In March Google announced that it would discontinue Google Reader on July 1st, 2013. Launched in 2005 Google Reader quickly became one of the top platforms for aggregated RSS feeds.
Google states declining usage statistics and a desire to focus on other applications as reasons for ending support for Google Reader.
Google also recommends services such as Google Takeout for retaining Google Reader data.
Other feed-reading tools such as Feedly have seen in influx in users since the announcement from Google.
Google Reader was one of the services frequently explored as part of the popular Geeks Bearing Gifts class taught by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine offices. If you signed up for or have been using Google Reader please make efforts to switch to another provider before Google Reader shuts down on July 1st.
Digital Memories: Preserving Personal Digital Photos, Documents, and Videos
Sponsored by
National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM)
National Network Office
National Library of Medicine
April 23, 2013 from 3-4 PM ET (2-3 CT, 1-3 MT, 12-1 PT)
As part of National Preservation Week (April 21 – 27), the National Library of Medicine (NLM) will sponsor a one hour webinar for NN/LM members on preserving personal digital photos, documents and videos. A panel of NLM staff including Walter Cybulski from the Preservation and Collection Management Section and Stephen Greenberg, Christie Moffatt, and Ginny Roth from the History of Medicine Division will discuss how to preserve personal digital information.
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, South Central Region (NN/LM SCR) is pleased to introduce online applications for many of our most popular funding opportunities. Nine different award types now have online application options. Applicants for these awards may review all guidelines on the NN/LM SCR Funding Opportunities page and then click on the “apply online” link where they will find the online application for the award.
The NN/LM SCR Online Applications Portal is powered by Submittable. Users will be asked to create an account or link Submittable to their Facebook account to log on. Creating an account with Submittable will provide online applicants with the ability to save and return to a draft of the application before making the final submission. Users can also upload attachments or supporting materials (Word, PDF, Excel, and images) to their application. The online system also allows users and the NN/LM SCR to promote the award opportunities through social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter.
Traditional downloadable applications are still available for all awards. Either form of application will be accepted for review.
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has released a new version of the MedlinePlus search cloud widget code in English and Spanish. The NLM has enhanced the code by replacing the Flash code with Javascript. Please make sure your site uses the latest code for this widget. The NLM will support older versions of this widget for a limited time through March. For details, go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/widgets.html.
Widgets are small applications that allow you to access MedlinePlus content directly from your own websites. You can embed the following widgets in blogs, personalized homepages, and other websites. Once you embed the widget on your site, MedlinePlus takes care of the technical maintenance and updates the content automatically.
YouTube is a free video-sharing Web site, created in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos. Unregistered users may watch videos, and registered users may upload an unlimited number of videos. Today an estimated 48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
The NN/LM SCR YouTube channel will include videos from outreach events, exhibits, database training for online classes, and more. Users can subscribe to be notified whenever new content is posted on the NN/LM SCR channel.
We look forward to posting new and informative videos online as they are created.
Google recently launched a website with resources teachers and librarians can use to improve student search strategy. The Google Search Education site includes many tools to help improve student search strategy and search results using the Google Search Engine. Lesson plans with practice search questions and activities are provided. For those who are interested in live demonstrations of the search techniques, the Live Training area includes videos with sample searches and discussions.
While Google Search Education was developed for improving student search strategy, there are a variety of tools librarians and other educators can benefit from. The A Google A Day Challenges are a fun way to test and improve your search skills. The site provides great resources for those who are interested in learning more about how to take their Google Search to the next level. All content and educational materials are developed by the Google Search team and provide some of the best information on how to get the most from Google.
The NN/LM SCR is pleased to announce the latest round of funding opportunities:
Disaster Preparedness Award ($10,000):
The purpose of the Disaster Preparedness Award is to help libraries prepare for disasters so that they can assist their communities with health information and other recovery needs after an emergency. Approaches can include, but are not limited to, activities that will integrate the library into their community’s emergency preparedness, response and recovery plan; equipment that will allow the library to have more flexibility in responding to the Internet needs of the community; and partnerships with city emergency planning groups, hospitals, public health organizations to enhance health information access in library settings.
Electronic Consumer Health Outreach Award($25,000):
The goal of this award is to connect health professionals, their patients and the general public to the health information resources from the National Library of Medicine. This solicitation will focus on projects designed to improve access to electronic health information for such groups and organizations as consumers, the underserved and minority health care professionals, public health workers, public libraries, and community-based and faith-based organizations.
Express Outreach Award ($5,000 per project):
The purpose of the Express Outreach Award is to support a wide range of outreach projects aimed at improving access to and use of the National Library of Medicine’s databases to improve access to health information.
Health Disparities Information Award ($5,000):
The purpose of the Health Disparities Information Outreach Award is to support a wide range of outreach projects aimed at improving access to and use of the National Library of Medicine’s databases by populations which experience significant health disparities, including, but not limited to minority, rural and other medically underserved populations.
Health Information Literacy Award ($5,000):
The purpose of the Health Information Literacy Award is to support Network member projects, particularly those from community-based organizations (CBOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs) and other organizations that serve minority populations, to develop innovative and creative ways to promote health literacy to these target populations.
Health Information Needs Assessment Award ($5,000):
The purpose of the Health Information Needs Assessment Award is to improve health information outreach through increased knowledge of community needs. Thorough needs assessments serve to analyze community needs in depth, with respect to the community’s cultural, social, economic and physical situations. This award is designed to give organizations an opportunity to study a community in detail and to subsequently design strategies that promote the National Library of Medicine’s databases.
Hospital Library Promotion Award ($5,000):
The purpose of this award is to support projects that promote the value of the hospital library to the hospital administrators and staff. As hospitals expand their services and programs, hospital librarians can play a significant role in areas such as: education and training to address knowledge management, clinical information systems, patient safety programs, electronic health records, health literacy, or patient education.
Library Student Outreach Award (funding will cover all costs related to meeting attendance):
The award provides funding for students to attend the South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association (SCC/MLA) Annual Meeting in Fort Worth TX and participate in meetings, conference sessions and other activities designed for them to learn about the importance of health information outreach and services conducted by librarians in the South Central Region.
Mobile Applications Project Award ($8,000):
The purpose of the Mobile Applications Project (MAP) Award is to provide an opportunity for Network members to provide outreach services and increase access to health information by utilizing mobile technologies. Projects may target health professionals, public librarians, public health workers, consumers, or the general public.
Professional Development Award($1,500 per event):
The purpose of this award is to enable individuals at NN/LM SCR Network member institutions to expand professional knowledge and experience to provide improved health information access to healthcare providers and consumers.
Technology Improvement Award ($5,000 per project):
The Technology Improvement Project (TIP) Award is intended to improve access to and increase use of free high quality health information including National Library of Medicine’s databases. It is designed to meet the health information needs of “underconnected” communities and increase access to health information services within the community.
See the NN/LM SCR Funding page for more information and for deadlines.
This week the Pew Internet and American Life Project released the Health Online 2013 report. Results were collected August 7 through September 6, 2012 with data coming from a nationwide survey of 3,014 adults living in the United States. The report provides current data related to online health information. 35% of US adults report that they have gone online to try to find information about their own health condition or a condition someone else might have.
According to the report 77% started their search for health information online using a search engine such as Google while only 13% began their search at a site that specializes in health information such as MedlinePlus or WebMD.
Online health information seekers are also using the internet as a diagnostic tool. 59% of those who have looked for health information online report trying to figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have. According to the report this “translates to 35% of US adults.” 53% of these “online diagnoses” report speaking with a medical professional about what they found online.
1) 59% of US adults have looked online for health information in the past year. 2) 35% of US adults say they have used the inernet to try to figure out what medical condition they or another may have. We call them “online diagnosers.” 3) 53% of online diagnosers talked with a clinician about what they found online. 4) 41% of online diagnosers had their condition confirmed by a clinician. (Image from Health Online 2013 Report)
The report found that while 85% of US adults own a cell phone, younger adults and minorities are more likely to use a mobile device to search for health information.
Also included in the report are statistics about peer-to-peer health advice and health care reviews. The report found that despite the popularity of Consumer Reports type reviews for products and services, health care reviews have not yet caught on among general consumers. Also of interest, the report found that when looking for health information online, about 26% of those polled were asked to pay for access to content.
The full Health Online 2013 report can be found online and provides access to more data and statistics related to health information and online health search behaviors.
According to theMobile Health 2012 report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project the use of mobile devices, specifically smartphones, to look for health information is on the rise. According to the report released earlier this month 53% of adults in the United States own smartphones and 31% of smartphone owners have used the device to look for health information. The report also finds that “cell phone owners who are Latino, African American, between the ages of 18-49, or hold a college degree are also more likely to gather health information” via their smartphone device.
Also of interest, the study found that 19% of smartphone owners had at least one health app on their device. Apps are popular tools for smartphones and popular apps include those for exercise, diet, or weight management.
Last week I attended the EDUCAUSE conference in Denver Colorado. This was my first time to attend this conference which is intended for education professionals involved in information technology. The conference provided a variety of programming options, many of which were insightful looks at the information technology culture in higher education.
One of the major projects that we are working on at the NN/LM SCR office has to do with ensuring that all content on our website is Section 508 compliant. Every government website and all content posted on government sites must be fully accessible. Also any online content or material created by funded by awards from the NN/LM SCR must meet the same standards outlined in Section 508. This includes making sure that all video content posted on our site is captioned. At EDUCASUE I attended several sessions on accessibility, one specifically focusing on video captioning options.
Presenter David Giberson serves as the Instructional Design Coordinator for San Diego Community College District and provided a good overview of products as well as “Caption It Yourself” (CIY) tools. Giberson reminded the audience that captioning is a two-step processing involving 1) creating a transcript of the audio soundtrack and 2) syncing the text to the correct place in the video. Creating a transcript can often be the most time consuming task of captioning however, it can be made easier by following a written script. If you do not write out a script you will need to use a product that can transcribe your speech. There are many products and even paid service vendors that provide help with transcription.
Giberson provided information on several products from Tech Smith, which included Camtasia Studio and Camtasia Relay. He also provided information on free options for adding captions though YouTube and demonstrated using Amara to caption another user’s YouTube video.
Giberson also provided the following tips for captioning screencasts:
Microphone quality: You will likely get better results from the auto-transcription engines when using a better quality microphone.
Using proper sentence structure: Another way to get better results from the auto-transcription engines is to use proper sentence structure and grammar in your recordings.
Using a script: One way to make the captioning process easier is to write out the script before doing the recording. The transcription step, then, is taken care of and it’s just a matter of syncing it to the video afterwards.
Find a Workflow for You: You may find that you have several options when it comes to recording and captioning your instructional media. Don’t let this be overwhelming. Find a workflow that you are comfortable with and that works well for you.
