FNLM Receives Award for “Distinguished Public Service” from the Medical Library Association

The Friends of the National Library of Medicine received the Distinguished Publish Service Award from the Medical Library Association on May 16th, at the MLA 2011 Conference. Dr. Donald King, chairman of the FNLM Board of Directors, accepted the award from Ruth Holst, president of MLA. The award recognized FNLM’s contributions to the public through the development of NIH MedlinePlus magazine and through supporting and promoting the National Library of Medicine and its programs. “MedlinePlus magazine provides the gold standard of reliable consumer health information to the public,” Ms. Holst said. In his acceptance speech, Dr. King said that medical libraries can play a crucial role in reducing health disparities among minorities by encouraging minority students to enter healthcare careers. The National Library of Medicine and FNLM provide support for one such effort, Mentoring in Medicine, which you can read about in the Summer 2011 issue of NIH MedlinePlus magazine.