Creative Collaborations: Inspiring Engagement by Hosting an NLM Traveling Exhibit

PURPOSE

In this presentation we will highlight our library’s efforts to engage its users through programming and partnerships by hosting the National Library of Medicine (NLM) traveling exhibit, "Take 2 and Call Me in the Morning: The Story  of Aspirin Revisited."  We will outline the planning process and describe the creative events that were held alongside the exhibit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Our library was selected to host a traveling exhibit from the National Library of Medicine.  To prepare, we formed a planning group six months prior to the exhibit dates.  After brainstorming ways to make the programming around the exhibit connect with the theme, we partnered with four campus libraries to highlight various resources within our system.   An opening exhibit reception was organized that showcased books from our collections, along with refreshments and promotional items. As part of this event, our rare books librarian conducted a special pop-up exhibit featuring centuries-old herbal medicine texts from a donor collection.  In addition, our pharmacy liaison librarian hosted a free webinar about open access to drug information.  An herbal flower display was created using a free book from NLM’s digital collections.  Finally, we plan to share insights and lessons learned—especially those that emerged when our original plans had to be adjusted.  

OUTCOMES

By using our imagination to create programming around the aspirin traveling exhibit, we educated our users on the services and unique collections available throughout our library system.