Have you ever thought about pursuing the Consumer Health Information Specialization from the Medical Library Association but didn’t have the money to invest in classes or the time to spend a half-day or a full-day taking courses to reach the goal?

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center is offering a free program to anyone looking to complete the Consumer Health Information Specialization. Made possible by funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, South Central Region, this program will provide short educational offerings completely ONLINE to help those who may not have time or money to take classes that qualify for the Consumer Health Information Specialization. Through this initiative, participants can obtain all required credits in eight months while taking one or two classes a week, depending on the level of specialization they would like to achieve. For those who do not want to pursue the formal specialization, the program offers an innovative progressive education (discussions) on the general issues of consumer health for librarians, information professionals and any others with an interest.

Here are a few of the discussion topics:

• What consumer health library services are you ethically and legally able to provide? What you must report, what you cannot report, and what you cannot say.
• How can your personal beliefs affect your information interactions?
• How you can work with teachers or healthcare organizations in your community to promote consumer health services?

For more information on this educational initiative, visit http://guides.lsuhsc.edu/geauxconsumerla, where you can learn more about the primary courses that will be offered by NNLM (all online) and see the full list of the discussion/presentation sessions with NATIONAL leaders.

Public librarians, schoolteachers and others across the country interested in this specialization are encouraged to participate in this specially organized educational opportunity! The one- to two-hour online sessions make it perfect for those with limited opportunity to leave their workplace to further their education.

Those in Louisiana who participate in this program may apply to have the specialization fee waived by following the instructions given on the GeauxConsumerLA program website.For more information, contact Julia M. Esparza, Head of User Education and Outreach Services at LSU Health Sciences Library, at 318-675-4179 or jespar@lsuhsc.edu.