Although it does not provide informational resources of its own, by selecting and cataloguing the best Canadian health-related resources available on the Internet, CHN tailors its content to its target audience of consumers. In addition, public libraries have generally responded on several levels to this change in community interest. The attitude has changed from that of providing minimal information, and only upon request, to one of professional responsibility to supply medical information to the best of one s ability. Traditional in-person and email reference service are available. Public access terminals allow Internet searches.
Homepages have links to reputable information pages.
Electronic database packages come with consumer health information content. Outreach services to outlying areas have expanded to include faxing and mailing of books as well as traditional bookmobile service. Another significant source of health information provision is the community network. Many such examples exist, for instance the Victoria Freenet and the Sea to Sky Communities Network. Typically, the three top areas of information that community networks provide are education, government, and health.