This toolkit was designed in response to a project submitted by the Office of Engagement and Training (OET) for consideration by the Associate Fellowship Program participants. Allison Cruise, 2020-2022 Associate Fellow, collaborated with OET to create this toolkit.
The original project proposal was to create a resource to facilitate community engagement efforts by NLM and NNLM. The second goal of NLM’s Strategic Plan is to “Reach more people in more ways through enhanced dissemination and engagement.” The goal of NNLM is “to advance the progress of medicine and improve public health by providing U.S. health professionals with equal access to biomedical information and improving individuals' access to information to enable them to make informed decisions about their health.” With these goals in mind, Allison Cruise and OET took steps to define community engagement, interview NIH, NLM, and NNLM stakeholders, and identify principles of engagement. Through these efforts, six important principles of engagement were identified, and strategies and resources were gathered. These efforts have culminated in the creation of this toolkit.
In 2021/2022, HSLIC hosted Allison Cruise for the 2nd Year of her NLM Fellowship. She has allowed HSLIC to post the toolkit online as an additional resource for the HSLIC community and others who wish to use it.
Sources:
Thank you to the project sponsors, George Franklin, Blair Anton, and Martha Meacham for their guidance and collaboration throughout the project process.
Thank you to the following contributors for their time, attention, and feedback:
Olivier Bodenreider, Senior Scientist, Acting Director LHNCBC, Acting Chief, Computational Health Research Branch, LHNCBC
Julie Botnick, Technical Information Specialist, Exhibition Program, NLM
Wilson Compton, Deputy Director, NIDA
Yamila El-Khayat, Outreach Services Librarian, University of Arizona Health Sciences Library
Sharon Han, Engagement Specialist, NNLM All of Us Community Engagement Center, University of Iowa, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences
Darlene Kaskie, Community Engagement Coordinator, NNLM, University of Iowa
Margot Malachowski, Education and Outreach Coordinator, NNLM, University of MA Medical School
Rana Morris, Staff Scientist, NCBI
Tony Nguyen, Executive Director, NNLM, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Health Sciences and Human Services Library