The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has awarded OCLC a grant to continue work helping libraries support health information initiatives in their communities.
In July 2013, OCLC received an IMLS grant to increase libraries' ability to respond to customer health information needs, launching the ‘Health Happens in Libraries ‘program. IMLS is supporting an expansion of that effort with a $199,050 grant to OCLC. OCLC and its partner, ZeroDivide, will develop additional resources for individual libraries to highlight ways they can lead or support health initiatives.
As a part of ‘Health Happens in Libraries,’ OCLC provided a variety of Affordable Care Act-related resources and training for library staff through WebJunction, the flagship public library program, and created a website that served as a base for a community of best practice for interested librarians. An evaluation of the project found that the activities increased library staff awareness, bolstered confidence in librarians' ability to respond to customers' questions, increased levels of preparedness, and enhanced libraries' existing community partnerships.
With the new funding, OCLC will magnify the role of public libraries as key contributors to community health efforts, especially to reach individuals who have limited access to reliable health information.
The project also will help library staff form community partnerships to increase health-related access and services. Specifically, OCLC will create guides, or ‘health competency pathways,’ to help library staff advance health topic areas within their local communities; provide targeted support for individual public libraries to help them build relationships with local health-related organisations; promote engagement models by sharing print and multi-media case studies; and create communications tools including an infographic, audio and video interviews, and a communications guide to share relevant health information with public libraries nationwide.
