Our goal is to promote awareness of and access to biomedical information resources for health professionals and the public. One of the ways we do this is by offering training in the effective use of Internet health information resources, highlighting National Library of Medicine and National Network of Libraries of Medicine products and services.

Consumer Health Classes

To request a consumer health class, please contact Michelle Eberle, Consumer Health Information Coordinator, at michelle.eberle@umassmed.edu or 508-856-2435.

MedlinePlus.gov and PubMed.gov: Your Connection to Quality Online Health Information
Come learn about the National Library of Medicine’s free (well, actually paid for with your tax dollars!) quality online health information resources for the consumer and experienced health information searcher. MedlinePlus.gov and PubMed.gov are relevant for all librarians – school, public, academic, and special librarians! Get the inside scoop on what’s new with MedlinePlus.gov and PubMed.gov! (3 hr)

The Healthy Librarian: Cultivating Wellness in the Workplace
Learn simple strategies to cultivate wellness in the workplace at your library. Participants will learn skills to manage challenges of the job including emotional patrons and a sedentary job. This interactive session will explore practical solutions including stress management skills, ergonomics and how to incorporate more activity into your day. Resources for improving one’s health literacy including health check tools and developing resiliency for changes in the profession will be explored. Participants will leave with enhanced knowledge and practical skills for incorporating healthy habits into their daily work. (2 hr)

Savvy Library Services for Senior Health
Come learn to provide savvy library services for senior health information. This program will address the health information searching behavior of seniors and how we can best serve them. The presenter will share lessons learned from outreach with senior citizens and their care providers. Participants will leave with enhanced knowledge of seniors’ health information needs, resources for healthy aging and how to create meaningful programs for senior health information. (2 hr)

An Ounce of Prevention: Quality Online Resources for Children’s Health
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." The current health care system demands that patients take charge of their own health. We can empower patrons and ourselves to be informed participants in wellness and disease management. Come learn about quality online resources for children’s health information. This presentation will focus on free online resources including MedlinePlus.gov, KidsHealth.org, and others. User friendly information on health conditions, coping with chronic illness, drug information, complementary and alternative medicine, doctor finders and support groups will be demonstrated. (2 hr)

Grant Proposal Writing
Designed for beginning grant proposal writers, this class presents a general overview of the grant and funding processes as well as the level of detail required in a successful proposal. Each component of the grant writing process will be addressed, including: documenting the need; identifying the target population; writing measurable objectives; developing a work plan, budget, an evaluation plan and dissemination plan. Learn about funding opportunities through the NN/LM, NLM and other sources. Participants will have the opportunity to draft objectives, methods and evaluation plans for a potential proposal. (4 MLA contact hours)

The National Library of Medicine: Hey! Look at us now!
Sure, you know MedlinePlus and PubMed. But what else is out there? From measles to molecules, from child safety to clinical trials, from genetics to geriatrics, NLM has a wealth of free online information resources available. Take a guided tour of some of NLM's databases. See them demonstrated.Try them out yourself! This is your opportunity to get an overview of some fabulous resources you may not have had the time to experience yet. We'll take a brief look at the old favorites (PubMed, MedlinePlus, TOXNET), but we'll also look at some of the other things NLM offers -- from Profiles in Science to Daily Med to Turning the Pages to Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals, there's a wealth of information for you from NLM. (3 hr)

¿No Comprende? Spanish Health Information Resources for English Speaking Librarians
Do you have a growing Latino population in your community? Do you need to find health information in Spanish fast but don't know where to look? Are the only words in your Spanish vocabulary burrito and gracias? If you answered yes to these questions, then this is the class for you. This 4-hour hands-on class will cover resources for learning basic, library, medical and Internet vocabulary. You will also learn to evaluate and identify health websites in Spanish to which you can direct your patrons. (Approved for 4 MLA Contact Hours)

Will Duct Tape Cure my Warts? Examining Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The goal of this class is to increase understanding of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Students will learn the history of CAM and its impact on medical practices. They will learn how CAM is used, how to avoid “bad science” and how to look up evidence of the effectiveness of CAM therapies. This class is offered for 2 hours or 4 hours. Both classes will include lecture, discussion, and hands-on training. (2 or 4 MLA contact hours)

Caring for the Mind: Providing Reference Services for Mental Health Information
Responding to mental health reference questions is challenging for even the most experienced librarian. In "Caring for the Mind", the participants will learn how to effectively provide reference services for mental health information. Participants will learn the best web sites, databases and collection development materials to respond to mental health related questions. Handling the reference interview with care and sensitivity will be explored. The class will include both hands-on and discussion. (Approved for 3 MLA Contact Hours)

Please note: This class is also available in a distance learning format. The distance learning class consists of a month long course that participants may access 24/7. More information is available at: http://nnlm.gov/ner/training/caringforthemind.html

Beyond an Apple a Day: Providing Consumer Health Information at Your Library
This class will cover the information seeking behaviors of consumers. It will also address the recommended core reference collection, as well as databases and newsletter/ periodicals. It will cover the reference interview, disclaimers and privacy as well as networking with medical librarians. The class will introduce the students to the Medical Library Association and its local chapters. It will describe possible ways to market this service in a community. (2-4 hours) (Approved for 4 MLA Contact Hours)

Please note: This class is also available in a distance learning format including a month long course shell students can access 24/7 and two real time interactive teleconferences (2 hours each).

Prescription for Success: Consumer Health Information on the Internet
This introduction to consumer health information will cover the information-seeking behaviors of consumers, the basics of MedlinePlus, DIRLINE, ClinicalTrials.gov and other reliable web pages such as those from professional medical associations and advocacy groups. It will cover sites devoted to pharmaceutical information for consumers, drug-interaction databases and herbal information (2-3 hours). (Approved for 3 MLA Contact Hours)

From Snake Oil to Penicillin: Evaluating Consumer Health Information on the Internet This course will describe why it is important to evaluate websites. Participants will be given criteria for how to evaluate health information on the Internet. (2-3 hours) (Approved for 3 MLA Contact Hours)

PubMed for the Rest of Us: Searching the Medical Literature for the Non-Expert
This class will cover basic and field searching, journal browser, single citation matcher, clipboard, history and other features. It will also cover how to obtain full-text articles. (2-3 hours) (Approved for 3 MLA Contact Hours)

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PubMed, Toxnet, and Other Resources

To request a PubMed or TOXNET class, please contact Lauri Fennell, Education and Outreach Coordinator, at lauri.fennell@umassmed.edu or 508-856-5962.

NOTE:   PubMed classes come in a variety of formats and can be tailored to fit the needs of the group and the time frame available. There are some PubMed courses that are approved for MLA CE credit or CNE credit or CME credit — those are listed here. However, it is important to note that these are not the only PubMed classes available.

Courses approved for MLA CE contact hours

Keeping up with NLM's PubMed
With a hands-on approach, this class will show attendees how to use the features of PubMed effectively. Attendees will be able to describe the contents of PubMed; formulate basic search strategies; display, print, and save results in various formats; revise and refine searches; and use special features such as Related Articles, Link to journals, Citation Matcher, and Clinical Queries. The class will be online and hands-on. The instructor will demonstrate online searches and students, at computers connected to the Internet, will be invited to follow along. Time for individual practice will be provided. (Approved for MLA CE contact hours: 2, 3, 4)

Making PubMed Work For You
This class is intended to hone basic searching techniques and the ability to develop search strategies that will take advantage of the PubMed interface to MEDLINE. The course will explore various methods for searching the PubMed system. Topics covered include using MeSH and search qualifiers, limiting search results, and refining your search. This course will provide an in-depth view of the system and demonstrate utilizing the features of PubMed to search effectively. The 3.5 version of the course provides the attendees with hands-on opportunities to practice their search techniques. (Approved for MLA CE contact hours: 3.5)

NLM Systems Update
This 1 1/2 hour lecture course focuses upon changes made to NLM systems in the past year. Participants will be alerted to PubMed feature updates, changes in the Gateway, and in MEDLINEplus. New products such as NIHSeniorHealth, Household Products Database, and Genetics Home Reference will also be discussed. (Approved for MLA CE contact hours: 1.5)

PubMed for Experts
Designed as an advanced class for experienced MEDLINE searchers. This hands-on class will highlight advanced PubMed techniques that can be used to conduct comprehensive searches. Attendees are encouraged to contribute past and present difficult searches to discuss with the class. Participants will be able to: 1) Discuss PubMed applications; 2) Understand recent changes to PubMed; 3) Understand and demonstrate advanced searching techniques (Approved for MLA CE contact hours: 2.0, 3.0, or 4.0)

Nursing on the Net: Health Care Resources You Can Use
Looking for the latest developments in patient care but finding too much, too little or inadequate information? This hands-on workshop is designed for librarians responsible for information services to the Nursing and Allied Health professions. Participants will learn to use and evaluate web based health information resources, find online news services, continuing online education courses, and consumer health web sites. Participants will also learn to search the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database of over 15 million citations using the PubMed interface. The workshop will also cover MEDLINEplus the National Library of Medicine's web site for consumer health information. (Approved for MLA CE credits: 4.0, pending re-approval)

Public Health on the Web
This class presents a general overview of key electronic information resources in the field of public health. The crucial role health information serves in public health will be discussed. Resources will be presented on a wide array of topics including: health education and promotion, evidence-based practice, statistics and data sets and current awareness. Case studies will be used in class exercises to reinforce learning. This class is designed for information professionals and public health workers interested in increasing their knowledge of the many information resources available on the internet. (Approved for MLA CE credits: 4.0)

TOXNET
This in an introductory class on the TOXNET databases for inexperienced users. Participants will learn about the different databases available on TOXNET and what type of information in available in each database. In addition, participants will learn the various ways to search the databases. (Approved for MLA CE credits: 2.0)

First Look: Molecular Biology Resources from NCBI
Don't know much about biology? That's OK. Always been hesitant to look at those "other" databases from NCBI? Then this course is for you. It is designed specifically for librarians who have little or no experience using the molecular biology resources from NCBI. This course presents a brief introduction to some basic but fundamental concepts of molecular biology. Then, four different databases from NCBI are introduced: Entrez Gene, Entrez Nucleotide, Entrez Protein, and OMIM. Participants will have a chance for some hands-on practice in each of these databases. This course is an excellent starting point for learning about some of the NCBI resources. (Approved for MLA CE credits: 4.0)

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Courses approved for CNE credit

The following courses have been approved by the Texas Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. These activities meet Type I criteria for mandatory continuing education requirements toward relicensure as established by the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas. CNE accreditation by the Texas Nurses Association is recognized by all U.S. states except California and Iowa. Each course is accredited for 1 hour of activity (1.2 contact hours).

• Introduction to PubMed
• Introduction to consumer health resources at NLM: MedlinePlus, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the NLM Gateway
• Internet basics for nurses

The outlines and objectives for each of these courses is available at http://nnlm.gov/scr/training/cne.html

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Courses approved for CME credit

These courses have been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of NIH/FAES and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine's regional medical libraries. The NIH/FAES is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

• Introduction to Consumer Health Resources at NLM: MedlinePlus, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the NLM Gateway. (1 hour or 1.5 hour classes available)
• Introduction to PubMed (1 hour class)
• Introduction to PubMed "Plus" (2 hour class)
• Introduction to http://PHpartners.org (1 hour class)
• Introduction to http://PHpartners.org (2 hour class)

Information, including outlines and objectives for the above classes, may be found at http://nnlm.gov/training/classes.html

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Technology Classes

To request a technology class, please contact Penny Glassman, Technology Coordinator, at penny.glassman@umassmed.edu or 508-856-5974.

Geeks Bearing Gifts: unwrapping new technology trends

• Geeks PPT Presentation - Part 1 ( 1230kb)
  
• Geeks PPT Presentation - Part 2 ( 1103kb)
  
• Geeks Web Resources handout ( 84kb)