Searching for Health Information on the Internet

Ever get lost surfing the Web? Hours go by and you're not sure which site you're on and why you're not finding the health information you need. Medical libraries from the Planetree Health Library conduct a hands-on workshop featuring the best of reliable, non-commercial Web sites. Learn about valuable and trustworthy sites from the National Institutes of Health and national Library of Medicine, as well as techniques for finding, personally relevant health and medical information.

This workshop will take place in a computer lab. You should know how to use an Internet browser and operate a mouse. The workshop focuses on information retrieval and not on computer skills.

Candace Ford has directed one of the oldest and largest consumer health libraries in the U.S. since 1987. She received her MLIS from UC Berkeley and has also worked in corporate hospital and public libraries. Ford co-authored the chapter Informing and Empowering Diverse Populations for the upcoming second edition of the national Planetree textbook, Putting Patients First.

Hillary Farkas, received her MLS from San José State University and has worked in all areas of medical librarianship since 1988. She works as a medical librarian at Stanford University Medical Center and the school of Medicine and has been with Planetree since 1990.

Gloria Singer, Osher member, holds an MLS degree from San José State University and worked as a reference librarian for the San José Public Library since 1988. She is a Planetree Health Library volunteer.