This week we continue our participation in National Preparedness Month by providing resource on family and individual preparedness planning. Having a plan, building a preparedness kit, and ensuring you are informed if and when an event occurs in your area are critical steps in keeping yourself and your families safe.   Again, we encourage you to take some time to explore these resources and to share them with your patrons.

Coping with Disasters (MedlinePlus)

After any type of disaster, people feel relieved to be alive. But then they often feel stress, fear and anger. Most people will also find that they can’t stop thinking about what happened. Learn how to cope with these emotions effectively.

Disaster Apps and Mobile Optimized Web Pages

During a disaster, mobile devices may be your only way to connect with others. Learn how to use NLM’s disaster apps and mobile optimized web pages before disaster strikes.

Disaster News

Check out this RSS feed to the CDC’s Emergency Preparedness and Response site.

Disaster Preparation and Recovery (MedlinePlus)

Preparing for a disaster can reduce the fear, anxiety and losses that disasters cause. Be prepared.

Personal Preparedness

Explore this list of NLM resources on all types of man-made and natural disasters.

Ready.gov

Maintained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this site is designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters.  The three tenets of Ready.gov are:  (1) build an emergency supply kit, (2) make a family emergency plan and (3) be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses.

Special Populations: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness

Certain populations have unique needs during emergencies and disasters. Be prepared to help these groups.

Sources of Emergency and Disaster Health Information from the U.S. Government

Discover these sources of emergency and disaster health information.

As always, you can find more information on disaster medicine and public health preparedness on DIMRC’s website: http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/

Caroline Spellman (Contractor)
Associate Consultant
Aquilent, Inc., supporting the mission of the National Library of Medicine
Specialized Information Services Division
Disaster Information Management Research Center
6707 Democracy Blvd., Ste. 510
Bethesda, MD 20892-5467
Phone: 301-496-3440
Fax: 301-480-3537
spellmancm@nlm.nih.gov

he MCH Library at Georgetown University presents a new knowledge path, Nutrition in Children and Adolescents.  The knowledge path directs readers to a selection of current, high-quality resources that present evidence-based nutrition guidance, describe public health campaigns and other promotion programs, inform policy and legislation, and report on research aimed at identifying promising strategies for improving nutrition and eating behaviors within families, schools, and communities.  Health professionals, program administrators, policymakers, and researchers can use the knowledge path to learn more about child and adolescent nutrition, improve care, develop programs, and locate training resources and information to answer specific questions.

View the knowledge path online at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_childnutr.html.

Companion resource briefs include the following:

Nutrition in Kids and Teens: Resources for Families http://www.mchlibrary.info/families/frb_childnutr.html

Nutrition Education and School Meals: Resources for Schools http://www.mchlibrary.info/schools/srb_childnutr.html

Food Marketing to Children and Adolescents http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/foodmarketing.html

Food Safety http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/foodsafety.html

Food Security and Nutrition Assistance Programs http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/foodsecurity.html

Nutrition in Child Care http://www.mchlibrary.info/guides/ccnutrition.html

Government Health IT reported that HHS said Friday that that MappyHealth won a Twitter developers’ challenge and will be “a new Web-based application tool available to public health officials.”  The competition, “Now Trending: #Health in My Community,” was sponsored by HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.  Government Health IT adds, “Currently, the top diseases being tracked by MappyHealth are the common cold, STIs, mosquito borne disease, pertussis, tuberculosis, influenza and gastroenteritis. Moreover, the top five locations for these disease-tracking tweets are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Orlando, Chicago and Los Angeles.”

In previous weeks, we featured online preparedness resources that can be consulted before and during an emergency or disaster.  Our last featured resource has a topic page that addresses the emotional needs in the aftermath of disasters or emergencies:  http://www.bt.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/.

This site from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is categorized for specific populations.  You will also find selected information available in multiple languages.

Here are examples of the groups listed:

• Individuals
• Patients and Families
• Teachers and Schools
• Responders
• Healthcare Professionals

We hope you have found this series on emergency and disaster preparedness resources both interesting and educational.  Please share them with others in your institution or organization.

Michelle Burda
Network & Advocacy Coordinator
National Network of Libraries of Medicine
Middle Atlantic Region

MAR announced the inaugural issue of our quarterly newsletter–The MAReport.

Our goal is…

• to spotlight various aspects of our services and NLM resources
• to highlight a Network member
• to announce classes and training for the next quarter, and
• to touch on any number of possible topics in future issues

Make sure to sign-up to receive future issues using the Subscribe feature. Also, please share the newsletter with colleagues and friends:  http://nnlm.gov/mar/newsletter/.

Make sure to check out the various free classes and training opportunities MAR is providing over the next couple of months.  A brief list includes:

• Combatting Information Fatigue: Health Information Resources for Veterans (online)
• 10-Step Approach to Service Continuity Planning (online)
• PubMed for Experts (in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA)

The third in our series of resources for National Preparedness Month addresses the concerns of pet owners during an emergency or disaster.  According to the 2011-2012 American Pet Products Association, 72% of U.S. households own at least one pet.  Translated into numbers, approximately 78.2 million dogs and about 86.4 million cats are owned in the United States.  The Ready Campaign, FEMA, Citizen Corps, American Red Cross, and the Humane Society of the United States have developed a community pet preparedness toolkit for owners or pet caregivers.  The toolkit contains links to pet-friendly lodgings, Ready Campaign Pets Toolkit, a trifold brochure that you can print for your consumers and community members, plus much more to explore.

Michelle Burda

Network & Advocacy Coordinator

National Network of Libraries of Medicine

Middle Atlantic Region

Presenters:

James Honour, Member Services Coordinator, NN/LM MCR

Michelle Burda, Network & Advocacy Coordinator, NN/LM MAR

Date:  September 19, 2012 / 1 – 2 pm (ET)

Location:  Free, Online:  https://webmeeting.nih.gov/memberservices

Description:  You must be a DOCLINE user with access to DOCLINE to take the class.  The hands-on part of the class requires attendees to log into their DOCLINE account to complete the exercises.  (1 MLA CE credit)

1. Beforehand, test your connection to ensure Adobe Connect will run on your computer: https://webmeeting.nih.gov/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm. (NOTE: Only use Firefox or Internet Explorer)
2. Log-in at https://webmeeting.nih.gov/memberservices and allow Adobe Connect to call your phone.
3. If you’re unable to connect online, then join us by phone:  1-866-519-2800, Participant Code:  848754.

Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Business Administration or a related field. At least six years of progressively more responsible professional experience in a large medical university library system or health-associated organization with emphasis on financial planning and administrative services. Three years shall have been in a managerial capacity. Possesses comprehensive knowledge of the electronic scholarly resources marketplace with special emphasis on those resources which support an academic health sciences center, including its multiple schools, research institutes and major teaching hospitals.

Responsibilities
Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Scholarly Information/University Librarian (AVP/UL), the University Libraries Assistant Director for Administration and Special Projects is responsible for selection of a comprehensive suite of scholarly electronic resources provided to UMDNJ faculty, students and staff in support of UMDNJs missions in research, academics and clinical care. In addition, is responsible for the financial planning, distribution and management of the Libraries’ $7 million annual budget. This university-wide position ensures that all Libraries’ personnel actions (hires, terminations, evaluations, etc.) are accomplished and compliant with UMDNJ policies. The UL Assistant Director for Administration takes a leadership role in special projects including strategic planning, evaluation, and assessment activities.

http://umdnj.hodesiq.com/job_detail.asp?JobID=3248061&user_id=

Christine Davidian, MS

Electronic Resources Librarian
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
4170 City Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19131
215-871-6432 | 215-871-6478 fax

The George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library at Penn State Hershey seeks an experienced Clinical Outreach, Liaison & Instruction Librarian.  The incumbent will report to the Associate Director / Coordinator for Education & Instruction.   This is a faculty position, may be multi-year contract or tenure track based on qualifications, experience, and preference.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Associate Director, the Clinical Outreach, Liaison and Instruction Librarian will coordinate the Harrell Health Sciences Library Liaison Program; develop and implement clinical support services including a systematic review service, electronic medical record integration, and integration of consumer health information into the patient portal; provide general reference service; and participate in user-centered library instruction.  The Librarian will also participate in collection development activities, serve as a liaison to one or more academic departments, participate in the maintenance and support of the Harrell Library Webpage, will contribute as a member of the Library Advisory Team, and will participate in strategic planning and evaluation of library programs, services, and resources. Critical skills include the ability to function effectively in a team environment, flexibility and the capacity to embrace change in a dynamic and evolving organization, and a facility for cross-departmental communications.  He/she will contribute to the profession through librarianship, teaching & learning, service, research and involvement in professional organizations.

Responsibilities:

* Coordinate the library Faculty Liaison Program.
* Actively engage with faculty, students, and staff in assigned areas, maintain and cultivate strong working relationships to support the needs of clinical communities.
* Analyze trends in departmental teaching and research programs,  stay abreast of scholarship in the disciplines themselves, and use this knowledge to respond to departmental needs.
* Oversee, develop, and implement clinical support services including, systematic review services, electronic medical record integration, and integration of consumer health information into the patient portal.
* Determine the impact of services and resources offered via ongoing assessment.
* Promote library services and collections, answer clinical and reference questions, conduct literature searches, and provide consultations.
* Provide information on a range of library issues, including scholarly communication.
* Work collaboratively with faculty and students to assess and integrate information literacy skills within the medical school curriculum.  Teach information literacy and evidence-based practice or other specialized classes in cooperation with library teaching faculty.
* Participate in collection development activities and in the maintenance and support of the Harrell Library Webpage.
* Contribute to the profession through research, writing, service, and involvement in professional organizations.

Qualifications:

* MLS/MLIS or equivalent from an ALA-accredited institution.
* Minimum of 5 years health sciences library or health care/biomedical environment experience.
* Biomedical/bioscience database search skills.
* Demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative, service oriented, rapidly changing environment to accomplish mutual goals.
* Excellent oral and written communication skills; and a strong public service orientation.
* Demonstrated commitment to professional development and potential for promotion.

Preferred:

* Experience working with clinicians, nurses, and students.
* Subject background in the health or life sciences.
* Understanding of biomedical knowledge representation, i.e. MeSH and/or other UMLS vocabularies.
* Project management experience.

University Libraries:

Penn State, a land-grant institution, is a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), a consortium of the Big Ten universities plus the University of Chicago.  In its special “Paths to Professions” section on September 13, 2010, the Wall Street Journal published results of a survey of industry recruiting executives, with Penn State named the No. 1 overall institution in the nation for producing the best prepared, most well-rounded graduates who are most able to succeed once hired.

The Penn State University Libraries are a strategic asset to Penn State, advancing intellectual discovery, information literacy, and lifelong learning, all in support of the University’s strategic goals in teaching, research, service, and outreach. Based on current Association for Research Libraries investment rankings, Penn State is among the top ten research libraries in North America and actively participates in the initiatives of the CIC.  A Penn State student survey completed in 2010 found overall student satisfaction with the Libraries to be at the top of its category. Our faculty and staff have roles involved in the entire lifecycle of scholarship and research, from inception and creation to access and preservation. We are the largest public-mission library in the northeastern region of the United States, and, with physical collections at each of Penn State’s 23 campuses found in all regions of the Commonwealth, the Libraries are also the most geographically dispersed. They serve approximately 6,000 faculty and 44,000 students at University Park, and more than 92,000 students university wide.

Penn State Hershey, located approximately 100 miles from University Park, is the medical campus of Penn State University.

Penn State Hershey:

Penn State College of Medicine at Penn State Hershey Medical Center confers the doctor of medicine degree and, in conjunction with Penn State’s Graduate School, offers doctor of philosophy degrees in anatomy, biochemistry, and molecular biology, bioengineering, bioinformatics and genomics, cell and molecular biology, chemical biology, genetics, immunology and infectious diseases, integrative biosciences, microbiology and immunology, molecular medicine, molecular toxicology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and physiology.  The College of Medicine offers Master of Science degrees in anatomy, laboratory animal medicine, public health sciences, homeland security, neuroscience, and physiology.

The Penn State Hershey campus is located in Hershey, PA a suburban community approximately twelve miles from Harrisburg, the state capital.  The fourth largest employer in Central Pennsylvania, Penn State’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center provides jobs for more than 6,950 area residents.  Hershey Foods Corporation, also headquartered in Hershey, is Central Pennsylvania’s second largest industry.  Hershey is within a 3 hour drive of New York, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia.

Compensation:

Salary and rank commensurate with experience. Excellent fringe benefits include liberal vacation, excellent insurance, state or TIAA/CREF retirement options, and educational privileges.

Application Instructions:

Send a letter of application, resume, and the names and contact information of three references to Search Committee, The Pennsylvania State University, Box HYCL-MEDL, 511 Paterno Library, University Park, PA 16802, or to lap225@psu.edu.  Please be sure and reference Box HYCL-MEDL in the email subject line.  Review of candidates will begin on October 10, 2012 and continue until the position is filled.  The selected applicant will be required to successfully complete a background check consistent with the job responsibilities prior to beginning employment.

Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.