By Mandy Meloy
Student Programs Coordinator
Wisconsin AHEC
Madison, WI

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine Greater Midwest Region (NN/LM GMR) funded Wisconsin AHEC to promote InformedCaring.org, portal for Wisconsin health professionals. This site was designed to serve those working in local health departments, federally qualified community health centers, and others providing health services in rural and underserved communities in Wisconsin — particularly those without access to academic or hospital libraries.

With GMR funds, we coordinated with 12 public health departments, Community Health Centers, and partners to train staff, share ideas, gain useful feedback, and spread the word about InformedCaring.org. Trudging through harsh weather conditions, we reached 145 in-person staff. In the west, we reached Monroe County Health Department, Western Region Public Health Nurses and Health Directors Meeting in Eau Claire, and Scenic Bluffs Community Health Center. In central Wisconsin, we traveled to Wood County Health Department, Bridge Community Health Center, University of Wisconsin’s ICTR (Institute for Clinical and Translational Research) Community-Academic Partnership Steering Committee, LEAP (Linking Education and Practice for Excellence in Public Health Nursing Project), and the Wisconsin Department of Public Health. In the east, we ventured to Manitowoc County Health Department and Ozaukee County Health Department. In snow, we finally reached the north woods to present to the Oneida County Health Department. (more…)

By Fran E. Kovach MLIS
Reference & Education Librarian
Southern Illinois University School of MedicineSpringfield, IL

On June 3-5, 2011, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Library participated in the 6th Annual Taylorville Intertribal Black Horse Pow Wow in Taylorville, Illinois, at the Christian County Fairgrounds. This is our third year participating in the event.

Special guests this year were the Alaskan runners, North American Indian athletes from McMasters University who stopped by on their run to the World Peace and Prayer conference in Minneapolis, MN. Others attending were from the Christian and Sangamon county areas and the states of Iowa and Arkansas. Nations represented were from Alaskan, Apache, Blackfeet, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Mohawk, Meskwaki, Navajo, and Sioux tribal affiliations. Dancing, drumming, singing, and returning to a traditional diet of Native American foods such as corn, squash, beans, berries, and melons can improve physical, mental, and spiritual health. American Indian Health Information, MedlinePlus consumer health information and NIH Senior Health pamphlets, bookmarks, and pens were distributed from our exhibit booth.

See http://noteslibrary.blogspot.com/ for photos from the event.

By Kacy Allgood, MLS
Reference Informationist
Indiana University
School of Medicine Library
Indianapolis, IN

Save the date!

You are invited to the 2011 Midwest Chapter Annual Meeting, to be held in Indianapolis, October 8th-11th. The meeting will be held at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. The conference hotel is located near the Circle Center Mall, Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts, the Indiana State Museum, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis Zoo, NCAA Hall of Champions, an IMAX 3D Theater, outdoor art and canal. Nearby dining includes the Oceanaire, Shula’s Steak House, St. Elmo’s Steakhouse, and much more. (more…)

Carol Gordon, MS, AHIP
Fran Kovach, MLIS, AHIP
Reference and Education
Department of Information and Communication Sciences
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Library
Springfield, IL

The Illinois Rural Health Association’s 22^nd Annual Educational Conference took place in Effingham, Illinois, April 12-14, 2011. In the sixteen years of our exhibit history at the conference, we have presented a variety of technologies to healthcare professionals, ranging from Grateful Med dial-up to 21^st century mobile technology.

This year the mobile version of PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/m/pubmed/) and the mobile version of MedlinePlus (http://m.medlineplus.gov/) were showcased at the conference. iTouch and iPhones with free Quick Response (QR) apps, such as i-nigma and RedLaser, decoded mobile barcodes to connect with PubMed and MedlinePlus mobile websites. The QR codes were distributed as bookmarks. Conveniently, the conference coincided with Illinois Snapshot Day during National Library Week. (more…)

The John Crerar Library of the University of Chicago is pleased to announce that online registration for the 2nd biennial Kathleen A. Zar Symposium We’re Teaching, But How Do We Know If They’re Learning? is now open. The program is tentatively scheduled to from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm on Friday, June 3, 2011. Registration cost is $70 and includes continental breakfast, lunch buffet and conference materials.

We are thrilled to announce the keynote speaker for the symposium will be Megan Oakleaf. Megan is an Assistant Professor in the iSchool at Syracuse University where she teaches “Reference and Information Literacy Services” and “Planning, Marketing, and Assessing Library Services.” Her research interests include outcomes assessment, evidence-based decision making, information literacy instruction, information services, and digital librarianship. She is on the faculty of the ACRL Institute for Information Literacy Immersion Program. (more…)

By Ann Pederson
Altru Medical Library
Altru Health System
Grand Forks, ND

Use of social media in the face of disasters has added another facet to disaster assistance and information. The staff at the national Red Cross is reviewing their recent survey and finds that Facebook is the fourth most frequent site uses as a means of obtaining emergency information after traditional broadcast sites. Three out of four individuals expect assistance to arrive within the hour after they have posted a message for help in a disaster.

Surprised? The recent symposium conducted by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health (more…)

The Mount Carmel Health Sciences Library has opened a new Consumer Health Library on the campus of Mount Carmel West Hospital.  One of the first of its kind in central Ohio, the library is designed to provide in person and virtual health and wellness information to central Ohio residents.

“The Consumer Health Library offers a wide spectrum of resources to meet the health information needs of our community,” says Stevo Roksandic, Director of Library Services. “With our personal assistance and guidance through the vast resources of this new library and todays’ informational abundance we can assist consumers in understanding disease and treatment options as well as exploring areas of prevention, health and wellness.” (more…)

We’re Teaching, But How Do We Know If They’re Learning?
Assessment of Library Instruction Activities
2nd Biennial Kathleen A. Zar Symposium
Friday, June 3, 2011
The John Crerar Library/The University of Chicago

For more information about the symposium:
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/crerar/kaz2011.html

Call for proposals
The organizers of the 2nd Biennial Kathleen A. Zar Symposium to be held Friday, June 3, 2011 invite proposals for presentations in the area of assessment of library instruction activities. Proposals should be submitted using the form found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/kaz2011 . Invited and contributed presentations will provide a framework for thinking about library assessment, as well as describing practical approaches for measuring learning outcomes. Proposals selected for full oral presentation will be eligible for a travel stipend.
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Please join me in congratulating Summa Health System’s Information Services Librarian Heather Holmes as a Library Journal Mover and Shaker for 2011. Heather won in the “change agent” category for her work as a clinical medical librarian. She participates in daily teaching rounds, bringing her expertise with resources to meet the information needs of the “team” at
the bedside.

Read about her work here:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/csp/cms/sites/LJ/LJInPrint/MoversAndShakers/profiles2011/moversandshakersHolmes.csp

Great work, Heather!

Bette Sydelko
President, OHSLA

By Brenda Fay
Aurora Sinai Medical Center Library
Milwaukee, WI

The Wisconsin Health Sciences Library Association (WHSLA) exhibited at the annual Wisconsin Student Nurses’ Annual Convention on February 5, 2011, at Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells. Over 250 nursing students, faculty, and nursing leaders from across Wisconsin attended the meeting.

The WHLSA table included the large gray case GMR display with screen shots of NLM online resources, handouts on Mobile MedlinePlus and PubMed full-text, and several giveaways including NLM bookmarks, pens, and WHSLA brochures. Raffle prizes, including two Littman stethoscopes, donated by WHSLA, helped to generate enthusiasm and increase attendance at the booth.

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