Library Policy

As a clearinghouse, the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC) seeks to share materials and resources gathered from professionals in the marriage field and related areas that may be of interest to other professionals working with couples and families across the country, as well as materials that may be of use for the general public. While library staff have access to and collect resources from a variety of sources, staff need help identifying appropriate resources created on the local level that may support others in the field. The purpose of this effort is to share knowledge across the country, limiting the need to "reinvent the wheel."

Topics on this Page:

  1. Information currently in our library and how we make decisions on adding new material
  2. Type of materials we seek from professionals in the field and how to submit the materials
  3. What happens to the materials once it is accepted into our collection

 

1. What is included in the library?

NHMRC library staff collect an impressive array of literature relating to healthy marriage, including marriage education curriculum, fact sheets on challenges to healthy relationships, and program evaluation research. Our current collection continues to grow, with new resources being added every month. Items selected include peer-reviewed articles, books, evaluation reports, grantee final reports, and program reports.

Items for the collection are selected from various subscription services; found or purchased from national, state or local organization's Web sites; collected at national conferences; or published by the Federal government. Staff evaluate all new resources for scope, subject matter and content ensuring relevance for our audiences and appropriateness of the format. Accepted items are abstracted, catalogued, and tagged with key words to assist with automated searching and retrieval on the Web site.

These items are then shared via our online library through user searches and pre-determined topical listings. Website visitors view, download or order these materials for activities such as program planning, training, evaluation, and research.

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2. Do you have something you think is appropriate for the library?

While library staff scour various resources seeking items for the collection, it is not possible for staff to have access to all healthy marriage related resources. This is where you can help by sharing materials created by your program so that they may be reviewed or used by program staff, resource families, or related professionals for the purpose of improving service delivery for healthy relationships and marriage education.  The following are guidelines on what kinds of resources library staff are seeking and how to get these materials into the NHMRC library:

What we need:

Library staff seek materials for the collection (e.g., documents, training resources or curricula, program reports or evaluations, research papers, resource materials for families—English and Spanish) that are complete and in final form for distribution (the NHMRC does not distribute drafts). A professional should be able to use or adapt the material easily for their own use. Our goal is to assist professionals by providing resources that may be adapted for various uses.

How to submit materials:

To submit material to the collection, please send the following to info@healthymarriageinfo.org

  1. Cover letter (memo or email) with the following:
    • Title of the document, date, and the name, address and phone of the agency that created the material. If the agency received funding from an outside group for the materials (e.g., foundation, State or Federal Agency) please indicate as well.
    • Suggested citation for the product.
    • Information on where users can obtain a copy of the product (if copyrighted and not available via electronic distribution).
  2. Electronic copy of materials (in PDF or Microsoft Office files- e.g., MS Word, MS PowerPoint. Please do not send Zip files as our network does not accept these files.)

    NOTE: The National Healthy Marriage Resource Center highly recommends that you also put the suggested citation on either the first or second page of your materials to assist users of your documents with correctly citing your work.
  3. If sending an electronic copy is not possible, mail a cover letter with a CD ROM of the materials (please note that copies cannot be returned) to:

    National Healthy Marriage Resource Center
    ATTN: Library
    10530 Rosehaven Street, Suite 400
    Fairfax, VA 22030

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3. What does the NHMRC do with materials submitted for the library?

Once a new resource is accepted and made available in the library and on the Web site, Clearinghouse staff can:

  • Link to electronic documents free of charge to customers;
  • Copy documents up to 8 ½ x 11 inches at cost ($0.10 per page) to customers (one copy only of copyrighted materials);
  • Refer users to the author or distributor for copies (if the author or distributor wishes to keep control of distribution); or
  • Refer users to the author or distributor to download or purchase copies.

Unfortunately, Resource Center staff cannot:

  • Copy anything other than a document (e.g., videotapes, audio tapes, CD ROMs, DVDs);
  • Copy materials in color or larger than 8 ½ x 11 inches;
  • Make multiple copies of copyrighted works without permission;
  • Allow downloads of copyrighted works; or
  • Sell materials for authors or distributors.

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The National Healthy Marriage Resource Center staff thank you for your interest and support! Materials you share with us will support knowledge exchange across the country and support the day-to-day work of many healthy marriage program professionals. If you have questions relating to this policy, please contact library staff at info@healthymarriageinfo.org or call 866-916-NHMRC(4672).