Here at NN/LM PNR, we’re experimenting with social media as one of several ways we communicate with Network members and work to spread the word about health information resources, programs, and services. We invite you to follow us on Twitter, be our fan on Facebook, and let us know what kinds of information you would like to see in those places.

If you are new to social media or just new to thinking about it in a professional context, take a look at our self-paced online Social Networking tutorial. This tutorial was originally part of the Geeks Bearing Gifts course offered to health information professionals and public health professionals in Fall 2009. To access the tutorial, go to:

http://nnlm.gov/moodle/course/view.php?id=85

and click log in as guest.

What’s the best way to spend a warm, sunny, February Saturday in western Washington? If you answered “by sitting indoors and watching presentations about data” you may be… correct! This past Saturday, about sixty scientists and librarians gathered on the Microsoft campus for Science Commons Symposium – Pacific Northwest. We had the privilege of hearing from some of the world’s most prominent thought leaders in the areas of open data, open access, and what web technology means for the future of scientific communication. Here are a few eyebrow-raising ideas from the symposium.

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For people with disabilities, surfing the web can be a very frustrating experience. Many websites are developed without the special needs of people with visual impairments, hearing loss, and/or mobility challenges in mind. Here are a few simple steps you can take today that will improve the accessibility of your organization’s webpages.

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Update: A recording of this Rendezvous is available at https://webmeeting.nih.gov/p65368195/ We apologize that closed captioning was not available for this session.

What is public health? What isn’t public health? Who are public health workers, and what do they do?

Join us for a free RML Rendezvous webcast on Wednesday, February 10th 2010 at 1pm Pacific Time (2pm Mountain, noon Alaska) at https://webmeeting.nih.gov/rendezvous.

Gather Around the Water Pump: Public Health Resources and Outreach Ideas will be presented by our Technology Outreach Coordinator Alison Aldrich, who also has a Master of Public Health degree, and give you a better understanding about the vital role of public health in our communities. We will discuss ideas for library-public health partnerships and review relevant information resources.

As part of our Federal agency services regarding electronic and information technology resources being accessible to people with disabilities, closed captioning is now available on this and all future RML Rendezvous webcasts. If you are hearing impaired and in need of closed captioning, please contact Nikki Dettmar at snydern@u.washington.edu by noon Pacific time on Friday, February 5th so we may gladly arrange for this service.

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

Last fall, NN/LM PNR offered the online course Geeks Bearing Gifts: Unwrapping New Technology Trends. This course provided participants with an introduction to social media and the opportunity for some hands-on practice.

The Pacific Northwest Region’s “Geeks Bearing Gifts” course pages are now open for your self-paced learning and amusement. Each unit in the course consists of readings and videos to review for background information, step-by-step exercises to get you started using new Web tools, links to examples of how these tools are being implemented in libraries and/or public health settings, and a discussion forum where you can post questions, comments, and reflections.

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Many of us spend the majority of our work day sitting at our desks, typing away on our computer keyboards, and looking at our monitor screens.  When we’re not doing that, we are on our cell phones, often balancing it between our shoulder and our ear while rummaging through a purse or backpack.  Of course, we can also multitask by text messaging on the bus, at the airport, or just about anywhere else.  While technology offers convenience and mobility, our bodies are simply not designed for sitting at computers or  looking down at a small screen for long periods of time.

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