What do portfolios filled with handouts and cow stress toys have in common? 

They are both being used in a promotional campaign to raise awareness of library-sponsored resources and evidence-based nursing practice research at Vassar Brothers Medical Center.  Utilizing the Micro-Award Grant funding from NN/LM-MAR, portfolios have been purchased and filled with handouts advertising library services, full text access to e-journals and e-books, evidence-based practice resources, and information about Loansome Doc. 

These portfolios will be handed out as part of a brief presentation on library services at medical department meetings, nursing leadership meetings, nursing orientation and other internal forums.  One portfolio is designed for the nursing audience and one for the physician audience.  Physician briefings will highlight e-resources and Loansome Doc.  Nursing presentations will include discussions of nursing evidence-based practice and how to think about the sacred cows of patient care.  Nurses who provide suggestions for evidence-based nursing practice research topics will be given a cow stress toy to reinforce the need for such research activity.  Door prizes, USB drives for physicians and disposable digital cameras for nurses, will be awarded at the end of each presentation.

Evaluation forms are included in every portfolio for feedback.  It is hoped that there will be an increase in the use of library services, especially hits on the library web page and its content, and an increase in the number of Loansome Doc registrants.  By putting these resources into the hands of our physicians and nurses we will empower them to look at research as a tool for improved patient care and quality.

Mary Jo Russell, MLS, AHIP- Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Poughkeepsie, NY

This class will review the current NIH Public Access policy, including definitions of public and open access, submission requirements and who it applies to. The class will also demonstrate how one library - the NYU Dental Library - is implementing the policy at its institution.

Tuesday, April 1, from 11:00am - 12:00pm

Register at rml@library.med.nyu.edu or call 1.800.338.7657

There are still a few spots left in both workshops. Register for either or both classes by sending an email to rml@library.med.nyu.edu

Registration is free. Class break refreshments and lunch are included for attendees. The classes are limited to 25 registrants. Please register by March, 28, 2008.

The goal of the Outreach Evaluation Workshop Series is to develop the ability of those who conduct health information outreach projects to gather and use evaluation data for program improvement and decision-making.

These workshops are hosted by NN/LM MAR and taught by Susan Barnes and Cindy Olney of the Outreach Evaluation Resource Center, NN/LM Pacific Northwest, University of Washington. Attendance at previous workshops is not a prerequisite.

Data Collection for Health Information Outreach, 8:00-12:00, April 15/08
In this workshop, participants will learn to apply good principles of data collection to assure that data - both qualitative and quantitative - will be useful in making project decisions. The emphasis will be on efficient methods that can keep data collection at a manageable level.

Data Analysis for Health Information Outreach, 1:00-5:00, April 15/08
Participants will learn basic methods for compiling and analyzing qualitative and quantitative evaluation data to maximize their usefulness in project improvement and decision-making.

Class date: Tuesday, April, 15, 2008
Class times: Data Collection for Health Information Outreach: 8:00-12:00; Data Analysis for Health Information Outreach: 1:00-5:00
Location: New York University, Frederick L. Ehrman Medical Library, 550 First Ave., New York

HRSA’s free online course: Unified Health Communication 101:

Addressing Health Literacy, Cultural Competency, and Limited English Proficiency has now been approved for 5 MLA Continuing Education Contact Hours.

Additional information about the course can be found at:
http://www.hrsa.gov/healthliteracy/training.htm

Tox Town is now available in both English, http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov and en español, http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol. Visitors can learn in English or in Spanish about environmental health concerns and over 30 toxic chemicals in these imaginary neighborhoods: a City, Farm, Town, US-Mexico Border, and Port.In either language, Tox Town uses neighborhood scenes along with color, graphics, sounds, and animation to add interest to learning about connections between chemicals, the environment, and the public’s health. Tox Town’s target audience is high school, college and graduate students, educators, and the interested public.

Tox Town en español identifies Spanish-language information in a subject area – environmental health and toxicology – that currently has few Web resources. To supplement the limited Web resources in Spanish, nearly 100 pages of background information describing environmental health concerns were translated and reviewed by a team of bilingual health information specialists.

Tox Town is ideal for supplementing classes in environmental science, earth science, forensics, and health. Also, students learning to read either English or Spanish may use Tox Town to improve language skills as they toggle back and forth between the Spanish and English text.

Tox Town joins three other Spanish-language Web resources from the National Library of Medicine. ToxMystery, for grades 2–6, features a bilingual talking cat that teaches about possible chemical hazards around the home, http://toxmystery.nlm.nih.gov. MedlinePlus (en español at http://medlineplus.gov/spanish ) directs users to hundreds of Spanish-language resources on health including drug information, news stories and interactive tutorials that read aloud in Spanish or in English. The AIDSinfo Web site, home for treatment guidelines, drug information and clinical trials related to HIV/AIDS, also has a Spanish version, infoSIDA, available at http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/infoSIDA.

Tox Town® is a project of the Specialized Information Services Division of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Promotional materials and Tox Town images for Web sites and publications are listed at http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/clipart.html. Please send your comments or questions on Tox Town to tehip@teh.nlm.nih.gov.

There have been reported problems with LinkOut over the past few days.  LinkOut and Outside Tool icons in the upper right hand portion of the Abstract Plus display are not functioning properly.  This problem has been reported to NLM and programmers are working to fix this issue.  In the mean time, you may continue to use Abstract or Citation displays with no problems.  The problem is also reported to only exist when using the Mozilla Firefox browser.

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), Middle Atlantic Region (MAR) is pleased to present the Strategic Program Plan for Member Participation, 2007-2011.

This strategic program plan expresses the MAR vision in terms of specific annual goals for both library improvement (to support libraries providing quality health information services), and outreach (to provide health information programs to the community). The strategic program plan addresses the responsibilities that are for the membership at large and that are specifically tied to the awards program. The plan is based on the 2006-2007 (Year 1) MAR member needs assessment. The Regional Advisory Committee ratified the plan in February 2008 after an online vote in favor of all elements of the plan.

There will be a formal launch of the Strategic Program Plan for Member Participation in May at the Medical Library Association 2008 Annual Meeting in Chicago.

For a complete copy of the plan, please visit the MAR website, http://nnlm.gov/mar/about/plansreports.html

The March issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research, is now online at http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/. In this issue:

Making and Maintaining Muscle
How Much Protein Do You Need?
The idea of eating more protein has gained popularity in the past few years. Some people may think the way to build body muscle is to eat high-protein diets and use protein powders, supplements and shakes.
full story

Living with Crohn’s Disease
More Options for Treatment
Even when chickenpox is gone, the virus that causes it stays with you for life, hidden and inactive in your nerve cells. As you get older, the virus may make a second, unwelcome appearance and cause a painful disease called shingles.
full story

Health Capsules:

• Supplement Use and Cancer
• Why Be Shy About Incontinence?
• Featured Web Site: NIHSeniorHealth.gov—Exercise Stories

You can also click here to download a PDF version for printing.

Women’s Health Resources from the National Library of Medicine

A new Web resource providing scientists and consumers with the latest information on significant topics in women’s health research from scientific journals and other peer-reviewed sources is now available through the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The NLM Division of Specialized Information Services, Office of Outreach and Special Populations has partnered with the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) to create this one-stop resource.

The 2008 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Priorities for Women’s Health were used to identify overarching themes, specific health topics, and research initiatives in women’s health. Within each section of the Web site are topics with links to relevant and authoritative resources and research initiatives for women’s health.

Women’s Health Resources from the NLM Web site can be found at: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/outreach/womenshealthoverview.html

Women’s Health Resources from the ORWH Web site can be found at: http://orwh.od.nih.gov/nat_lib_med.html

ALA Annual Conference Wellness Fair 2008

Anaheim, California

The ALA Workplace Wellness Task Force will host a Wellness Fair at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, June 26 - July 2, 2008. In conjunction with this event, we invite you to submit a poster session proposal relating to our theme, “Be Well at Work.” Posters will be displayed during the Wellness Fair on Sunday, June 29, 2008.

Please help us share examples of successful workplace wellness initiatives for library employees. We encourage proposals relating to initiatives on any wellness issue. Some suggested subjects for poster sessions are diet and nutrition, ergonomics, exercise incentives, health education, health screenings, sick building syndrome, and stress management.        

The ALA Workplace Wellness Task Force will select posters for the Wellness Fair on the basis of quality and to represent a variety of wellness program themes and library types.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: March 15, 2008. A brief description of the poster (250 words or less) should be submitted via e-mail to Lynne Ring, lring@fortbend.lib.tx.us. Please include your name, institution, phone, fax, e-mail address, and poster title.

Review of proposals will begin immediately and successful submitters will be notified by April 15, 2008.