We are currently trying to design an evaluation piece that we can
solicit responses/information at the midpoint (which would be June).
It's a tough thing to evaluate since our only feedback would be "word of
mouth."  Generally when we do something like this, I simply send out a
request to all the respondents for anecdotal evidence of use and then
store all the responses in a file.

I think you would probably need a "real" librarian to answer the
question about whether people use computers alone or with assistance.
Since I haven't been a librarian in 20+ years (and then I worked in a
medical school), I could not begin to address that question.  From
visiting libraries myself, my answer would be that it appears to me that
many more people now want to search on their own with a minimal amount
of assistance.  That definitely differs with the age and education of
the clientele, though.

-----Original Message-----
From: healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Julie McKinney
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:07 AM
To: healthliteracy at nifl.gov
Subject: [HealthLiteracy 1730] Wednesday question: How do you
findpartners?/bulletin board

Jan,
Thanks for sharing this, what a unique way to interact with the public!
Do you have a process to get feedback from the libraries how people use
and react to the bulletin boards? I'd love to hear what they observe. Do
the librarians help people get online to find the information while they
are there at the library? It would be great to see adult literacy
classes going to the library and introducing students to this service.

And a question for Valerie: 
Is there a kind of electronic "bulletin board" that can be used by
people who are visually impaired or blind? Perhaps something you can
hook earphones up to? Or what equipment/software would the libraries
need  to allow people to use the computer the way you do?

Thanks,
Julie

Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org


>>> "Jan Potter" <jpotter at gha.org> 01/31/08 9:45 AM >>>

This is an interesting subject.  I didn't speak out before about
coalitions because our latest collaborative is not, strictly speaking,
about health literacy - but I think some aspects of it could be related.

Basically, as I have said before on this listserv, I produce low
literacy, mostly graphic, health topic bulletin boards for the use of
our member hospitals.  They are very bright and colorful and have been
successful.  They are free to use.  Some areas have even had them made
into large highway billboards.  Large hospitals have little or no need
for them (they tend to have their own graphic departments) but small
rural hospitals have a very specific need.

In any event, I began to search out other sources for the materials and
noticed that the public libraries had bulletin board space so I wrote
the state public library director.  He graciously sent someone to meet
with us and we agreed to collaborate.  I provide them with the
following:  bulletin board materials, bookmarks, and handouts on the
topic of the month (all online for them to download and print locally).
The handouts are mostly of places to look online for health information.
There is usually available low-literacy materials as well as Spanish.
When we first sent out a letter to all the libraries and all the
hospitals, I asked for contact names in each place.  The response was
astonishing.  I am now developing a databank of available health
outreach folks in the hospitals - so that when the librarians call me, I
can give them a name and a phone number for nearby hospitals.  The
hospitals are excited at having a venue or health outreach fairs and
other related events.

I think it speaks to the best of both worlds.  The library gets a free
set of materials that they can use if they wish.  I expected to hear
from the small rural places, but I've also had a fairly steady stream of
requests from the larger library systems for the files to get the
bulletin board printed instead (something I was not expecting).

If you would like to read more about the collaborative, it can be found
online at:  http://www.gha.org/pha/library/index.asp 

Jan Potter
jpotter at gha.org 
Communications Specialist
Georgia Hospital Association
770-249-4549


-----Original Message-----
From: healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Julie McKinney
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 2:56 PM
To: healthliteracy at nifl.gov
Subject: [HealthLiteracy 1725] Wednesday question: How do you find
partners?

Hi Everyone,

Since our field is coming so far along in its use of collaborations
across professions, I'd like to address how we find partners when we
start a health literacy project or initiative.

For those in the health care, adult literacy, library, or other sector,
how do you find partners from other fields when you start a health
literacy project? 

Which fields do you seek out to collaborate with? 

How do you find local sites to partner with? 

How do you identify an effective person within a site to work with?

This is not an easy task, but it has enormous benefits to almost all
projects, and I applaud all those who are doing it so diligently! Please
share what you have learned about this!

All the best,
Julie

Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org

----------------------------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Health and Literacy mailing list
HealthLiteracy at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy
Email delivered to jpotter at gha.org
----------------------------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Health and Literacy mailing list
HealthLiteracy at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy
Email delivered to julie_mckinney at worlded.org

----------------------------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Health and Literacy mailing list
HealthLiteracy at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy
Email delivered to jpotter at gha.org