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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The following is a message from the National Library of Medicine regarding MedlinePlus Go Local.  This news was announced on a Go Local conference call earlier today. There is a link to the Power Point slides that were presented on the call at the end of this message. The slides illustrate the evaluation efforts of NLM to reach their decision.

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Knowledge Management Cafe by eogez

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region (NN/LM PNR), is pleased to announce a call for applications for a workshop on Knowledge Sharing in Hospitals: The Librarian’s Role at the Providence Portland Medical Center in Portland, Oregon on July 29-30, 2010 led by Lorri Zipperer and eligible for 9.5 units of MLA CE credit.

Please visit the course website at http://nnlm.gov/pnr/training/KMPNRworkshop.html for detailed information and application instructions. Applications for the workshop are due by Monday, April 19th, 2010.

Do you have questions about the upcoming workshop? Contact Lorri Zipperer at lorri@zpm1.com. We look forward to receiving your applications soon!

Interested in health information outreach to rural health advocates? The NW Regional Rural Health Conference, “Weathering the Perfect Storm: Challenges & Changes“, will be held in Spokane, WA, March 24-25, 2010.

If you are interested in exhibiting at the conference, you may apply for a $500 exhibit award from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific NW Region. The NN/LM PNR will pay for the $240 booth directly and make available an additional $260 to to be used for travel, etc.

Let us know by contacting Patricia Devine, 206-543-8275 or devine@u.washington.edu if you’re interested. Exhibit spaces are filling up fast!

UW HSLIC Acting Director Neil Rambo introducing the EthnoMed team. Photo by Josh Malamy.

Congratulations to the EthnoMed team at Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington Health Sciences Library on the unveiling of its redesigned website. EthnoMed:

http://ethnomed.org/

EthnoMed debuted in 1994 as a collaboratively developed online resource for cultural health information. The redesigned site has enhanced content, display, and navigation features. Behind the scenes is a Plone-based content management system which will allow for faster updates and editing. The site also features a new, prize-winning logo.

EthnoMed “contains information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and related topics pertinent to the health care of immigrants to Seattle or the US, many of whom are refugees fleeing war-torn parts of the world.”  Although its primary focus has been ethnic communities (Cambodian, Ethiopian, Hispanic, Oromo, Somali, Tigrean and Vietnamese) served by Harborview Medical Center’s Community House Calls program in Seattle, EthnoMed has added pertinent information by and for other cultural groups.

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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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