Discover Health Services Near You! The North Dakota Story: Part II

Abstract

Since the 2003 launch of NC Health Info, the National Library of Medicine has encouraged the development of Go Local databases. A team of Go Local enthusiasts at North Dakota's only medical school library wanted to obtain NLM funding and build a resource for their rural state. Although short on staff, money, and time, the team found a way to realize a Go Local database that serves the state's residents and helps them "Discover Health Services Near You!" A team approach and collaboration with health providers and organizations worked well in this small rural state. North Dakota's Go Local project offers a low-cost model that stresses collaboration, teamwork and technology. Part I which appeared in the last issue describes the rural setting, explains how the project was conceived, and the processes necessary to begin building the database. Part II which appears in this issue details how records were created including developing the input style guide and indexing decisions, the NLM testing and review process, the maintenance and auditing process, and publicity and promotion of the project.

Introduction to the Go Local Special Issue

“…6,11 Most especially, this literature is rife with the real-world stories of database creation by librarians-some illustrative citations follow. Authors wrote about how to populate a database using location-specific resources, 6 website selection criteria, 11 style guidelines, 5 quality control and data cleanup, 12 and constant maintenance, discussed in every Go Local article ever published. Less frequently mentioned but interesting when it is: the philosophical problem of needing to represent organizations online that do not have websites themselves.…”

Reaching Out by Going Local: Outreach Activities and My Health Minnesota → Go Local

“…The Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet has published many articles about MedlinePlus Go Local projects, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] including a review of the literature related to MedlinePlus Go Local programs. 12 Articles about MedlinePlus Go Local projects have also been published elsewhere.…”