NLM Awards 2021-2026 Regional Medical Library Cooperative Agreements

From the NNLM blog

NLM Awards 2021-2026 Regional Medical Library Cooperative Agreements

April 8, 2021

The National Library of Medicine has awarded five-year cooperative agreements to seven institutions selected to serve as Regional Medical Libraries (RMLs) and four  institutions selected as National Coordinating Offices in the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM). The agreements begin May 1, 2021.

The NNLM is NLM’s “field force” of trusted ambassadors that leverages more than 8,000 organizational members representing resource libraries (primarily at medical schools), health science libraries (primarily at hospitals), public libraries, and community-based organizations.

RMLs coordinate the operation of a network of libraries and other organizations to carry out regional and national programs. RMLs ensure a continuity of quality service for core programs of the NNLM, and cooperatively design, implement, and evaluate innovative approaches to advance the health information needs of health professionals and a diverse public. Each National Coordinating Office performs a unique set of functions, but all serve to support and inform the work of the RMLs.

2021-2026 Awardees:

Regional Medical Libraries:

• Region 1: Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and District of Columbia; University of Maryland at Baltimore: Health Sciences and Human Services Library, Baltimore, MD
• Region 2: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands; Medical University of South Carolina, Medical University of South Carolina Libraries, Charleston, SC
• Region 3: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas; University of North Texas Health Science Center, Gibson D. Lewis Library, Fort Worth, TX
• Region 4: Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. University of Utah, Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, Salt Lake City, UT
• Region 5: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States, University of Washington Health Sciences Library, Seattle, WA
• Region 6: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. University of Iowa, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, Iowa City, IA
• Region 7: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Lamar Soutter Library, Worcester, MA

National Coordinating Offices:

• NNLM Web Services Office (NWSO) University of Maryland at Baltimore,  Health Sciences and Human Services Library, Baltimore, MD

NNLM Training Office (NTO)

• University of Utah Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, Salt Lake City, UT

NNLM Public Health Coordination Office (NPHCO)

• University of Massachusetts Medical School, Lamar Soutter Library, Worcester, MA

NNLM Evaluation Center (NEC)

• Northwestern University, Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center, Chicago, IL

Since its original authorization by Congress in the 1965 Medical Library Assistance Act, the NNLM has worked to equalize and enhance access to health information and data throughout the United States. This Network is vital in NLM's outreach efforts to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public's health by providing education and access to information for U.S. researchers, health professionals, public health workforce, educators, and the public. NNLM’s main goals are to work through libraries and other members to support a highly trained workforce for biomedical and health information resources and data, promote health literacy, and advance health equity through access to trusted, quality health information.

During the previous (2016-2021) grant period, the RMLs awarded more than 1,338 subawards to NNLM members. The RMLs, in collaboration with funded NNLM members, conducted more than10,000 training events and other outreach and engagement activities reaching more than 108,000 health professionals, librarians, and members of the public.

Information about the Network of the National Library of Medicine and the Regional Medical Libraries is available at www.nnlm.gov.

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The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is a leader in research in biomedical informatics and data science and the world’s largest biomedical library. NLM conducts and supports research in methods for recording, storing, retrieving, preserving, and communicating health information. NLM creates resources and tools that are used billions of times each year by millions of people to access and analyze molecular biology, biotechnology, toxicology, environmental health, and health services information. Additional information is available at https://www.nlm.nih.gov.