The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region (NN/LM NER) seeks to further the mission of the NN/LM, while increasing use of National Library of Medicine (http://nlm.nih.gov) resources and services; and expanding collaboration with libraries through a Focused Health Information Outreach model. The mission of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public health by providing all U.S. health professionals equal access to biomedical information and by improving the public\u27s access to information to enable them to make informed decisions about their health.
The Focused Outreach Project connected underserved communities in Vermont with the resources and services of the National Library of Medicine. NER partnered with local libraries, public health agencies, school nurses, the state library, health education students, and community television. This year, the project transitioned to a train-the-trainer model. Project partners were identified following the Key Informant Interviews. NER staff worked with project partners to guide them through the project planning, proposal writing process, and initial NLM education. Project partners included: Vermont State Library Dana Medical Library Middlebury Community TV Vermont Agency of Education Castleton State College Heath Education Department Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital Medical Library Vermont School Nurse Health Information Access Project
Pre and post-evaluations showed that as a result of this project: 92 consumers learned about MedlinePlus 220 health information providers learned about MedlinePlus 325 visitors at exhibits/health fairs learned more about the National Library of Medicine
Consumer post-evaluations showed that 79% reported that the trainings improved their ability to find information they could trust on the internetl: 64%were likely to use MedlinePlus in the future. Provider post-evaluations showed that 97% said the class improved their ability to find information they could trust on the internet; 100% were likely to use MedlinePlus in the future; and 62% were very likely to tell others about the NLM resources they learned
