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United States National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health

Fact Sheet
Outreach Programs


The National Library of Medicine has a broad mandate not only to collect and organize the literature of the health sciences and to provide information services, but also to "develop an outreach program aimed at... [and to] publicize the availability of [its] products and services...." An advisory panel on outreach, established by the NLM Board of Regents in 1988, recommended that NLM rebuild its partnership with the U.S. medical library network (the National Network of Libraries of Medicine® (NN/LM®)), redirect its grants program to emphasize outreach, and investigate how best to serve U.S. health information needs. In May 1999, the Library's Board of Regents passed a resolution calling for the NLM to serve the general public as well as the health professions.

Library Network

NLM conducts much of its outreach in partnership with other libraries and community organizations across the nation. NLM supports many of its health information outreach projects through the NN/LM program. Working under 5-year contracts with NLM, eight regional medical libraries (RMLs) coordinate NN/LM outreach at local, state and regional levels. Each RML is responsible for identifying and responding to health information needs among the health professionals and general public within its region. Special attention is given to the needs of minority and other underserved populations as well as health professionals practicing in rural and inner city communities and health professionals unaffiliated with an institution maintaining a health sciences library. The RMLs also focus on outreach to public health and public library personnel. RML staff travel across the regions demonstrating MEDLINE®, MedlinePlus®, PubMed®  and other NLM resources for health professionals and the general public. The RMLs fund numerous outreach projects and other awards to Network member libraries and community organizations.

Underserved/Minority Populations

Health professionals serving minority populations have a special set of problems in accessing information. NLM has geared a variety of outreach initiatives to these communities in the belief that direct access to NLM's databases can help compensate for the absence of other health resources. Many outreach projects have a minority focus. For example:

NLM has collaborated with Meharry Medical College (Nashville, Tenn.) to develop and put in place an innovative outreach demonstration project for access to electronic information for health care practitioners, including family practice residents and their preceptors, who are located in professionally isolated settings.

Another initiative is aimed at strengthening the capacity of historically black colleges and universities to train medical and other health professionals in the use of toxicological, environmental, and occupational information resources developed at NLM. Some 80 institutions are participating and have received extensive training and free database access.

The Library has an Outreach for Native Americans Project in the Pacific Northwest conducted through the Regional Medical Library for that area. The project is connecting tribal educational and health facilities to the Internet and thus reducing the isolation from quality health information and health care of this vulnerable population.

Publicity

Publicity activities, such as exhibits and seminars at professional meetings, online demonstrations, and public service announcements, are carried out by the NLM.

More information about NLM's outreach program is available from:
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Library of Medicine
Bethesda, MD 20894
Telephone: 301-496-6308
Internet: publicinfo@nlm.nih.gov


A complete list of NLM Fact Sheets is available at:
(alphabetical list) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/factsheets.html
(subject list): http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/factsubj.html

Or write to:

FACT SHEETS
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20894

Phone: (301) 496-6308
Fax: (301) 496-4450
email: publicinfo@nlm.nih.gov


For more information about NLM programs, contact the Office of Communications and Public Liaison (see address above); E-mail: publicinfo@nlm.nih.gov. World-Wide Web site: http://www.nlm.nih.gov

Last reviewed: 26 February 2007
Last updated: 26 February 2007
First published: 25 September 2001
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