Congratulations to our two awardees!

Institution: Hospital for Special Surgery- Kim Barrett Memorial Library, New York, NY

Project Manager: Timothy Roberts, MLS, AHIP

Project Title: Senior Access to Health Information

Project Summary: Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) strives to be branded as the most trusted educator of patients, the public, and health professions.  To ensure excellence, the Education Division at HSS fosters learning environments that will provide professional and community education programs. The Senior Access to Health Information Program (SAHIP) is a program designed through the partnership of the HSS Kim Barrett Memorial Library (KBML) and the HSS Greenberg Academy for Successful Aging  (GASA) with two primary objectives: to integrate health information resources from National Library of Medicine (NLM) into the existing GASA community outreach and health education curriculum; and implement a series of computer training programs, age and information appropriate, for seniors that address computer literacy and accessing health information from NLM, the National Institutes for Health (NIH) and other credible health information sources.

Award Amount: $10,000

Institution: New York University Health Sciences Libraries, New York, NY

Project Manager: Francesca Gany, MD, MS

Project Title: HEALP : Health Education on Access through Libraries and Peers; A Pilot Project

Project Summary: All immigrants have a right to medical treatment in New York, and many low-income immigrants can enroll in public health insurance coverage, regardless of their immigration status. HEALP will create a partnership between the NYU Health Sciences Libraries, the NYU Center for Immigrant Health and the New York City School system to equip the school librarian with the knowledge and skills to teach health care system access to student peer educators, and to provide students with formal and informal opportunities to discuss health issues with adults and peers in an atmosphere of mutual respect and factual discussion. The HEALP goal is to enhance student health literacy by training librarians and student peer educators on how to appropriately access health care information in general, and information on health system utilization in particular. The school librarian will be the focal point for health knowledge and information and will work closely with the NYU Health Science Libraries, the NYU Center for Immigrant Health, and school administrators and guidance counselors to supervise a group of student peer educators to enable effective information dissemination.

Award Amount: $9,964

The purpose of the NN/LM MAR Outreach Training awards is 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: http://nnlm.gov/mar/funding/outreachtraining.html

The conference “Transformational Change in Health Sciences Libraries: Space, Collections, Roles” took place April 2, 2009 at the Penn State Hershey Conference Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  Seventy attendees from eight states (Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC) participated in the successful conference.

Pat Thibodeau presented the keynote address focusing on changes in health sciences libraries in general, changes at Duke Medical Center Library, and implications for librarian roles and the need to transform skill sets: “Transformational Change in Health Sciences Libraries: Inventing our Future.”

Two panel discussions with Question and Answer format addressed the conference themes.  Four panelists, two hospital librarians and two academic librarians, responded to questions.    The moderator, Mike Heyd, directed the panel discussion.  The themes discussed were:

• Models or best practices in libraries’ reduction of print collection
• Models and best practices in libraries’ reduction of space and/or
  re-purposing of existing space
• Emerging roles and identities of librarians in the changing physical environment
• Models or best practices of adjusting traditional library roles
  and services

Two breakout sessions, each following the panel discussions, were held.  Each table was given time at the end of the breakout session to wrap up and share insights from the discussions.

The closing presentation was given by architect Julie Polletta, who has experience renovating and repurposing library space.  Ms. Polletta addressed the practical aspects of repurposing library space for alternative uses and the implications of the competing agendas of various stakeholders on outcome.

A Website with information from the conference will be hosted by the NN/LM MAR.  The site will contain photographs, PowerPoint slides, podcasts and streaming video of the keynote address and closing presentation.  Major discussion points that emerged from the break-out sessions will be identified.  A narrative will describe outcomes.

Janet Zimmerman, Medical Library Director, Beaumont Hospitals, Michigan, praised the relevance of the conference, “I preferred coming to this conference rather than attending the Medical Library Association Annual Meeting 2009 because of the timeliness of the topic: Library Space and its Impact.”

Valerie Lynn, George T. Harrell Health Schiences library. Hershey, PA

The original deadline of May 15, 2009 for applications for MAR’s Technology Immersion Award has been extended to May 29, 2009.

Since the original deadline fell within the dates of MLA’s annual meeting, MAR thought it would be best to give any library wishing to apply for the award a little extra time since many librarians will be away.  Now you’ve got two more weeks to get those applications in! Good luck!

Bibby Library serves the dental community at the University of Rochester and the Eastman Dental Center. The library implemented Web 2.0 technologies to reach out to patrons.  These tools allow us to create and deliver customized information packages to our patrons.

Our Web 2.0 adventure began when we were seeking a novel way to highlight recent news in dentistry.  Previously, we linked a headline from our home page to a separate web page for each story.  However, maintaining these pages was cumbersome and we found that once a story was archived, it received few hits.

As a solution, the Bibby Library News and Tips blog was developed.  We use the Wordpress platform and display a widget on our website to highlight recent postings.  Fresh stories are added weekly and tagged with suitable terms. The blog features the latest news in dentistry as well as library services and resources. Information to be shared is gathered from a variety of sources using Google Reader, listservs, and newsletters. We offer e-mail and RSS subscriptions to the blog.

This initiative proved very successful; the blog generates as many as 200 hits per day.  Wordpress software provides statistics that include the number of hits, terms used to bring users to the blog, the most popular posts, and frequent jumping off links.  An analysis of this data reveals where our patrons’ interests lie, allowing us to expand those areas and tag items appropriately.

Few of our patrons are interested in using RSS readers.  Therefore, we focus on promoting e-mail subscriptions to the blog, which are managed through Feedburner.  Every few weeks we send an e-mail to our patrons, with links to the newest blog posts. Hits increase substantially following this effort.  We receive favorable comments from our patrons, indicating that the information is useful and relevant.

Web 2.0 tools also allow us to package information for specific users and user needs. Using Delicious, a social bookmarking platform, dental related websites are saved and tagged with appropriate terms.  A page on the Bibby website provides links to each Delicious category.  Thus, a pediatric dental resident might choose the pediatric dentistry category to find resources of interest.  RSS feeds and e-mail subscriptions are available so that users can be notified when new sites are added. In addition, we’ve added widgets to our blog and website so the most recently tagged sites are exhibited.  Data indicates that users are jumping off both our blog and website to these featured resources.

Another way in which we customize services is by using PubMed RSS feeds for specific topics.  For example, a search in PubMed for systematic reviews on tooth whitening is converted to an RSS feed.  The RSS feed is then saved and tagged in our Delicious account.  This makes the search results available to anyone who selects the tooth whitening category.

Library presence in Blackboard courses is another way we reach out to users.  For example, links to the Bibby website and “Ask a Librarian” are inserted in course menus.  In addition, RSS feeds to PubMed searches on course related topics are included in the course menu or schedule.  Statistics tracking is enabled for these features and indicates that the resources are being used.

Recently we began experimenting with Facebook and are pleased to see our fan base growing.  Our page is easy to maintain because most of the content is composed of RSS feeds from our blog and Delicious account.  To lure fans to our page we occasionally send news using the share feature.  Statistics indicate an increase in visitors after these efforts.

Employing Web 2.0 tools to serve our virtual and physical patrons is proving quite successful.  Most platforms provide statistics, allowing us to evaluate what works, what does not work, and what our patrons are looking for. With a broader perspective on our patrons and their needs, we are effectively delivering the latest services and information. Incorporating these tools into our own professional development activities will help to keep the momentum going.

Elizabeth Kettel
Librarian, Bibby Library at the Eastman Dental Center

If you are traveling to Honolulu, HI for the Medical Library Association annual conference, add these two events to your schedule:

1. NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region Network Member Session

Sunday, May 17, 7-8 am, Hawaii Convention Center Room 319B

Hear an RML update, meet Kate Oliver, MAR’s new Associate Director, and connect with other MAR members.

2. National Library of Medicine Sunrise Seminar: NLM Online Users’ Meeting

Monday, May 18, 6:30-7:30am, Hawaii Convention Center Room 318AB

NLM staff will highlight recent accomplishments and indicate new developments in a variety of online systems, including MEDLINE/PubMed, MedlinePlus, and DOCLINE. PubMed will be undergoing a major redesign, and the sunrise session will feature mock ups and more details.

Aloha!

Check out the May issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research. And consider becoming a fan on Facebook, where you can write on our wall to suggest topics you’d like us to cover, or start a discussion about how you use the newsletter. In this month’s edition:

No More Butts
Snuff Out That Cigarette for Good
If you’re a smoker, chances are you’ve already tried to quit. So you know from experience that it’s not easy. But many do succeed in the end. The health benefits you’d gain make quitting worth the effort.
full story

A Window to Your Health
Your Eyes Reveal a Bigger Picture
Your vision seems great. Your eyes feel completely fine. But if you haven’t seen your eye care professional in a while, you might have an eye problem that you don’t know about.
full story

Health Capsules:

• Exercise Helps After Heart Failure
• Catch Oral Cancer Early
• Featured Web Site: Go Local

Click here to download a PDF version for printing.

The mission of Projecto Salud was to provide St. Francis Hospital’s clinic, the Center of Hope, access to viable health information.  The goal was to improve healthcare by focusing on health literacy, as well as, improving patient services.  The Technology Innovation Award from the National Library of Medicine Middle States supported this goal.

The Center of Hope is a community outreach facility located in Newark Delaware.  The clinic serves the poor and underserved people in the area.  It is a large Family Practice office whose patient population is approximately seventy percent Hispanic.

A combination of teaching skills and new technology was utilized to improve access to health resources.  The clinic’s staff was educated on the resources from the National Library of Medicine (including the Doctors!).  English and Spanish low literacy materials were explored and selected for patient education.

Learning how to search and evaluate the NLM resources was a considerable accomplishment for the staff.  Initially basic computer skills were reviewed and then they learned how to search MedlinePlus quite efficiently.  By the end of the training the staff could organize their findings using folders and files.

The new computers and printers replaced the old and unreliable equipment.  Overall, the upgraded technology improved the office efficiency at the Center of Hope.  Patient education was further enhanced with the new printers.

A series of patient education workshops were offered at the clinic.  A bilingual librarian ran these workshops which were well received.

Collectively the staff at the Center of Hope acquired many new skills which made them more comfortable serving their patients.  There is new sense of confidence and determination amongst the staff.  Coupled with the new technology the clinic is moving forward in a positive direction.

Rosemary Figorito - St. Francis Medical Center.  Wilmington, Delaware.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Kathleen Bur Oliver, MSLS, MPH, as Associate Director of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region.  Most recently Kate’s career focus has been in strategic leadership and planning initiatives. She has been an investigator on many funded projects and is particularly interested in information access for public health professionals. Kate is scheduled to start in her new role as Associate Director on May 11^th.

In her most recent position, Kate was Associate Director for Information Services Research, Development, and Communication at the Welch Medical Library, Johns Hopkins University, where she held a faculty appointment in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Division of Health Sciences Informatics. In 2007- 2008, Kate completed a Research Library Leadership Fellowship (RLLF), a program sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Prior to her current position she directed education programming for the Welch advanced technology group and the development of the Welch liaison services program.

Before coming to Hopkins in 1998, Kate managed a number of small scientific and medical libraries including those of NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratory, American College of Cardiology, and AMA Washington Office. She has served as a reference librarian and search analyst at the NIH Library, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association, and UCLA’s Biomedical Library. Kate was a project director for Georgetown University’s Public Services Laboratory in the conduct of a literature review of a 20th-century cost of illness study, and developed science Web resource pages for the public radio documentary group, Soundprint. Kate holds a Master’s in Public Health with a focus on health policy, planning and evaluation from Johns Hopkins University and, has an MLS from Columbia University. Please join me in welcoming Kate to the NYU Health Sciences Libraries.

As you join me in welcoming Kate to our Region, please also join me in a round of applause and appreciation for Arpita Bose who has worked with you so graciously as Interim Associate Director for the past eight months, while she continued her responsibilities as MAR Outreach Coordinator.

Karen Brewer, Ph.D.
Director, Middle Atlantic Region