During my spring 2012 internship, I took on a variety of projects at NN/LM PSR. One of these projects included making modifications to the existing Helping Older Adults Search for Health Information Online: A Toolkit for Trainers to create a toolkit targeting adults, especially those with low literacy skills. (more…)

We extend our thanks and appreciation to everyone who participated in the recent RML questionnaire! We received nearly 140 responses, with information and valuable feedback that will enable us to continue to improve our programs and services to meet the needs of Network members. Overall, we were encouraged to see results suggesting that our work does make a difference for health sciences librarians and information centers in the region. Two illustrative examples include over 91% of respondents agreeing that the RML helped them obtain access to information resources, and more than 97% agreed that the RML makes them aware of relevant regional activities. (more…)

by Paula Maez, Youth Services Librarian & Paulina Aguirre-Clinch, Librarian
Pima County Public Library
Tucson, Arizona

In January 2012, Pima County Public Library (PCPL) partnered with the Pima County Health Department, to become the first public library in the nation to have a public health nurse permanently assigned to its staff. Because the pilot program proved successful, PCPL was able to expand it to additional branches in the summer of 2012. (more…)

We have been somewhat remiss in posting items about our Network members and their achievements, appointments and departures, so we had some catching up to do! In the future, we will publish quarterly updates regarding Network members in the news. (more…)

The National Library of Medicine has announced the selection of its 2012-2013 class of Associate Fellows. Four fellows will join NLM in the fall of 2012, one of whom comes from the Pacific Southwest Region! (more…)

by Lisa Federer
Health and Life Sciences Librarian
UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library

On May 16, 2012, the UCLA Library held a panel discussion entitled Data Curation in Action, designed to introduce librarians to the real-life challenges that researchers face in working with their research data. “Data” and “eResearch” are quickly becoming hot topics in libraries, and librarians have a great deal of knowledge and experience relevant to supporting researchers’ data needs, but many librarians lack a concrete sense of what exactly researchers’ data look like. This panel discussion was designed to introduce librarians and others interested in data curation to the many types of data researchers use and the challenges they face. Four panelists were selected to represent the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. (more…)

by Lynn Kysh
Department of Information Studies student
UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies

During the 2012 spring quarter, I had the opportunity to intern with the Pacific Southwest Regional Medical Library. For the past ten weeks, I’ve taken on three projects: a training session on MedlinePlus for medical social workers, a webinar focused on resources for sexual violence survivors, and a project modifying an existing curriculum, which instructs senior adults how to find and evaluate online health resources for a low literacy population. These projects all complement my interest in providing instruction services, and my growing commitment to health literacy. (more…)

by Paul B. Drake
Assistant Professor, User Services & Document Delivery Librarian
University of Guam
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Library

When the National Library of Medicine announced a new traveling exhibit, A Voyage to Health, in spring 2010, staff at the University of Guam Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Library thought it was a good fit for us to host. A Voyage to Health presents efforts in Hawaii to reintroduce traditional navigation and voyaging. As the exhibit brochure states: “By restoring their heritage, this generation of voyagers seeks to heal the people.” (more…)

Our new contract year began Tuesday, May 1, 2012, and the biggest change involved RML leadership roles. Alan Carr is now the Acting Associate Director for the NN/LM Pacific Southwest Region. He is an excellent candidate for this role, having worked with both RML Network Programs and Outreach Programs, including NN/LM membership, instruction for health professionals and public health workers, exhibits, and management of outreach funding. Former Associate Director Julie Kwan is neither gone nor forgotten! She has assumed the position of Associate Director of the UCLA Biomedical Library and the Science and Engineering Library. This role includes operational responsibility for the Biomedical Library, and she will serve as UCLA’s representative to the PSR Resource Library Directors group. The reason for this change was budgetary, and will allow the RML to continue a robust program for the region, with substantial training, funding, and outreach programs. (more…)

By Vicki Burchfield
Department of Information Studies student
UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies

During the winter quarter, 2012, UCLA Department of Information Studies student Vicki Burchfield completed an internship with the Regional Medical Library. Through her previous work as a Public Service Assistant at the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, Ms. Burchfield had experience with answering reference questions and researching subject guides. Upon completion of her internship, Ms. Burchfield wrote the following summary reflecting upon her experience and the lessons learned during the process of researching and creating an online subject guide for the Clinical Social Work Department at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. (more…)