Bobbi L. Newman’s grant and project management experience spans federal funding administration, large-scale event production, and multi-organizational strategic partnerships. Bobbi has co-authored winning federal grant applications, managed compliance with National Library of Medicine funding requirements, and led initiatives reaching hundreds of thousands of library workers and community members. Bobbi brings particular expertise in aligning project execution with federal grant stipulations, community needs, and organizational goals.
Strategic Partnerships and Grants
2019 partnership between NNLM and ALA-Allied Professional Association
Bobbi initiated and led a partnership between the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) and the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) to develop and promote the Wellness in the Library Workplace course, a continuing education offering focused on workplace well-being for library staff. The course reached over 500 librarians and library workers nationwide.
2019 partnership between NNLM and the Public Library Association (PLA)
Bobbi initiated and managed the integration of health-related questions into Project Outcome, the Public Library Association’s toolkit for measuring the impact of library programs and services. By embedding consumer health metrics into a platform already used by public libraries nationwide, this partnership expanded the visibility and reach of NNLM’s health information resources across the field.
2018 federal grant subaward with the Association of Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL)
Bobbi proposed and led this federal grant subaward, which funded travel scholarships for public library staff to attend the ARSL annual conference. Scholarship recipients participated in a full-day pre-conference workshop on consumer health services, covering reference, collection development, and programming, building practical capacity to meet community health information needs in rural and small library settings.
2017 NNLM federal grant to Public Library Association (PLA)
Through my leadership, the project resulted in the development of a health information initiative that established a cross-regional leadership group for health literacy. This project educated over 400 library staff through events and webinars, created newsletters for 9,000 members, and developed blogs and podcasts to extend the program’s reach.
- Webpage
- Presentation: Putting the Consumer Health Information Specialization to Work in Public Libraries
- Article
- Brochure pdf
Competitive Grant Awards
Network of the National Library of Medicine Training Office (NTO), 2020
Bobbi wrote a $531,000 annual training grant submission for the Network of the National Library of Medicine Training Office. (Submitted)
“Equipping Public Library Staff with Quality Consumer Health Resources,” 2017 — Funded
National Library of Medicine | $145,575 | Co-Author and Grant Manager
Bobbi co-wrote a winning application to the National Library of Medicine for this UG4 Administrative Supplement grant (August 2017 – April 2018). The project developed educational offerings for public library staff nationwide, reaching nearly 600 librarians over three years. Bobbi collaborated with the University of Iowa’s Center for Evaluation and Assessment to create pre- and post-surveys, ensuring data-driven, targeted instruction across each cohort.
Project Management
Health Misinformation Symposium in April 2023
As project manager, Bobbi designed and produced the NNLM Virtual Health Misinformation Symposium, a national event for librarians, public health professionals, health educators, and direct care providers. Programming explored the research behind health mis- and disinformation movements and provided practical, evidence-based strategies for combating the spread of health misinformation in communities. Sessions helped attendees distinguish between types of misinformation, identify tools and resources to counter it, and explore real-world programs and practices. The event drew 1,750 registrants and 750 live attendees.
Library Staff Health and Well-being Symposium, March 2021
Bobbi secured funding, conceived, led, and project-managed a three-day virtual symposium bringing together library staff at all levels to address health, wellness, burnout, and workplace culture. Over 14 hours of programming included opening and closing keynote panels, seven breakout sessions on topics ranging from low-morale experiences to disability accommodations to supervisor responsibility for workplace culture, three guided mindfulness sessions, and a dedicated BIPOC-only session and networking event. The event drew 6,143 registrants and 2,914 live attendees across three days, with sessions reaching up to 1,100 simultaneous live viewers.
Public Library Association Conference Workshop, 2018
Bobbi project-managed Stand Up for Health: Health & Wellness Services for Your Community, a full-day pre-conference workshop at the Public Library Association Annual Conference (Philadelphia, March 20, 2018), developed as part of a new nationwide NNLM/PLA initiative to assess health information needs in public libraries and build staff capacity to meet them.
The eight-hour workshop trained over 100 public librarians and library staff in consumer health reference, collection development, and programming. Participants who completed pre- and post-work earned Level 1 of the Medical Library Association’s Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) certificate at no cost, sponsored by NNLM. Stipends of $500 covering registration and travel were available to increase access for library workers across the U.S. and U.S. territories.
Bobbi L. Newman 