Poster Board Number: 128
Title: Outreach Impact Study: The Case of the Greater Midwest Region
Objective: This project's goal is to engage library and information science (LIS) students in an outreach impact study. Students are conducting the study to determine the impact that National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region (NN/LM GMR), funding has on the ability of members to perform outreach on behalf of NN/LM. This project resulted from a subcontract from NN/LM GMR to the University of Kentucky School of LIS.
Methods: Each project objective is assessed by content analysis and survey methodology. Content analyses are conducted by searching the twenty-two final reports submitted by the NN/LM GMR office for concepts relating to specific objectives. Each final report is reviewed by at least two students to ensure inter-rater reliability. Once students reviewing each report agree on common themes, the themes are posted for the entire group to review. Also, the principal investigators of the twenty-two projects identified by the NN/LM GMR office for inclusion in the analysis are surveyed regarding issues related to the specified project objectives. Once the results are reviewed and summarized, they will be compared with results of the content analyses. Combining results of the content analyses and survey will allow a more comprehensive response to each objective.
Results: Results indicated that outreach projects supported by NN/LM GMR funding improved access to biomedical information for professionals and the general public. Barriers to conducting outreach projects included time constraints and commitments, staffing, scheduling and absenteeism, inadequate space, and issues associated with technology (e.g., hardware and software, Internet connectivity and firewall issues, and creating and using new technologies.)
Conclusions: The majority of project principal investigators indicated that their attempts to conduct outreach were successful. Moreover, most noted that outreach had a positive impact on professionals as well as the general public. In general, it seems that negative outcomes, as with most barriers to conducting outreach, may be mitigated by more thorough planning.
Authors: Jeffrey Huber, Director, School of Library and Information Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY; Jacqueline Leskovec, Program Coordinator, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region; Ruth Holst, AHIP, FMLA, Associate Director, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region, Library of the Health Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL; Emily Kean, Student; Trina Altman, Student; Kate Dupin, Student; Phillip Fitzgerald, Student, School of Library and Information Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY; Zach Young, Information Services Librarian; Alice Whitman Memorial Library; Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, Lexington, KY