NNLM Reading Club: Public Health
Vaccinations and Immunizations
Every year, between 50,000 and 90,000 adults who live in the United States die from infectious diseases or their complications. Fortunately, people can survive deadly infectious diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, and polio if they are vaccinated.
Fact Sheets
- HPV Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness
- Our Best Shot: The Truth About Vaccines for You and Your Loved Ones
- Vaccines and Children
- Vaccines and Older Adults
Videos and Infographics
- Vaccines are your best shot!
- Don't Wait. Vaccinate!
- Looking for trusted information about vaccinating your child?
- Public Service Announcements (PSAs)
- Measles: It Isn’t Just a Little Rash Infographic English and Español
There's an NIH for that .... and more
- The National Institute for Allergies and Immunization Diseases (NIAID) is the leading research agency for research, treatment and prevention of infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.
- The National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) encourages the use of its educational resources and promotional materials to help supplement vaccine conversations and outreach with parents, pregnant women, and adults, as well as healthcare professionals.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the United States national health agency responsible for securing global health, ensuring domestic preparedness, eliminating disease, and ending epidemics.
- Vaccines.gov offers reliable, easy-to-understand information from the federal government on vaccines, immunizations, and vaccine-preventable diseases. Use this CDC website to see how vaccines are developed, approved, and monitored or to find vaccines by disease
Library Programming
The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) promotes vaccines during National Immunization Awareness Month in November. But don't wait! Help remind family, friends, and coworkers to stay up to date on their shots throughout the year. Consider using resources and program suggestions from the NNLM.
Citizen Science
Science Friday has teamed up with Flu Near You to recruit a national team of everyday citizens, you, to build a real-time map of the rise and fall of influenza-like-illness in the United States. It’s as simple as reporting how you feel each week.
Video Discussion
Watch and discuss the PBS NOVA series, Vaccines - Calling the Shots, which takes viewers around the world to track epidemics, explore the science behind vaccinations, hear from parents wrestling with vaccine-related questions, and shed light on the risks of opting out.
NLM Exhibition Program
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Exhibition Program produces lively and informative exhibitions that enhance awareness of and appreciation for the health information resources of the National Library of Medicine. These exhibitions and supportive educational resources engage diverse audiences and explore a variety of topics in the history of medicine.
NLM circulates the collection of traveling banner exhibitions free of charge to public, university, and medical libraries, as well as cultural centers across the country for a select period of time. However, the exhibitions and educational resources also are made available online as part of a permanent digital gallery collection. You can view, discuss, and learn anytime.
- Rashes to Research: Scientists and Parents Confront the 1964 Rubella Epidemic
- Politics of Yellow Fever in Alexander Hamilton's America Traveling Exhibit
Vaccine Finder
Young Readers
Help young readers delve into the biology and mechanisms of infections, diseases, and immunity.
Science Comics: Plagues: The Microscopic Battlefield | Falynn Koch | Macmillan | 128 pages | ISBN: 978-1626727526 | Grade Level 4-8
Baby Medical School: Vaccines | Margot Alesund | CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform | 2017 | 30 pages | ISBN: 978-1978106819 | Grade Level 1-2
Workshop Kit
Our Best Shot: Workshop Kit is designed for community leaders hosting workshops for seniors and their caregivers on the basics of vaccination. The “soup-to-nuts” kit covers how vaccines work, common vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine safety and efficacy, the vaccine schedule for adults 60-64 and 65+, and where and how to get vaccinated. A quiz is designed for participants to use during the workshop as a discussion tool. Consider asking a public health nurse to administer the influenza vaccination.
Library Skills Training
The Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) provides in-person and online instruction. Live webinars often are recorded for future viewing. Check the NNLM Training page for a complete list of programs and schedules.
Webinar Information: Connecting Communities to Vaccine Information and Resources