In This Issue:

• Home
  
  
• Director's CorNER
  
  
• AD-Perspective
  
  
• Ill Advised
  
  
• Inside Outreach
  
  
• PubMed Particulars
  
  
• Tech Time
  
  
• Tres Chic
  
  
• Announcements
  
  
• Links
  
  

As of May 1, 2003, we will be entering the third year of our five year contract with NLM to serve as your Regional Medical Library. I thought I would take this opportunity to review the many services and programs we have to offer as we approach the half-way point.

The goal of the NN/LM is to provide equal and convenient access to quality health information to those who need it, primarily underserved populations including health professionals, consumers and librarians. The NER accomplishes this goal through 5 major programmatic areas: 1) network services; 2) outreach to health professionals; 3) outreach to consumers; 4) exhibits and 5) technology awareness.

Network services involves promoting and encouraging libraries with health sciences collections to become members of NER and share access to their collections. Libraries whose primary focus is not health sciences but serve consumers in need of health information, such as public libraries, may join the network as affiliate members. Full members, such as hospital libraries and academic health sciences libraries, use DOCLINE for Interlibrary Loan. Mark Goldstein, NER Network Services Coordinator, offers one-on-one as well as group instruction in DOCLINE and troubleshoots DOCLINE questions for network members. There are now 198 affiliate members and 258 full members in NER.

Outreach to health professionals includes facilitating access to NLM's PubMed databases through the Internet and training. Health professionals may include non-physicians such as nurses, social workers, allied health professioanals and case managers, as well as physicians. A special emphasis is on outreach to public health workers during the remainder of this contract period. Donna Berryman, NER Outreach Coordinator, is available to provide PubMed classes or individual consultations. 32 formal PubMed classes have been offered during the past two years.

Outreach to consumers is the newest core programmatic activity for all the RMLs. Although there may be some direct interaction with patients and their families, the primary focus is to work through public libraries. Training for public librarians on how to search NLM's MedlinePlus and information on how to evaluate Internet based resources has been provided by Javier Crespo, Associate Director. 34 MedlinePlus classes or demonstrations for public librarians have been held.

The NER assists the NLM in promoting its services and products by exhibiting at national as well as state and local conferences. The NER provides promotional materials such as pens and bookmarks and offers demonstrations and training sessions at meetings of health professional as well as local library groups. We've also begun exhibiting at health fairs and public library meetings in order to foster our consumer health outreach program. All NER Coordinators are scheduled to work one or more exhibits during each year. NER staff exhibited at 12 national conferences and 19 local group meetings during the past two years.

Technology Awareness includes promoting the latest technologies to network members and health professionals. We maintain a NER website, which has been totally revamped this past year. We host listservs/e-mail discussion groups for state and local library groups, such as NAHSL and MAHSLIN. We also sponsor Technology Awareness conferences for educational purposes. Penny Glassman, Technology Coordinator, oversees this programmatic area. Two conferences, one on consumer health co-sponsored by the University of Connecticut Health Sciences Library and the other on evidence based resources for physicians co-sponsored by MAHSLIN and the Massachusetts Medical Society, serve as successful models.

In addition to the office staff assigned to these program areas, the work is done by you, our network members. Five advisory committees (Education, Outreach, Technology, Resource Sharing and Statistics) along with the Resource Library Directors group comprise our RAC (Regional Advisory Council)help us determine the underserved populations in need of our services and provide us with valuable feedback on the programs we offer. More than 30 of you advise us in some capacity or another, by serving on committees or reviewing subcontracts and awards.. In addition, a number of NER funding opportunities are available to encourage you to help us carry out outreach activities in your geographic area. The NN/LM's mission to promote equal and convenient access to health information is an ambitious one and the NER office staff cannot do it alone. Over the past two years we have awarded network members approximately $600,000 in subcontracts and awards for a variety of outreach activities throughout the region. We value your active participation in our programs and thank you for your support during the past two years. We look forward to continuing to serve as your Regional Medical Library and working in collaboration with you to provide the best programs and services that meet the information needs of health professionals, consumers and librarians in New England.