The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is pleased to announce the release of a new educational resource, GeneEd. Developed in collaboration with the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), and with teachers and experts in genetics and genetic counseling, GeneEd is a useful resource of trusted information, designed to help students and teachers in grades 9 – 12 learn about genetics. (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…)

Here are some highlights from the NLM Technical Bulletin issue from May-June, 2012. (more…)

We would like to thank everyone who participated in our 2012 Learning Needs Assessment Survey! More than 200 responses were received, and it is very encouraging to see such strong interest in staying abreast of the emerging areas in our rapidly changing field! Your passion was clearly evident regarding such topics as implementing cultures of evidence-based medicine in your institutions, cultivating health literacy with patrons, and assisting researchers with informatics, scholarly communication, and data curation. (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 Stephen Kiyoi, Second Year NLM Associate Fellow
NN/LM Pacific Southwest Region
UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library

During the month of April, 2012, the RML offered a newly developed training series targeting community college librarians. The series, entitled Navigating the Health Information Maze, was offered in a set of four, one-hour webcasts every Tuesday during the month. Twenty-nine librarians from 24 different institutions took advantage of the opportunity to gain expertise in National Library of Medicine resources; including PubMed, MedlinePlus, the NLM Gallery of Mobile Apps and Sites, and Health Information for Special Populations. Additional information about the series and archived training sessions are available from the preceding series website. Outreach to community colleges is a major NN/LM initiative for the coming year. (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…)

Six excellent applications were received in response to the 2012/13 Request for Proposals: Express Outreach/Training/Technology Awards; five of which were funded for a period of 12 months, beginning May 1, 2012. Funding amounts are all approximately $12,000. The projects strive to improve access to health information for health professionals and health consumers and to promote the awareness and use of products and services available from the NLM and the NN/LM. Target groups include K-12 instructors and students, health sciences librarians partnering with researchers, public libraries desiring emergency preparedness mini-conferences, community college health services and students, and clinical faculty involved with a Patient-Centered Family Health Clinic model of care. (more…)

This one-day symposium was held on March 2, 2012, at the newly renovated UCLA Library Conference Center, at the Charles E. Young Research Library. Funded by NN/LM PSR to enhance the role of librarians in supporting evidence-based medicine education and practice for health care practitioners, the symposium was organized by the Medical Library Group of Southern California and Arizona (MLGSCA), in cooperation with the Northern California and Nevada Medical Library Group (NCNMLG) and the Hawaii Pacific Chapter, Medical Library Association (HPCMLA). The symposium planning committee was chaired by Lisa Marks, Library Services Supervisor, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, Burbank. Roughly sixty enthusiastic attendees came to hear featured speaker Connie Schardt’s presentation highlighting the key types of clinical study designs, along with their strengths and weaknesses. She also thoroughly explained the terminology used to describe the results of clinical trials, as well as the criteria for judging the validity of therapy studies and systematic reviews. Ms. Schardt, who holds the position of Associate Director for Public Services at the Medical Center Library at Duke University, is a nationally recognized expert in the field. Other invited speakers included Cheryl Bartel, former UCLA librarian and current nurse for the Lake Elsinore School District, and Robert Johnson, clinical services librarian at the USC Norris Medical Library. (more…)

Continuing education in a Disaster Information Specialization program is available from the Medical Library Association (MLA), through a project funded by the Disaster Information Management Research Center at the National Library of Medicine. An overview of the program is available at http://www.mlanet.org/education/dis. The curriculum outlines five required courses (15 continuing education contact hours total) at the Basic level and an additional 12 hours for Advanced. (more…)