[Image removed.] 2008 Midwest Chapter MLA / MHSLA Joint Conference

by Barbara Platts, MLIS, AHIP
Munson Healthcare
Traverse City, MI

Check Your Vital Signs! This year’s planning committee has tapped the combined talents of chapter, state, and local librarians to provide a wealth of opportunities for you to chart your status in 2008. We’ve planned a program filled with thought-provoking information and insights. Join us at this year’s conference on October 17-21, 2008 at the Troy Marriott in Troy, Michigan. The conference is sponsored by MHSLA, the Michigan Health Sciences Libraries Association. Local arrangements are provided by MDMLG, the Metropolitan Detroit Medical Library Group. (more…)

A redesigned version of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) Gateway, based on two rounds of usability testing, went live on Monday, March 10, 2008. Gateway allows users to search simultaneously in multiple retrieval systems at NLM. Visit the new Gateway homepage at: http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/.

The NLM Gateway Basics tri-fold brochure has also been updated and is live in .pdf version at: http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/gwtri.pdf . For the Word document version, visit our Handouts page for this and other downloadable resources: http://nnlm.gov/gmr/training/handouts.html.

For a full description of the changes in Gateway, visit the NLM Technical Bulletin:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/jf08/jf08_gateway_redesign.html

A new Web resource providing scientists and consumers with the latest information on significant topics in women’s health research from scientific journals and other peer-reviewed sources is now available through the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The NLM Division of Specialized Information Services, Office of Outreach and Special Populations has partnered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) to create this one-stop resource. (more…)

Spring greetings from wintry Chicago! Today’s snowfall brings us closer to cracking the top ten worst Chicago winters in recorded history. Even if we do not feel a sense of honor in this designation, we are emotionally moved by its impact.

I am delighted to be serving as RML Director for the Greater Midwest Region. I began work at UIC on November 1, 2007. Later in November, I was officially welcomed at a lovely reception attended by my colleagues at the University, the GMR Office, and the local health sciences library community.

As much as I enjoyed the conversation, food, and fun, I am happier still with the work itself. I am impressed with our regional plan and the significance of our initiatives. Together, the GMR membership, awardees, and volunteer leadership are having a positive impact on consumers, health practitioners, and scholars in our region.

In the past four months, I have learned about our major initiatives, our services, and our members. We are moving forward in all program areas. (more…)

The new NIH Public Access Policy, which becomes effective April 7, 2008, calls for mandatory deposit in PubMed Central of peer-reviewed electronic manuscripts stemming from NIH funding. The change from a voluntary to mandatory policy creates new expectations, not just of funded investigators, but also of the grantee institutions that support those investigators.

(more…)