Re: Wieland LS, Robinson KA, Dickersin K. Understanding why evidence from randomised clinical trials may not be retrieved from Medline: comparison of
indexed and non-indexed records. BMJ. 2012 Jan 3;344:d7501. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d7501. PubMed PMID: 22214757.

Readers of this article should recognize that the authors assumed no changes took place in the NLM indexing of Randomized Controlled Trial
[publication type]. In fact, NLM has made changes since 2005 that we think affect the conclusions and projections made in the article. These changes
are:

1. Since 2005, we conduct a monthly PubMed quality assurance search to review completed citations that are candidates for Randomized Controlled
Trial [publication type] but lack that tag. Appropriate edits are made to add that Publication Type when it has been missed (per the NLM definition
of Randomized Controlled Trial [publication type] which is “for original report of the conduct or results of a specific randomized controlled trial”).

2. Since 2007, we have broadened our indexing practice for Randomized Controlled Trial [publication type] to include follow-up, post hoc analysis
and the like of specific trials.

Together these two changes ensure that NLM indexers are appropriately tagging MEDLINE citations with Randomized Controlled Trial [publication type]
for the researcher and clinician audience.

Sincerely,
Lou Knecht
Deputy Chief, Bibliographic Services Division
National Library of Medicine

We need your input in order to inform topics, length, and format of the
tutorials we will develop. Please visit
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ntctutorial to complete a short
questionnaire. The questionnaire should take 10-15 minutes to complete.

To say thank you for your time, we will give a $10 Amazon.com gift
certificate to the first 50 people who complete the questionnaire.

Please complete the questionnaire by close of business on Friday,
February 17, 2012.

What is fracking? What are uranium tailings and how can they affect my health?  Answers to these questions can be found in Town’s new US Southwest Scene:

http://www.toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/flash/southwest/flash.php (English)
http://www.toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/flash/southwest/flash_sp.php (Spanish)

This scene, developed in conjunction with Diné College in New Mexico, highlights locations associated with environmental health concerns impacting the Navajo and others living in the Southwest region of the United States.  New Tox Town locations found in this scene include:

1. Abandoned Mines
2. Coal-Fired Power Plants
3. Dust Storms
4. Hydraulic Fracturing
5. Irrigation Canals and Ditches
6. Oil and Gas Fields
7. Sheep Ranching
8. Uranium Tailings
9. Water Wells
10. Windmills

Regardless of where you live, you will definitely want to visit this new neighborhood and learn about possible environmental health risks.

In PubMed the week, the Advanced Search page was updated. Terms entered in the Search Builder will automatically populate the search box, and MeSH term searching has been enhanced to include an autocomplete feature. See the full article for more details.

Another recent article announces new features for PubMed Health, NLM’s clinical effectiveness database. Change include enhanced information from the National Cancer Institute’s Physician Data Query database, two new full-text books about understanding heathcare decisions and treatments, and an improved display of medical encyclopedia search results. With the inclusion of the Database of Reviews of Effects (DARE) from the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination in England, PubMed Health is getting close to comprehensive coverage of reliable systematic reviews on clinical effectiveness.

Read the article here, and stay current with  email updates or an RSS feed.

PubMed class

The previous one-day PubMed class is being replaced with a hybrid PubMed for Trainers class. This hands-on course consists of lectures, individual exercises, group work and discussions in four sessions, with independent work before or after each session. The course consists of three 2 hour online sessions and an in-person session. NLM or NTC trainers will deliver the lectures and facilitate discussions.

The objectives of the class are for current and future PubMed trainers to discover and develop:

1. functional knowledge of the MEDLINE® database,
2. understanding of the structure and use of the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH®) vocabulary in MEDLINE/PubMed,
3. expertise in the use of features and functions of the PubMed system, and
4. techniques and best practices in MEDLINE/PubMed instruction with fellow trainers.

The class is intended specifically for those who train, or will train, others to use PubMed. This class could be for you if you teach PubMed to large groups, small groups, or one-on-one training. We look forward to lively discussions on PubMed instruction and adult education best practices.

The first NTC PubMed for Trainers class was held in October 2011 in Bethesda, MD. NTC will be offering PubMed for Trainers classes in five different locations from February through April 2012. The locations are Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; Chapel Hill, NC; Chicago, IL; and Syracuse, NY. The class will be offered in the Pacific Northwest Region later in 2012 (dates to be announced).

TOXNET and Beyond class

We will continue to offer the one-day TOXNET and Beyond class. This course is designed to convey the basics of searching TOXNET, a Web-based system of databases in the areas of toxicology, environmental health, and related fields. The course also teaches students how to use the NLM Environmental Health and Toxicology portal which provides resources beyond the TOXNET® databases. Students learn the content and structure of files covering toxicology data, toxicology literature, toxic releases, and chemical nomenclature. The databases highlighted are TOXLINE, the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), and ChemIDplus. The course includes lectures, online demonstrations, and hands-on exercises.

NTC has TOXNET and Beyond classes scheduled beginning in February 2011 in Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; and Chicago, IL.

Plans for Online Training

In addition to the hybrid PubMed class and in-person TOXNET and Beyond class, NTC will be offering shorter online Adobe Connect classes for delivery later this year. In conjunction with the Pacific Southwest Region, we are also developing a Moodle version of the “Effective Training Design: Teaching with Technology” class (see http://cech.mlanet.org/node/576).

In the next few months, we will be conducting a needs assessment to identify gaps in the current Web-based training offerings. After the needs assessment is completed we will be developing additional Web-based training.

Wait, there’s more…

The NTC blog features regularly published short articles about teaching technologies, adult education, and upcoming activities. You can also follow us on Twitter where we are posting links to resources related to education and NLM products. Please visit the NTC Web site at http://nnlm.gov/ntc/ for more information, to register for classes and to follow the NTC blog or Twitter feed.

An independent panel of judges chose five winners and five honorable mentions of software applications that help people learn about anatomy, help researchers find gene information in research literature, and help people sift through large amounts of scientific and medical information.

For more than 40 years, the library has been making the data it compiles for its electronic resources available for use in systems produced by others. Academic institutions, government organizations, businesses, non-profits and individuals can use NLM data to develop their own products, tools and services.

“NLM was a leader in open data long before that term was coined,” says Park. “Challenges like this one bring the library’s rich data sources to the attention of new groups of innovators.”

“By making our data available for others to use, we spark more innovation and give taxpayers a bigger dividend on their investment,” says Donald A.B. Lindberg, M.D., director of the NLM, which is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) are pleased to announce the launch of MedPrint,  a national cooperative medical serials print retention program, which will ensure the preservation of and continued access to selected biomedical journals in print.  The MedPrint program is open to all U.S. libraries in DOCLINE.

Approximately 250 journals selected from Abridged Index Medicus (AIM) and scanned PubMed Central (PMC) titles will serve as the first set of materials to preserve in print.  MedPrint participants will volunteer to retain one or more titles included on the list for up to 25 years, ending in 2036.  The goal of the program is to get commitments for 12 copies of each title with widespread geographic distribution.  NLM’s copy will be the 13th.

A formal agreement will be signed between MedPrint participants and NLM.  Commitment to titles beyond the original 250 is encouraged, but will not be included in the agreement.

The MedPrint site, which includes detailed information about the program, as well as links to the downloadable title list and the formal agreement document, is available here.

This is an announcement from The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s listserv.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is pleased to announce the launch of its new website, HealthIT.gov . This website is designed to become the leading national resource on health information technology (health IT) for both consumers and health care professionals.

Health is personal. It’s personal for the parent who has a child with asthma. It’s personal for the patient with a new cancer diagnosis. And it’s personal for the doctor who is responsible for caring for them. At its core, HealthIT.gov is about patients, and it’s about helping them get the information they need, connecting them to resources that empower them to make changes, and ultimately, improving the nation’s health—one person at a time.

Whether you are a parent who is wondering how an electronic health record (EHR) will affect her family’s privacy or a provider who is overwhelmed by the idea of transitioning to EHRs, HealthIT.gov has the resources to help answer your questions.

Visit HealthIT.gov today!

The Health Data Tools and Statistics page, on the PHPartners.org website has been reorganized to make public health data and statistics easier to find and use.

New Public Health Data Tools and Statistics Categories:

• County and Local Health Data
• State Health Data
• Individual State Data
• National Health Data
• Global Health Data
• Statistical Reports
• Demographic Data
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Training and Education
• Health Information Technology and Standard
• Tools for Data Collection and Planning

The Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce (PHPartners) is a collaboration of U.S. government agencies, public health organizations, and health science libraries. The mission of PHPartners is to help the public health workforce find and use information effectively to improve and protect the public’s health.

PHPartners.org welcomes suggestions of public health online information resources. Submit new link suggestions here.

Questions, comments, and feedback about PHPartners.org can be submitted here.

To keep up-to-date with public health news and online information resources, subscribeto a weekly email announcement of What’s New or to the PHPartners RSS feed.

The National Library of Medicine has a new blog, ReferencePoint, targeting health sciences library staff in the U.S. and abroad.
ReferencePoint postings will:

• Increase the awareness of NLM products and services available online and onsite.
• Inform the targeted audiences about health sciences resources outside of NLM.
• Promote dialogue and learning exchanges between NLM staff and staff at other libraries.

Reference librarians and other NLM staff will write, review, and respond to comments on the blog. Subscribe to the RSS feed to keep in touch.

More information is available in the NLM Technical Bulletin.