The conference entitled, “Health Literacy: Tools for Improving Health Communications” was held on May 30, 2007.  The conference was co-sponsored by the New York Medical College (NYMC) Health Sciences Library (HSL) and School of Public Health (SPH) along with the Northern Metropolitan Hospital Association (NorMet).  It was jointly funded by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) and the New York State Department of Health.  The conference goal was to provide health professionals and hospital staff with an educational opportunity to develop awareness of health literacy issues and improve communication skills with individuals throughout the Hudson Valley Region of New York.  In fact, the revelant issues and communication skills needed are basic to all health professionals.  NN/LM network members, regional health professionals, and individuals from community agencies were encouraged to attend.  The expectation was that the conference would serve as a platform from which to develop a regional coalition and be able to draw upon the community building skills already in place among the participants: it did.  One outcome was the creation of a health literacy tool kit, which was soon followed by a virtual version.  The conference page web now includes the scope and agenda for the conference as well as the tool kit, with new links added as needed http://library.nymc.edu/PHInformatics/hltoolkit.cfm.  When the so-called “dancing nurses” video shown by one of the speakers was requested more than 14 times, the link was immediately added to the site: http://www.ahrq.gov/QuestionsAreTheAnswer//.

Attendees rated the conference overall close to excellent by all measures by the end of the day, and post-conference survey evaluations completed July 16, 2007 also generated extremely positive results.  Although plans initially estimated 100 likely attendees, the final total was 194 individuals.

Diana J. Cunningham, MLS,MPH- New York Medical College- Health Sciences Library- Valhalla, NY

The Health Sciences Library Association of New Jersey (HSLANJ) sponsored a table display at the Organization of Nursing Executives of New Jersey (ONE/NJ) Research Day held on June 22, 2007.  This was possible thanks to an exhibit grant awarded to HSLANJ from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region.  The conference highlighted the results of the statewide Readiness of New Jersey Nurses for Evidence-Based Practice survey.  This survey was done to replicate the study conducted by Dr. Diane Pravikoff, who was the keynote speaker that day, and reported on in the September, 2005 issue of the American Journal of Nursing.  Health Sciences Librarians were dismayed to read the results of the survey.  We discovered that many nurses either did not know there was a library in their hospital or did know and thought it was only available for physician use.  HSLANJ considered this conference to be a perfect opportunity to speak with nurses regarding what is available to them through NN/LM MAR, the National Library of Medicine and their own hospital libraries and librarians.

More than 100 members of ONE/NJ attended the conference and stopped by our table display.  HSLANJ members Michelle Brewer, Jeannine Creazzo, Robb Mackes, Patti May, Erica Moncrief, Jenny Pierce, Lia Sabbagh, Robin Siegel and Jan Skica staffed the table, answered questions and gave out bookmarks with contact information stickers attached so that the attendees would know how to reach the librarian at their institution.  Laptop computers were used to demonstrate the various databases that are available to New Jersey’s hospital libraries via the National Library of Medicine, HSLANJ’s Group Purchasing program and the New Jersey State Library.

Additional handouts included Fact Sheets created by HSLANJ members describing the evidence-based nursing resources available for demonstration at the booth.  These included CINAHL, Joanna Briggs Institute, Mosby’s Nursing Consult, EBSCO’s Nursing and Allied Health Collection and Biomedical Reference Collection, National Guideline Clearinghouse and the Cochrane Library.

In addition, the HSLANJ exhibitors participated in the Research Day ‘breakout sessions’, that were part of the conference.  The nine health sciences librarians each worked with one breakout group of nurse executives.  Together, we created working documents for use by ONE/NJ that developed strategies for improvement in New Jersey of evidence-based nursing research and practice in the hospital setting, and for the improvement of nurses’ knowledge of, access and use of hospital library services and evidence-based information resources.

The entire day gave us a wonderful opportunity to interact with nursing executives from around the state.  It was gratifying to hear so many of them express how much they appreciate all the work their hospital librarians do for them.  We hope that HSLANJ can be involved in the ONE/NJ Research Day again next year, on an even bigger scale.

Robin Siegel- Health Sciences Library Association of NJ and CentraState HealthCare System- Freehold, NJ

Holy Name Hospital is currently undergoing a construction project.  The Hospital is currently building a new Emergency Room, Conference Center and Library.  The new Library will combine both the Bartholomew Medical Library and School of Nursing Library catalogs, and will be open to the public.  Prior to moving the Library, we are automating the Library’s technical operations: cataloging; circulation; serials control using an integrated Library system.  Each of these operations is currently done manually.  Automation of the card catalog will allow for patrons to access our catalog from any PC and will allow for easier and less labor-intensive updating.  Automation of the circulation processes will allow for better tracking of circulated items, for improved report generation and for tracking of utilization patterns that will help in acquisitions.  A serials component will facilitate the checking in and claiming of journal subscriptions, indexing journal articles and linking to them, as well as hopefully tracking interlibrary loans.

Keydi Boss- Holy Name Hospital- Teaneck, NJ

The AECOM Library is in the midst of a major renovation.  An integral part of this project was the construction of five group study rooms.  Each of these rooms is equipped with a 42″ LCD monitor.  The rooms are available to all members of the AECOM community for student group projects, PhD dissertation defense, library training, presentations and meetings.  With funding from the NN/LM MAR Technology Improvement Award, the Library purchased three Dell Latitude D630 laptop computers, which can be borrowed from the Library’s Circulation Desk.  The laptops connect easily to the LCD monitors with a VGA cable.  They have been loaded with the following software: Microsoft Office 2003, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Internet Explorer, Firefox, SciFinder Scholar, QuickTime, RealPlayer, and Windows Media Player.  The AECOM Library’s laptop lending policy can be viewed at http://library.aecom.yu.edu/library/laptops.htm.  There is a record for the laptops in the Library’s catalog, which allows patrons to see if laptops are available for loan.

When laptops are returned, Circulation Desk staff will be able to restore them to their original configuration using Ghost 12.0 software (also purchased through the NN/LM MAR technology Improvement Award).  This will prevent system changes, viruses, and other “infelicities” from being passed on to future users.

The AECOM Graphic Arts Center designed special decals for us.  These decals are affixed to the tops of the laptops with an extremely strong adhesive.  The hope is that in addition to “branding,” the decals will serve as an additional theft deterrent.

The laptops will go into service in October as part of our celebration of National Medical Librarians Month.  Response from patrons who have helped test them has been positive.  Although many of our patrons own their own laptops, they do not always carry them.  They appreciate the option of borrowing one from the library.

The UPS Project

During the past four years the AECOM Library has experienced three major power outages.  The first was the blackout that affected the Northeast in August 2003.  The second, in March 2007, was due to an electrical fire in our building.  The third, in August 2007, was due to another fire in front of our building.  Because the Library’s web sever and EZproxy remote access server were not connected to a UPS (battery backup power supply), these electrical outages caused them to power off without going through the proper shutdown procedures.  Fortunately this did not lead to data loss or corruption.  AECOM faculty, students, staff and residents from our five affiliated hospitals use the Library’s web site and remote access system to connect to our electronic resources.  In order to protect our servers in the future, the electricity in the Library’s server room was switched to the emergency ground, so they will automatically receive power from the College’s emergency generators in the event of another power failure.  Because there could still be an interruption of power before the emergency generators kick in, the library used the NN/LM MAR Technology Award to purchase an APC Smart-UPS 1000XL backup battery supply.  The Smart-UPS 100XL will supply electricity to the Library’s servers during this gap.  Additional software was purchased to allow the servers to power down gracefully in the event that power is not restored.  this software has not yet been configured.

Nancy R. Glassman- D. Samuel Gottesman Library- Albert Einstein College of Medicine-Bronx, NY

Last January when the NN/LM technology grant applications were made available, I looked around at my library and knew we needed to upgrade.  The library had 4 PCs and 2 printers for the patrons, all situated in an open desk setting, no privacy, and no room and just not comfortable.

The problem is how does one begin?  Well, I guess the answer to that is read the directions.  I read and reread the grant application form, wrote a draft, re-wrote the draft, then I sat in my library and stared.  New computers would be grand but where would they go if we would have to reconfigure the library.  We will need furniture to put the additional PC’s on and along with new furniture we would need hard wiring to connect into the hospital network.  This was beginning to seem like an amazing task but I was determined to push ahead.

To get the ball rolling the first thing I did was to set up a meeting with our Chief Medical Officer, my Administrator, to discuss the need, finances and process of the library reorganization.  I outlined the need citing the increasing number of books, journals and knowledge-based web sites available online, requests of the library patrons for more computers, as well as HIPAA for privacy noting the closeness of the existing work areas.  Dr. Dhuper was very supportive and agreed with the need to modernize our library facility.  He suggested I contact finance to review the library budget, then to our Hospital Information Systems Dept, regarding the computer equipment and wiring; then to the VP of Materials Management for new furniture; basically organize a team.

The budget review was not as traumatic as anticipated because the previous librarian had the foresight to create a special library fund.  In this fund, all of the overdue fine monies; book sale monies and any financial gifts given to the library had been set aside.

Next I contacted our IS Dept, and told them what we would like to accomplish, how much money was potentially available through the grant and asked them to provide a quotation for the appropriate equipment and wiring.  My contact in the IS Dept. was very helpful and made sound recommendations, ultimately figuring we could order 5 new Pentium PC’s with all the trimmings and two printers.

Armed with the information, I contacted the VP of Materials Management.  He arranged a meeting with the vendor.  The furniture was costly, however; it will provide a comfortable, quiet, private working space.  Now the question, if the grant does not come through and I order the new furniture, I won’t have money for new computers.  After much deliberation I decided to proceed with the new furniture, worse come to worse we will set up the old computers in the carrels and at least provide a good working space for our patrons until finances become available to purchase new computers.  So, the decision was made, we ordered the furniture, contacted the engineering dept, regarding wiring and installation and kept our fingers crossed.

The final step was to complete the grant application, with all of the supporting documentation requested and wait.  The furniture arrived and was being assembled, when the great news came! We got the grant.  The PCs and printers were ordered ASAP… the boxes began to arrive.

Finally, all was set and now we are planning our ribbon cutting for Septmeber 25, 2007, in the meantime our libary patrons are thrilled.  We noted that the library is busier than prior to our update.  We are keeping a record and the number of PC users has substantially increased.  The noise level in the library is down in spite of the increase number of users; this was an unanticipated positive outcome.  We figure since the carrels provide more individual work space there is less conversation.

The success of our new set up is tremendous and has been met with much enthusiasm and gratitude. Our administration is so pleased with the outcome  they are considering increasing the number of carrels and changing the self-study room.  Many of the residents and medical students have made a special effort to say thank you to the library staff.  So now, the very last thing for me to do is say thank you, to the NN/LM for providing the inspiration and resources to start the project; to our Administrator for supporting the library and finally to all those who had a hand in the implementation of our reorganization.

Laraine Tursi- Harold Fink Memorial Library- Coney Island Hospital- Brooklyn, NY

A technology award has enabled the Slotkin Memorial Library at Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Cherry Hill to purchase a ScanPro 300 microfiche scanner.

We now have access to many years of journal on microfiche.  While the Slotkin Memorial Library houses a variety of medical journals, our collection is unique with much of its collection focusing on behavioral health.

This award has enabled us to provide better service to our staff, as well as share our important collection with the libary community.

Francine Silverman- Barney A. Slotkin Memorial Library- Kennedy Memorial Hospital- Cherry Hill, NJ

St. Francis Medical Library truly needed two new printers for its Consumer Health Resource Center.  In June 2007 the NN/LM MAR honored our grant request for a Technology Improvement Award.  The two printers are utilized by the patients and community members that visit the library.  Now a patron can bring home a printed copy of information accessed on the computer.

In addition, patient education information from the NLM can be printed and distributed to the patient floors and waiting rooms.  The colored brochures increase the visibility and interest in the publications.  The printers are a great asset to our Consumer Health Center; we thank the Middle Atlantic Region for awarding us this much needed equipment.

Rosemary Figorito- St. Francis Hospital- Wilmington, DE

The project of bringing awareness to the Horse Therpay Program was a great success.  I originally brought up the idea to a recreation therapist while evaluating an art exhibit for the Veteran’s here at the hospital.  She told me they had thought about the program and were thinking of ways to raise funds.  I had seen an article in the New York Times about how Amputee Veterans at the Walter Reed VA were benefiting from the Horse Therapy.

I contacted the Chief of Recreation and we arranged a meeting.  The results were that there would be a two day event since we wanted to bring the Veteran’s to the Stable to get them interested.  The Director of Horseability stressed the importance of connecting the Library and showing the NLM resources.

On day one a May Pole was setup outside the Library.  Everyone was invited in and a demo session on PubMed and MedlinePlus was given to help them with their medical questions.   I believe the program went well.  The intent was to advertise the library and to bring awareness of NLM resources to this Veteran Community.  The sign now placed in front of the libary has certainly brought more patients in.  The only thing I would of done differently is that I would have had an additional demo session just for the professional staff (recreation therapist) gearing the discussion towards PubMed, the tutorials ad search techniques.  I touched on PubMed that day but the audience was primarily veteran patients and so I focused on MedlinePlus and the print resources.

Mary Lou Glazer- Veteran’s Administration- Northport Medical Library- Northport, NY

The Health Sciences Library was the recipient of a Micro-Award to exhibit at the 33rd Annual Maurice Goldenhar Family Medicine Update.  This popular annual continuing medical education event is sponsored by the Stony Brook University School of Medicine.  Dr. Goldenhar, after whom Goldenhar Syndome is named, was a long time member of the faculty and a strong supporter of the library.  This five day event was attended by over 90 physicians for the whole five days with additional one day attendees.

There were five vendors that exhibited all day Friday, June 1, 2007 including the Health Sciences Library.  Colleen Kenefick and Susan E. Werner staffed the exhibit to promote the products and services of the National Library of Medicine.  Since many of the attendees are in private practice, we were especially interested in promoting the Loansome Doc service.  There were many questions not only about this service, but also about PubMed, general library policies, and toxicology sources.

It was very busy and a little hectic before the first session, during the morning break, lunch break, and afternoon break.  The lunch was held in the exhibit area, so there was a burst of activity during this time.  Since the conference exhibitors were in a visible public area, there were many Stony Brook faculty, staff, and students attracted by the display and material was also given to them.

There are professional promotional materials that can be ordered by any NN/LM MAR network member.  We obtained these materials in advance and made packets of information for all the attendees.  An AIDS information card, ClinicalTrials.gov card, Good health information on the World Wide Web card, Loansome Doc fact sheet, National Center of Biotechnology information card, NLM Gateway card, PubMed card, Registering with Clinical Trials, and Toxicology brochure will be included in every packet.

We also included materials that were locally produced: Loansome Doc application materials, a library orientation handout, and a library contact information sheet.

At the end of the long day, 180 informational packets had been distributed and many questions answered about library activities and services.  It was a very satisfying experience and we would encourage other members to apply for this award and exhibit at similiar events in their areas.

Colleen M. Kenefick- S.U.N.Y -Stony Brook Health Sciences Library- Stony Brook, NY

Health information disparities exist across the United States.  The Rural Health Conference sponsored by the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health is an annual meeting that seeks to bridge the health information disparities gap among rural underserved health care professionals in Central Pennsylvania.

The focus of the NN/LM exhibit at the Rural Health Conference: Roots of Change was to increase the awareness of and access to quality health information for underserved health professionals in rural Central Pennsylvania communities.  Ultimately, the goal was to improve health outcomes by enhancing health literacy and contributing to the informed decision making process.

Approximately 150 health administrators and policy makers, health providers including physicians, social workers, nurses, healthcare advocates, health educators and rural community agency representatives and extension agents from across the state attended the Rural Health Conference.  Of the 150 attendees 85 visited the NN/LM exhibit to receive promotional materials and NLM database searching tips.  Topics of interested included diabetes, AIDS, environmental health and consumer health.

Valerie Gross- Penn State University- College of Medicine- Hershey, PA