Guiding Patrons to Online Health Information: Can Librarians be Found Liable?

Authors

Elaine Gibson, Schulich School of Law, Health Law Institute, Dalhousie UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2007

Keywords

Health Information, Libraries, Information Seeking, Liability, Medical Research by the Public

Abstract

The amount of health information available on the Internet is growing rapidly and information intermediaries are increasingly being asked to help information seekers find and make sense of this information. This activity is for the most part benign from a legal perspective. However, there is a small possibility that, should the intermediary steer an information seeker to information that proves harmful to the seeker, the intermediary may be found liable for injuries incurred. In this paper, we examine the theoretical underpinnings of the relevant laws, clarify the risks, and recommend ways to minimize risk.

Comments

Also available via NovaNet at https://dal.novanet.ca/permalink/01NOVA_DAL/1nek75v/alma9970502860807190.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Elaine Gibson, "Guiding Patrons to Online Health Information: Can Librarians be Found Liable?" (2007) 31:2 Can J Information & Library Science 179.