From Google to MedlinePlus: The wide range of authoritative health information provision in public libraries

• Visits to 73 public libraries in 3 states revealed a wide variation in the quality of health reference service.
• There was no standardization on handling health queries across library visits.
• Referrals to electronic resources were more likely to result in authoritative medical information.
• Most of the time, print materials did not credibly address the reference question that was posed.

Public library staff throughout the United States are providing assistance on a variety of health topics. To better understand health information provision in this setting, unobtrusive visits were completed in a total of 73 randomly selected sites in three different states. The query, “Do vaccines cause autism?” was posed to library staff. In 59% of encounters, material provided did not answer the question. In more than half of visits, public library staff referred to the libraries' print collections, and 69% of the time when print was provided it did not answer the question or it addressed the question with information contradictory to prevailing medical evidence. Referral was made to electronic resources in a quarter of visits, with answers ranging from “Just Google it” to “MedlinePlus is my favorite go-to”. When staff referred to or used electronic resources, authoritative medical information on the topic was supplied 79% of the time. It appears that there was no standardization on handling health queries in most libraries that were visited. Given public libraries are trusted institutions providing community access to health information, it is imperative that staff are using appropriate health information tools which are readily and freely available.