International Journal of Academic Library and Information Science

Vol. 9(6), pp. 319-324. June, 2021. 

ISSN: 2360-7858

DOI: 10.14662/IJALIS2021.240

 

Full Length Research

 

Health Information Literacy in the Era of Covid-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Medical Librarians.

 

1Lucky Oghenetega Urhiewhu and 2Dr. Basil O. Edom

 

1University Library, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo City, Ondo Sate, Nigeria.  

Corresponding author’s E-mail: tega4real06@gmail.com  

2Department of Library and Information Science, Imo state University, Owerri

 

Accepted 17 June 2021

Abstract

This paper examined the roles of medical librarians in providing health information literacy in the era of Covid-19 pandemic. The aims of this paper are to know whether COVID 19 pandemic is a reality or myth? Due to differences in age, living habits, and knowledge backgrounds, obvious gaps between digital immigrants and digital natives regarding health information perception, application, motivation, technical ability, and information literacy have been discovered. Therefore, health information literacy is a hallmark to good health. Health information literacy is the ability of users to identify, how to locate the sources of information and how to apply it for decision making or solve health problems. In this period of COVID -19 pandemic, health information literacy is very important to the society. The ability of someone to know how to take guideline measures for the prevention of this deadly disease or the best way to go about its treatment is health information literacy. It has been observed that many Nigerians are not obeying the guidelines of COVID -19, let alone the best way to go about its treatment. Therefore, librarians being in the fore front of information providers, play very important roles in the provision of health information. In this period of COVID-19 pandemic, health information literacy is very important to the society. The ability of someone to know how to take guideline measures for the prevention of this deadly disease or the best way to go about its treatment is health information literacy. The paper covered concept of information, healthy information, and health information literacy as well as factors hiding access to information during COVID -19, types of literacy and finally roles of medical librarians in disseminating health information in the COVID 19 era were properly covered. The paper therefore concludes that COVID -19 is a reality, but if we take the preventive measures on information literacy knowledge, the virus/disease will not closed to us.

 

Keywords: Health Literacy, Information, Covid-19 Pandemic, Information Literacy and Medical Librarians

 

Cite This Article As: Urhiewhu, L.O., Edom, B.O (2021). Health Literacy in the Era of Covid-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Medical Librarians. Inter. J. Acad. Lib. Info. Sci. 9(6): 319-324