Community engagement of public libraries for ensuring tribal women’s health literacy in Bangladesh

Abstract

Public libraries can play dual roles as knowledge centres and community hubs for societies. They can provide easy ways to reach out to the community by engaging the community through a number of initiatives, including health literacy. The main aim of this study is to investigate public libraries’ responses and willingness in providing health information services to tribal communities. Data was collected from 11 library professionals using a structured interview method and 276 tribal women through a survey. The data was then analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings show that most of the participating libraries (72.8%) did not provide any specific service for tribal-community engagement, although all of them were very positive in initiating it. On the other hand, the majority of the tribal women were interested in getting health-related information from public libraries. ‘Community engagement for health literacy’ could be a new formula for tribal communities in this regard.

Keywords

Public library tribal community community outreach health information literacy Bangladesh

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abu

Carroll

Grace

(2011) The role of the rural public library in community development and empowerment. International Journal of the Book 8(2): 63–74.

Ahmed

SMZ

Roknuzzaman

(2022) Community development through public library movement in Bangladesh. Information Science and Library Management: Exploring New Horizons for Building a Knowledge-Based Society. Dhaka: Department of Information Science and Library Management, University of Dhaka, 120–148.

Alpi

Bibel

(2004) Meeting the health information needs of diverse populations. Library Trends 53(2): 268–282.

Atikuzzaman

Yesmin

Abdul Karim

2023 Measuring health information literacy in everyday life: A survey among tribal women in a developing country. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication. Epub ahead of print 23 March 2023. DOI: 10.1108/GKMC-09-2022-0224

Baba

Abrizah

(2018) Transformation strategies in community engagement: Selected initiatives by Malaysian libraries. IFLA Journal 44(2): 90–105.

Barkat

Halim

Poddar

, et al. (2009) Socio-economic baseline survey of Chittagong Hill Tracts. Dhaka: United Nations Development Programme. Available at: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.hdrc-bd.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/6.-Socio-economic-Baseline-Survey-of-Chittagong-Hill-Tracts.pdf

Barr-Walker

(2016) Health literacy and libraries: A literature review. Reference Services Review 44(2): 191–205.

Begum

Roknuzzaman

Shobhanee

(2022) Public libraries’ responses to a global pandemic: Bangladesh perspectives. IFLA Journal 48(1): 174–188.

Bibel

(2008) Public libraries and health literacy. In: M Kars L Baker and F L Wilson (Eds) The Medical Library Association guide to health literacy. New York NY: NealSchuman Publishers, pp. 197–208.

10.

Binks

Braithwaite

Hogarth

, et al. (2014) Tomorrow’s green public library. Australian Library Journal 63(4): 301–312.

11.

Burnham

Peterson

(2005) Health information literacy: A library case study. Library Trends 53(3): 422–433.

12.

Cheunwattana

(1999) Delivering and promoting library services in rural Thailand. In: 65th IFLA Council and General Conference, Bangkok, Thailand.

13.

Chowdhury

(2002) Building lasting peace: issues of the implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord. ACDIS Occasional Paper. Available at: https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/items/250

14.

Chowdhury

Poulter

McMenemy

(2006) Public library 2.0. Online Information Review 30(4): 454–460.

15.

Chowdhury

Islam

(2011) The information literacy education readiness of Central Public Library (CPL) in Dhaka of Bangladesh. International Journal of Information Science and Management 9(2): 23–44.

16.

Corrarino

(2013) Health literacy and women’s health: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health 58(3): 257–264.

17.

Daily Star (2008) Indigenous people of Bangladesh. Available at: https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-46025 (accessed 11 March 2023).

18.

Department of Public Libraries (2020) Annual report 2019–2020. Dhaka: Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c30MSpusiUpLW9qMg4CnvI70fLLMuUxR/view . (accessed 21 October 2022). (In Bangla).

19.

Department of Public Libraries (2021) Annual report 2020–2021. Dhaka: Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DtTjrtEuC5rs-zdlKPdQcJT4wqInJSUD/view (accessed 21 October 2022). (In Bangla).

20.

Directorate General of Health Services (2020) Health Bulletin 2019. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Bangladesh). Available at: https://old.dghs.gov.bd/index.php/en/publications/health-bulletin/dghs-health-bulletin

21.

Gillaspy

(2005) Factors affecting the provision of consumer health information in public libraries: The last five years. Library Trends 53(3): 480–495.

22.

Haldane

Chuah

Srivastava

, et al. (2019) Community participation in health services development, implementation, and evaluation: A systematic review of empowerment, health, community, and process outcomes. PLoS ONE 14(5): Article e0216112.

23.

Hapel

(2020) Building a contemporary public library through community engagement: A personal journey. Public Library Quarterly 39(5): 391–409.

24.

Holmes

Mannan

Dhali

, et al. (2010) Gendered risks, poverty and vulnerability in Bangladesh: Case study of the Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction programme (CFPR), Specially Targeted Ultra Poor II (STUP II). Paper, Overseas Development Institute, London, UK, October. Available at: https://cdn.odi.org/media/documents/6244.pdf

25.

Institute of Medicine (2004) Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

26.

Islam

Mezbah-ul-Islam

(2010) Community information services through public libraries in Bangladesh: Problems and proposals. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal): Article 320. Available at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/320/

27.

Jahan

(2014) Globalization and women in Bangladesh: A review of socio socio-economic and cultural impacts. Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development 5(3): 34–38.

28.

Javadzade

Sharifirad

Reisi

, et al. (2013) Health literacy among adults of Isfahan. Journal of Health System Research 9(5): 540–549.

29.

Khan

(1984) Public libraries in Bangladesh. International Library Review 16(2): 125–141.

30.

The Lancet (2015) Rural health inequities: Data and decisions. The Lancet 385(9980): 1803.

31.

Luo

(2018) Health information programming in public libraries: A content analysis. Public Library Quarterly 37(3): 233–247.

32.

Madu

Vandi

Chagwa

(2018) Availability and utilization of ICT for information retrieval by undergraduate students in Ramat Library, University of Maiduguri: A case study. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science 23(5): 35–42.

33.

Malachowski

(2014) Obamacare and the proper role of public libraries in health literacy. Computers in Libraries 34(1): 4–9.

34.

Mullah

MAS

Parveen

Ahshanullah

(2007) Tribal people and their socio-economic characteristics in Rangamati Sadar Thana. BRAC University Journal 4(1): 47–58.

35.

Naccarella

Horwood

(2020) Public libraries as health literate multi-purpose workspaces for improving health literacy. Health Promotion Journal of Australia 32(S1): 29–32.

36.

Nasir Uddin

Quaddus

Islam

(2006) Socio-economic-cultural aspects and mass information need. Library Management 27(9): 636–652.

37.

Nimsomboon

(2003) The role of public library in Thailand as the learning center for rural communities. Technical Information Access Center 1: 1–12.

38.

Orban

(2005) Health literacy: Challenges and implications for consumer health librarians. Indiana Libraries 24(3): 2–6.

39.

Palmer

(2021) Study of future public library trends and best practices. Public Library Quarterly 41(1): 83–107.

40.

Parker

Kreps

(2005) Library outreach: Overcoming health literacy challenges. Journal of the Medical Library Association 93(4 Suppl): S81–S85.

41.

Pirialam

Kazerani

Shekofteh

, et al. (2019) The importance of public libraries in education for health literacy: A case study on diabetic patients. IFLA Journal 45(3): 216–223.

42.

Ports

Ayers

Crocker

, et al. (2015) Community perceptions and utilization of a consumer health center. Journal of the Medical Library Association 103(1): 35–39.

43.

Quader

(2008) Indigenous people of Bangladesh. Daily Star, 17 July. Available at: https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-46025

44.

Real

McDermott

Bertot

, et al. (2015) Digital inclusion and the affordable care act: Public libraries, politics, policy, and enrollment in ‘Obamacare’. Public Library Quarterly 34(1): 1–22.

45.

Rogers

Robinson

(2004) The benefits of community engagement: A review of the evidence. London: Active Citizenship Centre.

46.

Roy

Promila

(2014) Quest for security, equality, equity and integration: Locus of indigenous women in Bangladesh. In: Chowdhury

(ed.) Survival under Threat: Human Rights Situation of Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh. Thailand: Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and Kapaeeng Foundation, pp. 99–118.

47.

Rubenstein

(2016) Health information and health literacy: Public library practices, challenges, and opportunities. Public Library Quarterly 35(1): 49–71.

48.

Saha

Rahman

Hafeez

, et al. (2021) Livelihood pattern and food security of tribal people in a selected area of Bangladesh. Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science 6(4): 519–527.

49.

Scott

(2011) The role of public libraries in community building. Public Library Quarterly 30(3): 191–227.

50.

Shieh

Halstead

(2009) Understanding the impact of health literacy on women’s health. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing 38(5): 601–612.

51.

Shuva

(2005) Implementing information and communication technology in public libraries of Bangladesh. International Information and Library Review 37(3): 159–168.

52.

Shuva

(2023) ‘Everybody thinks public libraries have only books’: Public library usage and settlement of Bangladeshi immigrants in Canada. Public Library Quarterly 42(3): 242–267.

53.

Sloss

Munier

(1991) Women’s health education in rural Bangladesh. Social Science and Medicine 32(8): 959–961.

54.

Sørensen

Van den Broucke

Fullam

, et al. (2012) Health literacy and public health: A systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health 12: Article 80.

55.

Sourav

MRI

(2015) Unjust land right of women in Bangladesh. International Research Journal of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies 1(3): 5–13.

56.

Tammaro

(2020) COVID 19 and libraries in Italy. International Information and Library Review 52(3): 216–220.

57.

Vassilakaki

Moniarou-Papaconstaninou

(2023) Librarians’ support in improving health literacy: A systematic literature review. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 55(2): 500–514.

58.

Werner

Thuman

Maxwell

(1993) Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook. Rev. ed. London: Macmillan.

59.

Whitney

Dutcher

Keselman

(2013) Evaluation of health information outreach: Theory, practice, and future direction. Journal of the Medical Library Association 101(2): 138–146.

60.

World Health Organization (2017) Track 2: Health literacy and health behaviour. Available at: https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/enhanced-wellbeing/seventh-global-conference/health-literacy (accessed 12 January 2023).

61.

(2014) Health literacy and health information behavior of Florida public library users: A mixed methods study. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 47(1): 17–29.