Information needs of public health students

Abstract

Background: The number of public health degrees and programmes is growing rapidly. This means that a diverse and multidisciplinary group of students are in need of expert library services to navigate the complicated world of public health information.

Objective: To better understand the information needs of public health students, a group that has not previously been studied in the information needs literature.

Methods: An online survey.

Results: Of the 153 students, 38 responded (25% response rate). Their responses indicated a strong need for more tailored library instruction sessions at the point of need as opposed to general stand-alone sessions offered at the beginning of a term. It was also found that many students were unaware of public health specific resources available that could greatly aid them in their information needs. Suggestions were made on how to improve the library subject guide, specifically in the areas of more instructions related to locating hard to find resources (e.g. statistics, grey literature), and direct linking to resources (e.g. databases and relevant articles).

Conclusion: The information needs of public health students are diverse and complex. It is imperative that the library has a solid understanding of their needs and is able to offer them targeted and relevant library services.

Keywords: Canada; health; information literacy; information seeking behaviour; library services; public health; students;[#63]?>; surveys.