MLA is coming and the GMR will be there.  Take time to link up with one of us!
Additionally,  GMR folk are participating at MLA in the following ways:

Continuing Education: Saturday, May 4 (8:00 am – Noon)
CE 100: Making a Difference in Health Care: Patient Safety, a Global Issue with National and International Solutions

Chapter Roundtables: Sunday, May 5 (12 noon – 1:30 pm)
23. Teaching Evidence Based Medicine to Students & Faculty

Poster Session 1: Sunday, May 5 (1:30 pm – 2:30 pm)
Topic: 225. Organization and Outreach: Building a Microsoft Access Database to Improve Circulation Service to Our Community

For more details on these events:
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The U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) launched the Genetics Home Reference (GHR) Web site on April 25, 2003 as a new consumer health information resource focused on human genetics. The creation of GHR coincided with the completion of the Human Genome Project, a 13-year international effort to map the entire human genome.

For more information, visit the NLM Technical Bulletin article at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/ma13/ma13_ghr.html

NLM will be inviting DOCLINE libraries to participate in a survey on interlibrary loan practices and needs of the health science libraries in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) and Canada.  This is your opportunity to help shape resource sharing programs of the future.

NLM initiated this survey to investigate the reasons for the declining use of DOCLINE and current practices of libraries regarding resource sharing.  The number of ILL requests entered into DOCLINE has decreased 46% since 2002 while Loansome Doc requests declined 68% in that same period.  Your response to this survey is very important and will help us to understand the resource sharing needs of librarians in the NN/LM and Canada, and how NLM can best meet those needs now and in the future.  We look forward to your participation.

The survey has 30 questions that we estimate will take about 12 minutes to complete.  

NLM will be sending the invitation email via SurveyMonkey to the address of each library’s ILL contact reported in their DOCLINE institution record.  If the listed ILL contact has previously opted out of receiving emails from SurveyMonkey, please contact DOCLINE at https://docline.gov/docline/help/contact_nlm/ask.cfm  to receive a link to the survey.

Congratulations to the following sites receiving GMR funding for the
Wednesday, March, 2013, MLA Webcast:
Partnering to Prevent Diagnostic Error: Librarians on the Inside Track
Broadcast: 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m., CT

For information on the webcast and a list of additional sites, visit: http://www.mlanet.org/education/distance_ed/spring13/

Enjoy your webcasts and let us know how it goes!

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The Rural Assistance Center (RAC) announced the addition of two new maps featuring data on 1) American Indian and Alaska Native Population and 2) Black or African American Population: http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=19437. Both maps can be customized for use in grant proposals and other publications. Maps can be adapted to show county, region or state-specific information. The Interactive Mapping System also allows for customization of labels, boundaries and other features. The Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES) has worked with the Rural Assistance Center to provide a collection that now includes 37 maps on topics such as:

• Hispanic/Latino populations
• Child care
• Critical Access Hospitals
• Disability status
• Education levels
• Medicare
• Poverty levels

It’s already February, the sun is rising a bit earlier, and for a lot of us, it’s still light on the commute home. Almost. Those of us who are optimists can see spring on the horizon. What better time to start planning an outreach project!

The GMR will be making announcements on GMRLIST and here in the blog regarding potential funding for outreach and other projects as we prepare for the next contract year, Option Year 2 (May 1, 2013-April 30, 2014). What should a potential outreach award applicant prepare in anticipation of the funding season? Here are a few considerations:

• Start collecting data on your targeted population; Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce (phpartners.org) has an excellent Health Data Tools and Statistics site that will help you find County, Local, State and National Health Data: http://phpartners.org/health_stats.html

• Not sure of the types of potential funding that come through the GMR? Take a look at the variety of awards and subcontracts that have been funded over the past two years on our Funding Recipients page as well as the previous contract, Funding Recipients-2006-2011 Contract.

• Thinking of working with another library or organization such as a CBO? The NN/LM Members Directory Advanced Search provides an easy way to find NN/LM members by institution name, person name, city, state, zip code, county or area code in addition to searching my type of services offered at the institution. Check out the Advanced Search page by clicking on the NN/LM Members Directory image below:

For more information about funding opportunities or other GMR services, contact your state’s GMR Coordinator: http://nnlm.gov/gmr/about/staff.html.

NN/LM Southeastern/Atlantic Region (SE/A) Outreach and Communications Coordinator, David Midyette, has penned an article on the SEA Currents blog entitled: Cultural Competence in Health Sciences. Check it out: http://nnlm.gov/sea/newsletter/2013/02/cultural-competence-in-health-sciences/ Here’s an excerpt:

The old analogy of the United States as a melting pot is being transitioned into a more modern understanding of the U.S. as more of a salad. The various ethnic and cultural backgrounds of people in the country, legal, illegal, or otherwise, present the health care community with a plethora of beliefs about health and healing. Frequently these beliefs come into direct contact/conflict with the Western style of medicine that is the predominant practice in the U.S. healthcare system. State medical and allied health licensing boards are increasingly faced with the challenges of ensuring that new practitioners are culturally competent as they begin to practice their craft, and that experienced practitioners develop skills to deal with sometimes drastically different belief systems held by their patients.

Thanks, David!

The GMR is offering to sponsor a number of sites for the upcoming MLA Webcast: Partnering to Prevent Diagnostic Error: Librarians on the Inside Track to be held on Wednesday, March 13, 2013, from 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m., CT.

Visit: http://nnlm.gov/gmr/funding/mlawebcast/ for detailed information on how to become a sponsored site.

The GMR will cover the registration costs for up to two (2) sites per state in the region for this webcast. Because of the limited number of sites we can sponsor, we encourage you to work with your state and local librarian groups to identify centralized locations. Sites will be selected based on geographical location, accessibility, and potential number of attendees.

The deadline to email/fax your registration and email supporting information to the GMR is NOON, Friday, February 15, 2013.  Note: Michigan librarians will send their applications to Barbara Platts.

Contact Holly Burt at the GMR, if you have any questions.
For more information on this webcast, visit: http://www.mlanet.org/education/distance_ed/techtrends/

By Sandi L. Bates MLIS
Head of Reference and User Education
Harley E. French Library of the Health Sciences
University of North Dakota

The 2012 American Public Health Conference in San Francisco had its share of excitement thanks to a more than one-inch thick scientific sessions/meetings catalog, the Giants winning the World Series (their homecoming celebration shut down most of the city for Wednesday), and Hurricane Sandy. I was also one of 12 recipients of the Medical Library Association Public Health/Health Administration section Sewell Stipend. (http://www.phha.mlanet.org/blog/2012/sewell-stipend-2012/) I would encourage all health sciences librarians to apply for this monetary award and to attend this conference. The significant and overwhelming amount of research shared during the conference was one big boost to my knowledge bank. Read the rest of this entry »