Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Lessons Learned After A Disaster: Investigations Of Public Librarians’ Health Information Services To The Community And Community Members’ Information Needs Following A Catastrophic Flood, Feili Tu-Keefner, Jingjing Liu, Darin Freeburg, Elizabeth Hartnett, Denise Lyons, Mike Corbo, April Hobbs

Faculty Publications

In times of crisis, public libraries, in addition to health, fire, and police departments, are community outreach centers and sources of credible information. In October 2015, several counties in the state of South Carolina in the United States of America experienced catastrophic flooding that caused severe damage. Situation-specific research was conducted to investigate public libraries’ value to their communities in providing critical information services, as well as the libraries’ legitimacy as partners of public health agencies. The research framework is one recommended by public health experts for risk communication preparedness and implementation during pandemic influenza. In 2015, a case study …