Getting a Head Start on Emergency Preparedness

Posted by Jacqueline Leskovec on August 3rd, 2016 Posted in: Emergency Preparedness, NLM Resources, Outreach

Happy New Year! Well, not exactly, but just like New Year’s, we have the opportunity to make resolutions. This one is easy to keep! Here’s an opportunity to get a head start on emergency preparedness for you library and your community. Next month is National Preparedness Month, and we have a full 31 days to plan and prepare for  sharing emergency preparedness and response resources with our patrons. Thanks to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), this is an easy resolution to keep. The NLM Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC) is a great resource for disaster health information.

Have you thought of extending your information reach into your community? On Thursday, August 11, 2016, at 1:30 ET, DIMRC will present a Disaster Information Specialist Webinar, Collaborations between Libraries and Disaster Organizations. To tune in to this webinar, see the instructions on how to login: https://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/dismeetings.html#login. This is one of the monthly webinars, held generally on the second Thursday of the month, and hosted by DIMRC. The Medical Library Association (MLA) offers one hour continuing education credit for attending/viewing these webinars. See the DIMRC page for instructions on how to obtain CE.

Perhaps you need to take a closer look the characteristics of your community before coming up with a collaborative disaster plan. On Wednesday, August 17, 2016, NLM’s Specialized Information Services (SIS) will be presenting: Mapping Your Community’s Health, an online session hosted by our sister region, PSR. “Speakers will talk about the Community Health Maps blog for Information on low cost mapping tools for community-based organizations. Also covered will be a case study on mapping curb ramp accessibility for an assisted living facility as an example of community maps.” This webinar will he held 2-3 PM CT. To register: http://nnlm.gov/ntc/classes/class_details.html?class_id=227.

Where’s the best place to find FREE quality disaster information resources? In addition to PubMed^® and MedlinePlus^® (see: https://medlineplus.gov/disasterpreparationandrecovery.html), NLM supplements these two great databases with Disaster Lit^® the Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health. “Documents include expert guidelines, research reports, conference proceedings, training classes, fact sheets, websites, databases, and similar materials selected from over 700 organizations for a professional audience.”

The GMR provides emergency preparedness resources on our website at the following URL: https://nnlm.gov/gmr/membership/epap. If you are interested in the MLA Disaster Information Specialization, visit http://mlanet.org/education/dis/. For more NN/LM training opportunities, see: https://nnlm.gov/training-schedule.

Jacqueline Leskovec, MLIS, MA, RN
Network Librarian
National Network of Libraries of Medicine
Greater Midwest Region
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences
University of Iowa
Web: http://nnlm.gov/gmr/
Skype: jacqueline.leskovec

ABOUT Jacqueline Leskovec
Jacqueline Leskovec, MLIS, MA, RN (she/her) is the Network Specialist for NNLM Region 6. She is the lead for the Partner Outreach Program (POP), Network membership and user accounts, the Data Reporting System (DRS), and the Region 6 website. She has been with the Network since 2005. In addition to being a health sciences librarian, Jacqueline maintains her license as a registered nurse. She works from her home office in Chicago. She is well acquainted with power tools and will be happy to bore you with details of her many home repair and remodel adventures.

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