J Med Libr Assoc. 2024 Apr 1;112(2):117-124. doi: 10.5195/jmla.2024.1678. Epub 2024 May 22.
Health literacy outreach is commonplace within public and hospital libraries but less so in academic libraries, where it is often viewed as not integral. Academic health science libraries may collaborate with public libraries to provide public health information literacy programming or "train the trainer" sessions, but examples of academic health science librarians leading community health initiatives are still limited.
This case report discusses a collaborative project between Gonzaga's Foley Center Library, the School of Nursing and Human Physiology, and a local elementary school to promote health literacy for students and their families, led by an Academic Health Sciences Librarian. The project scope included delivering nutrition education to elementary school students and their families, but pandemic closures limited plans for in-person programming. Conversations with stakeholders led to additional project opportunities, including tabling at the local block party, collaborating on a campus visit for 5th and 6th graders, supporting middle school cooking classes, and the creation of a toolkit for elementary and middle school teachers to support curriculum about healthy body image and potential disordered eating.
This project demonstrates one example of how academic libraries can partner with other campus departments to support health literacy outreach in their local communities. The pandemic made planning for in-person programming tenuous, but by expanding meetings to include staff from other areas of the university, the project team was able to tap into additional outreach opportunities. This work fostered close relationships with the local elementary school, providing the groundwork for collaborative health programming in the future, though more thorough assessment is suggested for future projects.
在公共图书馆和医院图书馆中，健康素养推广活动很常见，但在学术图书馆中则较少见，因为学术图书馆通常认为健康素养推广活动不是其分内之事。学术健康科学图书馆可以与公共图书馆合作，提供公共卫生信息素养计划或“培训师培训”课程，但学术健康科学图书馆员领导社区健康倡议的例子仍然有限。
本案例报告讨论了冈萨加大学福利中心图书馆、护理与人体生理学学院与当地一所小学之间的合作项目，该项目由一名学术健康科学图书馆员牵头，旨在提高学生及其家庭的健康素养。该项目的范围包括向小学生及其家庭提供营养教育，但由于疫情关闭，限制了面对面项目的计划。与利益相关者的对话带来了其他项目机会，包括在当地街区派对上设摊、合作接待五六年级学生的校园参观、支持中学烹饪课程，以及为小学和中学教师创建一个工具包，以支持关于健康身体形象和潜在饮食失调的课程。
该项目展示了学术图书馆如何与其他校园部门合作，在当地社区支持健康素养推广的一个例子。疫情使得面对面的项目规划变得不稳定，但通过将会议扩大到包括大学其他领域的工作人员，项目团队能够利用更多的外展机会。这项工作与当地小学建立了密切的关系，为未来的合作健康计划奠定了基础，尽管建议对未来的项目进行更全面的评估。
