Cheryl Rowan, the NN/LM SCR Public Health Coordinator, has been named a “Mover and Shaker” in the library industry by the national publication, Library Journal.

In its March 15, 2012 issue, Library Journal named 53 outstanding professionals committed to providing excellent service to meet the needs of the people they serve.  Cheryl  was selected because of  her commitment to the profession and to the public health workforce.  “Being recognized as a ‘Mover & Shaker’ indicates that, as a professional, one has the passion, dedication and desire to serve the public,” said Francine Fialkoff, Library Journal Editor-in-Chief.

The 2012 Movers & Shakers were selected by the editors of Library Journal, the profession’s leading trade magazine. Each of the Movers & Shakers will be prominently featured in the March 15th issue of Library Journal and celebrated at a special luncheon in June during the American Library Association’s annual conference in Anaheim, CA.

Read more about Cheryl’s accomplishments in her Library Journal profile.

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, South Central Region (NN/LM SCR) is pleased to announce the following funding opportunity:

Electronic Consumer Health Outreach Award http://nnlm.gov/scr/funding/echo.html

This award will fund one (1) project of $25,000 for the purpose of ensuring that health professionals, their patients and the general public are connected to the health information resources they need to make informed health care decisions.

Examples of some possible elements of proposed projects are:

• Training groups of consumers to locate good sources of health information on the Internet; training health professionals to refer consumers to MedlinePlus and other good sources of consumer health information on the Internet;
• Enhancing access to MedlinePlus, ClinicalTrials.gov, and other consumer health information resources using the latest technology;
• Training staff of targeted organizations to search National Library of Medicine databases to identify, access, retrieve, evaluate, and use relevant print and electronic consumer health information resources and services;
• Training staff of targeted organizations to train others to provide consumer health information services and/or to find and evaluate consumer health information on the Internet;
• Other creative ideas for improving access to online health information are encouraged. (For past awards, see NN/LM SCR funded projects at: http://nnlm.gov/scr/funding/scrfunded.html#echo)

The complete RFP can be found at http://nnlm.gov/scr/funding/echo.pdf.
A Letter of Intent must be provided no later than February 17, 2012, and the application deadline is March 9, 2012.

Eligibility: Network members in the NN/LM SCR (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) are eligible to apply. Network membership is free and open to institutions interested in providing health information. To apply for membership: http://nnlm.gov/scr/services/member.html.

For more information about the Electronic Consumer Health Outreach Award, go to http://nnlm.gov/scr/funding/echo.html, or contact Karen Vargas at karen.vargas@exch.library.tmc.edu , 713-799-7880, or 800-338-7657 (AR, LA, OK, NM, and TX only).

The NN/LM SCR is pleased to announce the recipient of the Year 1 Mobile Applications Project (MAP) Award.

The purpose of the MAP award is to provide an opportunity for Network members to provide access to health information utilizing mobile technologies.

Yan Hong, Ph.D.
School of Rural Public Health, Texas A & M Health Science Center, College Station, TX
Project: Disseminate ICANFIT A mobile application to promote physical activity and access to health

Description: This project will be built upon an ongoing effort to develop ICANFIT, a web and mobile application designed specifically for seniors with the following features: 1) the ability to search local physical activity resources with preset personal preferences, 2) individual goal-setting and physical activity progress tracking, 3) offering social support through virtual networking, 4) sending senior-friendly regular (daily/weekly) healthy tips, and 5) providing easy access to health information. The goal of the project is to disseminate ICANFIT to seniors in rural central Texas.

For a full list of funded projects from the NN/LM SCR please visit: http://nnlm.gov/scr/funding/scrfunded.html

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hong and the School of Rural Public Health, Texas A & M Health Science Center!

The NN/LM SCR is pleased to announce the recipients of the Year 1 Technology Improvement Project (TIP) Awards.

The TIP award is intended to implement and increase access to high quality health information. Funded projects are designed to meet the health information needs of “under connected” communities and increase access to health information services within the community.

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
Project: Partnering with Ville Ste. Marie Linking Seniors to NLM Consumer Health Information

Description: This project will provide technology improvement at Ville Ste. Marie, an assisted living community located in Jefferson Parish, Ville Ste. Marie offers both independent and assisted living arrangements for seniors. LSUHSC – New Orleans Libraries Reference staff will conduct at least two training sessions to staff and residents at Ville Ste. Marie. The toolkit, Helping Older Adults Search for Health Information Online will be used extensively throughout both sessions.

Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA
Project: Medical Education Mobile Outreach (MEMO) Initiative

Description: This project will expand the access of science, medical, and healthcare information for high school aged students in the students in the Summer Scholars STAR Program as well as for students particiapting in the Oschsner iLab by upgrading the current minimally available technology to cutting edge mobile technology. Projects involving mobile technology will be introduced in the curriculum.

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, LA
Project: HealtheLearning for Girl Scouts: Making Reliable Electronic Health Information Accessible

Description: The LSUHSC-S Medical Library will purchase two laptop computers. These computers will be used in the field to instruct the Girl Scouts of Louisiana – Pines to the Gulf on using reliable online health information resources such as healthelinks, MedlinePlus, and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) databases. The LSUHSC-S Medical Library faculty will conduct educational outreach activities at the Shreveport center to teach the staff and volunteers there how to find trustworthy online health information resources.

Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, Dallas, TX
Project: Medical Research and Resource Library

Description: This project will provide for the creation of a web based medical resource center to assist families in understanding a diagnosis, research to compliment healthcare provider services, and education to fortify the decision making process. This award will allow RMHD to construct a Medical Research and Resource Library, providing critical and accurate information and resources. Equipment added to the library including a computer will provide access to online resources including NLM resources such as MedlinePlus.

For a full list of funded projects from the NN/LM SCR please visit: http://nnlm.gov/scr/funding/scrfunded.html

Please join us in congratulating all of the award recipients!

The NN/LM SCR is pleased to announce the recipient of the Year 1 Electronic Consumer Health Outreach Award.

University of Texas Medical Branch, Moody Medical Library, Galveston, TX
Principal Investigator: Anne Howard
Project Title: Shriners Hospitals for Children – Galveston Consumer Health Outreach Project

The Moody Medical Library at the University of Texas Medical Branch and the Shriners Hospitals for Children – Galveston (Shriners) will provide Internet access to Shriners’ pediatric burn patients, their caregivers and family members through a dedicated server, secure wireless system and multiple workstations. This will  increase knowledge and use of currently available electronic health information and science education from NLM and NIH. In a “train the trainer” approach, project personnel will train Shriners’ staff in use of MedlinePlus and other NIH resources in English and Spanish.

Please join us in congratulating Anne Howard and the UTMB Moody Medical Library!

Join us Wednesday, November 16, 2011, from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.(CT), for NN/LM SCR’s monthly web conference, SCR CONNECTions. This month’s webinar is: Health Information Resources for Refugee Populations.

The presentation will provide an introduction to health information resources uniquely suited for refugee populations. Background information on refugees in the U.S. and their unique health issues will also be presented.

Webinars are conducted via the Adobe Connect web meeting system. Join the webinar using the following URL: https://webmeeting.nih.gov/scr/. Once you enter the online meeting room, follow the instructions on the screen to have the system call you on your telephone.

Test your connection before joining with Adobe using the following URL: https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm.

This webinar is available for 1 hour of Medical Library Association Continuing Education credit. If you cannot attend this webinar, it will be recorded and archived for viewing at a later date.

Share Your Story: LSU Shreveport Health Sciences Library

What’s the value of the LSU Health Shreveport (LSUHS) Health Sciences Library? It’s priceless! Our librarians always find new ways to serve the institution and the community.  Through a NNLM funded award, our librarians designed a program to educate children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, reaching about 1,500 children so far. The program consisted of:

• A website with health information, games, and activities for children selected by LSUHS librarians.
• Story hours at local libraries and an area science museum that have so far focused on nutrition, exercise, germ prevention, heart health, and sun safety. Librarians select and read the stories, and develop companion activities and support materials.
• Regular promotional displays (“Wellness Wednesday”) at local libraries to raise awareness about healthelinks.org and other sources of reliable online consumer health information.

The Clinical Medical Librarian (CML) at LSUHS rounds with Internal Medicine in the hospital five days a week. Every day, the CML:

• Reviews cases in the electronic medical record system for unusual microbiology, pathology, or radiology reports in an attempt to preempt faculty and resident information needs;
• Provides literature for use at the point of care and provides literature reviews for follow-up questions;
• Finds consumer health information for patients.

Her work at LSUHS was the topic of the study “The Effect of a Clinical Medical Librarian on Internal Medicine Care at LSUHSC-S.” The study tracked her efforts from June 2008 to November 2009, when her team saw 2200 patients, and she answered 334 questions, 58 of which directly changed the physician’s care of a patient (unpublished data), on 258 unique patients.

Whether it is treatment changing information provided by the CML or teaching children about healthy food and exercise, the LSUHS librarians provide a variety of valuable services to the institution and community.

Submitted by John Cyrus

Share Your Story: UNTHSC Library

Public libraries are struggling, not just financially but also to maintain relevancy in the digital age.  With that in mind, the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) Gibson D. Lewis Health Science Library Deputy Director Lisa M. Smith began collaborating with the North Texas Regional Library Partners in 2010.

The goal: Deliver in-person classes on online health literacy to patrpons and librarians within our 24-county NN/LM SCR outreach region.  The classes would not only help public libraries in rural and urban areas offer programming to their patrons but they would also offer staff training on how to resond to queries involving health. The classes also would help market public libraries as digital hubs that the public can turn to when looking for reliable health information. North Texas Regional Library Partners and library staff members, and 31 members of the general public at 18 public libraries spread over nine North Texas counties in March contacted the libraries and set up the class dates and times.  Lisa Smith and Outreach Librarian Jessie Milligan taught  81 public librarians in April, 2011.

Classes for patrons showed them how to evaluate websites as well as how to find reliable health information online through NLM/NIH websites.  The separate classes for librarians served as guides on why to turn to NLM/NIH websites when answering reference questions about health.

Submitted by Jessie Milligan

A new National Library of Medicine (NLM) Traveling Exhibition, The Henkel Physicians: A Family’s Life in Letters, is now available for institutions to borrow. The exhibit features a collection of correspondence from a family of physicians in 19th Century Virginia. The letters document the working lives of the Henkel physicians as they share medical cases, professional rivalries and the experience of the Civil War.

Information on all of the traveling exhibitions can be found on the NLM Exhibition Program website.

Interested in learning about the Topic Specific Queries in PubMed?  Do you want to support future librarians?

If so, while you’re wandering around the exhibit hall at SCC, take a few minutes and stop by the NN/LM SCR’s exhibit booth to learn more.  Every year, the ten recipients of the NN/LM SCR’s Library Student Outreach Award conduct presentations in the SCR’s exhibit booth.  While they have the knowledge, they need audience members to attend the presentations.

A fabulous prize will be raffled off after every presentation!

Schedule of presentations:

9:00 am – Electronic Health Records Query

9:15 am – Healthy People 2020 Query

9:30 am – Complementary Medicine Query

10:00 am – Health Disparities Query

10:15 am – Health Literacy Query

2:30 pm – Electronic Health Records Query

2:45 pm – Healthy People 2020 Query

3:00 pm – Complementary Medicine Query

3:15 pm – Health Disparities Query

3:30 pm – Health Literacy Query