# Presentation: 432150

## MedlinePlus Goes Local: Linking Quality Health Information to Local Health Services Through Partnerships

** ****Presentation during the Public Library Association National Conference in Minneapolis, MN on March 28, 2008 **

**Notes:**
My name is Linda Watson.  I am Director of the Health Sciences Libraries here at the University of Minnesota in Twin Cities. I am also the Project Director for My Health Minnesota --> Go Local, and will be moderating this session.  I am joined by four of my colleagues, Lori Klein, Marie Reidelbach, Mary Parker and Peggy Richwine who I will introduce more completely as they each give their presentations.

We have 75 minutes for our session.  We have planned about 60 minutes between the four of us, with 15 minutes at the end for questions or comments. 

## Session Description

- MedlinePlus is a premiere source of authoritative health information.  The National Library of Medicine enhanced MedlinePlus with its Go Local project, linking reliable health information to local health services in various states through partnerships.
- This session demonstrates what MedlinePlus and Go Local have to offer you and your library patrons.

**Notes:**
We’re going to tell you about MedlinePlus and a companion service Go Local.  First, a show of hands – how many of you are familiar with MedlinePlus and have used it with your library patrons?  How about with Go Local?  OK, let’s get started.

MedlinePlus is a premiere source of authoritative health information developed by the National Library of Medicine.  It supports a goal to help individuals become better informed about their health with trusted information.   The National Library of Medicine has enhanced MedlinePlus with its Go Local project, which links this trusted health information to local health services in various states through partnerships.  This session demonstrates what MedlinePlus and Go Local have to offer you and your library patrons.

## Objectives

- At the end of this program, participants will:
- Be familiar with and able to access and use MedlinePlus and Go Local;
- Understand the value of MedlinePlus and Go Local as authoritative, reliable consumer health resources of great usefulness to public librarians and their patrons; and
- Recognize the partnerships involved to make Go Local successful, and how they as public librarians can learn more and become involved.

**Notes:**
At the end of this program, we hope you will:
Be familiar with and able to access and use MedlinePlus and Go Local;
Understand the value of MedlinePlus and Go Local as authoritative, reliable consumer health resources of great usefulness to public librarians and their patrons; and
Recognize the partnerships involved to make Go Local successful, and how you as public librarians can learn more and become involved.

## Presenters

- Lori Klein, **MedlinePlus Coordinator,** National Library of Medicine
- Linda Watson, **My Health Minnesota → Go Local**, Health Sciences Libraries, University of Minnesota
- Marie Reidelbach, **Nebraska Go Local**, McGoogan Library of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center
- Peggy Richwine, **INHealth Connect**, Ruth Lilly Medical Library, Indiana University School of Medicine
- Mary Parker, **My Health Minnesota → Go Local**, MINITEX Library Information Network

**Notes:**
First, we have an overview of both MedlinePlus and Go Local by Lori Klein.  Lori is a senior member of the Reference and Web Services Section, Public Services Division, of the National Library of Medicine.  Lori helps consumers, health professionals, and researchers find sources to meet their needs. She has been involved with various aspects of MedlinePlus since the Web site was conceived, and is responsible for coordinating the MedlinePlus Go Local projects around the country.

## Overview, Background, and Demonstration

- Lori Klein

## Introduction

**Introduction**

- History and Purpose of MedlinePlus
- Development of MedlinePlus Go Local
- Examples of partnerships in Go Local projects
- Demonstration
*Trusted health information from MedlinePlus + *
*up-to-date services from MedlinePlus Go Local*
* **= full service**** ***

## Behind the Scenes

- Systems are Web based (Cold Fusion) and database driven (Oracle)
- Forms help maintain quality, and every change is reviewed
- Redundant web servers, if one fails others take over
- Static HTML pages are rebuilt nightly to reflect changes

## MedlinePlus, October 1998

- Public Library pilot project
- 22 health topics
- Where did they come from?
- MeSH vocabulary
- Planetree vocabulary
- consumer health web sites
- user searches on main NLM Web site
- 116,000 hits first month

**Notes:**
MedlinePlus has always been meant to be selective, while authoritative

## MedlinePlus Strengths

- Authoritative information
- NIH Collaborations
- Selective links
- User driven topics

- Private and no advertising
- Semi-annual topic evaluation
- Nightly link checking
- Monitor sites for new documents

## Quality Guidelines

- Linked (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/criteria.html ) from “About MedlinePlus*” *page
- Emphasize government health resources
- Collaborate with NIH Institutes on content development and review
- Must be authoritative, accurate and well maintained
- NLM contacts organizations about
- technical issues (frames)
- displaying advisory boards
- adding dates to pages

**Notes:**
Only about half of the Web sites reviewed meet our selection guidelines and are approved to use content from

## Major Components Today

- Complete site in English and Spanish
- 751 health topics (719 in Spanish)
- Topic summaries in both languages
- Health news, drug information and a medical encyclopedia in both languages
- Tutorials and videos in both languages
- Usage:
- 193,000,000 page views Oct-Dec 2007
- 29,800,000 unique visitors Oct-Dec 2007

**Notes:**
Starting to add Podcasts English
Linking to more than 25,000 Web pages from about 800 organizations

## Quality Control

- Broken links checked and fixed nightly
- Each link reviewed before release
- Topics reviewed as a unit before release
- Topics reviewed every six months
- Government and other sites monitored for new documents
- Licensed content updates spot checked

## Health Topics

- Link to document, not top of site
- Full text online
- Consumer level
- Emphasis on NLM/NIH, other Federal
- Authority (organization or named advisors)
- Up to date
- Avoid redundancy within topic

## Top Topics Viewed in 2007

- 1.  Herniated Disk
- 2.  High Blood Pressure
- 3.  Diabetes
- 4.  Back Pain
- 5.  Pregnancy
- 6.  Ovarian Cancer
- 7.  Sexually Transmitted
-      Diseases
- 8.  Diabetic Diet

- 9.  Anatomy
- 10.  Herpes Simplex
- 11.  Birth Control
- 12.  COPD
- 13.  Parkinson's Disease
- 14.  HPV
- 15.  Multiple Sclerosis
- 16.  Skin Cancer
- 17.  Staphylococcal Infect.

**Notes:**
Diabetes, it should be no surprise, is always in the top 10 and has been since the beginning.  Other topics are more seasonal, for example Skin Cancer and Hives (#20 on list) are more popular in the spring and summer.

## Feedback and Evaluation

- Built into the original pilot project, and ongoing
- Comment link on every page
- Periodic surveys and usability testing
- American Customer Satisfaction Index to measure against other Web sites
- Change comes from all of above, as well as internal and external user feedback

**Notes:**
Have been 20 releases in 9 years, as we add new features, content, and design changes

## What do Users Want?

- Drug information and other content now included in MedlinePlus
- More information, in more languages
- Local services, beyond the national directories in MedlinePlus
- Support and Chat groups
- Thus – Go Local

**Notes:**
Though not more full MedlinePlus sites, links to additional information in other languages is coming this summer

## Beginnings – Go Local

- NC Health Info
- 2000/01 feasibility study
- 2002 system development, resource collection, outreach
- Feb 2003 – release
- 2,500 services
- 2004
- NLM begins to develop a centralized system with controlled vocabulary
- Request for proposals, 11 received and accepted

**Notes:**
North Carolina had to start from scratch, creating a system, developing the vocabulary, working with NLM staff on the linkages; they are still using their local system, which they continue to refine

Indiana was one of the original project proposals in 2004

May 2005, the first Go Local sites hosted by NLM released

## MedlinePlus Go Local - Types of Services

- Community Resources
- support groups
- adult day care services
- food programs
- health education classes
- Healthcare Facilities and Providers
- community clinics
- home health care services
- pediatricians

## What is the difference?Example: Breast Cancer

- Health Info – MedlinePlus
- NIH consumer info.
- News
- Symptoms, Treatment, Coping information
- MEDLINE search
- ClinicalTrials.gov search
- Tutorials & Videos

- Services – Go Local
- Health screening services
- Cancer care facilities
- Support groups
- Providers of wigs and prostheses
- Oncologists

## Go Local Today

**Notes:**
25 Go Local projects are available, covering 19 complete states and 3 states partially; 39% of U.S. population
Project with smallest population, but not geographic area, is Wyoming
Project with largest population is Illinois

## Go Local Project Partnerships

- A single institution, for example University of New Mexico, Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center
- Two institutions, for example University of Nevada School of Medicine Savitt Medical Library & Las Vegas - Clark County Library District Health Science Library
- Larger partnerships, such as  ...

## Loyola University Health Sciences Library and:

- Council of Illinois Medical School Libraries
- Health Science Librarians of Illinois
- Alliance Library System (central Illinois)
- Illinois Alliance of Information and Referral Systems, Inc. (Illinois AIRS)
- Illinois Department of Public Health
- Illinois Rural Health Association
- Illinois CLICKS (Citizens' Library of Illinois Comprehensive Knowledge Service)
- Illinois State Library

## Building a Go Local site

- Proposal defines Go Local area
- Recruit and train project staff
- Build and index the database of records
- Customization
- Preview resulting pages
- Testing
- Release!
- Promote and maintain site

## Creating a Record

- NLM maintains the vocabulary, including mappings between terms and topics, and MedlinePlus topics
- Project staff index specific services for the geographic area served, as well as the services provided and appropriate topics

## Example – Creating a Record

- Enter name, address, phone number, URL if there is one, zip code
- Optional description of services
- Select service area mapping
- Choose local service terms
- Select associated topics
- Review all the information entered

## Term/Topic Indexing: a Family Clinic

## Next Local Service Terms (and I am not showing all)

## Quality Control

- Each record reviewed before release
- Broken links checked and fixed at least weekly
- All records reviewed every six-twelve months
- Respond to customer feedback
- Annual self-assessment exercises
- Periodic spot-checking

**Notes:**
Some projects have data sharing arrangements with licensing agencies that include receiving updated information on a regular basis

## Go Local in Next Year

**Notes:**
Another 10 projects are in various states of development, covering 9 states and the District of Columbia; will provide coverage for 49% of the U.S. population

## Feedback and Evaluation

- Usability testing and surveys
- Customer feedback
- Project staff feedback
- Interviews
- American Customer Satisfaction Index (being done for one year)
- Various analysis being done by different projects

## In the Future

- Search engine will retrieve health information from MedlinePlus, as well as services from Go Local
- Additional services for areas without a Go Local area – right now just hospitals
- More Go Local projects available
- Projects utilizing some of newer features, such as local events calendars** **and Languages Spoken display

## Demonstration

- MedlinePlus: http://medlineplus.gov
- MedlinePlus Go Local: http://medlineplus.gov/golocal
- Link directly to a Go Local site http://medlineplus.gov/hot

## MedlinePlus Homepage

**MedlinePlus Homepage**

## Other Resources in MedlinePlus

- Libraries in the U.S. who are members of the National Network of Libraries of  Medicine (NN/LM) may choose to be listed as a Consumer Health Library in MedlinePlus (with the exception of organizations exempted from this policy by their Regional Medical Library).
- Libraries in Canada should call the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI)

## MedlinePlus en español

## MedlinePlus Health Topic Page

## Health Information Links (external links)

**Health Information Links (external links)**

**Notes:**
More details about a health topic page

## From a MedlinePlus Topic Page

**From a MedlinePlus Topic Page**

**Notes:**
Can choose from a pull-down list or a map
Under Go Local, select Texas - Central

## Choose a Location or Whole Area 

**Choose a Location or Whole Area **

**Notes:**
Below the map counties are listed, and cities may also be listed; always a choice to choose the whole area
Can also search by zip code, choosing the distance range
Note the topic of Back Pain has been passed along

## I Chose Bastrop County

**I Chose Bastrop**** ****County**

**Notes:**
Here is the upper part of the page, showing the contents (arranged by location)
– note links to MedlinePlus topic pages on the right
And note that can change topic or geographic area from top of page

## Further Down Results Page, Records

**Notes:**
This shows you some of the services that  you can find in Go Local, in this case Chiropractors and Clinics in Bastrop, TX

Now if I wanted to search, I could enter a word or phrase in the search box at the top of the page (not shown here)

## Search Results in Go Local

**Notes:**
If I use the search box to enter scoliosis, I will get both MedlinePlus health information and Go Local services appropriate to scoliosis

## Go Local Partnerships

- Linda Watson

**Notes:**
Now, I’m going to spend just a few minutes talking broadly about partnerships as the context for hearing about some specific state-wide implementations of Go Local.

## Go Local Partnerships

- Elements of successful partnerships
- Shared goals and values
- Value to all partners: understanding and taking care of vested interests
- Clear financial commitments
- Clear roles and responsibilities, including leadership
- Time and hard work
- Enthusiasm and energy

**Notes:**
Librarians are particularly good at forming partnerships with our constituents, our communities and each other.  The library literature is full of such examples.  The successful partnerships describe these elements

## Go Local Partnerships

- Roles and responsibilities for Go Local
- Infrastructure support – NLM
- Database and technical underpinnings, vocabulary, coordination, expertise, advice
- Funding
- Seed funding through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine
- LSTA in many cases
- Institutional contributions
- Local project management
- Community volunteers

**Notes:**
The Go Local projects around the country have a number of common features and defined roles and responsibilities:

## Go Local Partnerships

- Common community partners
- Existing consumer health projects
- United Way 211 services
- Health sciences librarians
- Public librarians
- State government offices (health, social services)
- Opportunities and challenges
- Compatibility with state-wide e-health initiatives and Healthy People goals
- Promotion - competition for attention
- Sustainability

**Notes:**
There are opportunities and challenges as in any large scale project like Go Local

Sustainability is a common worry, especially once the grant funding for startup runs out.

So now we will hear about two Go Local projects.

## Nebraska’s Experience

- Marie Reidelbach

**Notes:**
First from Nebraska.  

Marie Reidelbach is the Associate Director for User Services at the University of Nebraska Medical Center where she has been since 1981.  She supervises Reference, Education, Interlibrary Loan, Circulation, and the Learning Resource Center/Sievers Facility for Interactive Instruction. She was involved in launching the Consumer Health Information Resource Service (CHIRS) program which collaborated with 70 public libraries across Nebraska and the Nebraska Library Commission. 

## Nebraska Go Local

**Notes:**
Go Local Nebraska was launched October 18, 2005 with a team of four librarians from the McGoogan Library of Medicine located at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and funding from the National Library of Medicine.

The database started with less than 1000 records and has now reached close to 6000 individual records across the state.

## Facts About Nebraska

**Facts About Nebraska**

-  1,768,331 population
-  93 counties
-  91.8% white
-  7.4% Hispanic or Latino (largest minority)
-  271 public libraries

**Notes:**
Nebraska is considered a farming state with the nickname of the “Cornhuskers”.  Over 89% of the rural communities have fewer than 3000 people.
The overall population is less than the four major cities of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, or Houston with roughly 1/3 of the population located in the metropolitan area of Omaha on the eastern side of the state.
With 93 counties in Nebraska reaching out has always been a very important mission of the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  The McGoogan Library has embraced this mission by partnering with the 271 public libraries across the state.

## Consumer Health Information Resource Services (CHIRS)

- Began 1985 with LSCA Title III funding
- Emphasized cooperation among NLC and public libraries and McGoogan
- Public libraries first point of contact
- Goal to provide health information for all Nebraskans

**Notes:**
The CHIRS program was initiated in January 1985 as a cooperative project between three independent agencies and groups including the McGoogan Library of Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the largest health sciences library in the state; the Nebraska Library Commission; and more than 70 public libraries.  The program had a single objective which is still in place today “provide all Nebraska residents, regardless of physical location, with access to information that will allow them to make informed decisions about their own health care”.
CHIRS focuses on improving the quality and quantity of authoritative health information available through local public libraries, rather than striving to create a highly visible role for McGoogan.   
Little has changed since CHIRS began.  Nebraska residents are still encouraged to go to their local public libraries for health information, but if the information is not available at the public library they can refer the request to the McGoogan Library or encourage the resident to contact CHIRS on their own.  All materials gathered to address the health related question are sent back to the library or directly to the consumer. The service is still free and maintains the original goal of providing health information to all Nebraskans.

##   20+ Years of Success

- Answered 8700 requests
- Evaluation process(2005 to present)
- 31% return
- 83% found quantity of material received just right; not too technical
- 88% felt material helped to understand diagnosis and their options
- 68% felt helped communication with physician
- 49% said information affected health care decisions
- NCLIS award

**Notes:**
20 plus years of success has not only given the McGoogan Library a service to be proud of – but has also addressed the health information needs of well over 8700 requests today.
Is the service doing a good job?  We think so with the evaluations we have received in past years.  Some of the stats listed on the slide were gathered from an evaluation taken from a series of questions sent out with CHIRS requests over the course of one year.
The NCLIS was further documentation of our success.  We received a 2004 Blue Ribbon Award from the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science honoring the outstanding service CHIRS provided to health consumers.

## HealthHQ

- ICON project
- Grant funded by NNLM/MR and Nebraska Library Commission
- Searchable web database of health related support groups created
- Four mini-grants were given to public libraries
- Over 800 support groups added
- McGoogan assumed responsibility

**Notes:**
In 1999, the McGoogan Library approached ICON, a local health science libraries consortium located in the Omaha area, to develop a consumer health web presence.  As a group it was decided to concentrate on local resources in lieu of creating another subject-specific Web site.  With funding from the National Library of Medicine a database of health related support groups for a six county area surrounding Omaha including Pottawattamie county in western Iowa was created called healthHQ.  
Many things came from this project – but of most significance is that it provided the groundwork to join the Go Local initiative.  HealthHQ had over 800 support groups listed, links to all hospitals, medical centers, and public and health science libraries in the area, MEDLINE Plus and CHIRS. 

## Objectives for Go Local Nebraska

**Provide a presence in Medline Plus for health-related services and information for consumers in Nebraska**
**Promote statewide partnerships of health-related services for consumers**
**Improve access to state, local, and community health resources**

**Notes:**
With healthHQ in place, it was only reasonable that Nebraska would look to join others in establishing a Go Local presence for the state.  The project concentrated on three important objectives:
Provide a presence in Medline Plus for health-related services and information for consumers in Nebraska
Promote statewide partnerships of health-related services for consumers
Improve access to state, local, and community health resources

## Road Team 

**Road Team **

**Notes:**
The funding of $25,000 to launch Go Local Nebraska came with one stipulation – it needed to be spent in 6 weeks.  With money but little time our “Go Local Project Team” went to work concentrating on ideas of promoting the future Go Local Nebraska statewide.  Nebraska being a rural state the team decided to go on the road.  The “Road Team” filled the rental vehicle with promotional materials to distribute to as many public libraries as possible over a four week time period. 

## Promotional Materials

**Notes:**
Contents of the bags shared with the public libraries contained an acrylic tray which could hold brochures or baseball cards to compliment the 8 1⁄2 11 sheet placed in the display.  A traveling display was also available  to any public library or service provider wanting to promote either CHIRS or MedlinePlus/Go Local Nebraska.  The shipping costs are all absorbed by the McGoogan Library. 
The promotional materials have been well received throughout the state.  In fact when we launched Go Local Nebraska one of the public libraries in Omaha included a baseball card when checking a book out of the library.  We always hoped they made good bookmarks!

## Visited 150+ Public Libraries 

- Trace the journey linked from: http://www.unmc.edu/apps/library/travelog/log.cfm

**Visited 150+ Public Libraries**** **

**Notes:**
In our travels the Road Team personally stopped at over 150 of the 271 public libraries throughout the state.   The blue dots represent the cities where we stopped and the link takes you to a diary of our travels.  

## Hruska Memorial Public Library

**Hruska Memorial Public Library**

**Notes:**
Public Libraries in Nebraska continue to do very well and many have brand new buildings or renovated libraries.  This was one of the libraries we visited. 
David City is a located in the east-central part of Nebraska and has over 2,500 residents with a thriving library!  As a medical librarian I am always inspired by the fun activities and great services public libraries are offering to their communities. 

## Forming Partnerships

- Check entries for errors, omissions
- Compare entries to local phone book, directories
- Create new records for providers/services not listed
- Contact local hospitals/clinics to ensure accuracy of their information

**Notes:**
Partnering with Public Libraries is not new to the McGoogan Library – but with Go Local Nebraska it is even more important.  We are in the process of developing a partnering program with interested public librarians across the state.  We are asking for the librarians to simply look at the records in Go Local for their community and 
Check entries for errors, omissions
Compare entries to local phone book, directories 
Create new records for providers/services not listed
Contact local hospitals/clinics to ensure accuracy of their information
We started small asking only five libraries to participate.  Currently we have three out of five libraries partnering with us.
Our goal is to have at least one librarian helping us from each library system and maybe someday – from each city!

## Selector Benefits

- Gift certificate to Amazon to purchase library material
- Framed certificate of participation/thanks
- CE credit for training received
- Receive a write-up about the project to submit to your local newspaper

**Notes:**
What do the libraries receive for helping us?
Gift certificate to Amazon to purchase library material
Framed certificate of participation/thanks
CE credit for training received
Receive a write-up about the project to submit to your local newspaper

## Fremont Public Library

**Notes:**
Fremont Public Library was our first partner.  Working together is not only fun but it also helps to ensure the records we include in Go Local are accurate and up-to-date.
One thing we have learned working with Support Groups and this project– the data is a moving target and changes quickly.

## Nebraska Go Local:  in the field

**Notes:**
Currently we are auditing the roughly 5800 Nebraska based health facilities, service programs, and support groups included in the database.  As we work with the records, we have learned much about our state and those we serve.
The Go Local Nebraska initiative continues to be an exciting opportunity to collaborate with librarians across the state as well as nation wide bringing to life a meaningful and useful health information tool.

## Indiana’s Experience

- Peggy Richwine

**Notes:**
Now we’ll hear from the Go Local Project in Indiana.

Peggy Richwine is Outreach Services Director at Indiana University School of Medicine Libraries a position which encompasses services to the public, to Indiana hospitals, public health workers, and academic and public libraries. Her Indiana team has worked with the  National Library of Medicine to develop and maintain the quality-filtered resources in MedlinePlus and developed INHealthConnect for linking to MedlinePlus topics. 

## INHealthConnect –Indiana’s Go Local 

- Covers entire state
- Went public in May 2005
- Has approximately 10,000 records
- Administered and maintained by the library of the only medical school in the State
- IHSLA – Indiana Health Sciences Librarians Association – serves as the Advisory Board

## INHealthConnect:       http://medlineplus.gov/inhealthconnect

## 2007 Services searched – 1-10 frequency rank

| Rank | Service Term | Visits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Clinics | 359 |
| 2 | Support Groups | 350 |
| 3 | Clinical Trials | 272 |
| 4 | Health Education Programs | 122 |
| 5 | Family Physicians | 99 |
| 6 | Opticians | 94 |
| 7 | Counselors/Therapists | 90 |
| 8 | Dentists | 86 |
| 9 | Hospitals | 77 |
| 10 | Food Programs | 74 |

## 2007 Topics searched – 1-10 frequency rank

| Rank | Health Topic | Views |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Seniors’ Health | 682 |
| 2 | Neurologic Diseases | 618 |
| 3 | Skin Conditions | 609 |
| 4 | Clinical Trials | 566 |
| 5 | Biodefense and Bioterrorism | 546 |
| 6 | Mental Health | 475 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 420 |
| 8 | Pain | 402 |
| 9 | Alcoholism | 344 |
| 10 | Drug Abuse | 321 |

## 2007 Keyword searches – 1-10 frequency 

| RANK | SEARCH STRING | HITS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | NONE (did not enter character)  | 226 |
| 2 | Support Groups | 35 |
| 3 | Test | 30 |
| 4 | homeless shelters | 26 |
| 5 | dyslexia | 23 |
| 6 | financial help | 23 |
| 7 | morocco | 20 |
| 8 | low income | 19 |
| 9 | cancer | 18 |
| 10 | deaf | 16 |

## Where did we get the lists of services?

- State Government
- State Department of Health
- Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA)
- State Library
- Local Health Departments

## Where did we get the lists of services?

- State chapters of national health organizations
- Membership lists
- Libraries
- InCOLSA (Indiana Cooperation Library Services Authority) members
- Hospitals
- IHHA (Indiana Hospital &HealthCare Assn.)  members
- MedlinePlus Directories

## Where did we get the lists of services?

- Hospital librarians throughout the State - Submitted local resources
- Observing billboards and facilities signs while traveling around the State
- Exhibiting at Professional Meetings – other exhibitors

## Where did we get the lists of services?

- 211 – United Way directory of services
- Switchboard.com
- Suggest A Site (from homepage, contact us link)

## Who actually uses Indiana’s Go Local? 

- Hospitals
- Libraries
- Patient services
- Libraries
- Public
- Higher ed (.edu)
- Schools (k12)

- Emergency preparedness groups
- Public health agencies
- Agencies serving senior citizens
- Agencies serving special needs children

## Learn more and get involved

- Mary Parker

**Notes:**
Our final speaker is Mary Parker, the Associate Director of Minnesota’s MINITEX Library and Information Network.  She has been on the staff of MINITEX since 1989. In her current position, she manages the Cooperative Purchasing & Electronic Resources Services, the Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM), and Reference Services programs as well as Continuing Education. Mary will tell you more about how you can learn more and get involved in your state.

Mary:
-Some of my comments will recap what my colleagues have already shared
-Briefly walk you down 2 paths
	--starting a GL projects
	--participating in an established GL project
--who’s from a state or region w/ GL?

## How can you participate?	

- If your state or region wants to start a Go Local project, go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/golocal/about.html
- NLM partners with libraries and library consortia to provide national coverage of health services.
- 25 current projects
- For contacts for current and in-development projects, go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/golocalcontacts.html

**Notes:**
-It’s about partnerships
-As  Lori showed you earlier on the map, there are 25 current projects
-10 other projects in development
-Learn from your colleagues around the country!
-websites, contact names and emails

## How can you participate? 

- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/golocalresources.html answers questions about how your state or region can participate
- General info
- Go Local home page
- General information for public
- List of participants
- Project proposal guidelines
- Example of a Go Local proposal

**Notes:**
-exhaustive, comprehensive info
-on the bottom of “about” page, click on “how can my state or region participate?”
-GL home page w/ map (Lori showed)
-Gen info for public: with links to local projects
-List of participating projects and contacts
-May 2007 project proposal guidelines
	--share selected entries from Table of Contents
	--especially, as Linda mentioned, attention to “evaluation and sustainability”
-example of a successful GL proposal from Nevada

## How can you participate? 

- NLM Hosted System
- Manual
- Background
- Links to Go Local presentations
- For participants
- Go Local participants discussion list
- Go Local Test Scenarios

**Notes:**
-as Lori mentioned
	--in 2000/01, U NC, Chapel Hill, created the pilot GL site – took several years to build
	--in 2004, U of MO
	--based on experience of these 2, it was clear that building a locally hosted system required considerable effort and expertise
	--therefore, NLM developed a system hosted by NLM 
-as Linda mentioned
	--NLM hosted system provides hardware, vocabulary mapping, user interface, and technology infrastructure
	--frees local area to concentrate on collecting and indexing local service info
-Jan 2008 Manual
-links to GL presentations – like this one!
-project participants discussion list
-test scenarios to see how your project is doing
-vocabulary with definitions, priority checklist, local health topics

## How can you participate? 

- Send comments or suggestions to an individual Go Local site (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/golocal/index.html)or to MedlinePlus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/medlineplus/feedback.pl)

## How can you participate? 

- If your state or region already has a Go Local project:
- Volunteer!
- Suggest services to include
- Learn more
- Invite us to present a workshop
- Train other librarians
- Promote Go Local!
- To librarians
- To patrons – offer your own classes
- Host traveling display
- Promote MedlinePlus

**Notes:**
-this is the 2nd path – if your state or region already has a GL project
-learn more
	--Marie’s Road Team is a fabulous example
-link to us from your libraries’ website!
-Host traveling display if your GL project has one
-attend or participate in conferences/events

## Learn more

- MedlinePlus
- Tour
- Link through About page
- Magazine
- Subscribe through homepage
- Email updates
- Subscribe through homepage

**Notes:**
-animated, 8-min tour
	--from right side bar, click last entry, “Want to learn more?”, then click on 3rd entry
-magazine is a quarterly guide for patients and families
	--wide range of articles such as
		easing chronic pain
		diabetes
		kids and obesity
		women’s heart/health issues

## QUESTIONS?

**QUESTIONS?**