Millions of consumers get health information from magazines, TV or the Internet. Some of the information is reliable and up to date; some is not. How can you tell the good from the bad?

Consider the source. If you use the Web, look for an “about us” page. Check to see who runs the site: Is it a branch of the government, a university, a health organization, a hospital or a business? Focus on quality. Does the site have an editorial board? Is the information reviewed before it is posted? Be skeptical. You want current, unbiased information. For further specifics see the pages highlighted below.

Learn about evaluating onlinehealth information:

• Evaluating Health Information topic page
• Evaluating Internet Health Information Tutorial
• MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing

New Report Indicates Changes in How Americans Get Their Information about Health and Cancer:

Age Page: Online Health Information: Can You Trust It? http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/healthinfo.asp

PowerPoint presentation designed for the Consumer Health Resource Information Service (CHRIS) Program. Navigating the World Wide Web for Health Information: Tools for Success http://orise.orau.gov/healthcomm/outreach-pubs.htm

NOVAD’s website lists America organizations, faith-based and otherwise, which provide disaster relief and many support services. Membership includes Lutheran Disaster Response, United Way, Adventist Community Services, the American Red Cross, County Emergency Management Agencies, FEMA, Pharmacy Associations, Associations of Food Banks, Humane Associations, and the Salvation Army, to name just a few.

You can find contact information and links to the web pages for each organization at the NOVAD site. Check your state’s listings to see whether there’s a group you can contact as a resource, or perhaps you would like to volunteer to help out in your area.

There are also valuable resources listed from their “Member Tools” link and their “Links” directory. You may wish to contact some of their members to link to them from your local preparedness page.

SoliNET is offering a variety of classes on disaster planning and preservation techniques over the next couple of months. For those of you not in SoliNET, you may pay a somewhat higher non-member registration fee.

10/19/07 Developing a Disaster Plan (Live Online) http://www.solinet.net/workshops/ws_details.cfm?doc_id=3004&WKSHPID=12DDP

11/01/07 Risk Management: Knowing Your Responsibilities (Self-Paced)
http://www.solinet.net/workshops/ws_details.cfm?mode=preview&doc_id=4587&WKSHPID=12RMK

11/29/07 Care and Handling of Library Materials (Live Online)
http://www.solinet.net/workshops/ws_details.cfm?mode=preview&doc_id=4060&WKSHPID=12CHM

1. Full Text and PubMed Trifold Brochure
   http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/fulltexttri.pdf

This new guide summarizes the different full text options available in PubMed, including PubMed Central, publisher links, Loansome Doc, and of course, your library’s collections. NEW: You can customize the trifold brochure by adding local library information in the space provided on the back!

Accessing and customizing the new trifold brochure:

• Go to http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/fulltexttri.pdf
• Save the document to your computer.
• Open the document in Adobe Reader. You will see a Typewriter tool that will let you add your own content within the blank space provided on the back of the brochure.
2. Gateway Basics Trifold http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/gwtri.pdf
   NLM® Gateway: http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov Gateway is “One-stop shopping” for an increasing number of the information resources of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). It’s targeted to the Internet user who comes to NLM not knowing exactly what is here, or how best to search for it. A single interface that searches in multiple retrieval systems, Gateway provides a single address, look, and feel.
3. Advanced PubMed® Searching Resource Packet (8 pages)
   This Word document provides charts for MeSH subheading abbreviations (including major search tags and field qualifiers), subset codes, publication types and stop words. Links to the original location in the PubMed Help manual are included.

   The entire packet or individual pages may be used as a handout or factsheet in advanced PubMed classes.

The NLM Technical Bulletin article, “EFTS and DOCLINE® Assist Libraries with Billing”, describes the File Builder processes in DOCLINE that make it easier for EFTS libraries to generate a file of charge data to send to EFTS for processing. As seen below, it is available via a tab on members’ DOCLINE screens.

You can move passed transactions for which you do not want to charge (perhaps a library with which you have a reciprocal agreement) or you can add the specific amount when you do want to charge.

The National Library of Medicine encourages all libraries to consider joining EFTS to reduce ILL costs and labor and to eliminate waiting for checks to be issued and payments to be received. Join those using this efficient way to pay for requests received.

If you have any questions about joining or using EFTS, please contact Beth Wescott at your Regional Medical Library or contact EFTS directly.

EFTS Transaction File Builder

Creates a transaction file for submission to EFTS, then you enter charges for requests from EFTS borrowers. Enter charges in US dollars for items to be included in EFTS file. Enter “0″ if request is not to be billed.

www.healthyroadsmedia.org

Healthy Roads Media has added new materials, new topics and new languages. These include emergency topics in English, Bosnian, Kurdish, Somali and Spanish; heart health materials in Hmong; MeaselMR (spell out); polio vaccine materials in Amharic, Arabic, Farci, French, Russian and Somali; Post Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) materials in Kirundi and Burmese; and a housing topic in English. All materials are free and most materials are in multiple formats.

Health Roads is slowly expanding its mobile video (iPod) materials. Comments and/or suggestions can be sent to feedback@healthyroadsmedia.org or Tel 406-556-5877