Integrating information literacy into the education of public health professionals: roles for librarians and the library

Objective: The paper reviews the core competencies for public health professionals presented in the Institute of Medicineʹs (IOMʹs) report, Who Will Keep the Public Healthy: Educating Public Health Professionals for the 21st Century; describes improving information literacy (IL) as a mechanism for integrating the core competencies in public health education; and showcases IL as an opportunity for solidifying partnerships between academic librarians and public health educators. Methods: The IOM competencies, along with explicit examples of library support from a literature review of current IL trends in the health sciences, are analyzed. Results: Librarians can play a fundamental role in implementing the IOMʹs core competencies in shaping public health education for the twenty-first century. A partnership between public health educators and librarians through a transdisciplinary approach is recommended. Conclusions: IL skills and competencies integrated into public health curricula through a collaborative partnership between public health educators and librarians can help integrate the IOMʹs core competencies and improve public health education.