The creators of the Second Life, Linden Lab announced their 1st Linden Prize winners last week (http://lindenlab.com/lindenprize). Among the two winners was “Virtual Ability Island”; the virtual island that was created as a part of the Alliance Virtual Library. This is a group of virtual islands use by people with chronic health and disabilities.

The Alliance Library System (ALS) in Illinois, a member of the GMR, worked with the Virtual Ability Organization to plan and build this award winning orientation center. Virtual Ability Island was partially funded by the NN/LM consumer health subcontract - “Share the Health”. The ALS will have the distinction of being the first NN/LM supported project that has received this prestigious virtual award. ALS and Virtual Ability continue to partner on health information services in Second Life.

Prestigious Linden Prize was given to two winners chosen out of 230 applications and 10 finalists. The winners were awarded $10,000 each. Here is the announcement from the Linden Lab: https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/features/blog/2009/04/30/the-linden-prize-goes-to-studio-wikitecture-and-virtual-ability

Please contact Lori Bell (lbell927@gmail.com), if you would like to know more about this award winning virtual island or the partnership! Congratulations!!

DOCLINE library groups have more than 10 DOCLINE libraries with a like interest. They are usually a local consortium. They share holdings and make resource sharing easy for each other. You may request a formal DOCLINE library group from your DOCLINE Coordinator. Libraries can elect to place a group that that they are a member of in a routing table cell. Library groups should reside alone in a cell. All libraries in the group have an equal chance of being selected as routing is random.

When a request reaches a cell in your table that contains a Library Group, the algorithm will randomly select up to 20 libraries from the Library Group. The library selected must

a. - support the preferred network delivery method
b. - report owning either the volume or year of the requested title
c. - be an active DOCLINE participant at the time of routing AND
d. - provide the selected level of service (if above Normal) AND
e. - provide color copy service (if selected) AND
f. - be an EFTS participant (if selected);

Then if less than 20 libraries matched for routing,

g. the institution supports one of the network alternate delivery methods selected AND conditions b - f are met.

You can find supporting information on routing in the FAQ’s that reside in DOCLINE.

Your DOCLINE Coordinator

Now, where is that library? I know I put it here somewhere! Thanks to a mashup of Google Maps and your location in DOCLINE by Web Services Technology Operations Center (Web-STOC) programmer Aron Beal in Seattle, you can find other institutions more easily via NN/LM Member Maps. Before I get into too much detail about the member maps, let me briefly explain about Web-STOC.  This team keeps our websites in good running order and keeps us compliant with federal guidelines related to accessibility.  They are located at the University of Washington, which is home to the NN/LM - Pacific Northwest Region.

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By Barbara Platts, MLIS, AHIP
Munson Healthcare
Traverse City, MI

My 3-year journey to explore the feasibility of embracing federated search engine technology, recently culmunated with a trip to the 2008 Computers in Libraries Conference (CIL) in Arlington, Virginia. Thanks to the generous support of a GMR Professional Development Award, I was able to attend a number of sessions specifically related to current federated search engine applications. In addition, I was able to speak with identified vendors to set up trials upon my return from the conference, and network with colleagues who use this technology. (more…)

Kevin O’Brien
Assistant Access Services Librarian
University of Illinois at Chicago

The world of library resource sharing is undergoing a period of change. Electronic journals and freely available content like the material in PubMed Central are contributing to a decline in demand for interlibrary loan service as it has been traditionally defined. In response, many libraries are changing the way they do business. (more…)

Library Groups and Local Consortia are the foundations of resource sharing. They allow libraries to broaden their collections and their services. The spirit of giving really presents itself with this concept. One small library is able to prosper from the collections of many. In the Greater Midwest Region we encourage local consortia to become DOCLINE® library groups. (more…)

By Tammy Mays, MLIS
Former Consumer Health Coordinator
National Network of Libraries of Medicine
Chicago, IL

Have you ever wondered how you can list your Consumer Health Library on the Find a Library (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/libraries.html) page in MedlinePlus? (more…)

Jola Sliwinski
EFTS Program Coordinator
University of Connecticut Health Center Library
Farmington, CT

EFTS, the Electronic Fund Transfer System used to debit and credit member accounts for the cost of interlibrary loans, was started in 1996 and currently has over 1200 participants. There are now EFTS libraries in each of the 50 states, Canada and Mexico. In developing this service over the past eleven years, EFTS staff has had the opportunity to listen to many librarians who have raised questions, issues and concerns regarding EFTS. Here are some of the more common questions, concerns and answers about EFTS: (more…)

Hello DOCLINE® Libraries,

As your DOCLINE Coordinator I answer lots of questions regarding Routing Tables. Here is a list of tips to cover a few of those queries: (more…)

Hello DOCLINE Libraries,

Imagine a day where you log onto the DOCLINE System and all your patron requests are waiting there for you. The citations have been verified, the patron information has been filled-in, they are all in a neat little column and ready to be sent to institutions that own the items that are being requested.

Loansome Doc libraries start everyday like this. Your DOCLINE institutional profile can assist you in displaying the price of loans, the users groups you are ready to service and if you want your potential patron to contact your library before singing up for the service. Loansome Doc libraries are self-selected. The Loansome Doc Options screen in the Institutional profile controls the defaults for these services, delivery methods and registration.

For more ideas on the uses of Loansome Doc: Loansome Doc Information for Librarians