Past Funded Projects

Graphic medicine, or the overlap of comics and healthcare, has emerged over the past decade from a once small, sporadically discussed idea to a burgeoning field of study and subgenre in its own right. For librarians, the growth of the field - which includes a National Library of Medicine exhibit, "Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived and Well Drawn!" - presents numerous opportunities, ranging from reinvigorating interest in physical collections to interactive programming.

Reach Up, Inc. will host its 5th annual health fair in partnership with the Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale on June 22, 2019. Organizations from the local community who provide health information and services will be invited to participate as the goal of the health fair is to involve the entire community. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about MedlinePlus and NIH Environmental Health Sciences from the National Library of Medicine through informational sessions held during the health fair.

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine NNLM Community Engagement Center CEC has been funded for $71,240 to establish the infrastructure of the NNLM Community Engagement Network CEN. This project would set the NNLM CEN up to effectively move from a pilot project to a sustainable, evidencebased national model with the infrastructure needed to support the goals of the NNLM National Program NP and the Research Program 71. The NNLM CEN is at a critical juncture where community engagement and outreach models and expectations can be standardized based on previous experience.

The NNLM Community Engagement Center CEC has been awarded $92,175 to develop and implement a pilot Consumer Health Community of Practice1 CoP in partnership with an external partner. This CoP will pilot modes and manners of community engaged learning and practice to ultimately positively impact health literacy through health, wellness and the Research Program 71.

Libraries Without Borders is being funded by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Pacific Southwest Region for $19,723 to develop phase 1 of the Wash & Learn Initiative-Health WALI-Health National Model. This project will create a national model to guide the Libraries Without Borders WALI-Health program, which delivers library services and programs in laundromats.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC Health Sciences Library HSL, part of the University Libraries, will implement a training program for library staff, students, and the public using and adapting the NNLM Engage for Health curriculum, and the Middle Atlantic Region of NNLMs class, entitled, Patient Empowerment: Using Health Information Resources to Improve Health Communication.

The NNLM Community Engagement Center CEC has been awarded an amount of $181,857 to pilot a human genetics program-in-a-kit film series, in cooperation with the Iowa Institute of Human Genetics IIHG, for public libraries. The NNLM will send approximately 250 film kits to small and 95 libraries, in cooperation with the Association of 95 and Small Libraries ARSL and the Public Libraries Association PLA. The purpose of this activity is to educate the public about human genetics, raise awareness of the NIH Research Program 71 and encourage public libraries to become members of NNLM.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC Health Sciences Library HSL, part of the University Libraries, will implement a training program for library staff, students, and the public using and adapting the NNLM Engage for Health curriculum, and the Middle Atlantic Region of NNLMs class, entitled, Patient Empowerment: Using Health Information Resources to Improve Health Communication.

The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine WVSOM James R. Stookey Library, and the WVSOM Center for 95 and Community Health CRCH, are collaborating to provide health information to the public at libraries in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Greenbrier County is a 95 county in West Virginia with 35,287 population, according to the United States Census Bureau in 2017. Greenbrier County is the second largest county in West Virginia, with 1,021 square miles. Within Greenbrier County there are six public libraries, all serve 95 populations.

The Healthy Communities in Fulton County, Illinois HCFCI project is a collaboration between the University of Illinois at Chicagos Library of the Health Sciences in Peoria UIC LHSP, the Western Illinois Universitys School of Nursing WIU SON, and public libraries in Fulton County. In this project, librarians, nursing professors, and nursing students will work with public libraries to provide health fairs for the public.

Engagement of diverse populations in clinical research studies is crucial for ensuring that the needs of these groups are represented in scientific outcomes. Members of minority groups participate in research studies at much lower rates than white individuals Colon-Otero, 2008. These disparities in research participation can exacerbate already existing racial/ethnic differences in health outcomes Smedley, 2002.

The Dementia & Research Awareness project embodies the NNLM Public Library Partnership Award mission in two vital ways. One, by focusing on one group of underserved individuals that libraries are just beginning to serve those living with dementia and their care partners the project promotes the use of public libraries to support community health information needs through the use of National Library of Medicine and other quality health education resources.

This project builds upon the recent successful collaboration between the Albany Medical Colleges Schaffer Library of Health Sciences SLHS, the Division of Community Outreach and Medical Education DivCOME and local public libraries and community based organizations. SLHS and DivCOME will jointly create and promote educational videos focused on the collection and evaluation of health information and patient-provider communication.

In public libraries, Black Girls with Green Thumbs @blackgirlswithgreenthumbs will host a series of community workshops centered on gardening, nutrition, and plant-based cooking. The adaptation of their typical programming for public library audiences in 98 and 97 neighborhoods in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties will be largely influenced by timing. Rather than starting the workshop series with the development of a garden, they will end the programs with the development of a Spring/Summer garden.