Public health practitioners' information access and use patterns in the Maryland (USA) public health departments of Anne Arundel and Wicomico Counties.

Purpose: To increase understanding of the information needs and use of public health practitioners.

Setting: From June 2005 to May 2006, the library offered a course in public health information resources to eighteen practitioners in two counties, access to the library's licensed electronic resources through a tailored web portal, and consulting services.

Evaluation Method: We combined usage statistics from the web portal, self-report and observational data collected during training and shadowing of participants.