Page Overview
Libraries are places where community members go not only to get the popular book of the time, but may also be the place where they get access to a computer and wifi. They are welcoming spaces to everyone.
Libraries can be part of the solution.
Current programs and initiatives involving libraries in Maine or New England are included on this page.
- How public libraries help build healthy communitiesIn Brookings Building Healthy Neighborhoods series
- Public libraries: A community-level resource to advance population healthFrom Journal of Community Health
- Community Centered: 23 Reasons Why Your Library Is the Most Important Place in TownFrom Public Libraries Online
Libraries as Telehealth locations
- Maine State Libraries - Telehealth hubs newsMaine State Libraries with Wireless (not necessary telehealth sites) https://www.maine.gov/msl/libs/directories/wireless.shtml
- New Jersey State Library Health Connect Programcreated to promote health equity and provide telehealth services to your community.
- Provider-Library Collab to Enhance Telehealth Access, Digital LiteracyMount Sinai Health System and New York Public Library
Articles on Telehealth in Libraries
- Improving equitable access to care via telemedicine in rural public libraries.DeGuzman, P. B., Abooali, S., Jain, N., Scicchitano, A., & Siegfried, Z. C. (2022). Improving equitable access to care via telemedicine in rural public libraries. Public Health Nursing, 39(2), 431–437. https://doi-org.ezproxy.neu.edu/10.1111/phn.12981
Initiatives and Collaborations
This YouTube video is part of the R4 Connections Webinar Series through the Network of National Libraries of Medicine. This session features guest speaker Dr. Pamela DeGuzman who will focus on telemedicine in rural public libraries and her research in this area in Virginia.
Publication: DeGuzman, P. B., Jain, N., & Loureiro, C. G. (2021). Public libraries as partners in telemedicine delivery: A review and research agenda. Public Library Quarterly, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2021.1877080