What Do You Know?

The PSRML Update at this year's Joint Meeting of the Northern California and Nevada (NCNMLG) and Medical Library Group of Southern California and Arizona (MLGSCA) was designed in keeping with the intent of the conference planners-to provide a time both "educational and enjoyable." The session began with a staff report highlighting recent PSRML activities and program plans for the coming year. Following is a summary of the report:

• The proposal for National Network of Libraries of Medicine Services for 2001-2006 was submitted in June 2000, with final negotiations still ongoing. PSRML anticipates a May 1 start of the new contract with NLM. A Network membership and renewal drive is planned for early summer. Additional members for the Regional Advisory Committee will be recruited.
• PSRML educational opportunities will include the Professional Development Award; workshops and other continuing education activities, including co-sponsorship of programs with the regional MLA chapters; and technology showcases.
• Web DOCLINE was successfully released on July 17, 2001; NLM is working very hard on programming statistical reports. See the DOCLINE Quarterly Statistics article in this issue for more detailed information on quarterly statistical reports.
• PSRML subcontracts and agreements awarded that are still underway or just coming to a close are: two Partners in Public Health projects, six projects in Access to Electronic Health Information for the Public, and six projects in the PSRML Year 2000 Outreach Program. A Public Health Forum will be held at NLM in April to share findings from the Partners in Public Health projects nationwide.
• NLM will offer another round of consumer health outreach awards in the near future.
• PSRML will offer four $6,000 regional outreach awards, for projects with either a health professional or consumer population focus. The application process for these awards will be streamlined, including a web-based application form.
• The 1999 hospital library survey indicated an increased level of regional connectivity, although work remains to be done in this area.
• PSRML is planning to hold an AIDS Information Summit in May or June 2002, in conjunction with the California AIDS Clearinghouse. We'll be looking for librarians to volunteer as facilitators and to alert us to groups that should have representatives at this meeting, which will focus on access to electronic AIDS information.
• For the PSRML Underserved Counties Project, we will be looking for a new partner this spring, as we complete the current project in Yavapai County, Arizona.
• BioSites — we're still looking for contributors for various topics.
• We appreciate the assistance we've received from Network members at PSRML exhibits at health professional and consumer-oriented conferences. Additional volunteers are welcome!
• PSRML successfully concluded a collaborative project with the California State Library and Loma Linda University's Del E. Webb Memorial Library to enhance consumer health information collections and services in the Tierra del Sol Region of the Library of California. PSRML will extend training to other areas in the coming months.
• PSRML is working with The Health Library at Stanford on a consumer health symposium, to be held at Stanford on August 17, 2001.
• A final note on funding — health sciences libraries that work with public libraries and schools will want to watch for LSTA funding announcements. These are generally in the fall, and applications for funding have a quick turnaround time.

For additional details on PSRML activities, see the PSRML annual and quarterly reports on the web at http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/psr/reports.html, or contact any member of the PSRML staff.

Following the PSRML report, audience members were recruited for two "game show" teams to test the participants knowledge of NLM and NN/LM information resources and services. The first team represented NCNMLG: Eris Weaver, Redwood Health Library, Petaluma, CA; Mary Beth Train, Washington Hospital, Fremont, CA; and Florence Jakus, Las Vegas Clark County Library District, Las Vegas, NV. The second team represented MGLSCA: Judith Kraemer, USC Norris Medical Library, Los Angeles, CA; Linda Murphy, UCI Medical Center Library, Orange, CA; and Mary Riordan, Arizona Health Sciences Library, Tucson, AZ.

PSRML hosts were Elaine Graham, Claire Hamasu, and Heidi Sandstrom, with Julie Kwan enlisted as scorekeeper and Andrea Lynch as stage manager. PSRML Regional Advisory Committee members Mary White, MLGSCA representative, and Janie Grossman, NCNMLG representative, were on hand to offer encouragement to their teams. Players were challenged to answer the quiz questions posed by PSRML staff, with clues found on the session handouts. See the handouts on NLM and NN/LM services on the web site at: http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/psr/jntmet.html. To view the quiz questions-and answers-click here.

Both teams played enthusiastically, cheered on (and sometimes prompted) by their colleagues in the audience. In the end, NCNMLG captured the top prizes (MEDLINEplus briefcases with travel mugs), and the MLGSCA team was awarded consolation prizes (NLM coffee mugs). Our thanks to all those who attended the Update. We hope everyone enjoyed it — and learned something as well! Please don't hesitate to contact any of us if you have questions, comments or suggestions about the Update, or about NLM and NN/LM services.

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PSRML Update — Quiz Questions with Answers
NCNMLG/MLGSCA Joint Meeting

Part 1. PubMed, NLM Gateway

1. Which PubMed feature allows users to store searches and provides self-service SDI's?
   Cubby
2. What's the name of the Cubby feature that can be set to alert your users to your electronic journal holdings?
   LinkOut
3. How many journal titles does PubMed link to?
   Over 1500
4. How long will the Cubby login remain active unless you log out?
   12 hours
5. What's the name of the newest of NLM's web sites that lets you search PubMed, LOCATORplus, HSRproj, AIDS conference proceedings, and MEDLINEplus?
   The NLM Gateway

Part 2. MEDLINEplus, ClinicalTrials.gov

1. What's the "new"est feature on MEDLINEplus?
   Current Health News
2. How can I find web sites with non-English, non-Spanish language health information?
   Enter "other foreign language" in the search box [Note: Retrieves few citations at present.]
3. Where can I find books and full-text journal articles oriented to the consumer?
   MEDLINEplus>Other Resources>Publications on the Web
4. What happens if I spell something wrong in ClinicalTrials.gov?
   When the words that you have entered are not recognized during a search, the system may suggest other words with similar spelling that are found in the database.
5. Where would you refer a library user who has questions about taking part in a research study?
   ClinicalTrials.gov - click on "Resources" in the menu bar

Part 3. NN/LM Web Tour

1. I'd like to participate in my hospitals' upcoming community health fair, but I don't have a lot of time to get materials ready. What should I do?
   See the PSRML Promotional Materials page: http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/psr/promo.html
2. I'm planning an outreach project for public health professionals — what resource can I use to determine if the project is a success?
   Measuring the Difference: Guide to Planning and Evaluating Health Information Outreach: http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/evaluation/
3. Where can I find information on which clinical journals are available in electronic format?
   E-journals sites linked at: http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/libinfo/ejournals/
4. I'm going to the MLA meeting in Orlando and then on vacation; what should I do about DOCLINE requests I'll receive during that time?
   Enter a DOCLINE Hold Request for temporary deactivation of DOCLINE at: http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/libinfo/docline/dochold.html
5. Library users are giving me scribbled citations from their PubMed searches. How can I make my life easier? (Penmanship classes are not the answer.)
   Initiate Loansome Doc Service. See Information for Librarians: http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/libinfo/docline/loansome_lib.html

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