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!

A special reminder as we ring in the New Year!   Your Regional Medical Library for the NN/LM PNR offers funding opportunities for network members!  Proposal instructions vary by type of award, but here’s a summary about deadlines for applications.

Our larger awards support personnel, travel, equipment and other costs for 9-12 months projects to implement innovative services in your organizations, or to conduct health information outreach in your communities. Current opportunities for larger awards include: Medical Library Pilot Project awards; Express Outreach awards; Technology Improvement awards; and Outreach to Under-Connected Health Organizations subcontracts. For each award, proposals will be accepted until February 1, 2012. However, if you plan to submit a proposal, we need a brief statement of intent no later than January 13, 2012 to help our planning process. Please submit your statement of intent to apply to nnlm@uw.edu. 

We also fund smaller awards to support costs for Professional Development, Assessment and Planning, Exhibiting, Training, and EFTS activities by network members.   We welcome applications at any time for these ongoing funding opportunities.

So, if you work in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon or Washington, and are a Network member of the PNR, send us your proposed ideas so we can help put your projects in motion.  Our funding page will be continuously updated with the latest information about available awards and descriptions of projects we’ve funded.

This is an award of up to $5,000 for projects that promote the value of health information services offered by an information professional within the organization or community. Projects could include:
•Working with public relations staff or a firm to develop a promotional/branding campaign;
•Using social media to highlight health information services; or
•Holding a special even that advertises new or unique services.

Also available on on ongoing basis are the Professional Development Awards, as well as Exhibit Awards, Training Awards, Assessment and Planning Award, and EFTS Awards.

For more details see the funding announcements linked above, or contact Patricia Devine, devine @uw.edu, 206-543-8275.

The 2012 Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference will take place April 10-12, 2012 at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.  It is the largest and most successful regional emergency preparedness conference in the Pacific Northwest.  Partners in Emergency Preparedness annually hosts nearly 700 people representing business, schools, government, the nonprofit sector, emergency management professionals, and volunteer organizations.

The Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference attracts top-notch speakers with expertise that includes lessons learned from recent worldwide events like earthquakes, work place violence, current hazards research, contingency planning, school preparedness, techology, media interactions, and public health issues.  speakers and exhibitors provide cutting-edge information on subjects such as business continuity planning, school safety, public health preparedness, homeland security, and public information.

Effective emergency management can only be accomplished through partnerships.  This conference offers you the opportunity to develop those relationships and gain necessary information to fulfill your preparedness needs, to understand the importance of preparedness education and planning, and to meet your future partners in preparedness.  This conference attracts individuals representing government, non-profit sector, private, businesses, schools, volunteers, and emergency management professionals.

For more information, visit the conference web site: https://www.cm.wsu.edu/ehome/piepc/39774/

You can also contact Dana Colwell, Conference Coordinator at: 253-445-4575 or Dana.Colwell@wsu.edu

The Homer Public Library, in collaboation with the Friends of the Homer Public Library and local emergency responders, held a month of activities aimed at increasing the community’s emergency preparedness thanks to a $5000 NN/LM Community Preparedness Day Award.  Events, which were timed to coincide with national Disaster Preparedness Month, kicked off on September 21st with a special Story Time about safety and natural phenomena that occur locally, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

On September 24th the library hosted a Community Preparedness Day. Area emergency responders gave 15-minutes presentations throughout the day on emergency preparedness issues.  In addition, the public was invited to visit information booths operated by various agencies, including the Alaska Division of Forestry, the Homer Volunteer Fire Department, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management and the Homer Senior Citizens.

One of the biggest draws of the day was the bright orange buckets, used to distribute 75 emergency preparedness kits funded by the award.  These buckets included a first aid kit, an emergency radio, and pamphlets from FEMA and the local veterinary clinic on how to prepare for an emergency.  The bucket itself was a useful water-storage device.  Community members, including the Homer City mayor, flocked to the library to pick up their buckets and then stopped by the booths to fill those bucket with more safety information.

Additionally, on September 28th the library hosted a forum for survivors of the 1964 Good Friday earthquake to tell their stories.  More than a dozen survivors shared compelling stories to an audience of over 30 people, imparting wisdom and perspective about the very real risks faced by Alaskans living on the “ring of fire.”

The Homer Public Library is also purchasing materials on emergency preparedness, survival, self-sufficiency and related topics to better serve this end-of-the-road community.  The activities and material funded by the NN/LM award have improved community awareness about emergency preparedness and placed helpful tools into the hands of Southern Kenai Peninsula residents.

Note: If you organization is interested in holding a Community Preparedness Day event, we are currently offering funding.  Please see the funding announcement – applications are due December 16, 2011.

Edit: a recording is now available at https://webmeeting.nih.gov/p13016205/

Internally produced pocket guides, websites, posters, and intranets; all are used to disseminate institution-specific protocols and algorithms used in clinical practice.  Some information is unique to one format and some information is out-of-date, so where’s the authoritative source for finding this vital information?

Come join us on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 1pm Pacific time (Noon Alaska, 2pm Mountain) during our free monthly webcast at http://webmeeting.nih.gov/rendezvous to meet OCCAM (Online Clinical Care Algorithms & Messages), a web app designed specifically for UW Medicine that collects this information in a single, mobile-optimized format.  Amy Harper, Clinical Librarian at the University of Washington Health Sciences Library, will discuss how the idea for OCCAM first came about, how the web app and website were created and marketed, and future plans for OCCAM.

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!

Thanks to all who entered the contest by submitting their stories of advocacy and outreach during the month of October. Your stories provided insights, ideas and best practices about how you’ve shown your worth. We hope to continue this tradition in years to come, so keep your wheels turning and plan to share your ideas with your colleagues in the NN/LM PNR.

We also welcome articles from our Network members about other projects you may be working on, even if they didn’t fit the criteria for this contest. So keep us in mind. Contact Patricia Devine.

Medical Librarians: Your Ultimate Search Engine.

Definition: A search engine is a web site that collects and organizes content from all over the internet. Those wishing to locate something would enter a query about what they’d like to find and the engine provides links to content that matches what they want. http://realestate.about.com/od/sv/g/defsearcheng.htm.  In other words, we as medical librarians locate, collect, and organize in order to provide needed information for our patrons. The statement that medical librarians are the best resource when searching for health information goes beyond the usual perception that we can obtain or retrieve information. It also applies to the expanding role of creating vessels that assist in organizing and assembling information to create better access for our patrons.

Medical librarians have spent hours and hours online as users with a unique perspective. We not only are seeking requested information, but during our searches we are also observing and analyzing the organization of the site and its information. We can’t help it; we are wired to notice how the information has been arranged. It is like an artist noticing the colors or the composition of a painting. We notice the headings, the format, and the overall philosophy of each site we search. We appreciate those sites or repositories that make it easy to locate the information that we want. We have become experts in knowing what works and what doesn’t. So now with so many do-it-yourself technology tools such as websites, blogs, SharePoint, DropBox, Publisher, Audacity, Movie Maker, YouTube, (and the list goes on and on) that will allow anyone to create their own container to house information in various formats, the challenge then becomes what technology tool best suits their needs and how should it be designed.

Because of our expertise we can help with this. Many might see this as an extra service, where others view it as a necessary role. Medical librarians have always connected the user to the needed information and we do this very well. This new role of technology tool advisor is the same concept, but with a different wrapping. It helps the user to organize information so that it can be accessed and shared. When you think of it these sites are kind of growth off-shoots of the library. We have so much to contribute; we truly are ultimate search engines.