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Background: Having diverse representation in clinical trial participation is important. Historically, rural residents have been underrepresented in clinical trial research. Public librarians have an opportunity to promote clinical trial participation among rural residents by offering consumer health information services that help patrons to understand what clinical trials are and how they can find relevant clinical trials. Case Presentation: A consumer health library and a clinical trial center located at a large academic medical center collaborated to provide clinical trial information programming to rural public libraries. The group was awarded a Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) Community Outreach Grant and was able to plan, develop, promote, and implement programs including training workshops, a speaker event, and a book discussion to rural public librarians. Discussion: Marketing the programs to rural public libraries was difficult and many barriers were encountered. Though registration and subsequent participation were low, participants expressed interest and gratitude for the programs. For any future programs targeting this population, further strategies will need to be implemented to ensure increased registrations and attendees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on rare diseases and the challenges faced by patients with rare diseases. It emphasizes the role of librarians in providing resources and programming to support patients with rare diseases, including raising awareness, providing reliable consumer health information, and assisting caregivers. It also highlights the observance of Rare Disease Day and the programming conducted at a consumer health library to support the rare disease community.