Join your colleagues on Wednesday, November 18, as MAR hosts Medical Library Association’s fall webcast, “Cut the Cord: Connecting to our Mobile Users.” More information about the webcast is available here: http://www.mlanet.org/education/distance_ed/mobile/index.html

Take advantage of this national continuing education event. Share ideas with your colleagues about current topics, learn techniques from MLA member experts, and earn 2.0 MLA CE contact hours.

Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Time: 2:00 pm-4:00 pm

Location: Smilow Room #901A Conference Room (9th floor), New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY

*NOTE: You are invited to join us in person in New York City for the webcast. We cannot offer free remote access to the webcast from your own library.*

RSVP to rml(at)med.nyu.edu. Space is limited, so sign up early. Registration deadline is Wednesday, November 11.

By Friday, November 13, you will be sent a confirmation e-mail with directions to the site. This confirmation e-mail will serve to confirm that you are registered for the webcast. There is no charge for this event.

The RML has also purchased a DVD for loan after the webcast.

We look forward to having you join us!

From Harrison Wein, Ph.D., NIH Office of the Director, Office of Communications and Public Liaison:

Check out the October 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:

Shape Your Surroundings
Make It Easier to Control Your Weight
Researchers have recently found several factors influencing your weight that you might not be aware of. Here’s how to recognize and take control of the things that may be tripping up your efforts at weight control.
full story

Medications: Use as Directed
The Risks of Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription drugs help millions of people live longer and healthier lives. But if you don’t take your medicines as directed, or if you take someone else’s medications, the results can be deadly.
full story

Health Capsules:

• Improving Vision in Patients with Blocked Eye Veins
• What Is Palliative Care? New Brochure Explains
• Featured Web Site: Talking to Your Doctor

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.

Dear MAR Award Applicants –

The NYU network experienced problems on Friday afternoon, October 9.  The MAR staff noted that email was not received between approximately 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm.  If you submitted an application during this time, we may not have received it.

If you submitted an application, would you please resubmit?

If you submitted a Technology Improvement Award or a Health Literacy Award on Friday Afternoon, please by Wednesday at 5 pm or contact the designated MAR Coordinator below?

Health Literacy

http://nnlm.gov/mar/funding/healthlitnew.html

Contact Arpita Bose, MAR Outreach and Communications Coordinator, 212-263-4176 or arpita.bose@med.nyu.edu with any concerns or questions about the Health Literacy Award.

Technology Improvement

http://nnlm.gov/mar/funding/technology.html

Contact Gregg Headrick, MAR Technology Coordinator, 212 263 4235 or headrick@library.med.nyu.edu, with any questions about the Technology Improvement Award.

Thank you,

Kate Oliver

Kathleen Burr Oliver, Associate Director, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region, New York University Langone Medical Center, 423 East 23rd Street, Floor 15 South (23rd & First Avenue), New York, NY 10010; 212 263 4197 (voice); 212 263 4258 (fax); kate.oliver@med.nyu.edu; General Phone: 212-263-2030; Toll-Free-Phone within DE, NJ, NY, PA: 800-338-7657; FAX: 212-263-4258: http/nnlm.gov/mar

Creating a Health Information Community. Serving Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania

Pillbox Beta Version Released

The National Library of Medicine (NLM), with support from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has released a beta version of Pillbox, a resource intended to enhance patient safety via an identification and reference system for solid dosage medications:
http://pillbox.nlm.nih.gov

Pillbox combines pharmaceutical data from the FDA and NLM with high resolution images, enabling rapid identification of unknown medications. This system is designed for use by emergency physicians, first responders, other health care providers, Poison Control Center staff, and concerned citizens.

Pillbox allows users to identify solid dosage medications based on several physical characteristics: imprint (characters or number printed on a medication), shape, color, size, and scoring. Users are shown thumbnail images of possible matches which are continually updated as additional information is entered. Once a medication has been identified, further information is provided, including brand/generic name, ingredients, and DEA schedule. Links to NLM drug information resources are also offered.

NLM has made a great effort to verify the authenticity of each image.  However, the Pillbox images are not part of the Structured  Product Label (FDA-approved drug label) and have not been verified by each manufacturer.  For this reason, Pillbox is not currently intended for clinical use.

This fall, NLM and the FDA will initiate a pilot program working with manufacturers to have images submitted for inclusion with the FDA-approved drug label.  This will increase the number of images in Pillbox and help to create a resource appropriate for clinical use.

Pillbox Beta has two versions: the Adobe Flex version is designed for rapid identification of an unknown medication; the Pillbox screen-reader version has advanced search functionality, including drug name.

Questions about Pillbox should be addressed to David Hale, Biomedical Files Implementation Branch, Division of Specialized Information Services, National Library of Medicine, david.hale@nih.gov

Posted on behalf of:
Colette Hochstein, D.M.D., MLS
National Library of Medicine
Division of Specialized Information Services
6707 Democracy Boulevard, Room 515
Bethesda, MD  20892
301-496-6590

NN/LM MAR is pleased to announce the launch of the Transformational Change in Health Sciences Libraries: Space, Collection, Roles web page. This page reflects the presentations, panel sessions, and discussion that took place on April 22/09 at Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library for this one day conference.

The conference topics focused on reduction of print collections, reduction in library space, emerging roles for librarians, and new services for librarians. The web page includes presenters’ PowerPoint slides, podcasts, video casts, photos from the day, and a bibliography for further information on these topics.

Librarians at the George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, won a competitive NN/LM MAR award to fund this conference.

Here is the direct link to the page, http://nnlm.gov/mar/about/spaceplanning/index.html .

From the NLM Technical Bulletin (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/so09/so09_pm_demo.html):

Webcast: 2009 PubMed® Redesign

Learn about the 2009 PubMed redesign during a thirty minute live online demonstration and question and answer session presented by the NLM®. Go to http://webmeeting.nih.gov/pubmed2009/ at one of the following four dates and times:

Tuesday, October 6, 2009:

9:00 am – 9:30 am Eastern Time

11:00 am – 11:30 am Eastern Time

Wednesday, October 7, 2009:

1:00 pm – 1:30 pm Eastern Time

2:00 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern Time

Please read the article, PubMed® Redesign, before you attend this demonstration.

No registration is necessary. Select “Enter as a Guest” and turn on your computer speakers.

For more information and instructions on attending one of these demonstrations, go to: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/disted/clinics/pmredesign09.html.

Note that only the first 300 participants will be permitted entry due to technical limitations. The Webcast will be recorded and available for later viewing at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/disted/clinics/pmredesign09.html.

For more training opportunities, see the National Training Center and Clearinghouse Web site and the NLM Distance Education Program Resources page. Watch for announcements of new training resources here in the NLM Technical Bulletin.

We hope you find the Webcast: 2009 PubMed Redesign useful and enjoyable. “See” you online!

By Kate Majewski
MEDLARS Management Section

Our deadline for applicants to get their documentation in for MAR’s Technology Improvement Award has been extended.  All applicants now have until October 9^th, 2009 to submit their applications and all supporting documentation.

We look forward to seeing all of your applications!

October is National Medical Librarians Month!

Web pages in honor of medical librarians across NN/LM’s regions are featured at the NLM web site.