The National Library of Medicine has launched an online adaptation of the traveling banner exhibition, A Voyage to Health, an exploration of how the revival of Native Hawaiian sea voyaging traditions helped heal the soul of the community. The launch of the web site celebrates the 19-year anniversary of the May 9, 1994 return of Kanaloa Kaho‘olawe island to the Hawaiian people by the United States Navy. This online project begins with the migration of voyagers from the South Pacific who settled on the Hawaiian island of Kanaloa Kaho‘olawe, and details the loss of sovereignty and suppression of culture Native Hawaiians experienced by the US annexation of Hawai‘i. It highlights the contemporary movement to reclaim and protect Kanaloa Kaho‘olawe, and the restoration of traditional sea voyaging, which have served as unexpected catalysts of a Native Hawaiian cultural renaissance; a reconnection to ancient sources of pride and wellness.

The web site is augmented by education resources that explore the exhibition content: two lesson plans for grades 4-8; a six-class higher education module developed by noted Native Hawaiian scholar Davianna Pōmaika‘i McGregor, PhD; two online activities; and a collection of other online resources. A Voyage to Health was curated by Davianna Pōmaika‘i McGregor, PhD (University of Hawai‘i), Hardy Spoehr (Papa Ola Lokahi), and Maile Taualii, PhD, MPH (Papa Ola Lokahi), in cooperation with NLM Exhibition Program curator Manon Parry, PhD. The traveling banner exhibition A Voyage to Health has traveled to 17 locations in the continental United States and nine locations around the world!

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Outreach and Special Populations Branch has funded three innovative outreach projects in information dissemination for family and women’s health by public libraries and information centers. The NLM recognizes public libraries as strategic partners in increasing the awareness and utilization of NLM and National Institutes of Health (NIH) resources, and meeting NLM long range goals of health literacy, informing citizens, and reducing health disparities. All projects have a component on family health, and also target women as the main information gatherer and health decision influencer in the family.

Three libraries were funded, including one in the Pacific Southwest Region:

• Forsyth County Public Library, Winston-Salem, NC
• Petersburg Public Library system, Petersburg, VA
• Pima County Public Library, Tucson, AZ

The Pima County Public Library’s Heath Initiative Project aims to build capacity for women’s health literacy awareness, including self-health, family health, health care decision making, being the family health care giver; and resources, including those from the National Library of Medicine, for healthy living. The main objective is to support the library’s health literacy initiative and Health Information Literacy team in developing a toolkit that includes sustainable programming, partnerships, and resources for library community engagement.

Congratulations to all the awardees!

The NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) and the National Library of Medicine partnered to fund a pilot program for information outreach dissemination projects to promote the NLM-ORWH Women’s Health Resources Web Portal, and to support the ORWH Strategic Goals. All projects focused on information dissemination, and information access or resource development for a university/college or community agency. Each project will promote the NLM-ORWH Women’s Health Resources portal, create a library guide on sex and gender differences/research information resources at the university/college, and promote The Science of Sex and Gender in Human Health online curriculum to students and faculty.

Nine sites were funded, including two in the Pacific Southwest Region:

• Arizona Health Sciences Library, University of Arizona
• Earl S. Richardson Library, Morgan State University
• Hardin Library for Health Sciences, University of Iowa
• Health Science Center Libraries, University of Florida
• Lamar Soutter Library, University of Massachusetts Medical School
• Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, University of Alabama
• Medical University of South Carolina Library
• Oviatt Library, California State University, Northridge
• Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah

Congratulations to all the awardees!

The inaugural Science Boot Camp for Librarians (West) will be held at the University of Colorado in Boulder June 19-21, 2013. Science Boot Camps for Librarians are immersive, 2 1/2 day events featuring educational presentations delivered by scientists. Based on the successful annual New England Science Boot Camp in Massachusetts, the Western version follows a similar format and will cover three science topics; Bioinformatics, Environmental Science & GIS, and Physics. In addition, three librarians will teach a Data Management Workshop. There will be interesting keynote speakers, a panel on women in science, and plenty of time to network with fellow “campers!”

The cost for (dorm) lodging, meals, and instructional content is $250.00. Registration opens April 15, 2013. Target audiences include science librarians, medical librarians, data management specialists, and LIS students. For further information on the program, travel to Boulder, and upcoming registration, visit the Science Boot Camp West 2013 web site. You can also follow Twitter feed #BootCampWest13! Primary sponsors of the event are the Greater Western Library Alliance and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region. Additional sponsors are listed on the web site.

On February 28, and March 1, 2013, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will celebrate the sixth annual Rare Disease Day with a 2-day-long celebration and recognition of the various rare diseases research activities supported by the NIH Office of Rare Diseases Research, the NIH Clinical Center, other NIH Institutes and Centers; the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Orphan Product Development; other Federal Government agencies; the National Organization for Rare Disorders; and the Genetic Alliance.

Rare Disease Day was established to raise awareness with the public about rare diseases, the challenges encountered by those affected, the importance of research to develop diagnostics and treatments, and the impact of these diseases on patients’ lives. There are about 7000 rare diseases identified in the United States. About 80 percent of rare diseases are genetic in origin and it is estimated that about half of all rare diseases affect children. Rare diseases can be chronic, progressive, debilitating, disabling, severe and life-threatening. Information is often scarce and research is usually insufficient. People affected face challenges such as delays in obtaining a diagnosis, misdiagnosis, psychological burden, and lack of support services for the patient and family. The goals remain for rare disease patients to obtain the highest attainable standard of health, and to be provided the resources required to overcome common obstacles in their lives.

Rare Disease Day at NIH (RDD@NIH) will be held in the Natcher Auditorium (Building 45) from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 28, and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 1. Attendance is free and open to the public. The event will also be available via live and archived videocast on February 28 and March 1.

For more information about Rare Disease Day, please visit the event’s website. For more information about rare diseases, please visit the NIH Office of Rare Diseases Research and Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD) websites.

The National Library of Medicine has announced its participation in the inaugural year of the National Digital Stewardship Residency (NDSR), a ground-breaking new program created by the Library of Congress (LC), in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The program enables 10 recent Master’s program graduates in relevant fields to complete a paid, nine-month residency at various institutions in the Washington, DC area. Beginning in September, 2013, accepted residents will attend an intensive two-week digital stewardship workshop at the Library of Congress. Thereafter, residents will move to a host institution to work on significant digital stewardship projects. These projects will allow them to acquire hands-on knowledge and skills involving the collection, selection, management, long-term preservation, and accessibility of digital assets. The entire list of projects is available on the NDSR Web site.

NLM will host a resident to develop a thematic Web archive collection. The resident will create a collection of Web content on a specific theme or topic, such as medicine and art, or the e‐patient movement. This project builds on a pilot Web archive collection completed by NLM last year and featured in LC’s The Signal in October 2012. The final Web archive collection will become part of the permanent collection of NLM. The resident will be embedded in NLM’s History of Medicine Division under the mentorship of Christie Moffatt, Manager, Digital Manuscripts Program.

In addition to NLM, the inaugural NDSR host institutions include Association of Research Libraries, Dumbarton Oaks, Folger Shakespeare Library, Library of Congress, National Security Archive, PBS, Smithsonian Institution Archives, World Bank, and University of Maryland Libraries and Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities. LC and IMLS are accepting applications for the NDSR until April 5, 2013. Apply online to be a part of NDSR’s inaugural class!

African-American surgeon Charles R. Drew (1904-1950) organized and directed America’s first large-scale blood bank program during the early years of World War II. He also worked tirelessly to provide access to medical training to African American students, and to improve the quality of that training. The Charles R. Drew Papers on Profiles in Science makes available an extensive selection of digitized documents and visual materials about and by Dr. Drew, in collaboration with the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University, which holds the original papers. Dr. Drew’s life and legacy add unique perspectives and rich historical materials to the study of history of African Americans.

Now available from the National Library of Medicine is a new suite of educational resources for The Charles R. Drew Papers. These new resources offer hands-on activities for students to explore the challenges and achievements of Dr. Drew’s life, by examining primary and secondary sources from The Charles R. Drew Papers on Profiles in Science. Three lesson plans are designed for middle and high school levels:

• “Charles R. Drew: Athlete, Surgeon, Innovator, Mentor!” (7-8 grades),
• “Charles R. Drew Through Digital Primary and Secondary Sources” (9-10 grades), and
• “Reading and Understanding Charles R. Drew” (11-12 grades and undergraduate introductory level).

These lesson plans provide detailed class procedures, background information, suggested extension activities, relevant standards, and learning outcomes, as well as a complete set of instructional materials.

The fourth resource, “Life after Death: Dr. Charles Drew, Civil Rights, and the Legacy of Race,” is a higher education module that outlines six one-hour classes, each of which offers an introduction, a list of readings and other instructional materials, and class discussion questions.

The educational resources for Charles Drew allow students at all levels to engage in a hands-on exploration of history through primary sources and scholarly commentary. In so doing, students acquire knowledge and skills that align with educational standards for literacy and higher-order thinking. Educators are welcome to adapt these resources in whole or in part for their students’ interests and academic goals. These new resources are developed by educators in collaboration with the Exhibition Program and the Images and Archives Section of the History of Medicine Division, and bring the Library’s digitized collections to secondary and post-secondary educators and students, while addressing current educational standards.

The National Library of Medicine and the Alexandria Waterfront Museum will host a special traveling banner exhibition exploring the Colonial-era healing practices used by George Washington on the battlefield, during his presidency, and home at his beloved Virginia estate. Co-produced by the National Library of Medicine (a division of the National Institutes of Health), and George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Every Necessary Care and Attention: George Washington and Medicine, features a compelling collection of images and rich online companion resources drawn from the world’s largest medical library and the nation’s oldest historic preservation organization. Before embarking on a national tour, the exhibition will be on display at the History of Medicine Division Reading Room, National Library of Medicine, on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, January 30, 2013, to March 1, 2013, and at the Alexandria Waterfront Museum in Alexandria, Virginia, from January 17, 2013, to April 27, 2013.

The banner display incorporates the use of QR codes allowing visitors to access transcripts and audio recordings of some key documents. The online companion exhibition features educational resources for K-12 teachers and students, and a higher education module for professors and undergraduates. In addition, the online exhibition showcases a “Digital Gallery,” a collection of digitized books, pamphlets, and illustrations about Colonial-era medicine, healing practices, and medical practitioners from the History of Medicine Division collections.

Every Necessary Care and Attention: George Washington and Medicine marks the first formal collaboration between the National Library of Medicine and Mount Vernon. The exhibition was curated by Mary V. Thompson, Dawn Bonner, and Michele R. Lee from Mount Vernon. The banner exhibition was designed by Howard + Revis Design Services. The website was designed by Link Studio.

After its display in the Washington, D.C. metro area at the National Library of Medicine, and the Alexandria Waterfront Museum, the exhibition is expected to travel to other venues throughout the country. For more information about booking the exhibition, please visit the traveling exhibition website.

In sponsored partnership, the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and the National Library of Medicine Training Center (NTC) are pleased to invite participation of health sciences librarians in a new bioinformatics training course: “A Librarian’s Guide to NCBI.” Instructors will be NCBI staff and Diane Rein, Ph.D., MLS, Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology Liaison from the Health Science Library, University at Buffalo.

The course provides basic knowledge and skills for librarians interested in helping patrons use online molecular databases and tools from the NCBI. Attending this course will improve your ability to initiate bioinformatics services at your institution and/or extend current initiatives. Prior knowledge of molecular biology and genetics is not required. Participants who complete the class will be eligible for MLA Continuing Education credits. The course is free but travel costs are at the expense of the participant.

There are two parts to the course and applicants must take both parts:

Part 1: “Fundamentals in Bioinformatics and Searching,” a three-week, online, (asynchronous) self-paced pre-course, March 4-18, 2013. The aim is to provide, from a librarian’s professional perspective, the fundamental knowledge and background information necessary for the subsequent, more intensive, hands-on second portion of the course onsite at NCBI. Bioinformatics will be introduced both as a discipline and as a research practice. Select NCBI databases, tools (including search tools) and bioinformatics records will be previewed. A beginning working knowledge of the necessary molecular biology vocabulary necessary to enable successful NCBI searches will be developed.

Part 2: A 5-day, in-person course offered onsite at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, MD, April 15th-19th, 2013. Topics will include using the BLAST sequence similarity search and Entrez text search systems to find relevant data. This portion of A Librarian’s Guide to NCBI describes the various kinds of molecular data available, and explains how these are generated and used in modern biomedical research.

Applications are open to health science librarians in the United States. Applications will be accepted from librarians currently providing bioinformatics services, as well as from those desiring to implement services. The application deadline is January 25, 2013. Applicants will need to fill out the application form, submit a supervisor letter of support form, and provide a curriculum vitae (CV). Applicants will be notified of acceptance on or about February 15, 2013.

Please view the application form and the course page for additional information. Please direct any questions to ncbi_course@lists.utah.edu.

The National Library of Medicine has released Discovering the Connection: Your Environment, Your Health, an after school science club curriculum for middle school students. The curriculum combines research on the Tox Town web site with hands-on experiments and communication, including social action activities. The objective is to introduce middle school students to environmental health issues in their everyday life, emphasizing the relevance of science to informed citizenship. The curriculum lessons can also be used to support the existing middle school science curriculum, as well as to reinforce the science/society connection in the social science or language arts classroom.

The curriculum was developed as a collaboration between the NLM, the University of Maryland College of Education, and an inter-disciplinary group of middle school teachers. It is based on National Science Education Standards, and is grounded in a problem-based learning approach that promotes in-depth understanding and critical thinking. The curriculum contains six units; each of which introduces one environmental health topic, and includes three to four 50-60 minute lessons. The units include: 1) Water Quality; 2) Air Quality; 3) Chemicals in Your Home; 4) Food Safety; 5) Runoff, Impervious Surfaces, and Smart Development; and 6) The Great Debate: Bottled Water vs. Tap Water in Our School.