ABSTRACT
Finding reliable, up-to-date health information is critical for all of us, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage on (at the time of this writing). There are a tremendous number of websites offering health information, however it can be hard to distinguish quality, evidence-based, unbiased sites from others backed by special interests or promoting particular treatments or points-of-view. As our students, campus community, family members, and friends seek good information on any number of health topics, we, as information professionals, need to be sure we refer them to the best sources. The websites reviewed in this column provide a variety of health information. Sites range from explanations of diseases, conditions, and treatments to medications, children’s health, and how to talk to your doctor. These websites are geared to the general public, not health professionals. They are provided by government agencies like the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, and by highly regarded medical providers and nonprofits. © 2020 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
ABSTRACT
Because of the global COVID-19 pandemic during the spring of 2020, colleges and universities found themselves rapidly moving all courses to online modalities, a format that many instructors were not experienced in or comfortable with. Academic librarians were called upon to help support faculty in this sudden transition, as well as migrating their own library services and instruction online. For many, it felt like a mad scramble to find best practices for online teaching, or even just “good-enough” practices, as well as specific tools that instructional faculty and librarians could utilize to keep their students engaged and learning during such a trying time. At the time of this writing, some universities have announced that they will continue to hold most, if not all, courses online in the fall 2020 term. Resources to support online teaching are critical now, and they will continue to be important going forward even after the global pandemic subsides. The reviews in this column cover a variety of online instructional tools and instructional support sites. The resources reviewed range from providing best practices for online pedagogy, creating engaging formative assessment tools, developing video discussion boards, creating interactive images, using virtual bulletin boards for student collaboration, and ensuring online content meets accessibility requirements. These resources will be useful for librarians and instructional faculty as they continue to teach in the online environment. © 2020 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.