National Medical Librarians Month
Greater Midwest Region Featured Projects 2011
Munson Digital Archive Project
Department of Library Services
Munson Healthcare, Traverse City, MI
Project Director: Barbara Platts
The Department of Library Services at Munson Healthcare has responsibility for the health systems' archives. These paper-based materials are stored in archival boxes and organized by year of publication without index or shelf list. The Munson Digital Archive Project had been on the wish list for five years; it is appropriate that the library lead this initiative - plus this is an opportunity to enhance our value within the organization. The purpose of this project is to digitize the archive collection using Past Perfect Software Solutions, an online collection management system.
Utilizing Past Perfect Software Solutions provides local control of a searchable database comprised of scanned documents, photographs and multi-media objects, including video, audio and sound files. Every other week, eight hours of professional library staff time is devoted to this project. A large portion of the project time was spent reviewing the archive collection to assess the overall scope of the content and the physical integrity of each item. This was done by individually reviewing and assessing twelve boxes filled with file folders. Concurrently, as each file folder was reviewed, a subject outline/shelf list was developed in order to identify what contents were housed in each box.
Eighty-one data sets had been created and entered into the Past Perfect software by the official end date of the project. The staffing model of 16 hours per month will continue, with additional staffing to be added as finances permit. We have many long-term leaders within the organization that possess valuable historical documents and wish to have these documents included in the archives. Obtaining the funds through this Technology Improvement Award has helped the Department of Library Services jump start this important digital project.
Touch Technology Multilingual Health Information
Asian Health Coalition, Chicago, IL
Project Director: Celine Woznica
Partners:
The mission of the Asian Health Coalition (AHC) is to improve the health and well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Illinois through advocacy, technical assistance, education and community-based research. The goal of the Touch Technology Multi-lingual Health Information Project is to make available vital health information that is culturally competent, linguistically appropriate and easily accessible to Chicago's limited English-speaking immigrant and refugee populations. This is accomplished by placing general information on various health and safety issues, as well as specific information on current AHC programs, on easy-to-use and portable Tablets.
This pilot project involved a partnership among AHC, a librarian from the University of Illinois at Chicago Library of Health Sciences and four community-based organizations that provide services to Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cambodian populations in Chicago. Under the guidance of the medical librarian, six newly purchased Tablets were uploaded with over 275 documents in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Khmer. This multi-lingual, multi-format health education material from reliable Internet sites such as MedlinePlus® and Healthy Roads Media was uploaded using a Joomla content management system. The material was organized by languages and according to type (pdf, multi-media, etc.). Through the content management system, all six tablets can be synchronized through an Internet connection. Any agency may upload documents that it finds useful and, after connecting to the Internet, the documents become available to other agencies.
The training of the staff and community health workers from the partnering agencies included a focus on the evaluation of health education material available on the Internet. Quarterly meetings during which the staff members brought their tablets also allowed for a lively exchange of ideas and good websites. Going forward, a project intern with time dedicated to the research, evaluation, uploading, and organizing multi-lingual health education material onto the tablets is needed as well as promotion of the use of the tablet to upper agency management to assure broader understanding of its capability.
Assessing Mental Health Information Needs of Clergy of Portage County
Oliver Ocasek Regional Information Center
Northeast Ohio Medical University (formerly NEOUCOM - Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine & Pharmacy)
Project Director: Beth Layton
Partner: Best Practices in Schizophrenia Treatment (BeST) Center
This project was a collaboration of the library at the Northeast Ohio Medical University and the Best Practices in Schizophrenia Treatment Center (BeST Center). Project co-coordinators from both units and the Researcher and Reference Librarian served on the research team. The mission of the BeST Center is to promote recovery and improve the lives of individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders as quickly as possible by accelerating the use and dissemination of effective treatments and best practices. BeST staff has met with over 50 mental health partners from Northeast Ohio, but has had limited success in engaging clergy. The research team assessed the mental health information needs of clergy of Portage County, Ohio, by identifying 144 houses of worship and a representative sample of clergy. The eighteen item survey designed by librarians and researchers used both qualitative and quantitative questions to gather information about frequency of need for mental health information, preparedness to provide mental health information and awareness of available resources.
The survey analysis shows that most clergy are interested in learning about mental health information, often encountering parishioners with a wide range of personal problems varying from alcohol or substance use to depression or marital problems. Clergy often use health care providers, co-workers, doctors, friends, as well as the Internet and books to find mental health information. However, many struggle with locating appropriate mental health information and particularly with identifying mental health professionals. Several felt unprepared to provide mental health information because they lacked training and knowledge. Although most clergy surveyed indicated that the optimal ways to provide information and instruction is by handout, lecture and tutorial, many may feel more comfortable with face to face interaction to learn about mental health information. The most pertinent information gaps were information on treatment options, general information about mental health and treatment information.
Health-E Public: Improving Access to Health Information Resources for Public Health Professionals in Southeastern Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin Libraries
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Project Director: Emily Schearer
Partners:
This project to increase awareness and usage of online health information resources among public health professionals working in Southeastern Wisconsin developed a partnership between the Medical College of Wisconsin Libraries (MCWL) and the Southeastern Wisconsin chapter of the Citizens and Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). Although the longer than expected Institutional Review Board process and the departure of the enthusiastic community partner, the COAD/MRC Project Manager, limited the impact of the project, presentations and workshops reached public health workers, health care providers and members of the general public. Hands-on training allowed participants to become familiar with resources in a comfortable and responsive environment. Lessons learned include the importance of a secondary partner contact, a need for increased marketing of educational opportunities and the value of providing reference and document delivery services to those who contact the institution and especially to public health professionals. MCW Libraries intends on maintaining and expanding on the connections that were made possible by this subcontract.
Building the Future with Community Health Information
Malpass Library
Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL
Project Director: Phyllis C. Self
Partners: Too many to list
The team for this project to develop a community health information network for health professionals and community members included the Dean of the Libraries, four librarians, two graduate assistants, a healthcare liaison, and a Rural Health Affairs Nurse. We built the site NLM Trusted Health at http://sites.google.com/site/nlmtrustedhealth/ and worked with a Western Illinois University (WIU) employee to have all MedlinePlus teaching materials translated into Spanish.
We reached eight counties in the fourteen county regions in Western Illinois with 39 training sessions educating 524 attendees. These sessions were held at community colleges, university libraries, public health departments, hospitals, community health centers, public libraries, community centers, and churches. Other partners included the Citizens Bank, the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, the McDonough County Housing Authority and the Salvation Army. Additionally, we attended a wide variety of events to display and engage participants with both literature and hands-on activities including Senior Days, health and fitness fairs, retirement seminars, healthy community projects, and cancer programs reaching over 350 additional individuals.
Promotional opportunities included a radio interview, articles, advertisements, a press release, emails, and reminders to use MedlinePlus on every computer on campus. Presentations on this project were made at the annual conferences of the Midwest Chapter Medical Library Association, the Health Science Librarians of Illinois and the Illinois Library Association. This was a very successful project.
Back to National Medical Librarians Month 2011 page
