Moffett Library to host exhibition about native concepts of health and illness
Midwestern State University's Moffett Library has been selected as one of 104 grant recipients across the country to host "Native Voices: Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness," a traveling exhibition to U.S. libraries.
A program launching the six-week exhibit will begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, in the leisure reading area of Moffett with opening remarks by MSU's Interim Provost Dr. James Johnston. Chris Tall Bear and Nicholas Wahpepah of the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board will provide prayers and songs. Marshall Gover, former president of the Pawnee Business Council in Pawnee, Oklahoma, and a member of the Pawnee Nation, and Rear Admiral Kevin Meeks, acting deputy director of Field Operations for the Indian Health Service and a member of the Chickasaw Nation, will speak on Native American health topics.
Through print images and videos, "Native Voices" explores the interconnectedness of wellness, illness, and cultural life for Native Americans, Alaska natives, and native Hawaiians. Stories drawn from both the past and present examine how health for native people is tied to community, the land, and spirit. In interviews, native people describe the impact of epidemics, federal legislation, the loss of land, and the inhibition of culture on the health of native individuals and communities today.
"We are so pleased to bring the National Library of Medicine's fascinating exhibition to Wichita Falls," said University Librarian Clara Latham. "We hope the native people in our community will take pride in the exhibition, and that all visitors will enjoy learning about these powerful concepts."
Moffett Library will host the exhibition through June 7. The library also will receive a $250 programming grant, virtual training and publicity materials.
"Native Voices: Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness" was displayed at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland, from 2011 to 2015. The NLM, on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, has been a center of information innovation since its founding in 1836. The world's largest biomedical library, NLM maintains and makes available a vast print collection and produces electronic information resources on a wide range of topics that are searched billions of times each year by millions of people around the globe. It also supports and conducts research, development, and training in biomedical informatics and health information technology.
To learn more and view content from the exhibition, visit http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices.
The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 55,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The ALA's mission is to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.