Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Nine Conversations that Matter to Health Sciences Librarians with Jessica Pettitt

Conversations that Matter includes both internal and external dialogues about our similarities and our differences. Each webinar will showcase examples across various subordinated and marginalized inter-sectional identities as well as give us all time to reflect, organize, and do our own work in claiming responsibility for our privileges and full lived experiences. Save the dates below!

August 21, 2019 Unconscious Bias: Perceptions of Self & Others

October 16, 2019 Being a Better Ally to All

November 13, 2019 Working Across Difference: Making Better Connections

January 22, 2020 That’s Not Funny! Or is it?

March 18, 2020 Knowing what you don’t know: Medical Micro-aggressions

May 13, 2020 I am ... Safe Zones: Sticks and Stones LGBTQA 101

July 15, 2020 I am ... Safe Zone: Gender This!

August 12, 2020 I am ... Safe Zone: Messages I Learned

The Game of Health

The Game of Health was developed to provide public libraries with a fun interactive game to introduce patrons to trusted health information resources. Health care is a team effort, and the best way to get the best care possible is to be an active member of your health care team. Patrons will go through five steps of the game to learn ways to prepare, engage, and research health-related information.

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination in employment, transportation, public accommodations, commercial facilities, telecommunications, and state and local government services.

The act paved the way for increased intersection in society for people with disabilities, whether seen or unseen, and fostered access to places and services, which improved the quality of life for all of us.

Celebrate this anniversary by selecting one of the NNLM Reading Club books for your library. Download discussion questions, promotional materials, and corresponding health information, or apply for a free NNLM Reading Club Book kit here. 

This developing movement, supported by nonprofit groups, entrepreneurs, libraries and community fund-raising, is redefining the borders of traditional neighborhood public libraries by creating literary spaces in places where children find themselves with time on their hands. It is bringing the book to the child, instead of the child to the book. Read more here!

All of Us Research Bus Visits Cincinnati to Promote Precision Medicine

The All of Us Journey mobile exhibit visited the University of Cincinnati (UC) medical campus and the Price Hill Recreation Center on June 21st and June 22nd. During the two-day visit, 112 people boarded the bus and 60 people enrolled in the All of Us Research Program.

Dr. Tiffany Grant, UC Libraries’ Assistant Director for Research and Informatics, worked in collaboration with the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine to orchestrate the All of Us Journey’s visit to Cincinnati. Don Jason, Health Informationist for UC Libraries, served as a site coordinator during the mobile unit’s visit. Sharon Purtee, Outreach Librarian for UC Libraries, staffed a health information table. She engaged the public, promoted National Library of Medicine resources and complemented the efforts of the All of Us Journey. Read more!

How Librarians Can Energize Their Patrons to Advance Science

Citizen science is at the intersection of public participation, technology, and existing research projects,” said Alicia Lillich, emerging technologies specialist at the National Institutes of Health Library in Bethesda, Maryland, at “Citizen Science in Libraries,” a session of the American Library Association’s 2019 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. June 24. The session was sponsored by the Association of Specialized, Government, and Cooperative Library Agencies. “The four distinguishing features of these projects are that anyone can participate, all participants use the same protocols, the data retrieved helps scientists come to real conclusions, and a wide community of people share the data for the advancement of science and the public benefit.” Read the full article here. 

Louisville Free Public Library Receives $100,000 Health Education Grant

The Greater Midwest Region of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) has announced the Louisville Free Public Library as an award recipient of the 2019-2020 NNLM All of Us Ambassador Program. Funding for this program is the result of a partnership between the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and All of Us, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research program that seeks to enroll one million or more people living in the United States to accelerate breakthroughs in precision medicine and advance treatment and prevention. Read the full announcement here. 

During the seminar, information was shared on NNLM's partnership with the NIH All of Us Research Program as well as the NNLM Community Engagement Center, its goals and the support it provides to public libraries. A regional sharing session among participants ensued where each individual shared their library's current approach to providing health information services and programs to their community along with their future hopes and goals for doing so. It was a wonderful opportunity to share ideas, information and resources in support of each other's efforts. While on campus, participants enjoyed a quick tour of the National Library of Medicine.

An afternoon session was held in which program-in-a-box ideas in support of a National Health Observance (NHO) were brainstormed. Participants chose the NHO they wanted to focus on and, in doing so, had an opportunity to interact with library staff from across the United States. The NNLM Community Engagement Center plans to build out the program-in-a-box ideas shared at the seminar so interested library staff can offer them to their communities.

Welcome Christian Minter as the new CHIS Trainer for the NNLM MCR

Christian Minter is a part-time CHIS Trainer for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, MidContinental Region.

 In this role, she will teach online and in-person consumer health information classes. Her goal is to equip public library staff to provide health information to their communities, encourage continued engagement with NNLM, and increase the number of public library staff in the region who achieve CHIS certification.

Christian is also the Community Engagement and Health Literacy Librarian at University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. No stranger to NNLM, she previously worked as an Education Coordinator for MCR.

Christian received a BA in Biblical Studies from Washington Bible College and an MS in Library and Information Science from The Catholic University of America. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health at University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Christian looks forward to working with NNLM again, and she is always happy to collaborate on classes and projects.