Guest post by Glen P. Campbell, Chair of the Board of Directors, Friends of the National Library of Medicine
Since our founding in 1986 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the Friends of the National Library of Medicine (FNLM), have been honored to promote and support the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Our members, a coalition of individuals representing medical associations and societies, hospitals, health science libraries, corporations, and foundations, are dedicated to helping us accomplish our mission.
FNLM Mission and Goals
To promote and enhance the mission of the NLM, the FNLM convenes and celebrates thought leadership in data science, informatics, and health care communications to:
- Advance trusted resources for data-driven research and health information
- Promote meaningful engagement across health communities and biomedical communications enterprises
- Build the workforce of tomorrow
In partnership with NLM, we work to achieve mutual goals that accelerate discovery, advance health in the U.S. and globally, and empower individuals with trusted health information.
Increasing public awareness and use of NLM, and supporting its many programs in research, education, and public service is our top priority. Members of the FNLM Board represent constituencies across the country and, more recently, globally. They serve without compensation—giving freely of their time and expertise.
Taking a Fresh Look
With the fifth anniversary of the appointment of Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD, as director of NLM, our Board thought it a good idea to take a fresh look at our strategic plan to ensure that we remain fully aligned with the 2017-2027 NLM Strategic Plan implemented under Dr. Brennan’s dynamic leadership. Dr. Brennan, along with the NLM Leadership team, are meeting the extraordinary challenges of the 21st century with an ambitious plan to accelerate discovery through data-driven research, expand and reach NLM constituents in new ways, and ensure that NLM’s workforce is equipped with the tools and skills required to thrive in a data-powered world.
The FNLM Strategic Task Force, under the direction of Douglas Fridsma, MD, PhD, and John Glaser, PhD, consulted with our FNLM Board, many of whom are Library users, and colleagues at NLM, and the FNLM Board approved a set of initiatives that will continue to support NLM’s Strategic Plan through two categories of initiatives: programs and events and stakeholder forums. A reorganization of our committee structure will support their successful implementation.
Expanding Education
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the FNLM’s Conference Committee, chaired by Andrew Balas, MD, PhD, Vice President, FNLM, took our conference program virtual with a series of workshops aligned with the NLM Strategic Plan. Workshops included Changing Publication Practices in the COVID-19 Era, Real World Data and Electronic Health Records in Clinical Research, and Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate Discovery. The FNLM Board approved an expansion of these workshops under a revised Education Committee to enhance the workshops with an even sharper focus on the Library’s leadership in data-powered health.
The FNLM regularly convenes a group of publisher representatives responsible for publishing biomedical content. This Publisher’s Forum represents organizations that use a variety of publishing models including open access, subscription access, for profit and non-profit and are international, regional, or U.S. based. The group meets with the NLM leadership team and colleagues to discuss issues and concerns of common interest. The goal is to increase the understanding of how to work together as effectively as possible to bring quality health and scientific information to scientists, researchers, clinicians, and patients.
Our Board also approved new forums for medical librarians, biotechnology organizations, and NLM Fellows. The increasing interactions between NLM and among these constituencies call for even closer engagement, and the FNLM is uniquely positioned to facilitate this.
I have only touched briefly on the significant work done by the FNLM Strategic Task Force and Board to ensure that our plan is well aligned with that of NLM. Personally, supporting the transformation of the NLM from a passive to active player in the global health care enterprise is thrilling. Our work continues, but we will be hard pressed to keep pace with Dr. Brennan and her leadership team, whose fast pace is transforming the Library day by day.
What’s Next
One final note: the FNLM’s annual Awards Gala, which celebrates and honors individuals whose contributions advanced public health, medicine, and health communications, was postponed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope you will join our next event when we bring together those involved in biomedical research and health care to recognize their support for the extraordinary work of the NLM.
Interested in learning more about our work to enhance the Library’s profile? We encourage you to visit us at FNLM.org.
Glen P. Campbell is the Chair of the Friends of the National Library of Medicine Board of Directors. He has served in this capacity for more than 10 years.