On March 28, 2007, MedlinePlus will introduce a number of new features to the Health Topic pages. Highlights include:

• Each page will now display a photograph or illustration.
• A brief summary of each disease or condition will also display at the top of the page. Composed by experienced medical writers and reviewed by NLM staff, the summaries are based largely on NIH and other government information. They are written at an easy-to-read level and include links to related topics. As of March 28th, summaries will appear on about half of English pages. All English and Spanish Health Topic pages will include a summary in the near future.
• Synonyms will appear right under the health topic name.
• A new category, labeled Start Here, will link users to overviews and important information for first-time visitors.
• A centrally-located Table of Contents will divide the MedlinePlus categories into six boxes to show users everything on the page at a glance.

The List of Serials Indexed for Online Users (LSIOU) provides bibliographic information for all journals ever indexed over time for MEDLINE^®. It includes titles that ceased publication, changed titles, or were deselected. The list is available in either PDF or XML format.

See the List!

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced the launching of REMM (Radiation Event Medical Management). This downloadable online diagnostic and treatment system is designed to provide medical information that can be used quickly and efficiently to orient and guide health care providers without formal expertise in radiation safety or radiation medicine during a mass casualty Radiation Event. Critical information on the Web site is also downloadable for use when Internet connectivity may not be available.

Some 500 years ago, a new science of anatomy emerged, based on dissections of the human body and spectacular illustrated texts. Anatomical imagery proliferated, detailed and informative but also whimsical, surreal, beautiful and, at times, grotesque.

This catalogue, based on the National Library of Medicine’s Dream Anatomy exhibition, displays the anatomical imagination in some of its most astonishing incarnations, from the fourteenth century to the present.

The lavishly illustrated, 180-page, full-color volume is based on the celebrated National Library of Medicine exhibition of the same name. The volume is enriched with additional art treasures from the NLM collection and an interpretive essay by exhibition curator Michael Sappol, author of A Traffic of Dead Bodies and a leading figure on the history of anatomy.

See some sample images from the catalogue.

Find out more information and how to order.

On March 5, 2007 the NN/LM MAR issued a questionnaire to a random selection of network member libraries. This questionnaire is one part of MAR’s needs assessment of network library members.

With this questionnaire, NN/LM MAR hopes to develop a better understanding of:

1. Libraries’ needs to sustain and improve services.
2. Activities or future plans libraries have for outreach to consumers and health professionals.

The NN/LM MAR will use this information in developing a regional strategic plan for Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. This plan will outline programs and services to support the work of network members in the region for the next five years.

If you or your library received this questionnaire, please be sure to complete the questionnaireand submit it promptly. For those libraries that did not receive the questionnaire but are interested in completing it, please contact Sue Hunter, Planning and Evaluation Coordinator for NN/LM MAR, hunter@library.med.nyu.edu, 212.263.4179.The NN/LM MAR will continue to solicit member feedback throughout the contract period.

The following sites in the Middle Atlantic Region will offer the MLA web cast this Wednesday, March 7. If you find yourself outside the region on March 7, check MLA’s web site for other web cast hosting sites throughout the country:

http://www.mlanet.org/education/distance_ed/marketing/states07.html

If you cannot attend the web cast, the RML will purchase copies of the DVD for individual viewing at later dates. CE credit is awarded for viewing the DVD.

New Jersey:
Robert T Mackes
New Jersey Hospital Association, Princeton, NJ
Health Sciences Library Association of New Jersey
C/O Union Hospital Medical Library
1000 Galloping Hill Rd
Union, NJ 07083-7951
Phone: 908.851.7234
Fax: 908.851.5850

New York:
Arpita Bose
NYU School of Medicine
Ehrman Medical Library
550 First Ave
New York, NY 10016
Phone: 212.263.4185
Fax: 212.263.4258

Christopher Tosh
Albany Medical College
Capital District Library Council
28 Essex Street
Albany, NY 12206
Phone: 518.438.2500
Fax: 518.438.2872

Min Liu
South Huntington Public Library
Long Island Library Resources Council
Melville Library Building
Suite E5310
Stony Brook, NY 11794-3399
Phone: 631.632.6659
Fax: 631.632.6662

Amy Lyons
University at Buffalo
Health Sciences Library
Abbott Hall
3435 Main St., Bldg #28
Buffalo, NY 14214
Phone: 716.829.3900 x131
Fax: 716.829.2211

Deborah Emerson
Rochester Regional Library Council
390 Packett’s Landing
Fairport, NY 14450
Phone: 585.223.7570

Pennsylvania:
Dan Kipnis
Thomas Jefferson University
1020 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215.503.2825
Fax: 215.923.3203

Kathleen Mazurek
Reading Hospital and Medical Center
PO Box 16052
Reading, PA 19612-6052
Phone: 610.988.8418
Fax: 610.988.9775

Claire Huntington
Geisinger Health System
100 North Academy Ave
Danville, PA 17822-2101
Phone: 570.271.6288
Fax: 570.271.5738

Rosemarie Taylor
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital
Wyoming Valley Health Care System
Hospital Library
575 N River St
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18764
Phone: 570.552.1175
Fax: 570.552.1183

The final version of NLM’s long range plan has been posted on NLM’s site in PDF format. An HTML version is in the works and will be linked from the page when it is up.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is pleased to invite participation in an advanced training course designed specifically for information specialists who provide support to users of NCBI’s molecular biology services.

This five-day course is scheduled for August 6-10, 2007, at the National Library of Medicine, and is approved for 40 MLA C.E. contact hours.

The course is restricted to those who have knowledge of molecular biology or genetics and basic experience with NCBI resources such as Entrez, BLAST, Cn3D, and Map Viewer.

General information about the advanced course is available online.
A course application form is also accessible from that page.

Applications are due by June 1, 2007.

Space is limited to 18 people, and we will inform you about acceptance into the course by June 12, 2007.

This course is developed and taught as a collaborative project with colleagues who are already actively involved in supporting molecular biology resources for users in their libraries.

Following the course, participants become members of a bioinformatics support network (BSN) to facilitate future communication among the group and continued learning.

Microsoft is buying Medstory Inc., a small start-up in Foster City, Calif. Its search software applies artificial intelligence techniques to medical and health information in medical journals, government documents and on the Internet.

The Medstory purchase, said Peter Neupert, vice president for health strategy at Microsoft, was a first step in a broader company strategy to assemble technologies that would “improve the consumer experience in health care.”

Read the full story on the New York Times (subscription may be required)