An information behaviour investigation of the community pharmacists in Greece for developing library and information services

Background and objectives: Community pharmacists require a constant provision of high quality information for updating their knowledge and improving their practices and skills. The development of library and information services for the pharmacists in a meaningful way should take into consideration their information behaviour and needs. This study is an investigation of the information behaviour of community pharmacists in Greece, as well as their perceptions regarding the contribution of library and information services in their future professional development. This is the only empirical investigation which has been made available regarding the information behaviour of the community pharmacists in Greece. Methods: An empirical investigation has been conducted between March and April of 2008 through the development and the distribution of a semi-structured questionnaire. The sample of the respondents consists of 92 community pharmacists from 22 pharmacy associations in Greece. Results: The community pharmacists have access to the Internet, with limited access to specialized information resources, and they are increasingly utilizing information services in their everyday practices. The pharmaceutical associations (national and local) could play a significant role as information providers and specialized hybrid libraries and information services are required in order to satisfy the current information needs of the community pharmacists. Conclusions: Meaningful library and information services depend on setting specifications relevant to the community pharmacists' information behaviour. Indeed, in the near future, structured information services may come to rescue the role of the community pharmacists and empower their irreplaceable position in serving the local communities.