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The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is pleased to announce that it will be hosting NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) Discovery Workshops focusing on biomedical and genomic databases this December. This free two-day series of workshops on NCBI tools will be held at UIC on December 15-16, 2010.  Register at: http://tinyurl.com/NCBIWorkshops

Program Overview
The Discovery Workshops consist of four 2.5-hour hands-on sessions emphasizing a different set of NCBI resources. Each session uses specific examples to highlight important features of the resources and tools under study and to demonstrate how to accomplish common tasks.

The four sessions of the Discovery Workshop will focus on the following areas:
1. Sequences, Genomes and Maps
2. Proteins, Domains and Structures
3. NCBI BLAST Services
4. Human Variation and Disease Genes

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We at the GMR are pleased to sponsor webcast sites across our region for the November 10, 2010, MLA Webcast: ABCs of E-books: Strategies for the Medical Library , broadcast Wednesday from 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m., Central Time. The agenda includes: Overview of electronic books management, Selection and acquisition process, and
Management issues for e-book collections.

The complete list of recipients of the GMR sponsored webcast sites is available at: http://nnlm.gov/gmr/funding/webcastrecipients.html.

Find more information about this webcast and additional site locations at: http://www.mlanet.org/education/distance_ed/ebooks/.

Please contact the site directly if you wish to attend.

The GMR is again offering to sponsor a number of sites for the upcoming MLA Webcast: “ABCs of E-books: Strategies for the Medical Library” to be held on Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., central time

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

The E-Licensing Working Group of the RAC has reviewed the findings from the questionnaire that was sent out to GMR members in May.   Along with choosing 3 products that had high interest from members, the group also has determined some next steps.   Onward!

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As we begin Year 5 of this contract, I thought I would like to take a moment to point out some interesting tech projects that the GMR has funded in Year 4.  You can see all of the recipients of the Technology Improvement Awards and do not hesitate to contact them (or our office) if you have questions about funding or future project ideas.  In these times of financial  and job uncertainty, I’m so pleased to see what our members have accomplished.  It is always interesting to review applications for these awards.  You tend to get a really good idea of what our member libraries need and the projects they are working on – and this information not only helps the library applying for the award but others thinking about applying for an award.

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Happy summer to the members of the GMR! According to the National Weather Service, although astronomical summer is still days away, June 1 launched meteorological summer. Time to celebrate the season of sand, sun and fun(ding)! With the annual MLA conference over and Memorial Day a memory, if you’re like me, thoughts now turn to what else but great outreach and other projects.

On May 1, NN/LM GMR entered into its fifth year (May 1, 2010 through April 30, 2011) of the 2006-2011 contract with the National Library of Medicine. As a result, there is no time for those larger, longer projects that the GMR funds as subcontracts to get underway and completed before the end of our contract year. However, if you have ideas for technology improvement, a small outreach opportunity or an exhibit showcasing NLM and other resources, the GMR might have just the sort of funding option to help. (more…)

Hello GMR Members!

The E-Licensing Working Group of the RAC at the GMR has been in contact with the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS) about possibly offering group purchasing of health-related online packages (ebooks, ejournals, databases, etc) to all GMR members in the 10-state region. In order to determine which packages might be initially offered to GMR members, we would like you to complete a questionnaire.

All of these are the electronic versions – no print versions. Please submit your completed survey by 5/31/2010. These offers are for new business only. The vendors are not at this time willing to change pre-existing packages. However, if this project brings them enough new business, they may take notice of it and be more inclined to offer deals for pre-existing packages.

There are virtually no price lists for any of these products. As is the case with many vendors, we won’t know what price they are willing to come down to or discount they might offer, unless we know how many organizations are interested in the product in the first place. This is sort of the chicken/egg syndrome.

Please fill out the questionnaire, which can be found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/elicensing

Thank you!!
Max Anderson

Over the past few years, the MLA annual meeting has utilized an increasing number of online social networking tools to help participants interact with both one another and with meeting content. In the spirit of this year’s theme of “Reflect and Connect,” the annual meeting website features the Conference Community (http://tinyurl.com/confcom). The primary goal of the Conference Community is to enable connections and communication among in-person and virtual attendees.

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Springtime in the Midwest is always a surprise, as if winter will become permanent rather than an attention-grabbing phase of the annual cycle. The cold and the dark recede; still we cling stubbornly to our coats, scarves, and gloves, just in case.

The chilly climate continues to be an apt metaphor for the programmatic chill of current economic conditions on our libraries and home institutions. At the same time, new ideas, new partnerships, and bold decisions encourage focus and allow for growth in our priorities.

Consortial licensing of e-journals, e-books, and databases has potential to reduce subscription cost and improve purchasing efficiency for the GMR membership. The E-Licensing Working Group of the GMR Regional Advisory Council (RAC) continues to work with the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (formerly the Michigan Library Consortium) on identifying group purchasing opportunities. The E-Licensing Working Group drafted a member survey that will be distributed in April to gather feedback on participation and interest in the various packages. (more…)