Human Genome Project: Community Conversations

This 3-Year Project (Amended Application) seeks support for an innovative inter-regional public education model, in New York and Arizona, aimed at developing and using public libraries as centers for information, education and discussion of genomics and the Human Genome Project, with outreach emphasis on communities of color, Native Americans, and residents of isolated or low-income communities, to include ethical, legal and social issues and gene environment interactions. The Project will plan, develop and present a series of public "Community Conversations" assisted by an expert interdisciplinary National Board of Advisors, and a consulting genomics Content Specialist, to oversee scientific, legal and ethical content. The Project will maximize the unique attributes of the public library as a trusted neutral local public space, and a gateway for education on rapidly developing information, such as that being generated by the HGP. The Project will be a collaboration between two non-profit organizations Libraries for the Future (LFF) and West Harlem Environmental Action Team (WE ACT), and will also leverage their respective preexisting significant relevant expertise. (Of the strength of the collaboration, Prior Review, scored overall at 212, noted: "the project leaders are perhaps the most uniquely suited for this proposal and it is unlikely that anyone else in the country could attempt this scope without the extensive connections and reputations that they collectively bring by themselves and with their staff.") LFF will be primarily responsible for assessing and building capacity among participating libraries, and replication for public libraries. WE ACT will be primarily responsible for outreach with respect to linkage between genomics and particular interests of communities of color, in particular with respect to environment and genetic interaction. Both organizations will be responsible for "Conversation" programs, coordination, and marketing and outreach among target audiences. The project will be phased in each region to include planning, implementation and replication among libraries and other interested organizations. Deliverables include the "Conversations" themselves, and a replication toolkit for potential use nationwide.