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CHICAGO — The Public Library Association (PLA) has added another collaborative project to its ongoing partnership with the (NNLM), a program of the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Through this partnership, PLA will launch a new survey intended to measure the effectiveness of public libraries’ consumer health programming in , the association’s free toolkit designed to help public libraries understand and share the impact of essential library services and programs. Funding for the creation of the new survey was provided by three of NNLM’s eight regional medical libraries: MidContinental, Pacific Southwest, and South Central. The survey will be added to Project Outcome in April 2019.

“With this new survey, PLA seeks to expand public libraries’ capacity to apply outcome data in decision-making and planning around consumer health programming and services,” remarks PLA President Monique le Conge Ziesenhenne, PhD. “We’re thrilled to team up with NNLM on this important project.”

In March, PLA it will team up with NNLM to raise awareness of the National Institute of Health’s All of Us Research Program, a historic effort to gather data from one million or more people living in the U.S., to accelerate research and improve health. In 2017, the two organizations launched Promoting Healthy Communities, a nine-month project to assess health information needs among public librarians and share free health literacy resources. The goal of Promoting Healthy Communities is to increase public library workers’ knowledge and skills related to consumer health services.

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About the Public Library Association (PLA)

The is the largest association dedicated to supporting the unique and evolving needs of public library professionals. Founded in 1944, PLA serves nearly 10,000 members in public libraries large and small in communities across the United States and Canada, with a growing presence around the world. PLA strives to help its members shape the essential institution of public libraries by serving as an indispensable ally for public library leaders. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5PLA, or pla@ala.org.

About the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM)

The mission of the NNLM is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public health by providing all U.S. health professionals with equal access to biomedical information and improving the public's access to information to enable them to make informed decisions about their health. The Program is coordinated by the and carried out through a nationwide network of health science libraries and information centers.

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