Dr. Malinda Orlin, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School, University of Maryland, Baltimore has announced the promotion, effective July 1, of M.J. Tooey to Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs and Executive Director, Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HS/HSL). Ms. Tooey has served as the Executive Director of the HS/HSL since 2004. In her new role Tooey will expand upon responsibilities related to scholarly communication, academic information in the digital age, active engagement of HS/HSL supporting student success, and the broader issues surrounding information strategies and collaborative learning in the promotion of academic excellence.

Orlin says, “Over the past six years M.J. has thoroughly and continually impressed me with her evolving understanding of the impact on research libraries of the myriad, far-reaching changes in the scholarly/research environment. She is knowledgeable in the field and about how to work collaboratively with faculty and information technology experts to articulate strategies and tactical approaches to meet these challenges.”

Tooey has worked at UMB in various library positions since 1986. She is also the Director of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Southeastern/Atlantic Region under contract to the National Library of Medicine, NIH. She received her MLS from the University of Pittsburgh in 1982 and her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Clarion State University (formerly Clarion State College).

Tooey served as president of the Medical Library Association (MLA) from 2005-2006 and was elected a Fellow of the association in 2009. She has also served on MLA’s Board of Directors and as the Chair of the 2004 National Program Committee for the MLA Annual Meeting held in May 2004 in Washington, DC. In 2001 she chaired the MLA committee that partnered with the Pew Internet and American Life Project to assess consumer health information needs and habits. In 1997 she received the MLA Estelle Brodman Award as Academic Medical Librarian of the Year. She has served as Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association and has received the chapter’s Librarian of the Year and the Marge Abel Service Recognition Award. She has also chaired the Public Services Section of the Medical Library Association.

An author or co-author of over 70 chapters, articles, presentations or posters, she currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries where she also chairs the Charting the Future Committee.

Tooey serves on the library advisory committees for FASEB and the New England Journal of Medicine. She is active in the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions Council of Library Directors where she has served on the budget and strategic planning committees. Additionally, she was a delegate to the 1991 White House Conference on Libraries and Information Services and she served on the Board of Trustees of Palinet from 2007-2009.

Advice to libraries on applying for broadband grants

The ALA Washington Office is making a final push to inform and guide libraries as the August 14 deadline for the first-round Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant applications draws near. A host of stimulus resources for libraries—including webinars, instructional guidance, key links, and a list of frequently asked questions—can be found online. Also available is a key informational guide (PDF file) on applying to this program and a brand-new document that demonstrates the role of libraries in economic recovery for BTOP applicants (PDF file).

NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region, New England Region, and Southeastern/Atlantic Region present a live webinar on the upcoming National Library of Medicine PubMed page redesign. David Gillikin, Chief of NLM’s Bibliographic Services, will review the draft design for the new search results page and abstract view in PubMed. This webinar is a repeat of the presentation at the NLM Online Users’ Meeting at the Medical Library Association’s annual conference in May.

IMPORTANT: This webinar is free and open to NN/LM members in MAR, NER, and SE/A.

***No pre-registration is required; please do not reply to this e-mail asking to be registered. Participation will be open on a first come, first served basis. Because participation is limited to the first 500 guests, we ask that you do NOT forward this message to individuals outside the MAR, NER, and SE/A areas. This webinar will be offered separately in other regions.***

Meeting Name: PubMed Redesign MAR, NER, SE/A
When: Wednesday, 08/26/2009, 2:00 pm (eastern daylight saving time)
To join the meeting: https://webmeeting.nih.gov/pubmedredesignmarnersea/

After joining the meeting, you can let the system call you for the audio. If you need to manually dial into the meeting:
Dial-In: 1-877-239-6389
Pass-Code: 265688

If you have never attended a Connect Pro meeting before, please test your connection prior to the webinar: https://webmeeting.nih.gov/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

The inaugural class of Fellows in the Association of Health Care Journalists-National Library of Medicine (AHCJ-NLM) Fellowships was recently announced by AHCJ.

The Fellows, health journalists selected by AHCJ from dozens of qualified applicants, will receive training about NLM’s services and meet with physicians and researchers at NLM and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) during a weeklong visit to the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, September 13-17, 2009.

The journalists chosen to take part this year are:
• John Fauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Lynya Floyd, Essence Magazine
• Jeff Hansel, Rochester, Minn. Post-Bulletin
• Douglas Podolsky, Consumer Reports
• Shari Rudavsky, The Indianapolis Star
• Heidi Splete, Global Medical News Network

The Fellows will receive hands-on training on how to use and get the most from NLM’s databases, such as Pub Med, MedlinePlus, ClinicalTrials.gov, ToxNet and the Household Products Database. They will also meet with senior NLM and NIH researchers and officials for exclusive informational sessions on such topics as diabetes, infectious disease, health disparities, and personalized medicine.

“The Fellowship is designed to help health journalists obtain new stories, improve their reporting and be more resourceful,” said Robert A. Logan, PhD, NLM senior staff, who helped coordinate the program with AHCJ. “The bonus for the Fellows is better stories,” added Len Bruzzese, Executive Director of AHCJ.

“NLM welcomes the inaugural class and is pleased that the Fellows represent a wide spectrum of news organizations,” said Donald A.B. Lindberg, MD, Director of NLM.

For more information about the AHCJ-NLM fellows program, please contact Dr. Robert A. Logan at logan@nlm.nih.gov and 301.496.1936.

by Gwen Williams
gwilliams@browardlibrary.org

I am a public librarian currently working for West Regional Library, Broward County Library system, in Plantation, Florida. I have taken three NN/LM Moodle courses, “Prescription for Success,” and “From Snake Oil to Penicillin,” and “¿No Comprende?.” If you are interested in the electronic delivery of quality health information, NN/LM Moodle courses are for you.

NN/LM instructors deploy Moodle software, which is easy to navigate and easy for interacting with course materials and your Moodle colleagues (mostly librarians from a variety of workplaces). NN/LM instructors and Moodle bring together the best in asynchronous and synchronous tools for distance learning: relevant content, sound instructional design, discussion forums, chat, RSS feeds, and a clean web interface that functions with numerous browsers and operating systems. Essentially, you can take a NN/LM Moodle course on whatever machine you work on and use your preferred browser to do so. I accessed my Moodle courses through various browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Explorer, and OmniWeb) on a desktop Dell running Windows XP and on an iMac running OS X Leopard. I personally preferred Chrome on the Dell and Safari on the Mac. If you want to keep current with health information resources while exploring online learning tools, NN/LM Moodle courses are your risk-free chance to experiment and learn.

I once read that “reference librarians are authorities on finding the authorities.” (Pssst, just between you and me, I cannot find the source of this statement–Patrick Wilson, “Two Kinds of Power: an Essay on Bibliographical Control” keeps coming to mind, but–is there a librarian in the house?) Anyway, taking the NN/LM Moodle courses gave me the opportunity, reason, and structure to update my knowledge of health information authorities. I navigated some terrific health resources that are electronically available to you, me, crawlers, knowbots, and web-surfers too numerous to count (our patrons included): MedlinePlus, labtestsonline, familydoctor.org, NIHSeniorHealth, and MedlinePlus en español, to name a few.

Ultimately, my Moodle experiences reminded me of how librarians provide quality reference service on subjects beyond our individual expertises: we use analytical tools to find and verify the authorities. For the real strengths of the NN/LM Moodle courses are the structured focus on evaluating health information resources for accuracy, authority, bias, currency, and coverage–a critical lens of reading that does not require a medical or health science education to use. By moodling with my colleagues, I gained confidence in my ability to evaluate health information authorities for my patrons, including for my patrons whose first languages are not English.

As a public librarian, I benefited from moodling with hospital librarians, community health librarians, and health science librarians at universities. It was interesting to exchange discussions with and read posts by my professional colleagues. Perhaps more than one of us enjoyed conversing with librarians we met in the Moodle, so to speak, librarians working beyond our own workplaces. I guess you’d call it, networking with moodlers. Here’s a shout-out to those generous moodlers and instructors! I’ve been so impressed with my three NN/LM Moodle courses that I’m starting another one soon. I’m ready for more schmoodling with moodlers enrolled in the Moodle, “Beyond an Apple a Day” . . . now if I could only remember my Moodle password. . .

Check out the August issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research.

In this edition:

Concerned About Coffee?
It May Actually Be Good for You
Because it tastes so good, you may assume coffee is bad for you. But researchers are finding that coffee poses little to no health risk for most people. It may even have some health benefits.

You’ve Got Rhythm
Your Internal Clock Affects Your Health
While you struggle to stay on time for your daily activities, your body has its own internal clock. Every day, this clock helps you feel alert at work, hungry at mealtime and drowsy at night. When you fight against your biological clock, your health can suffer.

Health Capsules:

• Questions Raised About “Depression Gene”
• Tasty Recipes for People with Diabetes

Featured Web Site: NIH Education and Awareness Campaigns Click here to download a PDF version for printing.

Visit our Facebook wall to suggest topics you’d like us to cover, or start a discussion about how you use the newsletter. We want to hear what you think! Also check out the NIH Health & Science Gifts and send some to your Facebook friends.

Please pass the word on to your colleagues about NIH News in Health. We are happy to send a limited number of print copies free of charge for display in offices, libraries or clinics. Just email us or call 301-435-7489 for more information.

By Colette Becker, web developer

Why the change?
In keeping with the NLM policy to support only the latest two major versions of Internet Explorer, DOCLINE support for Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) will end on August 31, 2009.  DOCLINE 4.0 supports Internet Explorer 8, in addition to Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) and Firefox 3.

What if I am unable to upgrade?
NLM does not recommend the use of non-supported browsers with DOCLINE.  If you have used DOCLINE successfully with other browsers, there is no reason why you cannot continue to do so.  However, NLM and the NN/LM will no longer provide technical support for them as of August 31, 2009.

How can I tell what version of Internet Explorer I am using?

Check the icons: If your Internet Explorer icon looks like this one, 

you are currently using IE6 and you need to upgrade to IE7.

If your Internet Explorer icon looks like this one,

you have already upgraded to IE7 and no further action is needed.

Or

Manually check the version number:

1. Open Internet Explorer as if you were going to navigate to a website.
2. In the menu bar, click on “Help”.
3. Click on “About Internet Explorer” and the next dialogue box indicates the release of IE you are using.

By Janice Kelly, executive director

Recently the SE/A assessed the members of the five regional advisory committees. The purpose of the assessment was to ascertain whether the new structure was working to achieve its objective of getting more member involvement in regional programs and to learn more about member satisfaction with it.

An online evaluation form was sent to 59 current and former members of the committees. Thirty-six (61%) completed the form. Of those responding, 94% agreed strongly or somewhat that they knew what was expected of them as a member of a committee. 94% or greater strongly or somewhat agreed that the size, composition, number of meetings, and meeting virtually were adequate to conduct business. 97% agreed strongly or somewhat that their opinion on regional matters was valued by the SE/A. 97% of respondents agreed strongly or somewhat that having program advisory committees was a good approach for network members to provide input and feedback on regional programs.

The members were asked also to comment on ways the SE/A could improve the committee experience. The SE/A will use the comments going forward to improve communication between meetings, distribute minutes more widely and keep to the proposed schedule of at least two, if not more, virtual meetings each contract year.

Thanks to all who participated in this important assessment. It validates that having programmatic committees is valued by our members and an effective way to gather input and feedback on regional programs.

Just a reminder that August 3 is the deadline for applications for NN/LM SE/A express outreach award. We moved the due date to Monday to give those needing a few more hours time to complete their applications.

If you have questions, please contact the SE/A office.

NLM Invites Nominations for IHTSDO Standing Committees Due August 5, 2009; New Procedures for Nomination, Selection of U.S. Nominees
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/news/IHTSDONominate2009.html

We hope to receive a strong pool of nominations. This year all US SNOMED CT licensees (in other words, all US UMLS licensees) will be able to vote to select the three US candidates for each of the four Committees. Current Committee members whose terms expire at the end of this year are eligible for nomination to the same or a different Committee. See the instructions at the website above.

FYI - Canada will also be soliciting nominations for its candidates in an announcement expected later this week.