Harnessing the Power of Public Library and Other Staff to Improve Population Health

This four-module pilot curriculum provides the necessary tools for library staff to recognize the health and social challenges facing their most vulnerable patrons, engage with those patrons, and subsequently refer them to appropriate community-based resources. Over the next eight months of this project, we seek to modifythe pilot curriculum and deliver it to staff working in various capacities at the CHLC training site 1, including individuals working in the library, pediatric and adult clinics, and the recreation center. Because of the co-location of services, CHLC staff are well-positioned to collaborate and make reciprocal referrals, something the training program will facilitate.Furthermore, we will supplement our current training modules with NLM resources, providing participating staff members with resources that will help increase their personal knowledge of these important issues and which they may also wish to refer patrons to. We will then repeat the trainings, with any appropriate modifications, in West Philadelphia training site 2,another area identified by the Free Library of Philadelphia as a next strategic location for health initiatives.