CONSUMER HEALTH INFORMATION PARTNERSHIPS - THE HEALTH-SCIENCE LIBRARYAND MULTITYPE LIBRARY-SYSTEM

The University of Illinois Library of the Health Sciences at Rockford (LHS-Rockford) long has honored a commitment to serving the health inf ormation needs of the greater Rockford community. Utilization data col lected over the past five years indicate that approximately 50% of ref erence transactions involve persons not affiliated with the university . In early 1994, LHS-Rockford submitted a proposal to the Northern Ill inois Library System (NILS), a multitype system spanning twelve counti es in northwestern Illinois, asking to serve as a resource library for improving medical and health information services provided by the 138 NILS member libraries. The NILS funded this pilot project as part of an effort to implement a new strategic plan, which encouraged member l ibraries to form networks to provide reference back-up service. LHS-Ro ckford acquired Info Trac's Health Reference Center, a consumer health information database, and set up a dedicated workstation near the inf ormation and circulation desk. Referral guidelines were established an d the project was promoted among NILS member libraries. Activities wer e documented in order to track project success in terms of referrals a nd outcomes. The demonstration project was very successful, and it pro ves public consumers seeking health information can benefit greatly fr om this type of cooperative arrangement.