Finding Common Threads: Enhancing Outreach to Underserved Populations Through OK's Health Information Specialists

Staff members at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center's Robert M. Bird Health Sciences Library, in partnership with key collaborators working in public libraries, tribal libraries and literacy organizations, aim to: - Expand and continue to engage the existing network of Health Information Specialists across the state - Advance crucial conversations about the best ways to reach some of Oklahoma's most vulnerable citizens - Facilitate the discovery of authoritative, appropriate health information at the point of need Projects include a series of seven in-person, hands-on courses focused on special populations offered at the Oklahoma Department of Libraries in Oklahoma City, OK; a series of five in-person, hands-on courses offered at the Woodward Public Library in Wookward, OK and the McAlester branch of the Southeastern Public Library System of Oklahoma; two asynchronous online courses; and a plain language workshop. In addition, four focus groups will be conducted with the ~100 Health Information Specialists in the state to assess the impact of program activities from 2013-present and guide plans for future development. Finally, two extension projects will be completed in partnership with Health Information Specialists: a series of nine in-person, hands-on classes targeting older 88 will be taught at the Edmond Library in Edmond, OK and two needs assessment round tables will be held with a focus on Oklahoma's veterans.