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Archive for the ‘From the GMR’ Category

The GMR by any other name…

Friday, February 20th, 2009

The  GMR–as in Greater Midwest Region–is an acronym we use everyday in the GMR. Sometimes “GMR” refers to the region itself, and sometimes it refers to the GMR office. On the other hand, “GMR” might refer to the GMR staff. And some network members might refer to the GMR as the RML.

The GMR–as in GMR office–shares physical space with the University of Illinois at Chicago Library of the Health Sciences (UIC LHS). Technically, UIC LHS is the Regional Medical Library (RML) for the Greater Midwest Region. (more…)

GMR Sponsoring MLA Webcast Sites for Finding Work-Life Balance

Friday, February 13th, 2009

The GMR is offering sponsorship of webcast sites for the upcoming MLA Webcast:  Finding Work-Life Balance: Strategies for You and Your Institution to be held on March 25, 2009. Visit http://nnlm.gov/gmr/funding/mlawebcast.html for detailed information on how to become a sponsored site.

The GMR will cover the registration costs for up to two (2) sites per state in the region for this webcast. Because of the limited number of sites we can sponsor, we encourage you to work with your state and local health science librarian groups to identify centralized locations. Sites will be selected based on geographical location, accessibility, and potential number of attendees. To find out about this exciting webcast by visit: http://www.mlanet.org/education/distance_ed/work_life/.

The deadline to get your registration and information to the GMR is Friday, March 6, 2008.

Site coordinators will receive one (1) activity point applicable to their Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP) membership.

Contact Holly Burt, Outreach and Exhibits Coordinator if you have any questions.

3Sources, ESources, where are those resources?

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

Long-time GMR network members may remember ESources as the online newsletter for the Greater Midwest Region of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine through the end of the 2001-2006 contract. 3Sources was the name of the newsletter from March 1983 to May of 2001. The name change to ESources emphasized the transition to an online newsletter.That newsletter has evolved to this blog format as The Cornflower.

With The Cornflower firmly holding its place as a main form of communication from and within the GMR, it is time to have the blog take over from where the website left off. (more…)

A Message from the RML Director: Winter 2008

Friday, December 19th, 2008

Click for larger image

Season’s Greetings to the GMR membership!

Our character-building Midwestern winter began in earnest in November this year, bringing an abrupt end to favorite fall activities. The economic conditions, however, in which our institutions operate were anything but moderate during the past weeks.

Rescissions, hiring freezes, layoffs, furloughs, subscription and license cancellations, moratoria on travel, and deferred maintenance deferred longer still comprise the challenges that most, if not all, of our institutions are addressing now. The new austerity also affects the GMR. Our budget for the Year 4 contract is approximately 3% less than the amount budgeted for Year 3. We will be looking at ways to reduce expenses and enhance focus on regional priorities.

One way that we plan to accomplish these goals is to incorporate the feedback that we gathered in our NLM site visit on August 12, 2008. (more…)

Geeks Bearing Gifts Distance Education Opportunity - FREE

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

The Southeastern Atlantic and Greater Midwest regions of the National Network of
Libraries of Medicine are now accepting registrants for the online version of “Geeks
Bearing Gifts: Unwrapping New Technology Trends.”

(more…)

Recent Additions to the GMR Lending Library

Friday, October 24th, 2008

If you have not had a chance to enjoy the benefit of the GMR’s free Lending Library, be sure to take a look at what it includes.  Many of the materials are meant to assist you in your daily jobs, so there are a lot of items about management of a library (big or small), and various reference help books.  There are also some great resources for you to earn MLA CE Credit.

Some items that have arrived recently:

  • “The First 25 Years: 1978-2003, ” Corinne F. Dorsey and Joyce M. Schowalter for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing
  • “Answering Consumer Health Questions,” Michele Spatz
  • “The Medical Library Association Guide to Health Literacy,” Marge Kars, Lynda M. Baker and Feleta L. Wilson (additional copies added to library)
  • “Evaluating the Impact of Your Library,” Sharon Markless and David Streatfield
  • “The Successful Academic Librarian,” Gwen Meyer Gregory
  • “Managing Stress and Conflict in Libraries,” Sheila Pantry
  • “Business Cases for Info Pros,” Ulla de Stricker
  • “The Medical Library Association Guide to Becoming an Expert Searcher,” Terry Ann Jankowski (2008)
  • “Creating a Comprehensive Information Literacy Plan,” Joanna M. Burkhardt, et al
  • “Defusing the Angry Patron,” Rhea Joyce Rubin
  • “Managing Budgets and Finances,” Arlita W. Hallam, et al

Remember, you can access the GMR Lending Library at the following URL: http://www.gmrlibrary.org.  As long as you are a Full or Affiliate Member, you can borrow for FREE!

GMR at Midwest Chapter

Friday, October 17th, 2008

Please visit these GMR sponsored events and activities! Hope to see you all there, come by the booth and say hello and meet the staff of the GMR.

Exhibits – Salon F-H
Monday, October 20, 2008
8:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Welcome & Grand Opening of Exhibits
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Dessert Break with Exhibitors & Drawing for Prizes

MLA CE Classes
Saturday, October 18, 2008
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. #6 Patient Safety – Teacher: Holly Ann Burt

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon #7 PubMed: Keeping Your Search Vital
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon #9 Community Assessment – Taught by NLM’s OERC

Additional Events
Sunday, October 19, 2008
8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. GMR and NLM Updates

Monday, October 20, 2008
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Poster: Expecting the Unexpected: National Emergency Preparedness & Response Plan for Libraries

1:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Paper Presentation: Using Patient-Oriented Evidence to Reduce Health Disparities – Moderator: Holly Ann Burt

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon Technology Forum: Wikis, Widgets & Whatchamacallits

Advocacy in an Elevator

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

by Denise Rumschlag MLS, AHIP
St. Vincent Hospital
Indianapolis, IN

Looking to raise awareness of the library by administration? Want you or your library to move up in the eyes of your institution? Try creating an elevator speech to boost the worth of your work!

This year for National Medical Librarians Month, the Advocacy Working Group of the Regional Advisory Council to the GMR discussed how to advocate our worth to our administrators.  In the past we have looked at ways to market the library to clinicians and consumers; this year we wanted to focus on reaching administration.  Time is in short supply for most of as we multi-task our way through our busy days. So how do we even reach administration when our paths cross only briefly through out the week?  One proven method is to be prepared with an elevator speech. (more…)

A Message from the RML Director: Fall 2008

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

Click for larger imageSeptember is the start of the new year for students, their families, and the hospitals and universities in which they begin a new annual cycle of work and study. Their thrill at taking the next step, making progress toward their goals, sustains them through the heavy workload and steep learning curve.  Health sciences librarians and staff experience a similar boost in the fall as they guide and instruct their new users and participate in local, state, and regional meetings.

That back-to-school excitement is tempered this year by the impact that severe flooding last summer and again this month is having on our colleagues in Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, and beyond. The NN/LM Emergency Preparedness & Response Toolkit provides current information about emergency conditions, as well as emergency resources, sample plans, individual institutional plans, and reflections on lessons learned. (more…)

Hurricane Effects: Notify Chicago

Monday, September 15th, 2008

Notify Chicago September is Emergency Preparedness Month and although the Midwest is known more for tornadoes than hurricanes, this past weekend we experienced unusual amounts of rain and subsequent flooding, in part due to the effects of what was hurricane Ike. Major flooding has occurred in northwest Indiana and greater Chicagoland, causing evacuation of residents, school closings and traffic reroutes.

As if just in time, the City of Chicago has instituted a new city service called Notify Chicago http://notifychicago.org (more…)