State Library Conferences Throughout the Month of October

Posted in: #CC/Academic List, #Health Interest List, #Health Sciences List, #Public/K-12 List, All Members

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During the month of October George Strawley and I presented at a three state library conferences to introduce librarians to the services and products the NNLM Region 4 offers its members.  During this time we were fortunate to be able to present virtually at the North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming Library association’s annual meetings. These presentations allowed George and I to engage with libraries and librarians in their respective states. We were able to network and connect with key staff at a number of libraries and share valuable information and funding opportunities available to Region 4 members.

While I am an experienced conference attendee, each of these conferences focused on the importance of library services in the times of COVID and how important library staff are to helping their communities strive for access to information. Also, each conference had a great lineup of plenary speakers, research presentations and engagement activities.  One common theme that resonated for me throughout each of the conferences attended was the importance of self-care for library staff and how to avoid burnout given the challenging times we are facing. Hopefully we as a profession can work to make strides in these areas.

If you are not a member of your local library association, consider joining and become active with your state level colleagues. Perhaps we will even see you at a future conference.

David M Brown holds a Doctor of Education with a specialization in health education from Teachers College Columbia University. He also holds a Master of Library and Information Science from Wayne State University. Additionally, he has two Masters of Arts Degrees from Columbia University one in computers and education and another in health education. He is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist. 

Dr. Brown has been involved in training public health professionals for the last 15 years, teaching and supervising research in health education and public health at a number of universities in both the United States and abroad.  He has served on the board of directors for the Society for Public Health Education.  He currently serves on the Divisional Board for the Certification of Health Education Specialists with The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing Inc. He has also served on several editorial boards related to health education and promotion.