The Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) has received money from The National Library of Medicine, to encourage librarians from small and rural libraries to attend a pre-conference at the 2018 annual fall conference to be held in Springfield, IL. The Library of Michigan is assisting in the awarding of the scholarships by facilitating the application and choice of one current Michigan public library staff member to receive the $500 to help cover travel and registration to the events. Applicants must be from a library serving fewer than 25,000. The recipient must agree to attend both the pre-conference, described below, on September 12 and the full ARSL conference on Sept. 13, 14 and 15. The cost for the health pre-conference is $75 and the full conference rates will begin at $275 for members. Information about the ARSL Conference can be found at https://arsl.info/2018-conference/ National Library of Medicine Pre-Conference - September 12, 2018 Stand Up for Health: Health and Wellness Services for Your Community Description: Health information is the number two most searched for information online. This pre-conference will review core competencies of providing health and wellness services, coach you through understanding your community's needs, and explore how to create fun and informative health-related programming for different age groups and special populations. Participants will learn about core reference and other materials, tips for helping library users evaluate health materials, and an action plan to put your new expertise to work. At the end of this session, participants will: 1: Gain increased confidence in providing English/Spanish health reference; teaching users how to recognize the elements of trustworthy materials and the warning signs of dubious health information; and selecting authoritative health information appropriate for diverse users 2: Evaluate the quality of health information in a variety of formats and apply criteria for collection development of consumer health materials 3: Be able to plan health-related programming and events that will appeal to your community This session requires 2 hours of pre-conference reading and a take-home assignment at the end to earn the full 12 CE credits. Attendees who complete all the work and earn the 12 CE credits will also receive a Consumer Health Information Specialization certification from the Medical Library Association. Attendees who choose not to complete all the required work may be eligible to receive a certificate of completion. Time: 9-5 with lunch and a refreshment break. Fee: $75. To apply for the $500 scholarship, please complete the form here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ARSL-NLM The application will close on April 4 at 10:00pm Eastern time. If you have questions about this application, please contact Shannon White at 517-373-1580 or whites29@michigan.gov<mailto:whites29@michigan.gov> Shannon White Library of Michigan www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan<http://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan> 517.373.9489 Whites29@michigan.gov