District receives 2011 Outstanding Public Library Award
April 24, 2011
St. Peters, MO
The St. Charles City-County Library District is one of three public libraries in the United States to receive the Outstanding Public Library/Public Health Partnership Award in 2011. The award, sponsored by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, MidContinental Region, recognizes public libraries that have successful public library/public health partnerships involving health information.
In June of 2007 the St. Charles City-County Library District, identifying a need to boost the health literacy gap in the community, sought partnerships with local healthcare providers. St. Charles City-County Library District librarian Denise Ulett serves as the Consumer Health Information Resource Manager and works with Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital and Progress West HealthCare Center to provide a new level of consumer health literacy to residents of St. Charles County.
The goal of the partnership is to pair the expertise of local hospital health professionals with the knowledge of the information professionals at the library. St. Charles County residents have the opportunity to attend health information lectures & programming conducted in the library by health professionals. Participants are able to ask questions of the health professional and then utilize library staff and resources to find further health information.
The St. Charles City-County Library has an extensive Consumer Health Information print collection arranged in bookstore style to facilitate customers looking for information in specific areas. The library collection also includes up-to-date pamphlets and hand-outs from health organizations, giving library customers quick and easy access to the most current health information to browse and take home.
The library/public health partnership has recently expanded beyond the library building. Library staff organizes and maintains the Cancer Education Center Library at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital. With the library’s expertise, patients and Center staff are able to more efficiently locate and use resources at this mini-library. In addition, the library also participates at Wellness Fairs highlighting the health lectures and information resources.
All of this has earned the St. Charles City-County Library District the well-deserved reputation throughout the County as being “Your Healthy Answer Place.”
From the St. Charles City-County Library District
Copyright 2011 Neighbors About Town
