School librarians as partners in the coordinated school health program model: Findings from a regional conference

The coordinated school health program (CSHP) model recognizes the importance of collaborations and partnerships to succeed in each of eight components of school health. School librarians are rarely among the principal partners in school health collaborations, despite their potential contributions to each of the eight components of the CSHP model. A conference held at the UT Health Science Center in June 2008 brought together over 100 stakeholders in school health from across South Texas, with a focus on school librarians and school nurses. The primary goals of the meeting were to:

* Increase awareness of information resources relevant to school health;

* Foster the dissemination of information about school health issues and health careers; and

* Promote a team approach to school health by identifying specific opportunities for collaboration among school librarians, school nurses, teachers, school administrators, health educators and health sciences librarians.

This poster outlines the presentations given at the meeting by representatives from national and regional organizations. It also summarizes the local action plans that participants formulated by working together in small-group sessions.