If you are exhibiting or just sharing information about NLM resources, the GMR offers a variety of options.

• Visit the GMR Handouts page at http://nnlm.gov/gmr/training/handouts.html
  • Download brochures on a variety of topics including
    • PubMed®
    • MedlinePlus® and consumer health materials
    • Exhibition Program K-12 Resources on the Web
  • This one-stop page also links to a number of other Web pages including:
    • Emergency Preparedness and Response
    • SIS Outreach Activities & Resources with brochures for ToxTown and HIV/AIDS (for example)
    • Non-English Guides to PubMed
    • Planning and Evaluation
    • even NLM Traveling Exhibitions with their related brochures and handouts
• Go online to order NLM items for drawings and special events from the NLM Promo Shop
• Members may use the Promotional Materials Order Form to order up to 250 items for a single event

If you have questions, your State Contact will be glad to point you in the correct direction. Thank you for spreading the word about the wonderful and FREE databases and Web-available materials from the NLM!

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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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

The GMR Lending Library has just added two new items that should assist writers to put a little pop in their funding proposals. Whether working on a funding opportunity for a GMR Award [See: Current Calls for Applications (CFAs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs)] or branching out for other funding opportunities, seasoned writers or first-timers might want to take a look at Proposal Planning & Writing and Models of Proposal Planning as well other titles in the GMR Lending Library. Lending Library access is provided to GMR Members free of charge. (more…)

If you have not had a chance to enjoy the benefit of the GMR’s free Lending Library, be sure to take a look at what it includes.  Our lending library includes items on topics as diverse as systems librarianship, consumer health reference, copyright liability, conflict management and more.   There are also some great resources for you to earn MLA CE Credit.

Some items that have arrived recently:

• Tailoring Health Messages: Customizing Communication with Computer Technology, by Matthew Kreuter et al. (2000)
• Health Informatics for Medical Librarians, by Ana D. Cleveland and Donald B. Cleveland (2009)
• iFusions: MLA Annual Meeting 2009 2-CD Set
• Guía de recursos sobre la parálisis, Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center (2003)
• Paralysis Resource Guide, Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center (2003)
• Blueprint for Your Library Marketing Plan, by Patricia H. Fisher and Marseille M. Pride (2006)
• Information Literacy Assessment, by Teresa Y. Neely (2006)
• Creating Your Library Brand, by Elisabeth Doucett (2008)
• Is Consulting for You? A Primer for Information Professionals, by Ulla de Stricker (2008)
• Engaging the Community in Decision Making, by Roz Diane Lasker and John A Guidry (2008)
• Addressing Patients’ Health Literacy Needs, Joint Commission Resources (2009)
• Intellectual Property: Everything the Digital-Age Librarian Needs to Know, by Timothy Lee Wherry (2008)

If you have any suggestions of items to be included in the lending library, please email us at gmrlib [at] uic.edu.

Recent discussions on many of our library related discussion lists have revolved around library closings and librarians losing their positions. I have spoken to more than one of our colleagues during this time. When asked, I have made some suggestions that they could use to seek future employment. I would like to share these tips with you and encourage you to use this opportunity to comment on this post adding suggestions of your own to assist our friends in their efforts to find new employment in these troubled economic times.

Obtain a free email account and subscribe to GMRLIST@uic.edu, chapter-members@midwestmla.org and MEDLIB-L@LIST.UVM.EDU to remain abreast of upcoming trends, educational opportunities and job announcements. The Midwest Chapter discussion list requires active membership. 

Consider making immediate use of alumni and professional association avenues.  If you attend a meeting, remember there are often job clinics of one kind or another offered during the conference. Here are some online options:

ALA – Joblist http://joblist.ala.org/

SLA – Career Center http://careercenter.sla.org/search/index.cfm?

MLA – Career Development http://www.mlanet.org/jobs/

Top 10 Social Sites for Finding a Job

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=57419276669&h=VW5NS&u=7Xacs

Kathryn Carpenter, Director, University of Illinois at Chicago Library of the Health Sciences, the Regional Medical Library for the GMR, has turned her Spring 2009 blog message into a podcast. The audio file is 5:03 minutes long and is an MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 file, commonly referred to as mp3. Here is a chance to hear Kate in a new format: (.mp3 file). The text of this message is available in pdf: A Message from the RML Director Spring 2009 .

The podcast was recorded using the free software Audacity and then encoded to an mp3, playable on a variety of media players including an iPod, with such software as QuickTime, iTunes or Media Player. Listen to this podcast and use the Comments section let us know your thoughts on what you hear.

If you would like to learn how to make your own podcast, consider taking the podcasting class taught by GMR Technology Coordinator, Max Anderson. To find out more about this class, see: Can You Hear Me Now? How to Make a Podcast.

Network members wishing to add a library service or program or are considering applying for a subcontract with the GMR (See http://nnlm.gov/gmr/funding/ for Funding information), might benefit from assistance in the areas of planning and evaluation. GMR evaluation services are provided in consultation with the Outreach Evaluation Resource Center (OERC) of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.

The GMR has recently launched an Evaluation page, located at the following address: http://nnlm.gov/gmr/member/evaluation/. (more…)

Did you know the GMR has a Lending Library?  The goal of the lending library is to support the professional development needs of Network members.

Did you know that if you are a full or affiliate member, you can check out items from our library?  Items in the library include books, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and video and audio tapes on various topics like: how to manage a small library, video and sound recordings of past MLA annual meetings and webcasts, reference, technology and more.  Continuing education credit may be available for some of the recordings of Medical Library Association webcasts.

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