Cultivating a community of practice: the evolution of a health information specialists program for public librarians.

BACKGROUND: To help improve the culture of health in Oklahoma-a state that frequently ranks poorly on multiple measures of health and wellness-faculty librarians from an academic health sciences library sought to create a collaborative network of health information professionals in Oklahoma's public libraries through the implementation of the Health Information Specialists Program. CASE PRESENTATION: Health sciences librarians offered a variety of consumer health information courses for public library staff across the state of Oklahoma for three years. Courses were approved by the Medical Library Association for credit toward the Consumer Health Information Specialization. A total of seventy-two participants from public libraries attended the courses, sixty-five achieved a Level I Consumer Health Information Specialization, and nine went on to achieve Level II. CONCLUSIONS: Feedback from participants in the Health Information Specialists Program has indicated a positive impact on the health information expertise of participants, who in turn have used the knowledge that they gained to help their patrons.

A Journey Worth Taking: Exploring a Hybrid Embedded Library Instruction Model Through Three Distinct Cases.

To facilitate systematic learning and to complement the limitations of conventional one-shot library instruction sessions, a hybrid embedded instruction model was designed and implemented for undergraduate students and residents in three disciplines at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Variations of hybrid instruction are explored, including models that combine face-to-face interactions, online content delivery, flipped instruction techniques, and individual consultations. The hybrid model highlights benefits of collaborative teaching between course faculty members and librarians and enhances the relevance of library instruction for users.