The document discusses a collaborative project between public health organizations and libraries to integrate social technologies into public health practices. It describes conducting a needs assessment of two county health departments which found a need for better internal communication and managing information. Staff training was provided on various social media tools and their potential uses both internally and publicly. The document concludes by emphasizing the importance of coaching, creativity and commitment from administrators, IT staff and health department employees for successful adoption of these new technologies.

1. Public Health 2.0 collaborative partnerships for integrating social technologies into the practice community 10th International Congress on Medical Librarianship Brisbane, Australia, September 2009 Gillian Mayman, Nancy Allee, and Jane Blumenthal University of Michigan, Health Sciences Libraries, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

2. To develop best practices for integrating Web 2.0 technologies into the work of local public health departments in order to improve the communication and information sharing within the department, between partner organizations, and to the populations that they serve.

3. National Network of Libraries, Greater Midwest Region. Health Sciences Libraries Local Health Departments Prevention Research Center

5. n e e d s a s s e s s m e n t

6. Needs Assessment Focus Groups Genesee County Health Department Monroe County Health Department Decision to not include all staff in training Interested more in projects and less in training Great need to manage internal communications Ambivalence over use of social networking sites Concern over time and staffing Need to protect privacy of staff and community members IT issues Strong support from Health Officer

7. Survey How are staff members at each health department currently using Web 2.0 technologies, both at work and in their personal lives?

14. Do you create and upload resources to a web site that allows you to share photos, videos, or slide presentations for professional or personal purposes?

16. “ My kids haven't had time to teach me.” “ Have better ways to spend my time” “ I do not believe the County wants us to use this web site” “ I think it is somewhat for young people, with nothing better to do” “ Not good example for my children”

20. Have you ever…

21. t r a i n i n g

22. What is Web 2.0 How can it help you? Blogs Wikis & collaborative editing Media sharing tools Social networking sites Online communities Mapping mashups Visualization tools iGoogle & Google Calendar

27. p r o j e c t s

36. This project is supported under a subcontract, NO1-LM-6-3503, CFDA 93.879, between the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and the Regents of the University of Michigan.