Health Information Seeking Behavior among the Users of Public Libraries in Isfahan City, Iran

Investigating the health information seeking behavior of users can help librarians to provide appropriate services, and help public libraries to make effective decisions and plans. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the health information seeking behavior of among the users of public libraries in Isfahan City, Iran.

In this research with survey method, the statistical population included 6657 users of public libraries in Isfahan City, and the sample size was calculated as 377. The sampling was performed using stratified random sampling method. Data collection tools included a researcher-made Health Information Seeking Behavior questionnaire. The validity of questionnaire was verified by experts in the field of medical library and information science, and its reliability was calculated by Cronbach’s alpha as 0.87. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics via SPSS software.

Frequency distribution of health information searches and time spent on searching for health information in each search showed that most of the users searched for health information once a month, and each time they spent 15-30 minutes for health information searches. Moreover, the mean score of components of health information seeking behavior among users showed that the highest mean related to the purposefulness of health information search (63.1 out of 100) and the lowest was of the diversity of health information sources (45.71 out of 100).

Public library users do not spend much time on searching for health information. They search for health information based on the various goals and issues they are facing and conduct targeted searches. Moreover, they do not care much about the resources of health information they need.</div>