The National Library of Medicine has collaborated with the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) on a new database containing dietary supplement label information.

The new database [http://www.dsld.nlm.nih.gov/dsld/] captures information on dietary supplements’ labels and allows the searching, sorting, and filtering capabilities needed by researchers. Its data can be saved and analyzed. It is a significantly larger effort than the earlier NLM Dietary Supplements Labels Database and already contains 17,000 labels and images of labels. It is expected to grow rapidly over the next three years, eventually covering most of the 55,000 dietary supplement products sold to American consumers.

For more information: http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jun2013/nlm-17.htm

The NN/LM Pacific Southwest Region (PSR) is hosting a webinar called NLM Express: Drug Information Resources at the National Library of Medicine.  It will be held Tuesday July 9, 2013, 1-2PM Pacific Time.  Registration is open to all.  A description of the event follows.  The event is approved for 1 MLA CE contact hour.

In recent years, there has been an effort at NLM to provide an array of new medication-related information products for healthcare practitioners, consumers and researchers. These specialized resources fulfill important informational needs and have received widespread user interest, with content that complements drug information already residing among a number of NLM databases. This presentation will focus on five specific drug information databases, and will provide medical librarians and others with a description of the usefulness, notable features, and basic navigational methods of each of these resources. Join us to learn more about DailyMed, Drug Information Portal, LactMed, LiverTox, and the Dietary Supplements Label Database!

The class will be taught by James E. Knoben, PharmD, MPH, Drug Information Consultant, Specialized Information Services, NLM. James Knoben is a drug information specialist, having held a range of Federal positions including Chief, Drug Information Analysis Branch and Director, Division of Drug Information Resources at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Special Assistant to the Associate Director for Specialized Information Services, NLM.  Jim founded and for ten Editions served as co-editor of the Handbook of Clinical Drug Data.  He retired in 2005 from the U.S. Public Health Service and currently serves in a consulting role as content editor of drug information at NLM.  Dr. Knoben received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of California and MPH from Yale University School of Medicine.

To register:
http://nnlm.gov/ntcc/classes/class_details.html?class_id=595

How can we adapt training for the “gaming generation”?  Becky Pike discusses a few ideas for incorporating games into training, whether in-person or online, high tech or low tech.  Ideas include a matching game, simulations, quizzes with “points” awarded, or having students blog questions and answers.  If the games are tied directly to the content being presented, even those not part of the “gaming generation” may find game activities fun and rewarding.

I said it just the other day…Sorry, I didn’t catch what you said, I was multitasking. Well, I guess I wasn’t doing a very good job of it, or else I would have heard what the other person said. And now, after testing my multitasking skills [http://stephanieevergreen.com/your-brain-on-slideshows/], I am here to report that there will be no more multitasking for me. The test was an eye opener. I highly recommend it.

Also, take a look at the April 13, 2013 Time magazine article titled: Don’t Multitask: Your Brain Will Thank You [http://business.time.com/2013/04/17/dont-multitask-your-brain-will-thank-you]

Have you visited the NLM catalog home page recently? If so, you’ve noticed that it still uses the Limits page, whereas PubMed has moved to the filters sidebar. The filters sidebar will replace the Limits page in the NLM catalog soon.

Read about the coming change:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/mj13/mj13_catalog_filters_sidebar.html

The National Library of Medicine has made their MLA Theater Presentations available online. Click on the topic of your choice to view the recording.

What does it mean to be a “networked student” in today’s learning environment?  How can students use technology to connect with others?  Watch this fun video (5 minutes 10 seconds) to follow along with a student as he builds his knowledge base through tools like Google Scholar, social bookmarking, blog posts, RSS readers, podcasts, and video conferencing with experts around the world.  Along the way he must evaluate the information he finds and then share his “virtual textbook” with others.

(Thanks to Jessi Van Der Volgen for pointing out this video).

Laura Bergells from the MANIACTIVE blog writes that you may be undermining your message by starting with the words…I think. Read her short blog post at: http://goo.gl/WFWvu

One year after the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970, the agency started a photo project called Documerica that ran from 1971 to 1977.  The EPA hired freelance photographers to take pictures relating to environmental problems, EPA activities, and everyday life in the 1970s to create a baseline.

Over 15,000 images can be viewed online and downloaded without any copyright restrictions (taxpayers own the photos).

Here is the link to the EPA Documerica site:

http://goo.gl/0UC6o

Rachel Carson is considered to be the mother of the modern day environmental movement going back to the 1960s, which lead to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970. The EPA is the keeper of much of the data found in TOXNET databases such as IRIS, TRI and TOXMAP. For the past 7 years or so, the EPA has sponsored a contest in Carson’s honor; the Sense of Wonder Contest.

Visit the EPA’s website to read about the contest:

http://www.epa.gov/aging/resources/thesenseofwonder/index.htm