AN ALMOST PERFECT LIBRARY WEB PAGE

The only reason I wrote "almost" in the headline is that nothing is really perfect. But this hospital web page comes as close as I've seen.

The page is for the Consumer Health Library at Saint John Hospital, Leavenworth, Kansas. It starts, "If you've just received a diagnosis,want to learn more about an existing condition or treatment or just have general questions about a health issue, the Providence Saint John Consumer Health Library has resources for you." A concise statement about what the library is.

The next paragraph quickly tells who may use the library (patients, visitors, physicians and employees), the cost (free), hours (five days a week), and what resources they have (via the Internet, medical reference books, journals and health literature).

Next up is "How We Can Help" which continues with specifics on library holdings and services ("Come to the library if you want...") and specific topics ("You'll find brochures and specific information on...")

It ends with "Recommended Web Sites for General Health Information." There's even a Spanish version.

But what really caught my eye was the sidebar. Under a photo of a smiling librarian in a purple outfit is "Going the Distance" a profile of medical librarian Sarah Kirby. It reads, in part, [Kirby] "goes to great lengths to make sure library visitors get not only the information they want, but get to the services they need." It goes on to give two examples and ends with "And even those who wander in by accident often find a willing escort to where they want to go."

What more could one possibly want? Congratulations to the Saint John staff and Kirby for a superb web page!

URL: http://www.providence-health.org/sjlkscms/health/consumer_health.htm