The Middle Atlantic Region (MAR) of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) announces the availability of three new types of awards that support access to health information for libraries, consumers, health professionals and in particular reaching underserved populations; enhance the capacity of libraries to share resources, strengthen network member librarians’ skills in the use of NLM databases and increase the visibility of the NN/LM and NLM products and services:

Electronic Access/Document Delivery Access to Health Information Awards – Currently Available
For Full Network members to encourage and facilitate access to the biomedical literature by unaffiliated health professionals, including the use of Loansome Doc, development of a web portal, and establishment of partnerships between libraries and unaffiliated health professionals or health professions groups. Three awards up to $10,000 each are available. Deadline is December 15, 2008.

Outreach Training Awards – Currently Available
For Full and Affiliate Network members to train and promote awareness of the products and services of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and NN/LM. Two awards up to $10,000 each are available. Deadline is December 15, 2008.

Presentation/Professional Development Awards – Currently Available
For Full and Affiliate Network members to present on library and information services at a meeting of health professionals. Two awards up to $2500 each are available. Deadline is ongoing.

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region is pleased to announce the awarding of the Library Space and Its Impact Conference Award to Cynthia Robinson, Director, Valerie Gross, Assistant Librarian, and Marie Fitzsimmons, Assistant Librarian, all of the George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA.

The Library Space and Its Impact Conference Award is one award of $15,000. This award supports full network members to host a one-day conference on models or best practices in libraries’ reduction of space and/or re-purposing of existing space as well as identifying emerging roles for librarians in this changing environment. The award recipients will host a conference in April 2009 entitled, Transformational Change in Health Sciences Libraries: Space, Collections, Roles.

Congratulations to the award recipients.

For information on currently available NN/LM MAR awards, please visit the funding page on the MAR website, nnlm.gov/mar/funding

This project helps the library staff utilize our online resources more efficiently and in so doing improve customer services.

The library staff has been working very hard this past year to advance library services to our patrons. Our library has experienced an increase in users and especially the number of nurses using the library, as well as administration, beyond the usual group of clinical staff, residents and medical students. We have succeeded in updating and expanding library computer access for our patrons thanks to the NN/LM technology grant last year; we have increased our library access to knowledge-based databases; extended library hours; updated our print/electronic book collection; all of these innovations to improve library services. As a result of our efforts library user ship has increased; with this increase, demand for electronic dissemination of knowledge –based literature has also increased. During this past year we have experienced a dramatic rise in Interlibrary Loan requests due to a greater number of literature searches being done by our patrons as well as searches being done by library staff for our patrons. We also are experiencing a rise as a Docline lender. The dissemination of literature, to our patrons as well as to Docline libraries, by electronic means scanning, emailing and faxing has risen. All library work is done online, cataloging, serial control, circulation, literature searching and document retrieval, in addition to hospital systems, purchasing, environmental/engineering requests and e-mail.

We came to the realization that the staff did not have computer equipment equivalent to the task at hand. Our staff experienced a good deal of frustration waiting for a PDF file to download or have the screen freeze in the middle of a search. It was at this point I knew we had to upgrade our equipment and began the application process for the NN/LM technology grant. In starting this project we sought recommendations from our HIS department for equipment that will best serve our needs as well as discussions with administration to financially support our project beyond the grant to cover all our costs. The HIS dept. presented us with a description/quotation for computer, printer and fax upgrades, which we used in out grant application.

The awarding of the NN/LM grant this year enabled us to purchase, for the library staff, faster, higher tech computers, printers and a new fax machine in order to better acquire and disseminate the information requested by our patrons/customers. The upgrade put two new PC’s at the front desk that can handle all tasks more efficiently, the library staff PC’s are networked in order to accommodate any work overflow. So while one PC may be occupied with Docline, document retrieval, scanning and dissemination, the other is available for circulation, serial control and our online catalog. All library computers have access to our online browse catalog. Our access and use of current systems has improved with better, faster computers. The color printer is being used to provide library promotional information, regarding new resources and services as they become available to our patrons. Through observation, our time spent waiting for downloads has decreased, as has the frustration of staff. We will continue to monitor our staff workflow.

Thank you to NN/LM for supporting our library efforts.

Laraine Tursi, Director

Harold Fink Memorial Hospital

Coney Island Hospital

October 7, 2008

The Medical Library Association (MLA) has declared October as National Medical Librarians Month. In addition to the many librarians on the NLM staff, NLM relies heavily on the work of medical librarians associated with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, made up of more than 5,800 member organizations.

Check out the featured Web sites, including contributions from MAR network members:

As part of an award from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), Northland Public Library is offering a free training session on how to locate and recognize reliable health information on the Internet.  Please note, computer skills are not necessary.

The training will include:

1-  How to evaluate health information on the Internet.

2-  Reliable sources of online health information in the following categories:

• Disease
• Drugs
• Medical Tests
• Treatments
• Local Health Information
• Directories/Referrals
• What to expect from your Public Library

If you are interested in having this training at your facility, please call us at 412-366-8100.  Ask for Susan Shea or Mary Lee Resnick or email to : sheas@einetwork.net or resnickm@einetowrk.net

Northland Public Library- Susan Shea, Pittsburgh, PA

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is accepting applications for its Associate Fellowship program, a one-year training program for recent MLS graduates and librarians early in their career.

In the first half of the year, a formal curriculum offers exposure to library operations, research and development, intramural and extramural research, development and lifecycle of NLM’s web-based products and services and the extensive outreach and education program reaching consumers, special populations, health professionals and librarians. In the second half of the year, Associate Fellows have the opportunity to choose projects based on real-world problems proposed by library divisions and work with librarians and library staff over a six-seven month period. Successful projects have led to peer-review publications and to services that have become a regular part of library operations.

The September through August program also offers professional development and an introduction to the wider world of health sciences librarianship that may include:

· Supported attendance at national professional conferences, often including the Medical Library Association’s annual meeting, the American Medical Informatics Association annual meeting and others

· One week Spring Practicum at a health sciences library in the contiguous United States

· Additional brown bags, seminars, field trips and learning opportunities available on the National Institutes of Health campus

· Opportunities to meet and interact with senior management at the National Library of Medicine

· Experienced preceptors from National Library of Medicine staff

· Potential to compete for a second year fellowship at a health sciences library in the United States

The Fellowship offers:

· A stipend equivalent to a U.S. Civil Service salary at the GS-9 level ($48,108.00 in 2008)

· Additional financial support for the purchase of health insurance

· Some relocation funding

· Assistance in finding housing

Who is eligible?

All U.S. and Canadian citizens who will have earned a MLS or equivalent degree in library/information science from an ALA-accredited school by August 2009.  Both recent graduates and librarians early in their career are welcome to apply.  Priority is given to U.S. citizens.

Applications and additional information are available on the Web at www.nlm.nih.gov/about/training/associate/.  Application deadline is February 6, 2009.

Feel free to contact Kathel Dunn for further information.

Kathel Dunn

Associate Fellowship Coordinator

National Library of Medicine

Bldg 38, Rm 2N-19

8600 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, MD  20894

301-435-4083

dunnk@mail.nih.gov

MAR invites applications for the position of Associate Director. See the full job announcement and application instructions.

Join your colleagues on November 12 as NN/LM MAR hosts Medical Library Association’s fall webcast, “Survival Tips and Stories: Expanding the Library’s Services in Times of Disaster.” More information about the webcast is available here: http://www.mlanet.org/education/distance_ed/disaster/

Take advantage of this national continuing education event. Share ideas with your colleagues about current topics, learn techniques from MLA member experts, and earn MLA CE contact hours.

Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Time: 2:00 pm-4:00 pm

Location: Smilow 1^st Floor Conference Room B, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY

*NOTE: You are invited to join us in person in New York City for the webcast. We cannot offer free remote access to the webcast from your own library.*

RSVP to rml@library.med.nyu.edu. Space is limited, so sign up early. You will be sent a confirmation e-mail with directions to the site by Friday, November 7. There is no charge for this event.

The RML has also purchased a DVD for loan after the webcast.

We look forward to having you join us!

We have received numerous calls over the past few days regarding LinkOut.

NLM has responded to our questions about these issues.

MyNCBI experienced a system glitch which affected library and publisher icons in PubMed. This was a transient system glitch which was resolved.

If you continue to experience problems, please contact the RML.

NN/LM MAR will offer two sessions of the class Measuring Your Impact: Using Evaluation for Library Advocacy this November. One session will be held in New York City at NYU’s Frederick L. Ehrman Medical Library on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.. The other session of the same class will be held in Hershey, Pennsylvania at the Penn State College of Medicine, George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library on Friday, November 21, 2008 from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m..

Class Description:

Show the value of your libraries’ services. The ultimate goal of this class is to insure that library users and stakeholders will recognize and value the importance of their library’s services and of the librarian to the organization. Participants will become familiar with an evaluation process by using methods and tools for assessment, evaluation planning, creating logic models, data collection and reporting. The workshop will feature a case-based scenario that moves participants through the steps of an evaluation process. Class discussion, lecture, and exercises will help participants take away the skills needed to show the value of their library’s services.

Upon completion class attendees will receive 6 hours MLA CE credit.

Instructors:

Maryanne Blake, Outreach/Evaluation Coordinator, NN/LM, Pacific Northwest Region, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

Sue Hunter, Planning and Evaluation Coordinator, NN/LM, Middle Atlantic Region, NYU Health Sciences Libraries, New York, NY.

Class Details:

Session 1: Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Location: New York University, Frederick L. Ehrman Medical Library, 550 First Ave., NY, NY.

Session 2: Friday, November 21, 2008, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Penn State College of Medicine, George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library, 500 University Dr., Hershey, PA.

Register for the class by sending an email to rml@library.med.nyu.edu. Please specify which class session you plan to attend. Registration is free. Class break refreshments and lunch are provided for attendees. The classes are limited in size. Please register by October 30, 2008. Directions and classroom locations will be provided to registrants closer to the class date.