The Penn Libraries announce the appointment of Barbara Cavanaugh to the position of Associate Director for the Health Sciences Libraries and Director of the Biomedical Library, effective April 1. Her responsibilities include leadership of the Biomedical Library and oversight of the operations of the Dental and Veterinary School Libraries. She will play a key role in re-imagining Biomedical Library spaces and services in support of the joint renovation planning efforts between the Penn Libraries and the School of Medicine.

Ms. Cavanaugh has more than 25 years of medical library experience. She began her career at Pennsylvania Hospital Medical Library, Historic Library, and Archives. She also ran the School of Nursing and Medical Staff Libraries at Roxborough Memorial Hospital. Ms. Cavanaugh came to Penn in 1993 as the Health Sciences Libraries Liaison.

In 2001, Ms. Cavanaugh was promoted to head of Veterinary Libraries. In 2003 she was a recipient of the Veterinary Medical Student Government’s Commendation Award for Excellence in Teaching. As head of the Veterinary Libraries, she played a pivotal role in the planning and development of the School’s new, cutting-edge facility, the Steven W. Atwood Library & Information Commons, in the School’s new Vernon & Shirley Hill Pavilion.

“We are delighted to have Barbara in this major leadership role. Her experience with the Atwood Library will be invaluable as we re-envision the facilities and redefine the services offered by Penn’s Health Sciences Libraries in response to the Medical School’s planned renovations,” said Carton Rogers, Vice Provost and Director of Libraries.

Ms. Cavanaugh is a member of the Medical Library Association, and is currently involved in a project funded by the Elsevier Foundation to support the information, healthcare, and medical education needs of Penn programs in Botswana. She has a BA from Temple University and an MS in Library and Information Science from Drexel University.

Pamela Samuelson, a Professor of Law at UC Berkely, has written a nice column on O’reilly Radar about the Google Book settlement with the Author’s Guild - which is waiting for final approval from the courts.

Read her column for a great summary of the issues that are being dealth with and their possible repercussions.

How will the government’s endorsement of the electronic medical record, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and a state’s own privacy laws affect the actual adoption of the EMR?  A new study from MIT and University of Virginia researchers suggest that it may be a delicate balancing act.

You can download and read a copy of the study

Ars Technica also has a rundown of the findings and the possible repercussions.

Check out the April issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research. And consider joining us 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.  Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/NIH-News-in-Health/45385547967 and become a fan.

In this edition:

Get Moving and Stay Healthy Make Physical Activity Part of Your Life
People from all walks of life find it difficult to get enough exercise. But research shows that all Americans need physical activity for good health. New government guidelines can help you get started and stay active.

Remember To Take Your Pills? Jog Your Memory of What To Take and When
We forget things every day-people’s names, our keys or whether we locked the front door. But when it comes to taking your medicines, don’t let your memory fail you.

Health Capsules:

• Study Questions Prostate Cancer Test
• Vitamin C May Ward Off Gout
• Featured Web Site: Rethinking Drinking

Click here to download a PDF version for printing.

HIV/AIDS Community Information Outreach Projects 2009 (NLM-09-078/SES)

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is pleased to announce the solicitation of quotations from organizations and libraries to design and conduct projects that will improve access to HIV/AIDS related health information for patients, the affected community, and their caregivers.

Projects must involve  one or more of the following information access categories:

• Information retrieval
• Skills development
• State-of-the-art resources
• Resource development
• Document Access.

Emphasis is placed upon the following types of organizations or arrangements for developing these programs:

• Community-based organizations (CBOs) or patient advocacy groups currently providing HIV/AIDS related serves to the affected community
• Public libraries serving communities in the provision of HIV/AIDS-related information and resources
• Health departments or other local, municipal, or state agencies working to improve public health
• Faith-based organizations currently providing HIV/AIDS-related services
• Multi-type consortia of the above-listed organizations that may be in existence or formed specifically for this project.

Standard Awards are offered for up to $60,000;  Express Awards are offered for up to $10,000.

Quotations are due to NLM on Monday, June 1, 2009.

The solicitation for the 2009 HIV/AIDS Community Information Outreach Projects is posted at http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/hiv/2009aidsrfq.html .

Primary Point of Contact:

Shari E. Shor, Contract Specialist

shorse(at)mail.nlm.nih.gov

Phone: 3014354388

Fax: 301-402-0642

Secondary Point of Contact:

Robin D. Hope-Williams, Contracting Officer

rhwilli(at)mail.nih.gov

Phone: 301-435-4379

Fax: 301-402-8169

The Community Health Library of Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA was awarded a grant from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine to establish an Assistive Technology Computer Workstation.  The Community Health Library provides consumer health information to patients, family members and the general public in a variety of formats.  All services are provided free of charge.

The Assistive Technology Workstation features a variety of tools to enable patients and the general public with low/no vision and fine motor disabilities to independently access health information either online or via print materials in the library.  The workstation computer includes a large screen monitor, Zoomtext magnifier/reader software, Braille keyboard, large size alternative keyboard, Plustek Reader and Big track trackball.  The workstation table features adjustable table surfaces for the comfort of each indivual user.

From November 2008- February 2009 the workstation has been used by two visually impaired patients.  I’m disappointed with the usage statistics.  The workstation has received considerable internal and external promotion.  Promotion via an organization the size of Geisinger Medical Center and the region takes time and with additional time usage will increase.

External and internal promotional initiatives were launched.  The Community Health librarian coordinated five clinical staff orientation sessions with the partner departments of Ophthalmology and Geisinger HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital.  Promotion continues with presentations planned for a variety of clinician, patient and external groups.

The successful implementation and installation of the workstation enables the Community Health Library in the long-term to provide a fulls cope of services and access to the target population.  Without this grant, the library did not have the ability to provide equal access to the library resources. I consider this a success and the usage will follow given time and continued promotion.

Patricia Ulmer- Geisinger Medical Center, Community Health Library.  Danville, PA.

James Boyle, a professor of law and co-founder of the Centre for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke University and author of The Public Domain: enclosing the commons of the mind, has given a public lecture on how intellectual property and public domain interacts with areas of human development such as scientific research and free speech.  Princeton’s UChannel has put his lecture up in a freely available podcast.

Go to the UChannel page to listen.

The Modern Language Assocation’s (MLA) new style guide for citing sources in research has done away with print being the default style.  They have also done away with citing the URL of an electronic resource found on the web!

The Modern Language Association’s styles are long the standard in humanities research, could other style guides be far behind?  With much of the medical research being published in electronic journals now how will other citation standards change?

Ars Technica has a short article with comments discussing the changes as well as a link to the MLA’s new guide.

Network Services Coordinator
National Network of Libraries of Medicine Middle Atlantic Region

NYU Health Sciences Libraries seeks to fill the position of Network Services Coordinator for the Middle Atlantic Region (MAR) of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. The mission of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public health by providing all U.S. health professionals with equal access to biomedical information and improving the public’s access to information to enable them to make informed decisions about their health. The Middle Atlantic Region (MAR) office serves NN/LM members in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Overall Responsibilities

The Network Services Coordinator plans and organizes resource sharing and network programs in consultation with the MAR Resource Sharing Committee. Manages the DOCLINE program of the Region, offering training and consultation. Ensures compliance with all NLM requirements for members using DOCLINE and LinkOut.

Reports to RML Associate Director.

Specific Responsibilities

1. Administers the DOCLINE and LinkOut programs of the NN/LM for the Region ensuring accuracy of the member information in the directory. Sees that membership certificates are distributed in a timely manner;
2. Staffs the MAR Resource Sharing Committee and encourages their participation in the development of region-wide resource sharing efforts;
3. Trains all RML staff on the fundamentals of DOCLINE and interlibrary loan, so they can answer basic questions from members;
4. Works five hours per month in a network member’s Document Delivery or interlibrary loan department;
5. Develops training programs using Adobe Connect, online tutorials and simple printed instructions for training staff in a variety of libraries on use of the DOCLINE and LinkOut systems; provides individual or group consultation on use of DOCLINE and LinkOut if needed;
6. Encourages use of EFTS and helps problem solve with librarians who cannot use it, due to technical or administrative problems;
7. Is training point of contact with other RMLs and the National Library of Medicine’s staff to be expert on current and upcoming system changes or technology developments in areas affecting resource sharing. Attends monthly teleconferences and provides regular feedback to NLM on problems or concerns of MAR members in regard to resource sharing;
8. Organizes user testing of new technologies and systems for NLM if requested;
9. Participates in all RML staff activities including exhibits, state liaison efforts, network member questions, implementation of region-wide programs including but not limited to Emergency Preparedness and Historical Collections and in offering training;
10. Develops and manage the NN/LM MAR RML Consultants program;
11. Develops a program to recruit new members, including a recruitment kit;
12. Oversees the annual contact process to ensure that the appropriate information is gathered and compiled;
13. Develops and implements a region-wide member recruitment program for public libraries;
14. Other related duties as required.

Skills and Requirements

MLS and at least 5 years experience in health sciences libraries. Knowledge of DOCLINE, LinkOut and related technology and cataloging issues preferred. Excellent communications, project management and team skills.

Salary begins at $60,000, with the NYU Medical Center benefits package. S/he is considered an employee of the New York University School of Medicine, which is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Information on the Middle Atlantic Region of the NN/LM is at http://nnlm.gov/mar/.

Applicants should send their resume and a letter of application to:

Ms. Terry Serra
NYU Health Sciences Libraries
NYU Langone Medical Center
550 First Avenue
New York, NY  10016
Fax: (212) 263-6534
jobs@library.med.nyu.edu
http://library.med.nyu.edu