Herr Memorial Library

   From teens trying to understand the effects of weight-training on their young bodies, and parents trying to understand their children’s developmental and behavioral issues, to septuagenarians researching brain health, the area’s residents rely on public libraries as a trusted source of accurate information about their health and well-being.

   Now, thanks to a federal grant, The Public Library for Union County, the Herr Memorial Library, and the West End Library – the three members of the federated Union County Library System – will be able to improve and add to the health materials in their collections.

   The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Office of Commonwealth Libraries administers federal Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA) grant funds that are used to support statewide projects and also competitive grants to libraries.

   In June this year a $20,000 LSTA Collection Development Grant was awarded to the Union County Library System for a “Libraries for Health” project that involves updating and expanding the health materials collections at each of the three member libraries.  Outdated materials are being culled and replaced with new information that is relevant for people of all ages, and the libraries are partnering with area health education providers to present coordinating programs.

   Linda Homa, Reference Librarian for the Union County Library System and coordinator of the “Libraries for Health” project, explains that people seek health information from the library for many reasons.

    “They want to increase their knowledge about certain subjects, to explore alternative therapies, to practice healthy lifestyles, to research specific ailments, and to avoid unnecessary visits to the doctor,” she says.

   The free programs that will be offered in support of the health materials collection are designed to make the public aware of and highlight the new resources as well as to introduce area residents to representatives from regional health care providers and health educators who can provide information about a wide range of health issues.

   The Union County Library System’s partners in the “Libraries for Health” project are: Patricia A. Ulmer, Community Health Librarian at Geisinger Medical Center; Debbie Sanders, Prime Time Health Educator for the Union-Snyder Area Agency on Aging; Trish Quinter Ruth, Public Relations and Marketing Specialist for Geisinger Community Medical Center; and Sheila Packer, Community Health Education Coordinator for Evangelical Community Hospital.

   Homa says that she is seeking recommendations for books and materials to support the home-school curricula of the area’s major homeschooling groups and that the libraries are looking forward to partnering with area school districts to identify health materials that support their curricula.

   The first program that will be presented as part of the “Libraries for Health” project will focus on brain health and memory.  Debbie Sanders, RN, MSN, Prime Time Health Coordinator for the Union-Snyder Area Agency on Aging, will present a one-hour “Brain Health” program at each of the three libraries in Union County.

   Sanders will give her free presentation at the West End Library in Laurelton (922-4773) at 6:30 p.m. on Mon., Aug. 9, at the Herr Memorial Library in Mifflinburg (966-0831) at 2 p.m. on Wed., Aug. 11, and at The Public Library for Union County in Lewisburg (523-1172) at 1 p.m. on Mon., Aug. 16.  Registration is requested so that seating can be arranged.

   For more information about the Union County Library System’s health materials collection development project, contact Linda Homa at (570) 523-1172.