries for developing their own collections. You can view the collection at <www.hsls.pitt.edu/guides/chi/initiatives/booklist>. The HSLS Consumer Collections are available today in four area libraries: The Andrew Bayne Memorial Library in Bellevue, the C.C. Mellor Library in Edgewood, the Dormont Public Library, and the Allegheny Valley Community Library in Harrison. Additional collections will be available later this year at the Carnegie Library of Homestead, Laurie Ann West Memorial Library in Fox Chapel, Moon Township Public Library, and the Whitehall Public Library. The contents of each library’s collection are listed in PITTCat for the Health Sciences <http://pittcat.hsls.pitt.edu>, and in The Catalog of the ACLA and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Electronic Information Network <http://catalog.einetwork.net/search>. --Deb Silverman |
