We look forward to seeing you tomorrow, September 3, 2008 at 1pm Pacific, 2 pm Mountain & 12 pm Alaska time as we receive the latest news from the Medical Library Association Vital Pathways project from chair M.J. Tooey. There will be time for a question and answer session after the presentation.

Please note, if you have not used Adobe® Connect™ before (or since they acquired Macromedia Breeze), check that you have the most recent free Adobe Flash update (version 9.0.124) as using 9.0.115 and earlier versions of Flash may result in audio problems.

For more information about Vital Pathways and how to connect to this and future Rendezvous sessions, see Next Presentation and How Do I Connect to RML Rendezvous? See you there!

Did you know that September is National Preparedness Month?

National, regional, state, and local organizations, will combine efforts throughout the month of September to encourage all Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies before they happen.

Action we take as individuals to be prepared can greatly improve our ability to survive and recover from all types of emergencies, whether natural or man-made.

In addition, in your role as a health information provider, preparedness by your library can mitigate the impact of disasters on healthcare providers and their patients.

To help Network member libraries in the NN/LM maintain their information services in the event of a disaster, your RML is participating in a national emergency preparedness and response plan.

To launch this plan in the PNR, and to offer additional preparedness and disaster response support, we are introducing a new webpage titled: Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Pacific Northwest Region.

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Please join us in three weeks for an RML Rendezvous on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at 1pm Pacific time for a presentation by Medical Library Association’s Vital Pathways Task Force Chair M.J. Tooey. We will post a reminder about the Rendezvous here the day before it will occur.

For more information about Vital Pathways and how to connect to this and future Rendezvous sessions, see Next Presentation and How Do I Connect to RML Rendezvous? We look forward to having you join us!

Site visits are one of the most enjoyable parts of my new job as Technology Outreach Coordinator. Thanks to all of you who have welcomed me into your libraries and offices. I have learned a lot from you.

Being new to the Pacific Northwest, I never leave for a trip without first consulting the NN/LM Member Maps to see which Network members I might visit along my route. The Member Maps, powered by Google and mashed up for NN/LM by programmer Aron Beal, are a new feature in our Members Directory. If you, like me, find yourself in a new job in a new place, use Member Maps as a way to identify and get connected with nearby colleagues.

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Heidi Sue Adams, librarian at Kalispell Regional Medical Center in Kalispell, Montana got some great PR from the local newspaper. The Daily Inter Lake, a paper in Kalispell, featured an article about Heidi Sue on June 24, 2008. The lengthy article talks about Heidi Sue and all that she does for her hospital’s staff, outreach she does for other health professionals in the region, and health care consumers. It is also a great portrait of a medical librarian. Read the article for yourself.

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Are you curious about how librarians can add value to their institution’s electronic health record system?

Join us on October 3, 2008, for “Librarians and the EHR: Envisioning the future.” This forum will feature keynote speaker Thomas Payne, M.D., Medical Director, UW Medicine Information Technology Services, and panelists Sara Pimental, MLIS, AHIP, Web Content Manager, Kaiser Permanente; Emily Hull, MLS, Associate Director, Clinical Informatics, Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, WA; and Judith Hayes, MALS, Medical Librarian/Library Manager, Tuality Healthcare. Speakers will share their own experiences and focus on a variety of ways that librarians can use their unique skills and knowledge to affect patient care via the electronic health record system.

This forum is a part of the PNC/MLA 2008 Continuing Education Update meeting to be held in Seattle on October 3-4. “Librarians and the EHR” will be held from 8:00 – 1:00 on Friday, October 3 at the Watertown Hotel. The cost is $35 and includes lunch. MLA CE credit has been applied for. Registration will open July 21. Be sure to register early for this exciting opportunity, as space is limited!