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

Edit: A recording of the webcast is now available at https://webmeeting.nih.gov/p97232219/

Below are the resources mentioned in the presentation, and they are also accessible via the LinkOut section of our website:

LinkOut Home: Journal Lists, Provider Lists, Library Submission Utility, etc.
FAQ on LinkOut: LinkOut for Libraries Frequently Asked Questions.
LinkOut Help: National Center for Biotechnology Information Help Manual.
How LinkOut Works For Libraries: Detailed Information on How to Register for LinkOut and Manage Holdings.
Training and Educational Resources: Animated Tutorials, LinkOut Presentations from MLA Meetings.
Promotion: Materials to Assist Libraries in Training Users and Promoting LinkOut.

Are you curious about LinkOut? Do you have questions? Are you interested in what’s changed?

Come join us on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 1pm Pacific time (Noon Alaska, 2pm Mountain) during our free monthly webcast at http://webmeeting.nih.gov/rendezvous  for a LinkOut Refresher session presented by Patricia Devine, PNR Network Outreach Coordinator. She will cover the benefits of LinkOut, getting started with LinkOut, the Submission Utility and which vendors provide holdings, and getting statistics from LinkOut.

If you are unable to join us then, we invite you to view a recording of the webcast at the Rendezvous website later.

As part of our Federal agency services regarding electronic and information technology resources being accessible to people with disabilities, closed captioning is available on this and future RML Rendezvous webcasts.

For more information please visit How do I connect to the Rendezvous? to test your computer connection as a Flash update may be needed. We look forward to seeing you at the webcast!

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.

photo by K. Constant

We received the following report from Kathryn Constant, Librarian at Birthingway College of Midwifery, who received a Technology Improvement Award from NN/LM PNR in the spring of 2010. You can be like Kathryn! Proposals for the next round of Technology Improvement Award funding are due on August 12.

Birthingway College of Midwifery Library is a small, one-person-run library in a small non-profit accredited school in Portland, Oregon. Technology is not a word usually associated with midwives. So it really was astounding to receive a Technology Improvement Award from the NN/LM PNR in 2010 for Sharing the S.T.O.R.E. of midwifery-related material.

Sharing the S.T.O.R.E created a new digital health information collection and service to Birthingway College of Midwifery’s Library and the birth-related community the library serves. The project initiated the digitization of the 15 year plus collections of slides, original research-based student theses, sound and video instructional recordings, diagrams, handouts, etc. (S.T.O.R.E.) While this project is far from being completed, its debut has proved very successful.

The project really began with a revised Statement of Work from the NN/LM PNR reviewers. Their wisdom was immediately apparent and appreciated. The proposal was written to include digitization of everything and dissemination to all. The reviewers appreciated the enthusiasm and worthiness of this plan, but realized it was far beyond the scope of a one-year project. “Yes” to digitization of many, but the dissemination could wait. First lessons learned— keep it real and make good use of advice from experts.

In the beginning, the award check arrived and the spending was fun. The library acquired a lovely, fast new computer with a high quality wide screen monitor and an 8 TB Network Area Server (NAS), complete with cables to connect and distribute. It was set up library centric, shiny and new. Then, the technology-here-today-gone-tomorrow phenomena reared its ever-changing data. The all-in-one photo/slide/auto-fed document scanner budgeted for the project not only went up in price, but couldn’t be found in stock anywhere! The scanner, of course, was key to digitizing almost everything. Many deep breaths were had before a solution appeared. We had to get another brand, and it seemed we waited just long enough since an even better all-in-one-do-it-all scanner came down in price to make it within our budget. It even came with some software we knew we needed. Scanner in place, we purchased Adobe Acrobat Pro to covert, copyright-protect, watermark and make our student research projects/thesis Section 508 accessible. Additional modules for the library automation software also arrived and were installed to handle our new media types, tasks, and demands. Most pieces assembled, the digitization experiments began.Summer arrived and the scanning was fine! The tech dude and I giggled with glee with how easy this would be. The research project/thesis papers flowed through the scanner like water. Photographs and slides lit up the computer screen like sunsets. Tests run, we were ready to digitize the S.T.O.R.E.

At first, the copyright assistant for the college was enthused to gain permissions for the S.T.O.R.E. project. It was summer and slower at the college than usual. We would begin by asking for permission of the students to digitize and disseminate their completed thesis/research project papers. Students were emailed and many replied quickly in the affirmative. By the start of fall term, we had more than a dozen papers completed and available in digital format through the library catalog. Birthingway College Library had entered the 21st century!

Fall term was the perfect time to test our project. Fall term is the quarter I teach Research Methods to the advanced students. I use completed research projects as a teaching tool to provide examples of concepts and to show finished products. The problem with using the papers this way was that students always wanted to take the papers home to use as examples when completing their homework tasks. Library policy was that these papers did not circulate. In fact, the only time research papers were ever out of library was for one evening of Research Methods class each year. Students could look at them inside the library, but could not copy them without the authoress’ written permission, which they had to acquire themselves. The disconnect between resource sharing/protecting is obvious by now.

The “test” class started as usual. I walked in carrying an armload of research papers. At the appropriate moment, I passed the papers out to students and everyone started going through them with intense interest. They passed them between themselves. “This is so cool.” “They are all so different-you’d love to read this one.” “Now that I see them, I totally get the idea.” Before I even asked to collect the papers, it happened. “Kathryn, can we take these home with us?” For the first time, I didn’t feel dread when I answered this question. “Sorry to say you can’t take the originals home with you, BUT they are available online through the library catalog.” “No way! That’s awesome!”

And awesome it was and continues to be. Fall term the dozen papers were accessed over 45 times and there were only 8 students enrolled in the class. Without a doubt, I received the best quality assignments in the history of teaching Research Methods. The level of enthusiasm from the students was also remarkable. This class had often been sleeptime for over-tired midwives-in-training.

As the school year continued and these students moved forward into doing their research projects, an unforeseen benefit and measure of success appeared. “Now that my paper is going to be published on the Internet, I really want it to be excellent and meaningful. Midwives from all over the world could see it.” “I was so excited to show my family my research paper. When they saw it download from the library catalog, read it, and saw how much work went in it, they were really impressed and proud of me.” Success? I’d say so and this is just the beginning of Sharing the S.T.O.R.E.

Hello to all DOCLINE users. For a good summary of the DOCLINE Update given by NLM’s Maria Collins at the recent Medical Library Association annual meeting in Minneapolis, see the MLA blog posting by Katie Zybeck.

Please note that as of May 1, 2011, the national maximum charge of $11.00 per article has been lifted. If resource libraries need to raise fees to recover costs that is now possible. DOCLINE is still a reciprocal system emphazing low cost resource sharing whenever possible. If you have any questions about your routing tables or anything else regarding DOCLINE, please contact Patricia Devine at devine@u.washington.edu, or 206-543-8275.

Happy resource sharing!

The Emergency Access Initiative serves as a temporary collection replacement and/or supplement for libraries affected by disasters that need to continue to serve medical staff and affiliated users. It is also intended for medical personnel responding to the specified disaster.

EAI is not an open access collection – it is only intended for those affected by the disaster or assisting the affected population. If your library is working with a library or organization involved in relief efforts in Japan, please let them know of this service.

Access the Emergency Access Initiative here.

NLM thanks the participating publishers for their generous support of this initiative: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society, American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, ASM Press, B.C. Decker, BMJ, EBSCOHost, Elsevier, FA Davis, Mary Ann Liebert, Massachusetts Medical Society, McGraw-Hill, Merck Publishing, Oxford University Press, People’s Medical Publishing House, Springer, University of Chicago Press, Wiley, and Wolters Kluwer.

Sample journal titles:

• Accident and emergency nursing
• American journal of infection control
• Annals of internal medicine
• Archives of surgery
• Burns
• Depression and anxiety
• Disaster medicine and public health preparedness
• Environmental toxicology and pharmacology
• International journal of cardiology
• International journal of infectious diseases
• JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
• Journal of emergency medicine
• Journal of traumatic stress
• Lancet
• New England journal of medicine
• Surgery

Sample book titles:

• Merck manual of diagnosis and therapy
• Public health & preventive medicine
• Trauma
• Handbook of critical care
• Human virology
• Infectious diseases: the clinician’s guide to diagnosis, treatment and prevention
• AHFS drug information
• Disaster Nursing and Emergency Preparedness for Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Terrorism and Other Hazards

Online Databases:

• Cochrane database of systematic reviews
• DynaMed
• Essential Evidence Plus

For questions regarding the Emergency Access Initiative, please email custserv@nlm.nih.gov or call 1-888-346-3656 in the United States, or 301-594-5983 internationally.

The National Library of Medicine’s History of Medicine Division recently announced the following new projects:

• Completion of a project to catalog Imperial Russian Era Holdings.  Pre-1917 collection includes pamphlets and dissertations on a spectrum of medical topics, including some by future Nobel Laureates – http://www.nlm.nih.gov/news/russian_holdings_cataloged.html
• Medical history comes to life through first person accounts in the National Library of Medicine’s Oral History Collections.  The new web interface allows easier searching of text and audio content – http://www.nlm.nih.gov/news/oralhistory.html
• New education resources added to Online Exhibition, “Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature” – http://www.nlm.nih.gov/news/frankenstein_enriched.html

And, don’t forget: If you have a collection of unique historical health sciences materials, we would appreciate your filling out our survey – http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N3QKT67. To learn more about the background of the survey, read the previous Dragonfly post.

Preserving health sciences materials is an important part of the National Library of Medicine‘s (NLM) mission.  In addition to its own large collections, the NLM has created a directory of historical materials to highlight unique collections at other institutions and to provide contact information to researchers wishing to access them.  The NLM has asked its Regional Medical Libraries to identify collections in each region that should be included in the Directory of History of Medicine Collections.  The collections described in this Directory database provide research and reference services to scholars interested in the history of the health sciences.  Some of the subjects include: dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, military medicine, and pharmacy.

Here’s where you come in!  We are asking organizations throughout our Network to participate in this effort by filling out a questionnaire, telling us whether they have relevant collections, or know of relevant collections in the Pacific Northwest.  Please go to this link to answer the brief  (4 question) online questionnaire – http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N3QKT67.  Thank you  for your participation!

Email Gail Kouame or Cathy Burroughs at the Regional Medical Library if you have questions or want to share relevant information about this effort.

Office phone: 206-543-8262 or 1-800-338-7657.

Click on Online Databases for access to Cochrane, DynaMed, and UpToDate. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews has relevant materials under “cholera,” and both spellings: “diarrhea” or “diarrhoea,” and “diarrhoeal” or “diarrheal.” DynaMed has an entry for “Cholera” and UpToDate has a section titled “Overview of Vibrio cholerae infection.” Over 70 online textbooks and over 200 journals are also available.

NLM also has a topic page, “Health Resources for Haiti, Post-Earthquake,” http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/haitiearthquake.html with information about cholera in the top section labeled “Earthquakes and Health.” Some resources are also in Spanish, French, or Haitian Creole.

MedlinePlus offers cholera information for the general public at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cholera.html in English and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/cholera.html in Spanish.

Guest speaker Jolanta Sliwinski, EFTS Program Coordinator from the University of Connecticut Health Center , will join us this month on Wednesday, October 20, at 12 noon Pacific Time (note time change for this one session). She will tell you the advantages of using EFTS and answer your questions. If you can’t attend, a recording will be available later on the RML Rendezvous page.

We look forward to seeing you at the webcast! For more information and to test your computer connection, please visit How do I connect to the Rendezvous?