University of South Carolina

The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at the University of South Carolina will explore how library and information science research and medical library partnerships can inform lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community health workers (CHWs). The research project addresses the following questions: 1. How can the health information practices of LGBTQIA+ CHWs be described? 2. How, if at all, do their health information practices change before, during, and after CHW training? 3. How can understanding their health information practices shape the information interventions offered to them by CHW training and medical librarians? 4. What are the characteristics, barriers, and facilitators of effective medical librarian-CHW partnerships in the context of LGBTQIA+ communities? CHWs are frontline public health workers who are trusted members of and/or have an unusually close understanding of the community served. Their localized knowledge results in effective health promotion, particularly among underserved communities. This project highlights a unique opportunity for medical librarians to further provide reliable health information and support by partnering with CHWs during their training to understand and address information barriers. Through these partnerships, medical libraries can engage in information interventions for health promotion within underserved LGBTQIA+ communities that experience significant health challenges.