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Disaster Information Specialist Program

The Disaster Information Specialist Program is a collaborative effort to explore and promote the role of information specialists in the provision of disaster-related information resources to the workforce and communities.

 

Monthly Meetings/Conference Calls
A conference call for those interested in the Disaster Information Specialist Program is held on the second Thursday of each month at 1:30 ET. Topics covered have included:
  • Information needs of personnel aboard the USNS Comfort, responding to the Haiti earthquake
  • Occupational and training information needs during the 2010 Gulf Oil spill response
  • Library-run community preparedness day activities
  • Disasters and mental health
The Disaster Information Specialist Program monthly conference calls are open to all and can be attended in person, online through Adobe Connect, or by telephone. To receive announcements about the meetings, including connection information, please join our listserv. (Also see below)
DISASTR-OUTREACH-LIB Listserv
This email discussion forum is for librarians, information specialists, and other professionals interested in disaster health information outreach to their communities. As a participant in this listserv, you can stay informed about current disaster-related resources, connect to colleagues in the field, engage in information exchange and learn about new ideas, trends, training opportunities, and conferences in the area of disaster health information.
Medical Library Association Disaster Information Specialization Program
The Disaster Information Management Research Center has contracted with the Medical Library Association (MLA) to develop a series of continuing education courses on disaster information topics in support of a disaster information specialization for librarians and other interested professionals. The specialization will consist of two levels: basic and advanced.
Disaster Information Curriculum
The goal of the Disaster Information Curriculum is to develop the capacity of librarians and other interested professionals to support their institutions and communities throughout the disaster/emergency cycle of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The emphasis is on health information as a first priority for course content with other facets of disaster information as a second priority.
Disaster Information Training Courses & Resources
Courses and training materials related to disaster information, including courses that meet the requirements for the Medical Library Association Disaster Information Specialization.
Librarians and Disasters
Resources for and about librarians involved in providing disaster-related information, including a bibliography of literature and other resources on the role of librarians and other information professionals in disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
NLM Disaster Health Information Outreach Projects
NLM has offered funding for disaster information outreach projects supporting collaboration between libraries/information centers and disaster-related organizations, and for public and other libraries to conduct community preparedness and disaster awareness events.
Disaster Information Outreach Symposium
The first symposium on disaster information outreach was held at the National Library of Medicine on March 29-30, 2011. The symposium brought together and celebrated all facets of librarians’ and libraries’ efforts to be forward-leaning in offering information services related to disasters and public health emergencies. It was both a culmination of three years of effort in building the new Disaster Information Management Research Center and its projects as well as an opportunity for NLM and symposium participants to consider next steps for the Disaster Information Specialist Program.

The Symposium hosted 200 attendees from 29 US states, Canada and Costa Rica, and another 250+ watched the symposium via live videocast. HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Nicole Lurie, MD, gave the keynote address and was followed by John Koerner, the Chief (in Dr. Lurie’s Office) of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives Branch. Speakers from federal and state government, the military, academia, hospital libraries, university libraries and volunteer organizations discussed their experiences and presented research results. The agenda, speakers, and other materials are on the symposium home page.
Disaster Information Specialist Pilot Project Partners, 2008-2010
The National Library of Medicine, Disaster Information Management Research Center initiated a pilot project in 2008 to explore the role of librarians as disaster information specialists within their healthcare institutions. The five original partners of the Disaster Information Specialist Pilot were: