MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus en español both now feature a search cloud showing the most frequently searched terms on the site.

Check out the MedlinePlus search clouds at:
•MedlinePlus Search Cloud:
MedlinePlus en español Search Cloud:
•You will find them linked on the lower left hand corner of the MedlinePlus home page.

How many terms are featured in the search cloud?
• The MedlinePlus search cloud displays the top 100 English searches
• The MedlinePlus en español search cloud displays the top 100 Spanish searches.

How frequently is the cloud updated?
The search clouds are usually updated every week day.

How is the cloud organized?
The search terms appear in alphabetical order, and their size represents their relative frequency. The bigger the term, the more often it is searched by people who visit MedlinePlus. A term’s exact ranking is found by placing your cursor over the term, and you can click on any term in the search cloud to conduct a search for that term in MedlinePlus.

Enjoy this new feature on MedlinePlus! It is a great way to stay aware of the most common health terms searched by the public.

The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) 8^th Annual Health Literacy Conference scheduled for May 7-8, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency, Irvine, CA is reaching out to medical librarians. Marge Kars, MLS, AHIP, Bronson Methodist Hospital and author/editor of the recent publication The Medical Library Association Guide to Health Literacy is a featured speaker.  Librarians involved in the MLA Health Information Literacy Research Project will be presenting posters and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine / Pacific Southwest Region is a co-sponsor. As an IHA courtesy, librarians who register online using the coupon code LIBR09 will get a reduced registration rate of $250.  

IHA 8^th

Annual Health Literacy Conference:

Bridging Research & Practice

Location: Hyatt Regency, Irvine, CA

Sponsor: Institute for Healthcare Advancement

Co-Sponsor: National Network of Libraries of Medicine / Pacific Southwest Region

More information: www.iha4health.org

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Posted on behalf of:

Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi, M.Ed., Principal

Kurtz-Rossi & Associates

Health*Literacy*Education*Evaluation

781-835-6488 phone; 781-391-4409 fax;

sabrina_kurtz-rossi@comcast.net

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 .

Please share this information with your colleagues.

Primary Point of Contact:

Shari E. Shor, Contract Specialist

shorse@mail.nlm.nih.gov

Phone: 3014354388

Fax: 301-402-0642

Secondary Point of Contact:

Robin D. Hope-Williams, Contracting Officer

rhwilli@mail.nih.gov

Phone: 301-435-4379

Fax: 301-402-8169