Public Libraries

Content focused on serving the needs of public libraries/library staff, and information about the NNLM public libraries initiative.

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  • Formerly entitled "Beyond an Apple a Day," this 4-week, 4 credit-hour self-paced online class covers the health information seeking behavior of consumers and the role of the librarian in the provision of health information for the public. Learn about the evolution of consumer health, health literacy and the e-patient, and expand your knowledge of top consumer health websites. We will discuss creative ideas for health information outreach in libraries, and wrap up by exploring effective marketing approaches and developing an elevator speech. Expect to spend 4 hours working on this class.

  • Learn how to use NLM resources to find drug and chemical information through a suite of on-demand classes. Complete all 3 classes for an in-depth introduction to NLM drug and chemical information resources, or complete the class that meets your needs for a specific population or commonly received questions.

  • How are health communication and health literacy connected? How can you be more effective in providing health information to consumers, patients, clients, library patrons and your community?  This 1 hour webinar introduces the concepts of health literacy and health communication, outlines components of clear health communication, and identifies online resources from NLM, government agencies and other recognized resources for health literacy and health communication. 

  • What is citizen science? How can I get involved? This 2 hour, on-demand, online class from NNLM and SciStarter.org introduces citizen science for librarians, staff, and community-based organization leaders and includes clear, specific instructions and case studies on how a small, midsize, or large library or organization can bring citizen science activities and programs to their community. This tutorial is available in English and Spanish through scistarter.org. 

  • Learn how to conduct a health reference interview using ethical and effective communication strategies in this 3 credit-hour, on-demand class.

    This class provides basic information about communication and confidentiality for library workers who answer health reference questions, and was created for an audience of people who work in public or academic libraries or other information professions.

  • Numeracy  is the ability to access, use, interpret, and communicate mathematical information and ideas, to engage in and manage mathematical demands of a range of situations in adult life. (CDC, 2021).  Numeracy literacy can be a challenge not only for individuals receiving health information, but also for those providing information. This 90 minute/1.5 credit hour webinar is an introduction to communicating numerical health information.