On December 1, 2011, the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications (LHNCBC) will complete the transition of the NLM® Gateway to the new LHNCBC pilot project. The new site will retain the Web address of the former NLM Gateway. It will have two databases: Meeting Abstracts and Health Services Research Projects in Progress (HSRProj). HSRProj also remains available via a separate search engine through the portal HSR Information Central.

The Meeting Abstracts database contains abstracts from HIV/AIDS, Health Services Research, and Space Life Sciences meetings and conferences. The final update to the Meeting Abstracts database is the addition of the abstracts from the 2010 18th International AIDS Conference which will be completed in December 2011. After this addition, no new meeting abstract data will be loaded.

For additional information on the transition to the pilot project, see the article NLM Gateway Transitioning to New Pilot Project Site.

By Andrea Demsey
MEDLARS Management Section

October is National Medical Librarian Month and NN/LM SE/A wants to celebrate your successes.  We want to hear your personal stories, anecdotes, and victories advocating for your library.  It is easy to get bogged down in numbers, figures, and algorithms, and miss that rich qualitative information that brings color to a monochrome spreadsheet.

Librarians have long been storytellers, so share your story about how you have been successful in advocating for your library.  Have you “proven your worth” to an administrator? Tell us about it. Have you told people how important libraries are and changed someone’s behavior? Tell us about your experience. Or share someone else’s story. Medical libraries around the region are facing ever larger challenges and we need to work together by sharing our successful strategies to ensure a future for our profession and our institutions. Articles will be published on the NN/LM SE/A SEA Currents blog throughout the month of October.

Authors and subjects of articles will be entered into a competition for a $1000 travel scholarship to MLA 2012 in Seattle, WA. One scholarship will be awarded and will cover travel: flight, hotel, and per diems up to $1000.

We will accept stories until October 24, 2011. The winner will be announced on October 31, 2011.

Capitalize on Our Strengths
October 10-12 Richmond, Virginia

Early Bird Registration Ends on Friday, Sept. 2!

Online Registration
To register for the 2011 meeting, connect to the conference Website at http://www.library.vcu.edu/events/mac2011/registration.html

If you register by the September 2nd deadline, you will save $50!

Online registration ends on September 30th.

On-site Registration
On-site registration must be paid in cash or by check. We will not have the facilities to take credit cards at the Registration Desk.

Questions? Please contact:
Beverly Murphy
murph005@mc.duke.edu
MAC Registration Chair

Capitalize on Our Strengths
October 10-12, 2011
Richmond, Virginia

Online Registration
To register for the 2011 meeting, connect to the conference Website at http://www.library.vcu.edu/events/mac2011/registration.html

If you register by the September 2nd deadline, you will save $50!

Online registration ends on September 30th.

On-site Registration

On-site registration must be paid in cash or by check. We will not have the facilities to take credit cards at the Registration Desk.

Questions? Please contact:

Beverly Murphy
murph005@mc.duke.edu
MAC Registration Chair

Prepared by: PJ Grier – Outreach and Access Coordinator, NN/LM, Southeastern Atlantic Region

It is a sign of the times that health sciences libraries are under considerable pressure to consolidate print collections for space planning, budget or staffing reasons. As librarians, we know that it is a sin to toss print materials, carte blanche, into a dumpster whose remains end up in a municipal landfill.  Being green by recycling is the way to go. Having time and advance warning helps, but frequently we don’t have both, simultaneously.

After attending springtime conferences and polling colleagues in-person or via discussion lists over the last few months, I’ve compiled the following list of eleven potential “second homes” for print discards.  As with any list, you must do a little investigating. Some agencies are selective in the types of materials they will accept, while others have broader missions to fulfill.  Some might impose a fee of one kind or another. Others may offer a deposit credit, which may favorably sway you. One agency even turns unwanted books into unique 3-D works of art. In the end, the list does not purport to be exhaustive, there are no RML endorsements and it is up to you to do the homework in making the proper service connections.

Don’t fret if your favorite donation agency is not shown; just send PJ Grier an email with the specifics. Once the list is posted on our website, it will be easier to update from time to time. I would also be interested in hearing from anyone who has had memorable experiences using any of the agencies listed below.

American College of Surgeons – Operation Giving Back

Listed agencies accept medical texts for donation to appropriate communities in need. Please contact them prior to shipping any materials to be sure that your donation can be utilized.

American Library Association
A fact sheet and resource site covering all aspects of book donations.

Better World Books  - Library Discards & Donations Program

They pay to ship the books and sell them over online marketplaces – generating funding for both libraries and non-profit literacy initiatives. There are no sign-up fees, monthly fees, or one-time fees. They have also launched a new initiative to help GREEN your campus by allowing you to collect books from around the campus, and ship them with your discards and donations.  You’ll not only be helping the environment, but the library will receive a commission.

Books for Africa

Books For Africa ships high-quality donated text, library, and reference books that are relevant to people living in Africa. Acceptable are recently published reference books such as encyclopedias and dictionaries and medical, nursing and allied health books.

Bookstruction

One of our colleagues, Robin Delaloye, is insanely creative and has developed a unique and fascinating way to artistically recycle library discards into 3-dimensional original works of book sculpture. The website gives her contact information. Perhaps your book discards will find new lives as works of art!

International Book Bank

Please contact agency to discuss options and to ensure that your donation can be used effectively in a developing country.

International Book Project
Sends donated books to developing countries and parts of the U.S.A. – new or used from individuals, schools and libraries, on all levels, children’s through graduate and professional school.

National Library of Medicine – Journal Donation Program
The National Library of Medicine welcomes donations of print volumes missing from its collection. Use the Journal Donation System to find out if it needs volumes that you could donate. For most titles, the system lists the volumes needed. For a few titles, the system does not list the volumes and you must enter the range of volumes you could donate. NLM will check its stacks and let you know by email the needed volumes.

The Book Thing of Baltimore

Our mission is to put unwanted books into the hands of those who want them. It accepts books and magazines regardless of age or subject matter. Donations are always welcome.

United States Book Exchange – (USBE)

Disposing of surplus periodicals and books can be a librarian’s nightmare. USBE makes it easy for libraries: (1) either send all of your duplicate and surplus periodicals and serials, without notifying us in advance. Or, (2) send USBE a list of your duplicates and we’ll make selections and provide directions for shipping. USBE will pay the shipping charges on the items it selects.

University of Buffalo Libraries – Global Agency Clearinghouse

A central resource to provide donors contact information for institutions, agencies, and programs that desperately need educational materials and equipment but have little or no budget. Listings are organized geographically by world region or continent, followed by specific countries. Each entry also lists the mission of the entity and the types of materials and subject areas needed.

Jana Lieberman, MAC/MLA Honors & Awards Committee, janaliebermann@gmail.com

Do you know someone who is an inspiring MAC member (Mid-Atlantic Chapter/Medical Library Association)? Recognizing our colleagues is one of the highest honors we can bestow on our peers. The time to nominate your colleagues is now.

It is easy to nominate your fellow MAC member using our online form.

If you know a MAC member who has shown leadership or initiative in the field you can nominate them for one of these professional awards:

• MAC Librarian of the Year Award
• One-Person Library Recognition Award
• Marguerite Abel Service Recognition Award

Criteria for the awards can be accessed at http://macmla.org/awards.html.

The deadline for submitting nominations is August 15, 2011. A plaque and a cash award of $200.00 will be awarded to the recipients. Presentation of the awards is at the business meeting during the annual meeting..

This year it is easy to nominate your fellow MAC member using our online form!  Submit your nomination by completing the online form at

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/macaward2011.

Please contact Jana Liebermann at janaliebermann@gmail.com if you have any questions.

The Contributed Papers and Posters committees of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association (MLA) invite you to help us “Capitalize on our Strengths” by sending your   proposals for contributed papers and posters for the 2011 MAC MLA Annual Meeting in Richmond, Virginia from October 10 through 12, 2011 at the Omni Richmond Hotel in downtown Richmond. Papers and posters may range from innovative program descriptions to reports on collaborative outreach activities to behind the scenes technical innovation, from hospital library to academic library to special library. The new MAC Research & Assessment Committee is especially interested in learning about research in librarianship that might benefit from a grant, so we are encouraging presentations on research activities.  Contributed paper and poster topics are as unlimited as your imagination, talents, and creativity can devise.

There will be two contributed paper and two poster sessions:

• Contributed papers will be presented on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 from 10:45 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. and Wednesday, October 12, 2011 from 9:45 a.m. until 10:45 a.m.
• Poster sessions will be on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 from 3 p.m. until 4 p.m. and Wednesday, October 12, 2011 from 10:45 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. Each poster should have one person available during the session it is presented.

For both paper and poster abstracts, please submit a blinded abstract as well as your regular abstract.

For contributed paper proposals, submit a 300 word abstract to describe your paper. Include your name, position title, address, phone number, and email address. The abstract should be sent to: dlladd@vcu.edu; or Dana Ladd, Community Health Education Center Librarian, Community Health Education Center, 1200 East Marshall Street, Richmond, VA 23298-0582.

For poster proposals, submit a 300 word abstract to describe your poster. Include your name, position title, address, phone number, and email address. The abstract should be sent to: mehenderson@vcu.edu; or Margaret Henderson, Research & Education Librarian, Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, 509 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298-0582.

Abstracts are due June 15, 2011.

Use of a structured abstract is encouraged. For more information on writing a structured abstract, please see MLA’s Research Section’s “The Structured Abstract: An Essential Tool for Researchers.”

If your paper or poster describes a research project, please let us know, and if possible, let us know what type of research. For information on how to classify research, see “Inventory of Research Methods for Librarianship and Informatics,” published in the January 2004 issue of Journal of the Medical Library Association and available at PubMed Central. Please also consult the MLA Style Manual for guidance on style, spelling, and grammar.

by Donald A.B. Lindberg, M.D., Director, National Library of Medicine

I am very pleased to announce that effective Sunday, May 8, 2011, Michael F. Huerta, Ph.D., will join the NLM as Associate Director for Health Information Programs Development.

Dr. Huerta comes to us from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) where he serves as NIMH Associate Director for Scientific Technology Research.  Dr. Huerta has been a productive member of the NIH community since 1991, when he was appointed Chief of the Neural Systems Program, NIMH.  Since that time he has served in numerous leadership positions and roles to include Director, NIH National Database for Autism Research; Director, Office of Cross-Cutting Science and Scientific Technology, NIMH; and Associate Director, Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science, NIMH.  Dr. Huerta led the NIMH extramural and intramural efforts related to research and development of technologies including biomedical informatics, and he played a key role in developing the field of neuroinformatics.  Throughout his tenure at NIH, Dr. Huerta’s expertise has been specifically sought by the Office of the Director, NIH for a variety of highly visible and important initiatives such as the Human Brain Project, the National Database for Autism Research, the NIH Blue Print for Neuroscience Research, Small Business Research, and the Human Connectome Project, among others.  Prior to joining the NIMH, Dr. Huerta served as Assistant Professor at various academic institutions where he also conducted neuroanatomical and neurophysiological research.  Dr. Huerta earned his Ph.D. in Anatomy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Dr. Huerta’s expertise with many diverse research activities across NIH, informatics-related and otherwise, will be an asset to the NLM.

by Terri Ottosen, Consumer Health Outreach Coordinator, NN/LM, SE/A

If you’ve ever visited the NN/LM SE/A Region’s website state pages, you know the value of having information about each state in the Region at your fingertips. Whether you need the information for an award application or just need to locate your state’s resource libraries, this information has been compiled and regularly updated for our network members. If you’re thinking of applying for funding from our office for an outreach project, this information is particularly helpful for the background information section of the application. Demographic data that supports your request is readily available on these pages. We have such a unique and special region of the United States with a very active network membership. The staff of the SE/A office serves 13 states and/or territories: Alabama, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.

These state pages have now been added to the SEA Region’s LibGuides, called SEAGuides. Please see the previous article, “SEAGuides: NN/LM SE/A and LibGuides” in our newsletter, SEA Currents, about the adoption and use of these guides by NN/LM SE/A staff.  LibGuides makes it easy to update these state pages and offers “one stop shopping” for a variety of topics important to the network members. Categories of information for each state include:

• An overall description of the state, including the capitol, population, counties, etc.
• Public libraries
• Resource libraries with contact information
• Library Associations, consortia and local groups
• Library schools in the state (if any)
• Emergency preparedness & disaster recovery resources
• News information resources
• Demographic and statistical resources
• Health resources
• Specific population health information in the state such as African Americans, Native Americans, Women, etc.

Each of the SEAGuides available was given a “friendly URL” to make them easy to find. Please take a moment to look at your home state page. We are seeking input for additional resources to add to these pages. If you know of a resource that would be a helpful addition to these pages, please email any coordinator in the SEA office or send us an email: HSHSL-NLMsea@hshsl.umaryland.edu. You can also set up email alerts to your inbox whenever a new guide is published, whenever a guide with a certain tag is published, or whenever your favorite page author publishes a new guide.

To access all SEAGuides, please click on this link: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/

To access state pages, please click on these links:

Alabama: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/alabama

District of Columbia: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/dc

Florida: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/florida

Georgia: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/georgia

Maryland: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/maryland

Mississippi: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/mississippi

North Carolina: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/northcarolina

Puerto Rico: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/puertorico

South Carolina: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/southcarolina

Tennessee: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/tennessee

U.S. Virgin Islands: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/virginislands

Virginia: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/virginia

West Virginia: http://seaguides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/westvirginia

On behalf of NLM, the Regional Medical Library wishes to raise awareness of the need to protect and preserve special collections maintained by health sciences libraries and affiliated organizations from around SE/A. As part of our mission to preserve unique and historical collections by making them accessible, from time-to-time we offer the “Express Library Digitization Award” to full Network members in the NN/LM SE/A region. A special thanks to those award recipients because of their selfless acts of good stewardship. We also offer preservation resources information on our website. National, regional and local organizations wholly dedicated to cultural preservation, including the Heritage Foundation, the Society of American Archivists, American Institute for Conservation and the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts offer programs, publications, grants and continuing education.

However, in preparation for ALA Preservation Week in late April we want to encourage libraries to consider promoting and showcasing their special collections to the public If your library is planning on hosting any outreach/programming event during ALA Preservation Week- 2011 (which is the week of April 24th through April 30th), we’d appreciate hearing from you.  If you can by April 15th, please send PJ Grier a short message containing:

1) The name of the event

2) Date, Time and Location

3) A brief agenda

4) Is it open to the public?

5) And a contact name/email,  (for questions about the event)

The ALA has a website that features a wealth of information, resources and programming ideas about Preservation Week at: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alcts/confevents/preswk/index.cfm. The site contains free information for designing a press kit, for planning and promoting an event and ALA-sponsored online training. There, you will also find information on online training experiences including Mold Prevention and Remediation, Accidents Happen: Protecting & Saving Family Treasures, Preserving Your Personal Digital Memories and Archival 101: Dealing with Suppliers of Archival Products. Note that some online sessions were previously recorded.