Increasingly health sciences librarians are finding a need to move outside the library to provide small group instruction.  Technology facilitates the process and in 2009 the cost of outfitting the mobile classroom has been reduced significantly.  In a hospital setting providing instruction in the patient care setting ensures that your customers, hospital staff and physicians, are familiar with the extensive array of online medical resources that you work hard to create and for which you dedicate a considerable amount of funds.  By bringing instruction to the point of need there is a greater likelihood that hospital staff will learn how to use the library’s online resources and will actually use the tools.

GETTING STARTED

If your hospital is wired to the Internet the first and most important step has been completed.  If the hospital is not yet wired this is an essential component to tackle and the best way to begin the process is to get to know the head of information technology (IT) at your institution.  However, let’s assume that the hospital is fully hardwired.

Wireless Connectivity:

The next step would be to investigate installation of wireless Internet access.  At Kaleida Health in Buffalo, New York, the four hospital libraries (Buffalo General Hospital, Millard Fillmore Gates Circle, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, and Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo) were among the first departments to provide wireless access to the Internet.  We achieved this milestone with a grant from MAR in 2005.  We partnered with the health system’s IT department who supported the additional related costs because they wanted to test the use of wireless Internet connectivity and saw the libraries as a good test bed.  Having wireless access in the library gave the staff the ability to move around the library to provide instruction, one-on-one, to library users at their individual laptop computers.  Since 2005 wireless access to the Internet has been installed in many areas of our hospitals. The expanded wireless access provides an opportunity to move instructional activities from the library to other areas of the hospital.

RESOURCES FOR THE MOBILE CLASSROOM

In late 2008 we received a new laptop computer, a gift from a hospital physician.  A second grant from MAR in 2008 was used to purchase a Digital Light Processing (DLP) projector. The laptop computer coupled with the DLP projector were the resources needed to roll-out our mobile classroom.  Because we wanted a full compliment of hospital software programs on the laptop the cost was approximately $1,000, which is a bit higher than standard retail cost.  We sought funds from MAR to cover the cost of the DLP projector and a replacement bulb, which came to just under $1,000.  Thus with $2,000 the Kaleida Health Library’s mobile classroom became a reality.

Using the Mobile Classroom

We have used the mobile classroom to train undergraduate college students serving as interns in an area public school to use MedlinePlus to access authoritative, understandable, reliable health information.  The interns are working with elementary school teachers in a train the trainer model to instruct the teachers how to use MedlinePlus and other NLM and NIH health information resources to teach school children about living a healthy lifestyle.  Many of the students are refugees from third world countries such as Somalia and Myanamar.  This project is a follow-up to the Somali-Bantu health education project completed in late 2008.

Currently planning is underway to offer an in-service health information training program for Buffalo city public school nurses.  The training session is planned for early May.  Many Buffalo City school nurses are Kaleida Health employees and we have a commitment to ensure that the nurses have access to the full spectrum of library services and resources as staff located in one of our hospitals.  Thus, we are working with the lead school nurse for Kaleida Health and the Director of Health Services for Buffalo City schools to offer the in-service program.  The program’s focus will include use of MedlinePlus to educate students about healthy lifestyle issues such as nutrition, infections, immunizations, safety and the like.  We will use both the DLP projector and the laptop to instruct the school nurses, thus taking full advantage of our mobile classroom.  We hope that this will be the first in a series of training programs for the school nurses.

By using the mobile classroom we will bring knowledge and information to an important new group of library users.  Without the technological resources described above this training program would not have become a reality.  It is our expectation that by introducing the school nurses to the myriad of resources available via MedlinePlus, and services available from Kaleida Health Libraries that the nurses will be empowered to use both more effectively and more frequently.  We also hope that the school nurses will view the libraries as a resource available to support their professional information needs.

Diane G. Schwartz, MLS, AHIP, FMLA
Director of Libraries
Kaleida Health
100 High Street
Buffalo, NY 14203

Email:  Dschwartz@kaleidahealth.org
Website:  http://library.kaleidahealth.org

Mellon Grants CLIR $4.3 Million for Year Two of Hidden Collections Program

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded CLIR $4,303,000 to support a second year of its Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives program. The program was created in 2008, with Mellon funding, to identify and catalog special collections and archives of high scholarly value that are difficult or impossible to locate through finding aids. See news release at  http://www.clir.org/news/pressrelease/09hiddenpr4.html

CLIR will issue a request for proposals by the end of April and will announce decisions in fall 2009. A standing review panel, formed in 2008, will evaluate proposals and select award recipients.

More information about the award program is available at http://www.clir.org/hiddencollections/index.html.

Council on Library and Information Resources

1752 N Street NW, Suite 800

Washington, DC 20036, USA

Phone: 202.939.4750

www.clir.org

Medical Words: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine

This tutorial teaches you about medical words. You’ll learn about how to put together parts of medical words. You’ll also find quizzes to see what you’ve learned.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/medicalwords.html

Pacific College of Oriental Medicine is a private institution offering Master of Science programs in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (acupuncture and Chinese herbalism) and Bachelor programs in Oriental Bodywork and Western Massage.

The funds so generously granted were used to purchase educational materials for the ever expanding Pacific College Library. Purchased were a laptop and a projector, which have benefited the Library in many ways.  The library staff is now better able to conduct presentations on acupuncture and massage research, and on-line searching of medical databases and web sites for students and faculty. In addition, the laptop serves as a training tool for teaching health information and computer literacy, and as an extra computer for the Library.

In the future, PCOM will purchase additional needed literary materials relating to Chinese acupuncture, Herbology, Oriental medicine, Tui Na, and other health related subjects.

The grant from the National Networks of Libraries is proven to be a valuable resource for the students and faculty of Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. It has funded library research courses and expanded the availability of computer access.

With great appreciation and gratitude, PCOM would like to thank the National Network of Libraries of Medicine for their services and donation.

Svetlana Oziransky- Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.  New York, NY

The intention of the new Evaluation webpage on the MAR web site is two-fold. The page provides information on the evaluation activities conducted by the MAR staff to benefit members (http://nnlm.gov/mar/evaluation/ ). Secondly, the Evaluation page presents tools and resources to help guide network members through the evaluation process (http://nnlm.gov/mar/evaluation/evaluationtools.html ).

If you have comments or suggestions for improvements or new additions to the Evaluation page, please let me know. Are you considering evaluating your library services? If you need assistance in developing an evaluation plan, please contact Sue Hunter: sue.hunter@med.nyu.edu .

What will you do in the event of an emergency or disaster at your library? Register now for MAR’s free online classes to learn about disaster preparedness and recovery.

To sign up for a class, e-mail us at rml@med.nyu.edu with the title and date of the class you wish to attend.  Please include your name, e-mail address, and mailing address.

Service Continuity Planning

An emergency can be as wide-scale as a hurricane or as local as a burst pipe in the book stacks. Do you know how to ensure the continuation of your primary services and access to your primary resources in the event of an emergency at your library? Learn (and share) strategies during this 90 minute class. Dan Wilson, Coordinator, NN/LM Emergency Preparedness Project, will present a simple, relatively quick, approach to creating a service continuity plan.

Dan Wilson is Associate Director for Collection Management and Access Services at University of Virginia Claude Moore Health Sciences Library.

Thursday, March 26, 10-11:30 am

NEW! Resources for Disaster Response and Preparedness

This course is designed to help librarians identify the key resources they and their users can turn to in the event of an emergency or disaster.  Instructor Emily Molanphy will focus on Web sites (FEMA, CDC, etc.), databases (TOXNET, HazLit, QUAKELINE, etc.), blogs and Listservs, as well as resources for mobile devices.  Attendees will learn sources for useful information in an emergency; the formats that are easiest to use; and ways to keep up-to-date.  Disaster preparedness is a major undertaking-and knowing where to look for information in the event of an emergency is an important step towards readying your institution.

Emily Molanphy is Web Services Librarian at the NYU Health Sciences Libraries, where she also serves on the Disaster Preparedness Team.

Thursday, April 23, 10-11 am

MAR is pleased to announce a call for applications for a new technology award!  The Technology Immersion award is a cost reimbursement award for up to $25,000.  Full network members are encouraged to apply with their ideas for a technologically transformative approach to library services.  The winning project will also produce a report reproducing their project in enough detail for other libraries to follow and create their own.

Read the full award description and requirements.

Deadline for applications is May 15^th, 2009

Request for Proposals for State Action concerning Healthy People 2020

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, in collaboration with the Regional Health Administrators, is pleased to announce a request for proposals for the State Action:  Evaluating the Healthy People 2020 Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Agenda project.  Funded by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, this project is being administered by John Snow, Incorporated (JSI).

This evaluation project will fund state, territorial, and tribal governments to conduct innovative and participatory strategic planning activities, with an emphasis on multi-sector collaboration, using the Healthy People 2020 framework and population health improvement concepts (i.e., Healthy People 2020 mission and overarching goals; social, physical, and environmental determinants of health; and health equity).  Up to 12 projects, taking place between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, will be funded at a maximum award of $37,000 each.

Eligible applicants that can apply for this funding opportunity are listed below:

• State and territorial health departments (this includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the National Government of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau).
• Federally recognized Indian tribes, tribal organizations, tribal epidemiology centers, and urban Indian organizations.

This evaluation program is intended to enhance existing or planned state, territorial, and tribal activities to develop a Healthy People plan based on the national Healthy People 2020 framework and objectives.  The project will evaluate ways these eligible entities apply the Healthy People 2020 framework to their planning activities.  Examples of possible activities include:

• Facilitated meetings for multi-sectoral decision makers to engender buy-in and support
• Technical assistance in identifying measures around social determinants of health
• Development of products and information media regarding Healthy People 2020 activities
• Web-based applications to support Healthy People 2020 plans

The application deadline is Monday, April 27, 2009.

For more details and to download the request for proposal forms please visit www.healthypeople.gov/stateaction.  For questions, please contact Ann Loeffler at JSI at 1.800.839.0934 or email her at state_action@jsi.com.

The Medical Library at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center (Utica, NY) supports a Family Residency Program, medical and other students, 325 physicians, nurses and hospital staff and several medical clinics.  Our affiliated College of Nursing and School of Radiography, (who have their own separate library), also has students and faculty that rotate through the hospital that use the Medical Library for research and information as well.

The Technology grant allowed the library to purchase three new computers with software (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) that will allow better access to the library’s electronic resources via the Medical Library’s Intranet page and access to the Library’s electronic resources.  Two of the computers were placed on the computer study carrels adding to the 4 originally there.  One was placed on my assistant’s desk because of her desk’s proximity to the copier and phone.  Since the assistant is part-time, the computer reverts to public access when she is not there.  This computer location has become very popular.  Residents really like to sit there and work on presentations since it has near it a phone and a copier.  The assistant has the added benefit of a new computer to use for ILL’s, Circulation, and other tasks.

The Technology Grant has alleviated the waiting times and response has been positive.  The residents and students use all of the computers heavily for Grand Rounds, Journal Club, daily information research for rounds and other educational activities.  The PowerPoint and Word, Excel software has been very useful.

Having an adequate number of computers which provide access to electronic Library information sources aligns with St. Elizabeth’s mission statement:  St Elizabeth’s Medical Center community, inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi and faithful to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, is committed to excellence in healthcare and education.  We pledge to do this with compassion and respect for the dignity of all.

Halyna Liszczynskyj.  St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Medical Library.  Utica, NY

NLM is launching a new program to ensure that its holdings of journals, indexes, and other serials are as complete as possible. Your library can help by donating print volumes that you no longer wish to retain. If you are a DOCLINE library, use the new Web based system at www.nlm.nih.gov/journaldonation/ to find out what NLM needs.

The system is easy to use. All you need is a list of the titles and volumes you are planning to discard. You can search by title words or phrases or by ISSN. The system searches your DOCLINE holdings so titles are retrieved quickly. If NLM does not need any volumes of a title, the system notifies you immediately. If NLM needs volumes, the system displays a list of them, and you just click on the volumes you will donate. For some titles, the system cannot do an automatic check on what volumes are needed. In these cases, the system will ask you to enter the volumes you can donate, and NLM will send you an email when we determine which volumes we need. You submit your offer electronically from the system. You can print your offer or save it to an Excel file. NLM will send an email to confirm receipt of your offer and to provide instructions on how to have NLM pay for shipping.

If you are not a DOCLINE library, please contact us at 301-496-0081 or at NLMJournalDonation@mail.nih.gov to make donations. NLM appreciates your help with this important program.