HIV/AIDS information promotion at the library: creative campaigns for young adults

Abstract

Background: While rates of new HIV diagnoses have gone down nationally, Florida’s HIV-positive population is growing and remains one of the largest in the country. Given this landscape, it is clear that diverse, creative, and collaborative efforts are needed to better inform the public about HIV risks, prevention, and treatment and to encourage healthy behaviors.Case Presentation: Building on previous work, librarians at the University of Florida engaged in a yearlong project to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS risks, prevention, and treatment among university students and to improve their information-seeking behaviors related to this disease. The “Creative Campaigns” project included 3 distinct elements of activity and engagement, designed to complement one another: a graphic novel contest, a social media campaign, and training for campus health care providers. The contest yielded 4 high-quality submissions, and the monthlong social media campaign garnered over 50,000 views and utilized Facebook ads to extend beyond the library’s typical audience. The instruction proved useful to campus counseling and wellness staff.Conclusions: Overall, the team considered the project a success in terms of reaching new audiences in new ways, and several of its components have been integrated into subsequent projects and regular operations. Exploring new methods of outreach through social media and creative formats required careful planning and the development of new skill sets amongst project team members but proved to be a rewarding way to generate engagement in the local community.

Facilitating rural access to quality health information through Little Free Libraries

“…Multi-institutional partnerships are an essential strategy in expanding the capacity and reach of library efforts, particularly in rural areas. HSCL's community engagement efforts rely on public partnerships, as the library itself has very little direct interaction with the public and has successfully partnered with a variety of institutions for previous community engagement projects [ 1 , 2 ]. Academic health sciences libraries can offer support in pursuing grant funding and continuity during staff transitions, challenges that rural libraries often face when conducting outreach programs [ 25 , 26 ].…”

“…The Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL) at the University of Florida (UF) are committed to engaging with our local communities through active participation in community health organizations [ 1 ], direct outreach to the public at health fairs with general health information resources, and outreach on specific topics, such as HIV/AIDS [ 2 ]. In April 2019, HSCL employees were invited to participate in the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute's Un-Meeting on Rural Health and Health Equity [ 3 ].…”

Facilitating Rural Access to Quality Health Information through Little Free Libraries

“…The Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL) at the University of Florida (UF) are committed to engaging with our local communities through active participation in community health organizations [1], direct outreach at health fairs and events, and outreach on specific topics, such as HIV/AIDS [2]. In April 2019, HSCL employees were invited to participate in the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute's Un-Meeting on Rural Health and Health Equity [3].…”