Hello FHSLA members,

With only 6 weeks left in 2021, the FHSLA Nominating Committee encourages you to start your 2022 resolutions early by nominating yourself or a colleague for an officer or committee chair position.
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This is a phenomenal way to network and collaborate with colleagues throughout the state. Additionally, you earn points which can be applied towards the Medical Library Association (MLA) Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP) designation. To review the full description of each position's responsibilities, please view the FHSLA Bylaws https://fhsla.org/committees--bylaws.html

Your skills and talents are what makes this a vibrant organization. It is only through members' willingness to step up and proactively participate that FHSLA will grow and provide meaningful connections with your Florida colleagues.
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To nominate yourself, a friend or colleague, please email library.florida@mayo.edu.

Let’s make 2022 the year to become a part of something bigger!

Sincerely, 

Tara Brigham, MLIS, AHIP-D (she, her)
FHSLA Nominating Committee Chair

 What is your current role in the library field?  
     I'm a consultant, and I specialize in stakeholder interviewing -- where I conduct and analyze confidential interviews with key stakeholders in an organization, and then present the summary information to the client. So far my work has been in the university sector, but I'm hoping to expand this year.   
     I recently left the University of Toronto, the largest university in Canada, after a long library career.  Starting in 2017, my partner and I spend half the year in St. Petersburg, where we have a home. We have fallen so head over heels in love with St. Pete that we're planning to relocate here for the next 3-5 years.   
     My job at Toronto was Head of Faculty and Student Engagement. I liked to say that my office was the "voice of faculty and students to the library, and the voice of the library to faculty and students."  I was liaison to non-departmentalized offices on campus (like Research Services, Student Services and the various vice-presidents and provosts on campus).  In addition to my university work, I developed the Association of Research Libraries' project Reimagining the Library Liaison, a toolkit  to help liaison librarians connect more deeply with their academic departments. 
     Prior to this, I was a health sciences and medicine librarian at the University of Toronto.  I was very involved in medical education of physicians and physician assistants and served as liaison librarian in many medical subjects. 

What were your most influential past roles? 
​     Wow, that's so hard to say.  I'd say I'm proudest of 2 projects:  Reimagining the Library Liaison, which continues to have traction in academic libraries, and the U of Toronto's Personal Librarian Project, the largest of its kind in North America (over 6000 first year students), which I launched several years ago and continues today. 

Do you have a specialization or interest area within the library field?
     I love working in communications and helping organizations better understand how their customers, users, funders, and (sometimes) their competitors really feel about them.

What is something happening in libraries now that you find exciting?
     I'm incredibly proud of the way public libraries in larger urban centers have responded to their communities and have become great hubs of support and resources for their local populations.  They have become partners with education, housing, healthcare, local government, the arts, and more. Far from being considered obsolete, the greatest public libraries are busier than ever. 

Do you have any hobbies?
     I'm a competitive swing dancer and a completely uncompetitive pickleball player. But I'm trying.
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I am currently reading or would like to read: 
     I'm half way through Marcia Chatelain's "Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America"  and I've just ordered Amanda Levitt's book Can I Ask You A Question? - 150 questions to deepen conversations.  

Did you know: 
- 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. have prediabetes
​-Type 2 diabetes is preventable
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) (2021)

November is National Diabetes Month and this year's focus is Prediabetes. The theme "Small Steps, Big Difference" spotlights the efforts to prevent type 2 diabetes and reverse prediabetes.  

FHSLA is celebrating National Diabetes Month by spreading the word about diabetes information resources for health care professionals and consumers. 

Resources for Healthcare Consumers
American Diabetes Association: Comprehensive information on diabetes  www.diabetes.org/

Medicare: Information on insurance coverage for diabetic supplies and medications  
www.medicare.gov/blog/american-diabetes-month

Medline Plus: information and resources in multiple languages about diabetes 
medlineplus.gov/diabetes.html

Resources for Healthcare Professionals
National Diabetes Month Toolkit (NIDDK): resources to support and raise awareness of prediabetes 
www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/community-health-outreach/national-diabetes-month/toolkit

NIDDK Diabetes Discoveries and Practice Blog: "Dialog with thought leaders on emerging trends in diabetes care" 
 www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/professionals/diabetes-discoveries-practice

Healthy People 2030: see where healthcare providers can make a difference with national objectives to reduce diabetes in the US population 
health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/diabetes

Did you know:
-9 out of 10 adults struggle with health literacy
-Low health literacy can affect a person's ability to manage their health and lead to poor health outcomes
Source: NNLM (2021) 

Librarians have an important role to play in promoting health literacy in our communities. Providing access to health information or helping healthcare providers incorporate best practices in health literacy are just a few. Grants are available from NNLM for libraries providing health literacy services. Below are some suggested resources if you would like to promote health literacy in your library. 

Health Literacy Month Promotional Materials:
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Institute for Healthcare Advancement   healthliteracymonth.org/home       

Resources and Training for Professionals:

Network of the National Library of Medicine: Information, training, resources, and funding related to health literacy 
​ nnlm.gov/guides/intro-health-literacy

National Institute of Health: Key research findings and resources about health literacy 
​www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/health-literacy
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Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit: evidence based practices to bolster patients' understanding of health information 
www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/improve/precautions/index.html

Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool: Are your patient education materials easy for your patients to understand and use? Use this tool to find out.  www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/patient-education/pemat.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Information, resources, and training opportunities to improve health literacy  
​www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/index.html

Resources for Healthcare Consumers: 

Medline Plus: understanding health literacy and specific topics like talking to your doctor and reading medication labels
​medlineplus.gov/healthliteracy.html

Understanding Medical Words Tutorial:  interactive tutorial to increase patients' understanding of medical terminology 
 medlineplus.gov/medwords/medicalwords.html
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My Healthcare Finder: clear, plain text health information
 health.gov/myhealthfinder
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Shared on behalf of Moffitt Cancer Center and Pasco County Libraries


There are two remaining sessions in the Moffitt Cancer Center and Pasco County Public Libraries collaborative Breast Health Awareness webinar series this month.
These sessions are being offered in recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness month. Everyone is welcome to attend! To register, please access: https://moffitt.org/COEEevents


The attached flyer is available to download and distribute in your libraries. Please share with your library patrons.