As summer gets into full swing, and the hot temperatures force us to stay indoors, it might be just the right time to learn some new skills.  The NN/LM GMR is proud to announce a new class Can You Hear Me Now: How to Make a Podcast. This class was developed by KK Jiang at the NN/LM South Central Region.

This course has been approved for 2 or 3 hours of Medical Library Association (MLA) Continuing Education credits. For more information about the class, please go to: Can You Hear Me Now: How to Make a Podcast.

If you are interested in hosting this class at your institution free of charge, please contact Max Anderson at max@uic.edu.

The State Library of Iowa has a posting on their website regarding Reports Coming in from Iowa Libraries Affected by Flooding: http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/archive/2008/08June/flood08. This site is updated regularly and invites libraries to report their news so that the information can be aggregated and shared.

The aim of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Disaster Information Management Resource Center (DIMRC) http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/ is to provide access to quality disaster health information to the nation at all stages of preparation, response, mitigation and recovery. For more information about the DIMRC, see the Fact Sheet: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/dimrcfs.html

Find out more information About the Center, NLM Disaster Information Resources, and Projects, Partnerships, and Program. The DIMRC is a service of Specialized Information Services (SIS).

Several states in the Greater Midwest Region have been seriously affected by storms and flooding.

We have received reports from several regional medical and academic centers and hospitals. So far we have the following reports.

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How we spent the week before spring break with several hundred teenagers!

Kathy Smart, MS, RN (KS): A significant strength of the Children’s Health Resource Center (CHRC) collection at Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital (ALGCH) is the depth of educational resources we have for parents and children. As CHRC coordinator, I noticed an increase in requests for sensitive teen health information. To address this need, I met with hospital professionals and community stakeholders to discuss our perceptions of teen health information needs. While these discussions provided valuable information, I wondered, How will I truly assess what our local teenagers want to know about their health unless I ask them? Nurse that I am, I did not want to ask teenagers about their health information needs without giving them any resources to guide them in return.

Lisa Jacob, MALS (LJ): For several years as an Advocate Library Network librarian, I had been forwarding the GMR consumer health funding announcements to Kathy. She took the bait in 2007 and was told she needed a GMR member to be her sponsor so she came back to me. Together we decided to develop a presentation featuring MedlinePlus® to educate teens about how to find reliable health information on the Internet. (more…)

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

My 3-year journey to explore the feasibility of embracing federated search engine technology, recently culmunated with a trip to the 2008 Computers in Libraries Conference (CIL) in Arlington, Virginia. Thanks to the generous support of a GMR Professional Development Award, I was able to attend a number of sessions specifically related to current federated search engine applications. In addition, I was able to speak with identified vendors to set up trials upon my return from the conference, and network with colleagues who use this technology. (more…)

As the new GMR Technology Coordinator, I attended my first MLA 2008 full annual conference this year in the Windy City. I am also learning quite a bit about how the NN/LM works and meeting colleagues from across the country was a big help. What was also a huge help was being able to attend some of the National Library of Medicine Theater Presentations in the Exhibit Hall. If you were not able to attend MLA 2008, you can still watch them now - FREE! (more…)