About ARPublicHealth

Welcome to the Arkansas Public Health Virtual Library, a portal to information for the public health professionals.  This site is a service of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Library.

Background/History

In 2002, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Library began a collaborative project with the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI), and the UAMS College of Public Health (COPH).  The goal of the proposed project was to build a network of librarians and public health professionals who would work together to improve information access for public health professionals throughout Arkansas.

In February of 2003, the UAMS Library was awarded an Information Access for Public Health Professionals grant from the National Library of Medicine  [NLM Contract #NO1-LM-1-3515].  The objectives of the funded project were:

• To build partnerships between public health professionals and UAMS and AHEC librarians to facilitate access to sources of public health information
• To promote awareness and use of national and state public health information resources and services
• To provide basic Internet and information access training for public health professionals and librarians and
• To develop and maintain an Internet web site with links to accurate, up-to-date, authoritative public health information resources and Arkansas-specific sources of information

After conducting an extensive survey of the information needs of public health professionals in the state, the UAMS Library began the creation of this site.  The Arkansas Public Health Virtual Library is the culmination of this project and is an ongoing responsibility of the UAMS Library.

Selection of Sites and Resources

Primary selection was determined from survey results obtained from employees of the Arkansas Department of Health. Recommendations for sites have been made by faculty in the UAMS College of Public Health, officials at the Arkansas Department of Health and staff at the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. Final selection of resources has been made by professional medical librarians, some of whom have training in Public Health and/or an MPH degree.

Further recommendations are welcomed. Priority selection will be given to local resources that serve Arkansas health professionals, and the appropriateness of subject content pertaining to the six areas of public health.

Recommend additions to the site. Use our e-mail address,
UAMS Library Reference Department , to let us hear from you.