The NN/LM MidContinental Region (MCR) is extending an invitation to anyone in its six state region (CO, KS, MO, NE, UT, WY) to provide feedback about the strengths of its program and future directions it should take. This effort will help us prepare for an 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 from October 7 through November 4, 2008. /ch

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

MCMLA Library Advocacy Task Force is sponsoring a contest for “Frontier Forerunners of Library Marketing and Promotion!” Here is your chance to show off your marketing project or promotional activities that you have used to improve or expand services in your library or for your users. MCR members are encouraged to submit materials to Marketing and Promotion Categories: you may enter one or both categories

Prizes for the best entry scoring above 80 points will be awarded. Entries will be evaluated on Design, Presentation and Evaluation Criteria. Entries should be submitted to Barb Jones jonesbarb@health.missouri.edu by September 1, 2008. Judges for the contest will be members of the MCMLA Library Advocacy Task Force. All entries are encouraged to display their projects and promotional materials at the Marketing Booth at MCMLA. The winners will be announced at MCMLA 2008 in Cody, Wyoming. (bbj)

Barb Jones, Advocacy/Missouri Liaison, and John Bramble, Network Membership/Utah Liaison introduced some of the highlights of the RML’s Library Advocacy and Network Membership programming for year 3. This was followed by a discussion with Breezing participants. Barb and John asked attendees how these programs could, can, or do support the work of health sciences librarians. This was an opportunity for Network members to have a voice in making year 3 programs more relevant to their work.

https://webmeeting.nih.gov/p47651489/

Rick Forsman, former director of the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Library will receive the 2008 Marcia C. Noyes Award. This Medical Library Association award, established in 1947, recognizes a career which has resulted in lasting, outstanding contributions to health sciences librarianship. Congratulations! [da]

Attention Members of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine MidContinental Region!

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine is pleased to announce the MCR 2008 Express Outreach Award. This is an opportunity for those who have been thinking about ways to become involved with organizations and groups outside their library. Are you already working with groups and have a great idea that just needs some funding? Here’s an opportunity for you!!!

Three awards will be funded in the amount of $6,000 or an amount up to $6,000.

To learn more about this opportunity, please visit the project’s webpage at: http://nnlm.gov/mcr/funding/eoa/index.html

If you have questions on the content of the proposal, or you just want to run the idea by someone, please contact Siobhan Champ-Blackwell at siobhan@creighton.edu, Dana Abbey at dana.abbey@uchsc.edu or John Bramble at jbramble@lib.med.utah.edu

This is a reminder to EFTS (Electronic Funds Transfer Service) members that on February 1, 2008 there will be a 2% increase in transaction fees making this fee 5%.

If you would like to learn more about this increase, please visit:
https://efts.uchc.edu/efts/EftsPublic/Documents/Fee-Increase-Letter.pdf

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine MidContinental Region (NN/LM MCR) announces the availability of a Community Outreach Partnership Award. The purpose of the Community Partnership Award is to assist Network member libraries in the NN/LM MCR that are interested in initiating or enhancing collaborations between Network members and community-based organizations and/or other organizations addressing health disparities or emergency planning. Partnering community organizations may include community health clinics, faith-based organizations and public libraries.

An award of up to $8,000 will be given. All full or affiliate MCR network members are eligible for the award. Proposals are due September 28th, 2007 4:00 MST, 5:00 CST. To apply, please download the application (MS Word format) For more information, contact Siobhan Champ-Blackwell at siobhan@creighton.edu.

You have the opportunity to get your project featured on NLM’s National Medical Librarians Month web site in October! If you have a project that demonstrates the creativity and professionalism of health sciences librarians, submit the following information about your project:
Name of the project
Institution where the project is located, City and State
URL for the project
A paragraph describing the project
Project Director, Key Staff for the project
Logo if available.
Deadline for submissions: August 31, 2007
Submit projects to Suzanne Sawyer, Project Coordinator: ssawyer@RML4.utah.edu
The best projects as determined by RML staff will be featured.

Don’t miss July’s Breezing Along with the RML this Wednesday at 10am MT, 11am CT.

Weigh in on a discussion on the future of the Reference Continuity Service Project. John Bramble, Utah/Network Membership Liaison, will facilitate a sharing of experiences with providing/receiving reference support from outside your institution. See below for a brief description of the project. Sharon Dennis, Technology Coordinator, will present “iGoogle,” Google’s personalized web page system. She’ll demonstrate how to customize your Google home page with small programs or “gadgets” so that the information you need is at your fingertips. She’ll also show an MCR gadget that she wrote so that members can access the latest MCR information using iGoogle.

The Reference Continuity Service Project is based on the DOCLINE concept of
resource sharing between member libraries but rather than sharing collections the project would be sharing the reference expertise of our member librarians. Members participating in the service would either be reference service providers or members requesting reference service in times of temporary library closures.

For instructions on attending July’s Breezing Along with the RML see http://nnlm.gov/mcr/services/updates/updates.html. All you’ll need is access to the web and a telephone. /ch

A great big thanks goes out to all of the Network members who renewed their membership for the new contract year! All members who have renewed should have received a NN/LM Membership Certificate by now.

If you renewed but have not received your certificate, please contact John Bramble. jbramble@lib.med.utah.edu or 800-338-7657 (when prompted, dial 1, then 2, then 6).