Apply for the Donald A.B. Lindberg Research Fellowship
Posted on | September 23, 2011 | No Comments
The Donald A. B. Lindberg Research Fellowship funds research aimed at expanding the research knowledgebase, linking the information services provided by librarians to improved health care and advances in biomedical research. The endowment will provide a $10,000 grant, awarded by MLA through a competitive grant process, to a qualified health sciences librarian, informatician, health professional, researcher, educator, or health administrator. Research in alignment with the MLA research agenda’s top ranked research questions is preferred over other areas of research, and information about the research agenda is located at www.mlanet.org/research/agenda_2008.html. For questions, contact
Brian P. Bunnett, AHIP, Lindberg Research Fellowship jury chair.
Apply for a Scholarship for Paraprofessionals in Health Sciences Libraries
Posted on | September 22, 2011 | No Comments
Are you currently working as a paraprofessional in a health science and/or medical library? Are you working towards your degree in library/information science? One annual scholarship of $1,000 is awarded by MLGSCA to a paraprofessional pursing a degree with the intention of following a career path in health sciences librarianship. Paraprofessional must meet eligibility and application requirements to be considered for the scholarship. Application deadline is December 15, 2011.
Read the MLGSCA Awards and Scholarships webpage for eligibility requirements and application instructions.
ALA Learning
Posted on | September 22, 2011 | No Comments
My memory was jogged this week when I read Bertha Gutsche’s summary of the 2-day conference, Trends in Library Training and Learning. I attended this online event last month, along with 1954 registrants from cities and countries around the globe. Hosted by WebJunction andALA Learning Round Table, several sessions are useful for librarians in general and can be found in WebJunction’s Online Conferences Archives. Keep reading to learn about these sessions and find links! Read more
Save the Date for E-Science Day
Posted on | September 21, 2011 | No Comments
Please Save the Date for E-Science Day: An Opportunity for Education & Networking, held on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at the University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California! This event is hosted by the University of California Davis Health Sciences Libraries and funded by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Pacific Southwest Region.
A day-long meeting, attendees will be introduced to e-science and learn how they might support it at their own libraries. The agenda features a keynote speaker, a panel presentation, poster and paper presentations, lightning rounds, and afternoon break-out sessions.
There is no cost to attend this event- continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. For remote participants, the event will also be available through web conferencing. Continuing Education credits from the Medical Library Association are pending. An announcement with detailed information (including registration details) and a Call for Participation for posters, papers, and lightning round presentations will be forthcoming very soon.
For questions, please contact Raquel Abad, NCNMLG member, at rjabad@ucdavis.edu or 916.734.3870.
NLM Launches “ReferencePoint” Blog, Tailored to Health Sciences Library Staff
Posted on | September 19, 2011 | No Comments
Here’s what NLM’s saying about their new blog for Health Science Library Staff:
“The National Library of Medicine (NLM), the world’s largest medical library and a component of the National Institutes of Health, has a new blog, ReferencePoint, targeting health sciences library staff in the United States and abroad.
ReferencePoint postings will:
Increase awareness of NLM products and services available online and onsite.
Inform the targeted audiences about health sciences resources outside of NLM.
Promote dialogue and learning exchanges between NLM staff and staff at other libraries.
This is a moderated blog which anyone can see. Reference librarians and other NLM staff will write, review and respond to comments during regular business hours. Ask questions or comment about any resources listed in the space at the end of each posting. You must register and log-in to post comments. You can also read ReferencePoint as an RSS feed.”
Check out ReferencePoint.
Save the Date! MLGSCA Symposium, “Information Treasure Hunt: Supporting Evidence-Based Practice @ Your Institution”
Posted on | September 14, 2011 | 2 Comments
MLGSCA presents “Information Treasure Hunt: Supporting Evidence-Based Practice @ Your Institution” on Friday, March 2, 2012, from 8 AM -5 PM at the UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library.
This event brings Connie Schardt (former MLA president and librarian at Duke University), MLGSCA member Robert Johnson (Clinical Services Librarian, University of Southern California) and and Cheryl Bartel (former MLGSCA president, current School Nurse at Lake Elsinore Unified School District) to UCLA for a day of interactive instruction on topics critical for EBP success, including study designs, critical appraisal, and practical methods for supporting EBP at your institution. Attendees will receive 8 CE credits.
This event will be in lieu of a Joint Meeting as the MLA Annual Meeting is in Seattle, WA in May where we hope MLGSCA will be highly represented!
Further information on the symposium, including a full schedule, cost, call for posters, and travel arrangements will be posted on this blog and sent out on the MLGSCA listserv.
This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, under Contract No. HHS-N-276-2011-00009-C with the UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library.
MLGSCA Fall Business Meeting and Online CE: The Librarian as a Professional
Posted on | September 12, 2011 | No Comments
Registration for the fall 2011 MLGSCA CE event is now open! “The Librarian as a Professional, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Complexity” will be presented online by MLA president Jerry Perry on September 30, 2011, from 10 AM-1:30 PM. Attendees will earn 3 CE credits. This online class is hosted through MegaMeeting. Attendees may view from any internet-enabled computer and phone line, or may join one of the three host locations in Los Angeles, Tucson, or Phoenix.
This CE is just $50 for MLGSCA and NCNMLG members and $65 for non-members. CABL (Central Arizona Biomedical Libraries) and SABL (Southern Arizona Biomedical Librarians) have agreed to defray costs for their members, and library school students can attend for free.
What can you expect from the CE? In Jerry’s words, “This interactive class focuses on practical and metaphoric tools for excelling in the current health sciences library work environment.” The 3 hour class will include group exercises and discussions, and will focus on a variety of themes of importance to libraries and librarians, such as budgeting, staffing, marketing, managing change, adhering to standards, and of course, learning to love complexity. Jerry has been working with MLGSCA CE Chair Emily Brennan to implement creative methods for group work for those of you at your own computers– you will not want to miss the results of their collaboration!
The MLGSCA Fall Business meeting will occur from 1:45-3 PM on September 30th, immediately following the CE. The meeting will also be conducted via MegaMeeting. You do not need to register for the CE to attend the business meeting.
Register now or learn more about the event. Can’t wait to see you on the 30th!
Best Bytes: MedlinePlus Enhancements
Posted on | September 6, 2011 | No Comments
Submitted by Kathleen Shepler, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center
I’m guessing that many who provide reference services to patients, their families or the public have found NLM’s MedlinePlus an invaluable resource. Let’s take a look at some MedlinePlus enhancements that you and your colleagues may find useful and another that might prove profitable if implemented by some health care providers.
TWEET! The MedlinePlus TWITTER account name has changed. To follow now use @medlineplus or you can go to the RSS page.
RSS AND CONTENT SHARING enhancements were announced earlier this summer. Multiple icons for sharing and linking are now more obvious because they’re just above each topic summary. It’s also now possible to follow every health topic using the RSS reader/aggregator of your choice. Complete lists of health topics and details about this feature can be found towards the bottom of these pages, in English and Spanish.
You may also subscribe to all new links added to MedlinePlus or MedlinePlus en español and all new NIH links added to MedlinePlus. Information on these new feeds is on the same pages linked to above.
Now when you give consumer health information printed from MedlinePLUS to a patron on a specific topic, if you think it’s appropriate, you can also mention that there’s a way for them to receive online updates on that topic if they already use a RSS reader/aggregator or would like to learn how.
A FREE MedlinePlus service called MEDLINEPLUS CONNECT was enhanced this summer and is now seen as “a complete solution for EHR (electronic health record) developers and implementers who want to deliver trusted, authoritative and targeted consumer health information to their users” including information on conditions and disorders, health and wellness, prescription and over-the-counter medications and now even lab tests. For those unfamiliar with this service which was rolled out earlier this year, it is described as “NLM’s service for patient portals and EHR systems to link to context-relevant information from MedlinePlus.” The description on this page of the Clinical Informatics Wiki was the most understandable and concise that I found. For an even more in depth explanation please read this summer’s announcement from the NLM Technical Bulletin.
How could MedlinePlus Connect figure in the profits of health care providers? According to the Clinical Informatics Wiki, “using MedlinePlus Connect may benefit some health care providers by achieving one of the criteria for Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology.” For those of you that work in medical centers and hospitals, the people in your administrations, IT and finance departments are definitely already familiar with the term “Meaningful Use” of Health Information Technology. However, do they know about the capabilities of MedlinePlus Connect ?
Links to even more information:
MedlinePlus Connect overview
Technical Information for Developers
Newbies: Myrna Uyengco-Harooch
Posted on | September 1, 2011 | No Comments
Myrna Uyengco-Harooch is a new member to MLGSCA. She’s been the Medical Librarian at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles for the past 12 years.
The “library bug” bit her as a child when her mother, who worked in the Mayor’s Office would leave her in the Town Library for a few hours in the morning. She would spend her time reading but mostly looking at pictures. When she’s not busy reading or doing reference work, she loves baking, camping, and weekend power naps.
Myrna graduated from Philippine Normal University with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education in 1970 then a Masters in Library Science in 1975 from the same institution. Since then she’s worked in special medical libraries such as the Naval Medical Research Unit 2 Pacific.
Welcome Myrna!
MLGSCA sponsors Evidence Based Practice Continuing Education class
Posted on | August 31, 2011 | No Comments
MLGSCA is planning a CE event for early March 2012. Former MLA president Connie Schardt, with other experienced instructors, will conduct an in-person class titled “Information Treasure Hunt: Supporting Evidence-Based Practice @ Your Institution.”
This class will include 8 hours of CE credit and will take place at UCLA. Details (including exact date, registration costs, and start time) are being finalized. Watch this blog and the MLGSCA listserv for more information over the next month.
This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, under Contract No. HHS-N-276-2011-00009-C with the UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library.
Alert: NLM Issues Warning about Employment Scam
Posted on | August 15, 2011 | No Comments
Scammers claiming to represent the National Library of Medicine may be preying on desperate job seekers. According to NLM, the scammers are promising employment with MedlinePlus but are asking for software and computer fees up front. Read more here.
Job opportunity, Utah
Posted on | August 6, 2011 | No Comments
We’re looking for an energetic, creative and service oriented librarian to work at the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library for the NN/LM MidContinental Region program. The position as the Utah/Member Services Coordinator offers a variety of professional responsibilities. You would promote and support access to health information within the state of Utah and coordinate regional Network member services for the states of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.
You would be located in Salt Lake City but would work as part of a team distributed in the six states. This is a non-tenured faculty position funded by a 5-year contract with the National Library of Medicine. If this position interests you, go to the EHSL Employment site for a full description and instructions to apply. Review of applications will begin on September 1, 2011.