NN/LM PNR is pleased to announce funding opportunities for Community Preparedness Day Awards.  Community Preparedness Day Awards assist libraries in in becoming active partners in the community’s emergency preparedness, response and recovery planning activities.  Awards of up to $5000 each are available to NN/LM member organizations in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. (more…)

Our next submission in our library advocacy series for our contest to recognize National Medical Librarians Month comes from an anonymous hospital librarian. Remember, entries are due by October 31.

I am surprised.

Many of us know the worth of medical librarians. We know we provide valuable services for our patrons and our facilities. We also know how we can help others who don’t yet know about our services.

Some of us are not afraid to speak up to promote our services. And some of us are. That’s not the profession; that’s our individual personality or our own distinctive style. (more…)

Edit: A recording is now available at https://webmeeting.nih.gov/p77505591/

Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER, also known as Patient Centered Outcomes Research) has received much attention over the past two years stimulated in part by federal research funding, but also by issues of healthcare quality and cost as well as by an array of market forces. (more…)

Kenneth Pfaff, Librarian at the Grotto Library of the Cortiva Institute in Seattle, continues our series on librarians and advocacy for our contest to recognize National Medical Librarians Month. Other entries will be featured later in the month of October.

Be Vital or Be a Museum Exhibit

I know history, and about my forebears, in addition to being a healthcare librarian for Massage Therapists.  I can tell you from historical perspective that any profession that failed to provision for and support its depositories of knowledge ended up with only the consolation prize; an exhibit in a natural history museum.  Mad Hatters, anyone?

Massage Therapy as a form of medicine has a very long history, and can be found in practically every culture.  Despite that long history, a concerted effort to conceptualize and structure a true Body of Knowledge began only five years ago.  Because I know a bit of history, I’ll tell you about The Grotto Library historically.  This library was literally created from the remnants of a simple 4’x8’ wooden box at a long-time Massage Therapy school in Seattle.  The overarching institution integrated with another competitive school a few blocks away, which itself had a small, neglected room with a few hundred books.  Whereas the institution wanted the library to be, they had no plan or time or strategy.  The simple mandate was “to take care of the library, and by the way, there’s no budget.” (more…)

Beshia Popescu, MBI, MLS, AHIP, Medical Librarian at Peacehealth St. John Medical Center in Longview, Washington, tells her story for our contest to recognize National Medical Librarians Month. Other entries will be featured later in the month of October.

As a hospital department at PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center, Longview WA, the Minthorn Medical Library participated in the hospital’s annual employee benefits fair on September 21st from 7am to 3 pm. A poster proudly displaying photos of the library, list of databases, library services available to all hospital employees and community, a laptop computer, and a librarian comprise the library’s booth. (more…)