A new version of the National Library of Medicine’s Drug Information Portal is now available. The portal now covers over 16,000 drugs. Current information regarding consumer health, clinical trials, AIDS-related drug information, MeSH pharmacological actions, PubMed biomedical literature, and physical properties and structure is easily retrieved by searching a drug name. [da]

A series of four trifold brochures that focus on health concerns for each of the four federally designated racial and ethnic populations have been updated. Take a look at the PDF files and download them for use at your institution - have as handouts for patrons, use them at trainings and health fairs, email the link to community and public health organizations! http://nnlm.gov/mcr/resources/community/minority.html#A4 [scb]

A Rexburg, Idaho, woman who spends her days helping doctors, nurses, and patients is also using her skills to help one of the most important people in her life, her son. Teresa Murdock has been working as Madison Memorial Hospital’s medical librarian for the past 15 years. Just three months ago, Murdock’s 19-year-old son Chance was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of terminal cancer…. http://www.kidk.com/news/local/33413104.html
KIDK-TV, Idaho Falls, Oct. 27 [posted in AL Direct October 29, 2008] scb

Do you want to strengthen the partnership between your community and your public library? Do you want to demonstrate the value of public libraries in supporting sustainable communities? The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) is offering grant funding for projects focusing on using the public library to address community priorities and issues. ICMA will provide a total of $500,000 in Public Library Innovation Grants to cities, towns, and counties. Individual grants will likely range from $25,000 to $75,000. For more information on the grants visit http://icma.org/main/ns.asp?nsid=4109&hsid=1&scid=25. [da]

We now know who’s on the site visit team that will be visiting the MidContinental Region on November 19. Some of the names may be familiar to you.

Kent Smith, former NLM Deputy Director, is leading the team; Reena Karani, MD from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is the health professional member of the team; Irene Lovas, MLS from Cedar Sinai Medical Center Library, is the hospital librarian member of the team; Nancy McKeehan, MLSL from Medical University of South Carolina Library, is the academic medical librarian of the team; and Javier Crespo MSLIS from the NN/LM New England Region, is the NN/LM member of the team. Representing the National Library of Medicine are Sheldon Kotzin, Head of Library Operations, Angela Ruffin, Head of the National Network Office; and Barbara Nicholson, Technology Librarian of the National Network Office.

For more on the site visit see http://nnlm.gov/mcr/evaluation/nnlm_sitevisit.html /ch

MedlinePlus turns 10 years old! Nearly 500 million people in more than 200 countries have used this trusted resource for accurate, up-to-date information since its launch on October 22, 1998. Available in English and Spanish, MedlinePlus has close to 12 million visitors each month and is approaching one billion page views a year. [da]

Thank you to those who have completed the feedback questionnaire for the MCR Site Visit Team. We need more of you to submit your comments and opinions–hospital librarians, public librarians. Kansas and Nebraska are not represented in the feedback submitted to date. The site visit team wants to hear from you!

The data from this questionnaire will identify strengths of this RML’s programming and future directions it should take. It is a required activity for the upcoming site visit from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) on November 19. The purpose of the site visit is to help MCR and NLM understand how Network members are being served, learn how MCR can strengthen its program to meet current and emerging needs in the region, and gather ideas for how NLM can support the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.

To access our feedback form, please click on the link below. You can answer as many questions as you want or provide other comments. We will be taking comments through November 4, 2008. /ch

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=VfkWUiHiVHJ9jJFLq1lgHg_3d_3d

Click here to watch the archived session: Dana Abbey, Colorado/Consumer Health Liaison and John Bramble, Utah/Network Membership Liaison rounded out the year. Dana presented on the changes and enhancements to PubMed, including My NCBI, advanced searching, and automatic term mapping. John held a lively discussion with Members on effective strategies for negotiating electronic resources. This discussion will lead to four online synchronous and asynchronous classes on effective strategies and the fundamentals of licensing electronic resources. [rb]

It’s October–that means it’s National Medical Librarians Month! NLM has collected and posted projects from around the country describing the innovative ways that health sciences librarians are serving their diverse populations of health care providers and consumers. Take a look at what your colleagues around the country are doing! Congratulations to Marie Reidelback and Marty Magee from McGoogan Library of Medicine, University of Nebraska; and Assako Holyoke and Gregg Clark from St. Louis University Medical Center Library who have their efforts in the MidContinental Region highlighted!/ch http://www.nlm.nih.gov/lo/profiles08/mcr.html

Dr. Devra Davis to Speak (twice) in Salt Lake City on November 7, 2008
*****Live streaming & broadcast for remote listeners*****

The George and Dolores Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, Auditorium
University of Utah Health Sciences Center
Friday, November 7, 2008, 8:45 am
InfoFair 2008: The Air We Breathe: Research, Community, Advocacy
The Clifford C. Snyder, M.D. and Mary Snyder Lecture - The Air We Breathe - Devra L. Davis, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Further information & live web streaming: http://library.med.utah.edu/or/infofair/infofair2008/

AND

Salt Lake City Public Library, Auditorium
Friday, November 7, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Authors Live: Dr. Devra Davis
“The Air We Breathe”
LIVE BROADCAST ON KCPW 88.3FM, accessible at kcpw.org

Devra L. Davis, Ph.D., M.P.H. Dr. Davis is a leading epidemiologist, public health expert, and researcher on the environmental causes of cancer and chronic diseases. Dr. Davis holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and an M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She is Director of the world’s first Center for Environmental Oncology located at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and served as a Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the group awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Her book, When Smoke Ran Like Water (2002, Basic Books) has been described by the Toronto Globe & Mail as “the most readable expose of the hidden costs of pollution since Silent Spring.” Dr. Davis was a National Book Awards finalist for When Smoke Ran Like Water and is also the author of The Secret History of the War on Cancer (2007, Basic Books).

Cosponsored by the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah; Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment; and The City Library. The author’s books will be available for purchase at each lecture.