Here are my notes from the SIS and MedlinePlus Update at the NLM Online Users’ Meeting at MLA in Seattle:

Check out the Showcase of NLM APIS.  You can find the link to the webinar in the technical bulletin. 

SIS update

• The Drug Info Portal now includes 30,000 drugs. A new mobile site was released in April.
•  ToxMap had a recent usability study, It will soon have a new look with new demographics.  
• ToxMap was just updated with 2010 TRI info.
•  Coming soon: new enhanced ALTBIB ( Animal alternatives for drug testing)
• Hazmap has a new mobile site.
• Toxlearn module 2 will be released in June
• LiverTox debuted this month, includes info on drug induced liver trauma, overall 600 drugs goal go reach over1000
• Toxtown 10th anniversary new southwest scene, after school activity, after school science club
•  GeneEd, genetics for education, genetics research for high school students, includes lesson plans and actives
• Environmental Health Students  Portal will get a facelift, usability study, will have a redesign
• AIDSinfo and InfoSIDA redesigned, launched on World AIDS Day 
  HIV AIDS project funding is available. Proposals due June 18
• Arctic Health site includes info on climate change
•  American Indian Health now includes personal narratives of health
• NLM4Caregivers is on Twitter and Facebook
• RHIN redesigned, can follow RHIN on Twitter
• WISER is 8 years old, iPhone app enhancements, working on universal IOS app
  New disaster apps webpage
• CHEMM, developed for mass chemical event, released in mid 2011
  Follosw SIS on Twitter, Facebook, RSS

NIHSeniorHealth and MedlinePlus

NIH Senior Health

• March 2012 redesign, previous redesign was 2008
• 50 topics and 150 videos
• Pages are longer, organized with subheadings in 3 topics
•  New search feature

MedlinePlus

• Goals for this year:
• Increase number of visitors from US
• Expand reach of content through new services and communications
• On Twitter, since. Aug 2009
• Spanish Twitter since 2011
• Huge increase of Twitter followers
• Huge increase in email updates, for all 900 topics
• Subscriptions for health topics pages increased from 2 million to 39 million in last 2 years
• Updates through RSS feeds
• Share links to content with social media
• Health topics web services returns search results in XML for your own site
  Example: look a SAMSHA  publication page
• 22,000 to 940,000increase in web service requests
• MedlinePlus Connect 
  Supports diagnosis, drug info and lab tests
• Growth in health topics pages, to support MedlinePlus Connect
• Now 900 health topics
• MedlinePlus mobile, subset of info on MedlinePlus, m.medlineplus.gov
• MedlinePlus Mobile Search box will be bigger, home link more prominent
• Labelling search results
• Expand web service for mobile
• Spanish medication info for MedlinePlus coming soon
• Email updates not just links but specific health info for consumers

PubMed Health

Biggest focus is on systematic reviews, not for consumers. Original launch seemed to overlap with MedlinePlus.  Now focused on CER, Comparative Effectiveness Results.

PubMed  

Might still be some tweaks to limits.  Send your feedback to Contact Us form.

Other

NLM booth presentations will be posted online.

Sheldon Kotzin is retiring after 43 years as Associate Director of Library Operations.

Software developers are invited to join NLM data experts as they showcase NLM APIs and provide valuable information on how to find, use, and incorporate medical literature, drug, clinical trial, consumer health information, molecular biology, and other data into novel products. The free webinar, NLM API Showcase: Using NLM APIs for Product Development, will be held April 10, 2012 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (ET). There are several options for participating:

• Adobe Connect: Available to the first 500 people, provides the opportunity to submit questions, will be recorded and archived at Adobe URL: http://webmeeting.nih.gov/nlmapis
• NIH Videocast: Can be viewed live and will be archived at http://www.videocast.nih.gov
  On site: Lister Hill Center Auditorium, first floor of Building 38A on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, MD. Directions and visitor information.

• Follow the webinar with live tweets, and submit questions for the experts, @nlm_newsroom using hashtag #nlmapi

[Article from Techincal Bulletin, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/ma12/ma12_api_webinar.html]

Explore the NIHSeniorHealth.gov redesign. NIHSeniorHealth is designed specifically for the senior-searcher. The site was recently redesigned after further usability testing with older adults. Developed by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute on Aging, NIHSeniorHealth.gov already included user-friendly features such as the ability to resize text and change contrast for low vision searchers. The NIHSeniorHealth Toolkit for Trainers provides librarians and other health information providers with lesson plans and student handouts to teach MedlinePlus and NIHSeniorHealth.

New features of the redesign include:

• A search feature providing results from NIHSeniorHealth, MedlinePlus, the NIA Aging Age Pages, and other content selected by MedlinePlus staff.
• A new banner with easy access to over 50 health topics and 150 videos.
• Email updates highlighting new topics.
• A Bookmark feature and a Share Button to help you share information with colleagues, friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and many other ways.
• Health topics organized with the following headings for ease of navigation: In this Topic; Learn More; and Related Topics.

Take a look at the redesign, and discover how NIHSeniorHealth can help you provide patient education and care for the health of your family and friends.

The National Library of Medicine provides a People Finder to help locate your loved ones after a disaster. You can now add people and search for people affected by the Typhoon Sendong. You can also report and search for people surviving the Turkey earthquake and the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

From the NLM People Finder About Us:
All data contained on this Web site are available to the public and are searchable by all visitors to the Web site. Data are received from multiple sources: direct submissions to NLM using the “ReUnite” application or email, from the Google Person Finder, and from other organizations, as indicated on individual records. The site may not be moderated, and NLM and other contributing organizations do not review or verify the accuracy of any of the data presented on this Web site. Note that data received by direct submission to NLM may be disseminated to other agencies, institutions, and organizations assisting the effort to locate missing people,including the Google Person Finder.

Ways You Can Search:
Once you have performed a search, you may also limit your results by status, gender, and age. Status choices are missing (blue), alive and well (green), injured (red), deceased (black), found (brown) or unknown (gray). Gender choices are male, female, and other/unknown.
Age choices are 0-17, 18+, or unknown.

Please spread the word about the NLM People Finder, to help family and friends find eachother in times of natural disasters.