Resources for Answering Difficult Patron Questions
Serving users with legal, medical, and consumer finance questions can be a challenge for many reasons. Library staff are not, generally, lawyers, doctors, or financial advisors, and these types of questions can often get complex quickly. There are some great resources out there from specialists in these areas that can help library staff and patrons in a variety of ways. Additionally, these topic areas offer opportunities to develop valuable, patron-centered library programming.
This new online training series will feature guest speakers from the Network for the National Library of Medicine, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The Virginia State Law Library, and more to talk about how they and their colleagues provide resources, programming ideas, and assistance to public libraries and their users. All the programs will be recorded and shared in the LVA Niche Academy.
Here are the program descriptions, dates, and registration links:
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled
View the recording in the LVA Niche Academy
According to the CDC, 4% of all Virginians have a vision impairment, and while estimates vary, the National Institutes of Health have found that rates of dyslexia range from 5 to 20% of the U.S. Population. Both of these communities are only forecasted to grow as the ability to detect reading/print impairments improves and as Virginians age, in turn making the ability of libraries to provide services to them vital in order to ensure they can continue to learn and engage the world around them. To help address this need, the National Library Service of the Library of Congress (NLS) administers a free national library program that provides braille and recorded materials to people who cannot see regular print or handle print materials. Join Babak Zarin, Access Services Librarian at Central Rappahannock Regional Library to learn about this national library program- casually called “Talking Books”- and the resources it makes available for your disabled library users through Virginia’s NLS network libraries, including braille, ebraille, Talking Books, BARD mobile app, and more.
NNLM 101
View the recording in the LVA Niche Academy
The Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) serves as an outreach program of the National Library of Medicine. The NNLM network is a collaboration of members from various organizations including public libraries, academic health sciences libraries, hospital libraries, special biomedical libraries, information center and community-based organizations. NNLM offers training, funding, and access to the member network. Faith Steele, NNLM Outreach and Education Librarian, will provide an overview of NNLM, the current initiatives, and how it can support your health information outreach and engagement efforts.
Medicare 101 for Library Staff
View the recording in the LVA Niche Academy
The state of Virginia aging demographic shift is mirroring much of the United States. According to the University of Virginia, of the more than 8.6 million residents in Virginia, nearly 1.9 million are currently age 60 or older. By 2030, the population over age 60 is expected to grow to 2.2 million—close to one in every four Virginians (almost 25 percent of the population). As our population ages, so does the need for understand and accessing Medicare health care services, which is the primary health insurance for people aged 65 and older. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is the federal agency that administers this health insurance program for over 60 million people in the United States with Medicare coverage. In this presentation, Sharon Graham, Regional Administrator in the Office of Program Operations and Local Engagement at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will review the Medicare resources that are available to you for your senior library users that can help them to learn about, and navigate, the Medicare health care system. Resources include information on enrolling, coverage, coordination of benefits, Medigap, and preventive services.
Financial Literacy Resources and Programming
View the recording in the LVA Niche Academy
Financial literacy is a hot topic right now, and one that can be of interest to all ages. Join Erin Creighton, Adult Services Department Head at Central Rappahannock Regional Library, to learn about resources to make financial literacy programming easier. This session will cover outreach ideas, passive programming, free resources, and finding program partners.
Virginia Law Libraries 101
When: Tuesday, June 25, 1 pm ET
Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMkcu2tqj0pHNwRHUPv7mpZHr7adbPMPGXt
Legal questions can be challenging in the public library. Join Suzanne B. Corriell, Circuit Librarian U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Alexis Fetzer Sharp, State Law Librarian, Virginia State Law Library, Supreme Court of Virginia, and Charlie Schmidt, Law Librarian, Richmond Public Library to demystify helping users with legal questions. Topics will include: What’s the difference between providing “Legal Information” and “Legal Advice,” Federal court resources, resources from the Virginia State Law Library, and Public Law Library Resources.