Rural Health, Libraries, and Alaska: Perspectives from the Far North

Alaska presents a unique challenge for health information dissemination, with more than 80% of its communities inaccessible by road. For the Alaska Medical Library (AML), reaching these "off the road system" providers and residents requires a departure from traditional library outreach models. Supported by an NNLM Region 5 Outreach Grant, AML embarked on a multi-year initiative to bridge the information gap for rural clinicians, public health staff, and diverse community populations. The primary objectives were to: 1.) Improve access to evidence-based resources (e.g., PubMed, point-of-care databases) for rural healthcare providers. 2.) Develop skills to discern authoritative health information through targeted training and curriculum development. 3.) Strengthen partnerships between academic, tribal, and public library sectors to support statewide health literacy. This presentation will detail the lessons learned from managing a statewide outreach program with a small staff. Attendees will gain insights into effective strategies for relationship-building with tribal health organizations, navigating the logistics of rural travel, and utilizing asynchronous tools to reach high-pressure clinical environments. By sharing these "Last Frontier" experiences, we aim to provide a roadmap for libraries serving geographically isolated and information-underserved populations. Professor Jennifer McKay is the nursing and WWAMI librarian at the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Consortium Library and Head of the Alaska Medical Library. Professor Anna Bjartmarstdottir is the Public and Allied Health Librarian at the UAA Consortium Library’s Alaska Medical Library. They support UAA’s health science students while also providing evidence-based resources to Alaska’s healthcare workforce with long-standing support from the NNLM Region 5 with their work as part of a grant titled: “Bringing the Best Health Information to Alaska's Distant Communities”. This webinar session is for educational and informational purposes in alignment with NNLM goals and does not offer medical advice. By registering for this class, you are agreeing to the NNLM Code of Conduct.