A new version of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Drug Information Portal was released in October.  The portal now covers over 16,000 drugs.

http://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov

The update includes:

1. Direct searching of drug categories, which are derived from the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH®) Pharmacological Action field
2. Name and category suggestions, to eliminate common spelling errors.
3. Phrase parser that assists users in finding drug names within phrases
4. The addition of the MeSH notes, when available, to spell checker results to make selection of a possible answer easier
5. Searches retrieving multiple results now sorted by frequency of citation in PubMed®, from highest to lowest. This tends to show the most commonly used drugs first.

The Drug Information Portal is a free Web resource from the NLM that provides an informative, user friendly entry-way to current drug information for over 16,000 drugs. Links to sources span the breadth of NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies. 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 on a drug name. A varied selection of focused topics in medicine and drug–related information is also available from displayed subject headings.

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), Middle Atlantic Region (MAR), is pleased to announce the following two winners for the MAR Planning Awards.

The purpose of the Planning Awards program is to plan or determine the feasibility for future library improvement and outreach projects. Library improvement includes strengthening the technological capabilities of libraries to respond to changes in the health information environment and to users’ needs, the ability of libraries to share resources, share and build on best practices, identify emerging opportunities and threats to libraries and develop a plan to address them. Outreach includes reaching out to communities that a library does not usually serve, or expand services to communities that are underserved and offering training, document delivery partnerships, collaborative programming and reference and research support. Planning is the foundation for success of any project.

Planning Award recipients:

1. Kathleen M. Miller

Rochester Regional Library Council, Fairport, NY

Project: Getting the (Healthy) Word Out: A Train-the-Trainer Approach for Nurses

2. Andrea Markinson

Medical Research Library, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY

Planning Grant for the “Learn More. Live Healthy!” Consumer Health Project

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region, is looking for librarians within the four state region to volunteer to be members of the Technology Committee.  Librarians from member libraries in Delaware, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are eligible to serve on the committee for a tenure of 2 years.

The committee undertakes a variety of responsibilities based on the RML’s strategic plan goals, but the main responsibilities include evaluating applications for the technology awards offered by the RML and writing short blog articles on technology in libraries for our web site.  The committee will also aid in shaping future technology award offerings.  Most meetings are held by teleconference so you won’t be limited by distance.

You don’t have to be a tech-head to be a member of the committee, but an interest in technology and how it affects the work of libraries is essential. If you are interested in volunteering to be a member of the committee simply email gregg.headrick@med.nyu.edu with the following information:

• Your name
• Your title
• Your library and type of library (e.g. hospital, academic, public etc..)
• A brief statement of interest on technology and libraries.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Microsoft’s electronic personal health record system has just reached an agreement with Aetna to offer its services to all of Aetna’s clients.  Kaiser Permanente is also, apparently, working on a similar deal with HealthVault.

Read more about the deal at Ars Technica

Over 250 information professionals attended the Delaware Library Association’s Annual Meeting in Dover, Delaware on May 9, 2008.  Delaware Health Source’s three consumer health librarians exhibited promotional items (featuring new logo and tagline) at a designed table.  These items were: jumbo tote bags (distributed exclusively at this event), pens, bookmarks, and table banner.  Consumer health librarians interacted with librarians and library staff members from libraries statewide, emphasizing distribution of new bookmarks within their host libraries.  Meeting attendees who visited our exhibit table also received brochures about the consumer health libraries, reminding them of the information services we offer statewide.  On a related note, the Delaware Academy of Medicine was honored during the day’s conference as an outstanding library in the state of Delaware.  Also, the Academy’s electronic resources librarian presented a 10 minute overview of DelMIRA (www.delmira.org) e-resources at the DLA Business Meeting.

PJ Grier- The Delaware Academy of Medicine, Newark, DE

The Middle Atlantic Region (MAR) of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) announces the availability of three new types of awards that support access to health information for libraries, consumers, health professionals and in particular reaching underserved populations; enhance the capacity of libraries to share resources, strengthen network member librarians’ skills in the use of NLM databases and increase the visibility of the NN/LM and NLM products and services:

Electronic Access/Document Delivery Access to Health Information Awards - Currently Available
For Full Network members to encourage and facilitate access to the biomedical literature by unaffiliated health professionals, including the use of Loansome Doc, development of a web portal, and establishment of partnerships between libraries and unaffiliated health professionals or health professions groups. Three awards up to $10,000 each are available. Deadline is December 15, 2008.

Outreach Training Awards - Currently Available
For Full and Affiliate Network members to train and promote awareness of the products and services of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and NN/LM. Two awards up to $10,000 each are available. Deadline is December 15, 2008.

Presentation/Professional Development Awards - Currently Available
For Full and Affiliate Network members to present on library and information services at a meeting of health professionals. Two awards up to $2500 each are available. Deadline is ongoing.

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region is pleased to announce the awarding of the Library Space and Its Impact Conference Award to Cynthia Robinson, Director, Valerie Gross, Assistant Librarian, and Marie Fitzsimmons, Assistant Librarian, all of the George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA.

The Library Space and Its Impact Conference Award is one award of $15,000. This award supports full network members to host a one-day conference on models or best practices in libraries’ reduction of space and/or re-purposing of existing space as well as identifying emerging roles for librarians in this changing environment. The award recipients will host a conference in April 2009 entitled, Transformational Change in Health Sciences Libraries: Space, Collections, Roles.

Congratulations to the award recipients.

For information on currently available NN/LM MAR awards, please visit the funding page on the MAR website, nnlm.gov/mar/funding

This project helps the library staff utilize our online resources more efficiently and in so doing improve customer services.

The library staff has been working very hard this past year to advance library services to our patrons. Our library has experienced an increase in users and especially the number of nurses using the library, as well as administration, beyond the usual group of clinical staff, residents and medical students. We have succeeded in updating and expanding library computer access for our patrons thanks to the NN/LM technology grant last year; we have increased our library access to knowledge-based databases; extended library hours; updated our print/electronic book collection; all of these innovations to improve library services. As a result of our efforts library user ship has increased; with this increase, demand for electronic dissemination of knowledge –based literature has also increased. During this past year we have experienced a dramatic rise in Interlibrary Loan requests due to a greater number of literature searches being done by our patrons as well as searches being done by library staff for our patrons. We also are experiencing a rise as a Docline lender. The dissemination of literature, to our patrons as well as to Docline libraries, by electronic means scanning, emailing and faxing has risen. All library work is done online, cataloging, serial control, circulation, literature searching and document retrieval, in addition to hospital systems, purchasing, environmental/engineering requests and e-mail.

We came to the realization that the staff did not have computer equipment equivalent to the task at hand. Our staff experienced a good deal of frustration waiting for a PDF file to download or have the screen freeze in the middle of a search. It was at this point I knew we had to upgrade our equipment and began the application process for the NN/LM technology grant. In starting this project we sought recommendations from our HIS department for equipment that will best serve our needs as well as discussions with administration to financially support our project beyond the grant to cover all our costs. The HIS dept. presented us with a description/quotation for computer, printer and fax upgrades, which we used in out grant application.

The awarding of the NN/LM grant this year enabled us to purchase, for the library staff, faster, higher tech computers, printers and a new fax machine in order to better acquire and disseminate the information requested by our patrons/customers. The upgrade put two new PC’s at the front desk that can handle all tasks more efficiently, the library staff PC’s are networked in order to accommodate any work overflow. So while one PC may be occupied with Docline, document retrieval, scanning and dissemination, the other is available for circulation, serial control and our online catalog. All library computers have access to our online browse catalog. Our access and use of current systems has improved with better, faster computers. The color printer is being used to provide library promotional information, regarding new resources and services as they become available to our patrons. Through observation, our time spent waiting for downloads has decreased, as has the frustration of staff. We will continue to monitor our staff workflow.

Thank you to NN/LM for supporting our library efforts.

Laraine Tursi, Director

Harold Fink Memorial Hospital

Coney Island Hospital

October 7, 2008

The Medical Library Association (MLA) has declared October as National Medical Librarians Month. In addition to the many librarians on the NLM staff, NLM relies heavily on the work of medical librarians associated with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, made up of more than 5,800 member organizations.

Check out the featured Web sites, including contributions from MAR network members:

As part of an award from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), Northland Public Library is offering a free training session on how to locate and recognize reliable health information on the Internet.  Please note, computer skills are not necessary.

The training will include:

1-  How to evaluate health information on the Internet.

2-  Reliable sources of online health information in the following categories:

• Disease
• Drugs
• Medical Tests
• Treatments
• Local Health Information
• Directories/Referrals
• What to expect from your Public Library

If you are interested in having this training at your facility, please call us at 412-366-8100.  Ask for Susan Shea or Mary Lee Resnick or email to : sheas@einetwork.net or resnickm@einetowrk.net

Northland Public Library- Susan Shea, Pittsburgh, PA