Recapping APHA's 128th Annual Meeting in Boston, November 11-16, 2000
Librarians and Public Health: A Natural Synergy

By Nancy Schaefer, University of Florida Health Science Center Library (NancyS@library.health.ufl.edu)

Contents:
Advantages to Attendance | Hot Topics at APHA | Core Public Health Journal Group Met | Pomerantz Acknowledged for Service to the APHA | Technology Center Lab Staffed by Librarians | Appendix: Additional Contributors to this Article

A dozen or more public health/medical librarians were among the more than 13,500 attendees at the 128th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association November 11-16, 2000 at Boston's Hynes Convention Center.

Advantages to Attendance

1. Getting to Know You(r Faculty)
   Cristina Campbell of the University of California at Berkeley goes to the APHA annual meeting to stay current with her faculty. Attending their paper and poster sessions and working a few hours at her school's exhibit, she gets to know her faculty on a different level and meets new people. She notes that it is “always good for the librarian to connect with faculty and administrators 'on their turf' [as] an indication of [the librarian's] commitment and interest in the subject matter and their work.”
2. Collection Development
   The APHA conference is an excellent place for collection development. Several librarians expressed a preference for thumbing through the actual books in publishers' displays and using the display list to select purchases. They also speak with publishers about proposed new edition publication dates, suggest improvements to databases and discuss problems with e-journals. They collect gray literature, including new or less visible websites and mailing lists and abstracts or copies of papers which may never be published. With some 550 exhibitors at this conference, including all CDC and NIH offices, the opportunities for “scooping” the latest materials from multiple sources were rich indeed!

   APHA has indicated that abstracts from this and future conferences will be available on their website. To view or search for abstracts by keyword, phrase or name, as well as to view the entire scientific program, visit: http://apha.confex.com/apha/128am/techprogram/. This will be a valuable resource for people looking for author and title information for this conference.

3. Increasing Your Subject Knowledge
   Matt Wilcox of Yale appreciated the opportunity to “see what a cross-section of public health people are working on.” Several librarians felt the conference had expanded and deepened their subject knowledge so that they could better serve their organizations. Over 3,000 papers and hundreds of posters were presented by MDs, MPHs, MSWs and DSWs, MPAs, RDs, PhDs, Nurse Practitioners, Administrators, union leaders, lawyers, CDC personnel AND LIBRARIANS on public health research and practice as well as social work, financial and information technology issues.
4. Promoting Your Organization
   Sharon Gray of Silent Spring Institute found the conference a venue for promoting the work of her organization and advertising its website. Other librarians found themselves sharing stories of their institution's strengths with other attendees.
5. Promoting Medical and Public Health Libraries and Medical Librarians
   One librarian noted that everyone to whom she'd introduced herself as a medical librarian asked her questions about information systems, evidence-based practice and using resources. Laura Larsson, NLM Informatics Fellow, Oregon Health Sciences University(OHSU), planned and facilitated several scientific sessions on Internet use and training and on technology-dependent research in various public health disciplines. She also taught a Continuing Education Institute (CEI) on Distance Learning for Public Health Practitioners aimed at instructors, managers who might be supervising staff wanting to do distance learning, and potential distance learners. Neil Rambo, Pacific Northwest NN/LM, and Sarah Safranek, HSLIC, University of Washington, also taught a CEI on Evidence-based Public Health that was sold out within the first few weeks. Two of three CEIs that sold out were taught by librarians. PH/HA' Membership Chair Harvey Brenneise presented on creating a statewide virtual health library in Michigan. All of these are wonderful examples of how useful the library-public health worker/researcher connection can be. There is very definitely a warm, welcoming and enthusiastic atmosphere among public health practitioners for the learning we have to offer.

   Librarians are encouraged to present scientific papers at APHA. The deadline for submitting an abstract is Friday, February 2, 2001. To submit a scientific paper, go to: http://apha.confex.com/apha/129am/call.htm. If you wish to teach a half or full-day CEI at this year's annual meeting, the deadline is January 31, 2001. The CEI information can be requested from APHA with information available at this URL: http://www.apha.org/education/ [Ed. note: Updated link 3/17/04]. Or, you can contact Laura Larsson <larsson@u.washington.edu> for a Word version of the submission form.

“Hot topics” for Public Health practitioners/researchers covered at this conference

• Race and Ethnicity issues in public health (the theme of the conference was Eliminating Health Disparities)
• Information Technology - Geographic Information Systems, Internet-based training and distance education, interactive and integrated (within agencies) information systems
• Evidence-based policy building (a fairly new concept)
• Model programs
• Health Communication objectives of Healthy People 2010.
  APHA's Public Health and Health Promotion Section has an active Health Communication Working Group who has set its priorities for HP2010: 1) Research and Evaluation supporting the Excellence Centers concept 2) Health Literacy and Provider Communication Skills 3) Website quality. For further information, see http://www.hehd.clemson.edu/Publichealth/phehp/HealthComm/WEBCOMG4.htm.
• Disposition of tobacco settlement money (so far only 8% of this money has been earmarked for healthcare.)

Core Public Health Journal Group Met

Pomerantz Acknowledged for Service to the APHA

Technology Center Lab Staffed by Librarians

1. Each librarian who worked in the Tech Center lab received a stipend administered by MLA. Many expressed great thanks for the stipend, citing it as the deciding factor in their ability to attend the conference. The fact that the stipend didn't cover the total cost of attending assured that those who signed up were committed to sharing their expertise and dedicated to the field of public health.
2. Most librarians who worked in the Tech Center Lab expressed appreciation for this opportunity to meet and work with other public health librarians. Just knowing that others are struggling with the same issues as you are makes a difference.
3. Those working in academic settings were delighted and enriched by the opportunity to interact with users engaged in the actual practice of public health.
4. Matt Wilcox of Yale was inspired by his work in the lab to begin planning a new set of classes to prepare near-graduates to keep current after they have left behind their large academic libraries.
5. Kris Alpi of Cornell noted that conference attendees appreciated the lab and the librarians assisting therein. Sharon Gray noted that even though her shifts were toward the end of the conference (thus, fewer people needing the computers/ assistance to prepare their presentations), the computers were kept busy.

All of the librarians felt their subject knowledge had deepened and broadened through their attendance at the conference. Many added to their organizations' collections and to their own store of technological expertise. First-time conference attendees returned to their home institutions with a clearer idea of the larger world of public health. Everyone appreciated the conversations and contacts they had made in the exhibit area and, for those who worked there, in the Tech Center Lab. All were excited to start on the periodicals project mentioned elsewhere in this edition of the Public Health/Health Administration section newsletter.

Appendix: Additional Contributors to this Article