11/04/2011

September/December, No.117-118


President's Page

I’m very excited to be stepping into the role of CAHSLA President for 2011-2012.  For those of you who may not know me, I’ve been at The Christ Hospital on and off for the past ten years and was promoted to the Electronic Resources Librarian position after finishing my Library Science degree from the University of Kentucky.  Regina Hartman, the Library Manager at Christ, has always encouraged us to be CAHSLA members and I’m really glad I’ve taken a more active role in the past couple of years – moving from Secretary to Vice-President, and now President.

I’m having a hard time resisting using a perhaps overused, but appropriate, literary quote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, …”  I think we’re all well-aware of why the “worst of times” is applicable in this age of funding and staffing issues that have hit libraries particularly hard, so I’m going to focus on the “best of times.”

We’ve already had an excellent membership meeting in late September organized by our Program Planning Committee.  This year, in lieu of an individual to fill the Vice-President position, several CAHSLA members have stepped up to fill the role of Program Planning Chair/Committee: Brigid Almaguer, Regina Hartman, Amy Koshoffer, Val Purvis, and Edith Starbuck.  Whenever I’m giving my CAHSLA “elevator speech” to a prospective new member, I always mention the strong camaraderie between the members, and I think the fact that there is always someone willing to step up and fill a void – regardless of their busy work and personal schedules – is a testimony to that fact.

In addition to the rest of the programming year, we’ve also decided to continue the CAHSLA TechConvo (formerly COCLS) meetings.  The TechConvo is one of my favorite perks of CAHSLA membership – look for my write-up of the upcoming meeting below.  Another big selling point of my CAHSLA marketing pitch is the fact that this group has been following and incorporating emerging technologies in their library work for over three decades!  I’m a huge advocate of using technology to make information access for library patrons as seamless as possible, and I hope the TechConvo meetings will continue to be a springboard for ideas to accomplish that goal and more.

I’m looking forward to another year of CAHSLA events, and I hope to see everyone at the holiday gathering this winter!

-- Emily Kean, President
 

CAHSLA Membership Meeting

Xavier University, Conaton Learning Commons

September 29, 2011 5:30-7:30



Attendees:  Brigid Almaguer, Kristen Burgess, Cathy Constance, Regina Hartman, Emily Kean, Amy Koshoffer, Lisa McCormick, Diana Osborne, Val Purvis, Barb Slavinski, and Edith Starbuck



Our program began with a tour of Xavier University’s newly constructed, renovated, and reorganized Conaton Learning Commons.  Amy Ensor, Director for Content Management, was our guide.  We were all impressed by the new surroundings including furniture, carpeting, a digital media center, group study areas, computer resources, reference desks and meeting spaces.



We had our dinner brought in from Aynies Deli by past president Regina Hartman.  Incoming president, Emily Kean, commenced our business meeting at 6:30PM. The agenda consisted of reports from the Program Committee (Val Purvis, Brigid Almaguer, Edith Starbuck, Regina Hartman, and Amy Koshoffer) and Treasurer, Cathy Constance.  We talked about Spring Grove Cemetery as a future meeting venue as well as the newly reopening Sign Museum.  Membership dues for 2011/2012 were given to the treasurer. 



Barb Slavinski opened the general discussion with a question about members experience with adding a library link to the EPIC form which could provide a resource for point-of-care information to patients about their various diagnoses. Val Purvis asked the group about their use of ILL eforms.  And we eventually began talking about marketing hospital libraries, etc… as we watched a dark storm roll in from the giant windows in our meeting room.  The meeting was swiftly adjourned and hopefully everyone made it to their cars before the rain deluge.



Brigid Almaguer, Secretary
 


CAHSLA TechConvo Corner

The CAHSLA TechConvo group (formerly COCLS) is an opportunity for CAHSLA members to meet informally to discuss emerging library technologies.  CAHSLA TechConvo also has a wiki space to share and add to our meeting notes.  If you would like access to the wiki, please go to the wiki URL and use the “Request Access” button to join: http://cahslatechconvo.pbworks.com/  Paid CAHSLA members are eligible for TechConvo membership.

The next TechConvo meeting will be November 14th from Noon to 1:30 at The Christ Hospital James N. Gamble Library.  The topic for this meeting will be journal subscription practices.  Sharon Purtee and Edith Starbuck from UC’s Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library will be present to discuss their paper presentation from Midwest MLA about managing journals by committee.  More info about their paper is available on the Midwest MLA conference site.

Other topics for discussion might include: monitoring usage of online journals; using e-metrics/online journal usage to make addition/deletion decisions; navigating print versus online subscription decisions; managing online journal activation, maintenance, access issues; cost-per-use analysis, etc.  Hope to see you there!

CAHSLA Financial Report 2010-2011

Checking Account                                                                                                                           Balance as of 6/9/2011                                                                                                                                 $2577.76

      Deposits
           Dues (8 regular)                                                                          $200.00
          
      Withdrawals
           Sept meeting, food & water                                                       $112.29
                                                                                                                                                
      Balance as of 10/28/2011                                                                                            $2665.47

Cash
      Balance as of 6/9/2011                                                                                                 $    35.52

      Withdrawals
          Postage                                                                                         $    1.80

      Balance as of 10/28/2011                                                                                            $    33.72


Total Assets                                                                                                                          $2699.19


Paid members
     Regular                          8
     Student                       
Life members                  12
Total                                  20


Submitted by:
Cathy Constance, Treasurer                                                                                                    

 

OHSLA Fall Meeting: “Information Anywhere”
The OHSLA Fall Meeting was held at the Kent State University Libraries on October 24, 2011.  Max Anderson, GMR Technology Coordinator taught “Information Anywhere”, a four-hour class on mobile devices for 4 MLA Continuing Education credits.  This well-attended class was an overview of mobile devices; what’s out there, who’s using them, how are they using them, how are we as individuals using them and specifically how our library users using them? 

The potential for mobile devices in the medical field are numerous and physicians who own smartphones or iPads continue to increase.  Potential uses include communication and disease management with patients, transmission of patient information, and access to patient histories at the point-of-care, plus much more.  Max also talked about existing applications in the areas of clinical, research and library, and productivity.   Among those featured were the NLM Mobile Applications at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mobile.

Attendees learned what is involved with creating mobile applications and websites and were given the opportunity to create a simple mobile website.   We were encouraged as well to think about where our libraries fit into this growing mobile world and what we can do for our library users. 

The class was very informative and thought-provoking.  Max Anderson provided an excellent overview of mobile devices, existing applications, potential developments, and ways that libraries can embrace and support mobile 
information and access.  

Edith Starbuck
University of Cincinnati Libraries
Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library


Midwest Chapter/MLA


CE – a summary -- Presented on Oct. 11, 2011 from 8:00 – 12:00 a.m.
Electronic Collection Development Planning
by Joy Kennedy, MLS
Northwest Community Hospital, Arlington Heights, IL

The objectives of the course included helping us to assess our need for electronic materials, revise a collection development policy that includes e-resources, review issues involving negotiating and licensing, discuss technological issues related to access and discuss future trends in electronic collection development.

There are many good reasons to develop an electronic vs a print collection.  Libraries can do away with broken copiers, a single copy of a book checked out, a section torn from a library book, access to materials after closing time.

An assessment must be made to define our users and their information needs.  The organization’s tolerance for risk, the technical support and the capabilities of the staff must be accounted for.  An evaluation of the current collection must also be made.

Advantages to an electronic collection include 24/7 access, simultaneous access, quick turn-around, no physical management of print, e-pub ahead of print, audio/video options, full-text searching of content, no claiming.  Disadvantages include set up, renewals & loss of access, missed issues, training users, changed interfaces, single vs aggregate, ip address changes, vendors vs aggregators, higher cost.

Policies for collection development must be made in a formal statement that allows for professional judgment.  The policy will set standards, form a framework for collection assessment, define staff accountability, provide a buffer against complaints, provide consistency over time.

Aggregators are typically not publishers but publishers are becoming their own aggregators.  Examples of aggregators are EBSCO, ProQuest, Ovid, Ingenta, OCLC First Search.  Aggregators of full-text often include database access (Cinahl) and direct linkage makes it easier for patrons to use.  Often they provide a large number of titles and often at a lower cost.  Disadvantages include less control of the collection by the library, ILLs may not be allowed by the provider, embargos can limit the most current materials, quality can be grainy or blurry. The true cost of the package can be tricky to determine. 

Purchasing directly from the publisher also has advantages and disadvantages.  Costs can be better negotiated, back files can be included, embargos are less likely, additional content can be provided.  However, dealing with individual publishers is time consuming and pricing can vary depending on your negotiating skills.  Often, universities have more power to negotiate than hospitals.

Working within a consortium can save money but can create its own set of challenges.  The members should have similar needs, someone must find potential members, signing a contract for multiple institutions can be complicated, diversity is reduced, someone must provide administrative functions such as billing and implementation.  Some publishers refuse to cooperate with a consortium.

Various providers of online articles were discussed such as Biomed Central, PubMed Central, and others such as Access Medicine, MD Consult. 

Electronic Book Aggregators and their platforms, features, advantages and disadvantages were considered.  There is usually an annual platform charge and it is often based on the number of concurrent users.  A special viewer might be required.  Companies we are familiar with included StatRef, R2, and Books@Ovid.  Negotiating license agreements should include a definition of the product as well as the responsibilities of both parties, what changes can be made.  Your institution’s legal department must review the license before signing. 

License agreements / contracts were discussed and a couple of “nevers” were mentioned.  Never agree to the laws of other states.  Never agree to mandatory or binding arbitration.  Desirable clauses include the provision of COUNTER compliant statistics, perpetual access, archival access, and remote or off-site access.

Link Resolvers, a software that works to make connecting to electronic collections smoother by transmitting data through hypertext links, can cross platforms and connect various vendors.  SFX (the first one), Serials Solutions, World Cat, Link Source from EBSCO, TDNet, Godot, UMLAUT and Link Solver from Ovid were discussed.  There are clearly many vendors and many factors to consider.  An evidence–based approach is best.

Remember: The wizard behind the curtain is keeping it all running!


QR Codes
Conglomerate of Poster Session and Presented Paper

QR Codes, or Quick Response Codes, generated a lot of interest at the conference.  The data imbedded in the QR Code contains data that can be captured from a smartphone or similar device.  The phone needs an app and the app can be loaded for free.  Creating the code can also be done for free.  A number of websites are available for both the app and for making your own QR codes.

QR Codes contain any variety of information.  It may contain a sound bite describing artwork or it may provide directions for how to use the copier, or even allow access to an e-book owned by the library.

Conventional bar codes can store about 20 digits (or bits) of information whereas QR Codes handle about 8,000 digits.  This increased capacity allows QR Codes to provide more content from textual to audiovisual.

The Ohio State Univ. HSL developed a plan to promote patron’s use of QR Codes after they placed the codes on book covers to alert users.  They continue to track usage of this innovative technology.  Tracking software is not typically found for free.

Here are a few websites for generating QR Codes.
          http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
          http://goqr.me/

Here is a site for a mobile app.

Here are a couple more where the speaker specific “for free”.
          www.qrstuff.com
          www.beQRious.com

Sounds fun, huh?

-- Val Purvis
 

CAHSLA is now tweeting         
A twitter account has been set up for CAHSLA.  Currently we are following six tweeters:  Krafty Librarian, Friends of the National Library of Medicine, NLM_newsroom, NLM_SIS, Medlineplus and the Pratt Library here in Cincinnati.  Also we currently have two followers.  Also a fav feed has been linked to our website.  The feed displays tweets we have marked as favorite.  We would love to hear suggested tweeters to follow, favorite tweets and ideas you have about making the best use of our account.  Contact Emily Kean or Amy Koshoffer with your thoughts.
Follow us at twitter.com/CAHSLA

MLA Webinar
Wright State University Libraries is pleased to host the next Medical Library Association (MLA) webinar, "Connection to e-Science and Team Science: the Changing Nature of Research."  If desired, participants can receive 1.5 MLA CE contact hours.

Additional information about the program and the presenters is available here:
http://mlanet.org/education/distance_ed/escience/escience_webinar.html

Date: Friday, November 18, 2011
Time: 2:00-3:30pm EST
Location: Paul Laurence Dunbar Library, Room 341

Cost: free!

Parking and directions to WSU:

http://www.wright.edu/administration/parking/visitor.html

http://www.wright.edu/university-maps/campus-maps

The sponsorship of this webcast site has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, under Contract No. HHSN-276-2011-00005C with the University of Illinois at Chicago.

If you plan on attending, please contact me at 937-775-3840 or bette.sydelko@wright.edu to let me know so I can be sure to have enough handouts available. And also enough refreshments!



Tech Flash
 Amazon:  Retailer, tech company … and library?
According to an article in the Seattle Business Courier by Aislyn Greene on 11/3/2011 when Amazon’s Kindle Fire is released November 15, “users will be able to borrow book for free through Amazon's new digital library.  Amazon.com has launched a Kindle lending library that lets Amazon Prime members with any Kindle device, including the upcoming Fire, borrow books from the retailer.”  Amazon announced that there will be 5,000 titles to start.  CEO Jeff Bezos, in a press release, stated “Prime Members now have exclusive access to a huge library of books to read on any Kindle device at no additional cost and with no due dates.”  Customers will be limited to “checking out” one book at a time using a Kindle app.  This app will only be available on  Kindle devices and no other type of ereaders will be able to provide this exclusive Amazon app.  Amazon Prime Members pay a $79 per year membership fee.

According to a Wall Street Journal article, the six largest U.S. publishers have refused to participate in Amazon’s lending library venture citing fears that the program would harm book sales.

In another recent development, Amazon recently launched a program that lets Kindle readers borrow titles from their local public libraries.


CAHSLA Colleagues

Congratulations

On September 2, 2011, Cecil and Emily Rahe celebrated their 60th (diamond) wedding anniversary with "dinner out" for two.  They received many cards, emails and phone calls from family and friends near and far.  Cecil and Emily are busy in many community volunteer activities, and we are grateful that they have remained such a vital part of CAHSLA.  We congratulate you, Emily and Cecil, on this amazing milestone and wish you much happiness in the years to come.

Kudos

Kristen Burgess, MSLS, is completing the second year of a National Library of Medicine (NLM) Associate Fellowship at the University of Cincinnati (UC) Health Sciences Library. The Associate Fellowship Program is a one-year postgraduate training program at the NLM with an optional second year. Kristen will focus on two primary areas during this year at UC: instruction and instructional design and the management and curation of e-only health sciences collections. Kristen's projects while at NLM include researching and planning recommendations for clinical coding system changes expected for MedlinePlus Connect, data analysis for the U. S National Resource Description and Access (RDA) Test, and legislative tracking. Kristen received her MSLS from the University of North Texas. She and her husband moved to Cincinnati from Atlanta, GA and are excited to explore the Midwest!
Emily Kean, MSLS, Electronic Resources Librarian at the James N. Gamble Library (TCH) is a co-author on a study recently published in the Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA), “Outreach impact study: the case of the Greater Midwest Region”  (J Med Libr Assoc. 2011 Oct;99(4):297-303.  PMID: 22022223).  Emily and co-authors presented a poster on the study in Minneapolis at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association.  “Objective: This project's goal is to engage library and information science (LIS) students in an outreach impact study. Students are conducting the study to determine the impact that National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region (NN/LM GMR), funding has on the ability of members to perform outreach on behalf of NN/LM. This project resulted from a subcontract from NN/LM GMR to the University of Kentucky School of LIS.

Lisa McCormick, MSLS, Library Manager at The Jewish Hospital was recently named the 2011 Excellence in Mission Award winner for Mercy Health Southwest Ohio Region (SWO).  “The Excellence in Mission Award is intended to recognize one person from each region whose performance in their work is a particularly evident reflection of the mission.  The recipient of the CHP (Catholic Health Partners) Excellence in Mission Award is chosen from among seven regional honorees, each of whom has been selected by his or her colleagues.”  Alas, Lisa did  not  receive the CHP award.  At the awards ceremony, however, in the introductions, she was described as being the manager of a “critical asset” – the library -  to Jewish Hospital’s research and GME programs.  As a follow-up to the Excellence in Mission Award, Lisa will be described in an employee engagement campaign.  The following is the copy for the campaign: "Although Lisa McCormick does not prescribe medications or perform surgeries, her job in the Health Science Library is just as important as those on the front lines of health care; behind every request for research and data, Lisa knows there is a patient and family in need. As a participant in Leadership Rounds, Lisa has the privilege of checking on patients in the Cardiovascular Unit. Seeing the twinkle in the eye of the patient whose health is improving, because of research she provided a physician gives Lisa the satisfaction of knowing that she is a part of a bigger team that is providing the best possible care to all patients." 

Welcome  

We extend a warm welcome to Tiffany Hammer who began working at the Edward L. Pratt Library of Children’s Hospital Medical Center in July as a Library Assistant.  She previously worked  at the Oxford Lane Library and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.  Melida Busch, Director of the Pratt Library writes: “Though born in Honolulu, Tiffany is a long-time Cincinnatian. She received her Master’s in Library and Information Science from Kent State University in 2008.  Tiffany shares her newly purchased home with her two cats Ducky and Batman.”

Library News

Melida Busch also writes:  I would also like to let CAHSLA members know that we are on both Facebook and Twitter and would love to have local libraries and individuals join us:
 http://facebook.com/prattlibrary
 http://twitter.com/pratt_library

News from Retired Colleagues

From Barbarie Hill:  I'm enjoying the beautiful fall weather and planning my next gardening projects.  Our new grandbaby has arrived, and we are in NJ for a couple of days to meet her. Corinne Emilia Hill is adorable, of course, and we're just cuddling her and watching her every move.  Jason and Angela are proud parents.


On the Web

“Dr. Google Will See You Now”
According to a recent survey conducted by Wolters Kluwer Health, about 46% of physicians frequently use search engines like Google and Yahoo to look up information on diagnoses and treatments.  More than 300 physicians belonging to the American Medical Association participated in the survey.
Researchers asked physicians about how they obtained information for diagnosis and treatment and found that:
  • 68% of respondents said they consult professional journals; 
  • 60% said they discuss the issues with colleagues; 
  • 46% said they use search engines like Google and Yahoo; 
  • 42% said they use conferences and events; and 
  • 42% said they use no-cost online services like WebMD.

“Just the facts, Ma’am”  Library Theft Report in Blue Ash Police Blotter
Police reports can be the source of interesting information on our community and its residents.  Recently, an online Blue Ash Community Press article highlighted the findings of reporter, Jeanne Houck in the article:   From stabbed air conditioners to Armani thefts, Blue Ash police see it all.   Saturday, August 06, 2011 5:25:31 PM  www.cincinnati.com
One report Houck discovered related to the theft of a library card.  Houck writes, A woman at UC Blue Ash College, until recently called Raymond Walters College, decided she needed someone with a badge when her library card from the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County went missing. The police report valued the card at $2, an amount sure to raise the ire of librarians who believe access to books is priceless.”

Pardon the Error
The number of retracted journal papers rose 15-fold in 10 years according to data compiled by the Wall Street Journal and Thomson Reuters.  In 2010, as stated in the report, 339 retraction notices were published in research journals, representing a more than 15-fold increase from 2001, when only 22 notices were published. Some journals say the increase means publications have gotten better at detecting errors, helped in part by new software that can determine instances of plagiarism. However, others say journals are more willing to publish questionable findings because of competition between publications and between researchers. For the full article, Mistakes in Scientific Studies Surge by Gautam Naik August 10, 2011.


According to a recent article in Wired Magazine teachers in the mid-1950’s asked the questions, “Why can’t Johnny read?”  Today’s teacher is asking “Why can’t Johnny search?”  Clive Thompson, Wired Magazine, on November 11, reviewed some of the issues confronting educators in terms of the inability of students to critically evaluate the information they find online.  Thompson summarized a recent study out of the College of Charleston that demonstrated that these ‘digital natives,’ when given a research task, go straight to Google and take the first “low hanging fruit” they are presented.

Thompson writes, “Who’s to blame?  Not the students.  If they’re naive at Googling, it’s because the ability to judge information is almost never taught in school.  Under 2001’s No Child Left Behind Act, elementary and high schools focus on prepping their pupils for reading and math exams.  And by the time kids get to college, professors assume they already have this skill.  The buck stops nowhere. This situation is surpassingly ironic, because not only is intelligent search a key to everyday problem-solving, it also offers a golden opportunity to train kids in critical thinking.”  

Thompson goes on to describe the efforts of library professionals to teach critical thinking skills for searching.  “Consider the efforts of Frances Harris, librarian at the magnet University Laboratory High School in Urbana, Illinois. (Librarians are our national leaders in this fight; they’re the main ones trying to teach search skills to kids today.)”

Though his conclusions are not new, they remind us of the importance of continuing to offer students a range of instruction (from beginning to refresher)  on identifying credible information on the web.  For the full text of the article, please go to Clive Thompson on Why Kids Can’t Search  You may also wish to read a response to this article by Peter Pappas Why Johnny Can't Search - a Response
                                 
                                                                                                                          

6/16/2011

June 2011, No. 116


President’s Page

It has been a busy and productive CAHSLA year!  Typically, this final column of the president is an opportunity to review our accomplishments and thank all of those who developed and presented our programs.  It is also the usual time to pass the gavel on to the new CAHSLA president.  However, this year the gavel passing will be a bit different.  I’ll get to that shortly.


My first priority is to thank the Executive Committee and the Program Committee for making my job so easy.  Brigid Almaquer faithfully documented our meetings as Secretary.  Cathy Constance tracked our expenses and provided an updated directory of members.  Amy Koshoffer provided her wisdom on many occasions and conducted the election of new officers.  Emily Kean and the Program Committee developed many quality meeting that offered opportunities to enhance our knowledge and stay connected with our colleagues.   Amy and Emily have some exciting plans for revamping COCLS so that we have ongoing opportunities to review new technologies for our libraries.  They will also be unveiling the CAHSLA Wiki very soon.  Barbarie Hill, though retired, continues to support the organization, along with Lisa McCormick, by producing the CAHSLA Chronicle. 


Faced with the realities of a smaller active membership, our members indicated their wish for the organization to continue despite the fact we could not offer a candidate for President Elect for this year’s election.  Instead, as in 2006, we will have a program planning committee.  The membership also supported an increase in our dues realizing that expenses have risen while the dues have remained the same for nearly a decade.  Please see Amy Koshoffer’s election report elsewhere in the Chronicle.


I cannot end this column without expressing my delight in our end-of-the year picnic.  The picnic, set in the beautiful Daniel Drake Park, is a reminder of what makes CAHSLA so special to all of us.  It was a time to gather for conversation, enjoy some fabulous dishes prepared by members, and share a lot of laughter.  It reminds me of family reunions where you only have the chance to see some members of the extended family one timer per year.  Just like those reunions, even though time has intervened, you pick up the conversation just where it left off, as if no time had passed.


Thank you to all of the membership for your continued support of the association.  Have a great summer, and we will see you in the fall.  Let me leave you with this delightful quote, “Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. “ Sam Keen.  Here’s to a respectable summer!



CAHSLA Business Meeting Minutes  
Christ Hospital Classroom 4

May 4, 2011 5:30-7:15 p.m.
Speaker: Mary Jenkins, Director - Hamilton County Law Library

Attendees:  Brigid Almaguer, Cathy Constance, Mike Douglas, Regina Hartman, Emily Kean, Amy Koshoffer, Sharon Purtee, Val Purvis, Edith Starbuck


Speaker & Dinner 6:00 - 6:30 p.m.


The speaker portion of the annual business meeting opened with a short video presentation by Mary Jenkins introducing us to her library.  The Hamilton County Law Library is located downtown at Main and Central Parkway on the top floor.  It serves county employees, the general public and users who pay to subscribe to its services.  There are 1600, mostly lawyer and law firm, members.   There are 7 staff members that provide library services from 7:30-4:30PM by phone (946-5300), email or in person.  Mary said that we should feel free to call them for guidance if we have legal questions from our patrons. Examples of types of (health and medicine) subjects they deal with are living wills, medical malpractice, HIPAA, health care reform, expert witnesses, personal injury and products liability.


Business Meeting 6:30-7:15 p.m.


CAHSLA President, Regina Hartman, welcomed us to the business meeting and provided the delicious spaghetti dinner including Emily’s tossed salad, kale salad and dressing, bread and bakery cookies.


First on the agenda was “approval of minutes” from our last meeting in March which was the ProQuest training session by Edward Loera at Christ Hospital.  Regina mentioned that Mr. Loera will return in August to discuss RefWorks if anyone is interested.


Next on the agenda, Cathy Constance, Treasurer, briefed us on the discussion about the CAHSLA checking and savings accounts.  After some deliberation, we may choose to close the savings account due to escalating fees and maintain a checking account only. Cathy also reported that there are currently 30 paid members of CAHSLA and 11 life members. The treasury currently holds $2727.09.


Emily Kean, Program Chair, discussed ideas for meetings next year as well as the increasing difficulty in finding new venues which are affordable.  Brigid Almaguer offered Cincinnati State’s The Summit restaurant as a possibility if their student dinners coincide with CAHSLA meeting dates next year. Still coming up this year are the May 23 COCLS meeting and the summer picnic at Drake Park on June 9th


Amy Koshoffer announced the slate of candidates for the upcoming election:

Vice President/ President Elect – open; Secretary-Brigid Almaguer; and Treasurer- Cathy Constance.  Emily Kean is the current Vice President/President Elect, so she will serve as president next year.
New business included a discussion of a membership dues increase – Amy will prepare a ballot for that vote.  


We also discussed meeting planning options if a Program Chair is not found.  The following people volunteered to help in the absence of a chair – Val Purvis, Brigid Almaguer, Edith Starbuck, Regina Hartman and Amy Koshoffer. Emily would like us to consider creating a Program budget to guide that committee as they plan for the year.


Regina  Hartman volunteered along with Sharon Purtee and Amy Koshoffer to work on revising the CAHSLA bylaws and procedures manuals in the coming year.
Respectfully Submitted, Brigid Almaguer, Secretary

CAHSLA 2011 Election Results                                                       June 8, 2011


  1. Officers:             26 for a committee                           2 against Both Brigid and Cathy were re-elected unanimously.
  1. Issue 1 Dues increase: Passed with a 96% yes (23/24 for 1/24 against)

One Comment: I support this idea because so many expenses have gone up while the dues have remained constant.  I don't feel the dues increase to be unreasonable.



CAHSLA Meeting Minutes
End of the Year Picnic – June 09, 2011

Attendees:  Brigid Almaguer (and daughter Marisa), Cathy Constance, Regina Hartman (and daughter Gabrielle), Emily Kean, Amy Koshoffer (and daughters Isabella and Vianne), Sandy Mason, Lisa McCormick (and poodles Sophie and Latte), Diana Osborne,  Sharon Purtee,  Val Purvis, Cecil Rahe, and Emily Rahe. 


The CAHSLA End of the Year Picnic was once again held at the Daniel Drake Park in Kennedy Heights.  It was a potluck dinner this year which worked very well.  Any recipes can be added to the CAHSLA wiki!


The business meeting was called to order at 6:45 by President Regina Hartman
Amy Koshoffer announced that the elected officers for next year are: Emily Kean, President; Program Committee in lieu of Vice-President/President Elect (see below); Cathy Constance, Treasurer; and Brigid Almaguer, Secretary.


The following members offered to be on the Program Committee for 2011-12: Val Purvis, Brigid Almaguer, Edith Starbuck, Regina Hartman and Amy Koshoffer.


Amy also provided us with the results of our election stating that the dues increase was passed.


Lisa McCormick extended the Chronicle deadline to Wednesday, June 15.


Regina presented the outgoing officers with beautiful flowers.  Regina was given a thank you card for her year as President.


The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.


Submitted by Brigid Almaguer, Secretary

CAHSLA Annual Financial Report 2010-2011

Checking Account Balance as of 6/17/2010                                      $ 179.62
Deposits

   Dues (29 regular, 1 student)                   $443.00

   Transfer from savings                             $200.00

   Transfer from closed savings account    $2347.92

 

Withdrawals
   Shipping Meredith’s books                     $ 14.60

   Findley Market Fund donation                $ 75.00

   Oct meeting – food                               $160.00

   Holiday party –games, door prizes          $ 40.00

   -- donation to Taft Historical Site             $ 75.00
 
   --food, beverages                                  $138.18
   President’s gift                                      $ 50.00

   Drake Park shelter rental for June picnic  $ 40.00


Balance as of 6/13/2011                                     $2577.76


Savings Account

 

Balance as of 6/17/2010                                     $2581.43

Deposits

   Interest – 11 mo.                                 $ 2.49


Withdrawals





   Transfer to checking                         $200.00
   Low balance service charge (3)          $ 36.00 

   Account closed, insufficient for minimum balance $2347.92

Balance as of 6/13/2011                                    $ 0.00


Cash


Balance as of 6/17/2010                                 $ 35.52

Balance as of 6/13/2011                                 $ 35.52


Total Assets                                                                      $2613.28


Paid members

Regular 29
Student 1
Life members 11
Total 41

Submitted by:

Cathy Constance, Treasurer 6/13/2011






A Fascinating Read Put This Book on Your “To Read” List

Brigid Almaquer (Cincinnati State’s Johnnie Mae Berry Library) highly recommends
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee which was just reviewed in the June 8, 2011 issue of JAMA (305(22):2357-2358).  According to the review, The Emperor of All Maladies “is an extraordinary, Pulitzer Prize–winning treatise on cancer. With copious research, insight, and great literary panache, the author describes the biography of cancer, from the beginning of recorded time to the present. He starts by taking readers back to the time of the Queen Atossa of Persia (approximately 530 BCE), who may have had breast cancer—cancer that may have been excised by her slave, at least based on the author's interpretations from the literature.”

The book also covers the lives of some of the “giants” of modern cancer treatment, such as Dr. Sidney Farber a Harvard University pediatric pathologist who was the founder of Boston’s Children’s Cancer Research Foundation, now known as the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  Farber revolutionized the treatment of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia which, at one time, was always fatal. 

According to the JAMA review, “The book explores the growth of parallel sciences, including radiology and radiation therapy initiated through the work of Roentgen. The history of chemical dyes for histochemical staining by the Nobel Laureate Paul Ehrlich, the hijacking of such chemicals for warfare, and subsequently the retrieval of one of these war gases (nitrogen mustard) as chemotherapy for Hodgkin disease is described in vivid detail…  Lastly, in addition to being a biography of cancer, the book is likewise a biography of patients … including Robert Sandler, the first of Farber's patients to achieve remission from ALL and to whom the book is generously dedicated. “

The reviewer concludes her review by stating, “The Emperor of All Maladies enables readers to remember and honor the struggle against cancer, the personalities (and their foibles) behind the achievements, and the battles against institutional resistance and inertia. It is an extraordinary book, providing thrilling details of the history of cancer, compassion for patients and healers, and hope for the future.”

The Jewish Hospital Health Sciences Library has a copy on order, and they would be happy to loan it to any CAHSLA member.  In case you wish to purchase the book, here is the bibliographic information:  The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee.  592 pp, $30.  New York, NY, Simon & Schuster, 2010    ISBN-13: 978-1-439107-95-9 .
 
 
MLA Annual Meeting 2011 

Janet Doe Lecture: “Breaking the Barriers of Time and Space: The Dawning of the Great Age of Librarians” 

Scott Plutchak, also known as “The Man in Black” and as a member of the world’s “first open access librarian band, The Bearded Pigs” was this year’s Janet Doe Lecturer.  

As the program states, [the] “Janet Doe lecturers are chosen for their unique perspectives on the history or philosophy of medical librarianship.”    Plutchak, associate professor and director Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, University of AlabamaBirmingham brought his unique perspective to this year’s Doe lecture. 

Plutchak has a long history of service to MLA, including being editor of the Journal of the Medical Library Association from 2000-2006.  For followers of MEDLIB-L, he often posts insightful and debate inspiring commentaries on the list.  He is a speaker with great natural abilities making the audience comfortable and ready to be a part of the conversation.

In his lecture, Plutchak ably put into context the current upheaval and identity crisis facing institutional libraries and librarians.  He reminded us that the transition from hand-written manuscripts to Gutenberg’s moveable type led to the social and cultural revolution of sixteenth century Europe, which included a revolution for institutional libraries.  These libraries faced an identity crisis:  historically they were the keepers and gatekeepers of scarce manuscripts, and Gutenberg’s printing press brought the book to the masses.  Renaissance librarians had to redefine their role in the wake of the printed book revolution.

Today’s knowledge revolution (or is it evolution?) challenges us, according to Plutchak, to see libraries as merely collections of objects.  Librarians are not solely about preserving or warehousing objects but are about “connecting people to knowledge.”  Library collections are merely a tool librarians use to bring people together with intellectual content of the past and present.  Our goal as professionals is to use our well honed skills for the communities we serve.  We are not defined by the physical space and collections we manage, rather we are defined by our knowledge and skills of connecting people to content.

Plutchak maintains that the physical library is still relevant, however, we need to   redeploy it as space for collaborative interactions with easy access to our knowledge tools – books, media, and the web, cloud computing, etc.  He also exhorts librarians to bring their skills to an area that has yet to be fully organized for data mining – locally developed repositories and the grey literature.  Librarians, he states, are uniquely equipped to help filter or cut through the digital clutter, which for our many customers turns out to be “an overload of needles, not a needle in a haystack.”
This is, according to Plutchak, “the great age of librarians.”  We are on the cusp of a new age, and we must realize that we won’t get it right the first time.  We are confronting distinctive challenges created by our new knowledge tools, so we are bound not to get it right the first time.  We are all muddling through together, and we will learn from our mistakes.  This IS the great age of librarians, and as Lucretia McClure, the nation’s longest serving medical librarian once said, “Money talks but people count.”  Our profession is defined by our human capital – these are the people who count in this great new age of librarians.

Lisa McCormick 

MLA’11: Rethinking technology

The theme of this year’s MLA annual meeting was “rethink.” This was my first chance to attend the annual meeting, and I was especially excited about the prospect of attending the technology panels and events.


The biggest technology draw for the conference was the Top Tech Trends V panel sponsored by the Medical Informatics Section. As the name implies, this was the fifth year that the annual conference has had a panel discussing emerging technologies in medical librarianship. For this year, Michelle Kraft was the moderator and the panelists were Amy Chatfield, Eric Schnell, Emily Hurst, Emily Morton-Owens, and Bart Ragon.


Amy Chatfield from the University of Southern California presented several online productivity and scheduling tools, such as
Meet-O-Matic and WhenIsGood. She highlighted Presdo as a tool that can be integrated with Google calendars, and doodle as an online scheduling tool that can be used anonymously. Time Bridge was also mentioned as a tool that can be used to synchronize document attachments amongst multiple participants. Amy also gave some examples of project management tools, such as Manymoon, which bills itself as “the social productivity platform for managing projects,” and can be incorporated with LinkedIn to monitor tasks and due dates. Additional collaboration tools such as MixedInk for voting on project document changes and Crocodoc for commenting, editing, and filling out PDFs were also discussed.

Eric Schnell from The Ohio State University presented on his
blog post from earlier this year about whether libraries should create native or web apps. A native app uses the full functionality of the device and can be used on- or offline, where a web app involves uploading to a web service. Eric also mentioned Boopsie as a contractor with library experience for those libraries wishing to have a mobile presence but who may not have the in-house staff to develop an app.

Emily Hurst from the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center presented on the importance of using data visualization in reporting and communicating data. She discussed several ways to overcome “emotionless data representation” and stressed the importance of standardizing data before the visualization process. Some beginner resources that were mentioned include
Wordle for creating word clouds, Gapminder for manipulating existing datasets, and LigerCat as a visualization tool for PubMed results.

Emily Morton-Owens from New York University described a problem that is all too familiar to anyone using Google these days: a trend she called “adversarial information retrieval” or the explosion of content farms, such as Answer.com, Ask.com, and ehow.com, showing up as the top results in online searches. She referenced a Slate.com
article that describes how the process works and mentions Google’s response to combat this problem by changing its algorithm. The Slate article also points out that one of the most prolific content farms is actively using the words “health,” “healthy”, etc. as tags for its low quality articles, making this an issue which affects medical librarians, especially those educating consumers (and possibly healthcare professionals, as well) about quality information retrieval.

Finally, Bart Ragon from the University of Virginia presented a more philosophical presentation on the adaptation of networking technologies, using the proliferation of content on-demand services such as Netflix as an example. He mentioned online services such as
Flipboard, an iPad app that allows users to congregate magazine content and social media in a personalized interface. In the medical library realm, he discussed the New England Journal of Medicine’s video content and PowerPoint slide availability, as well as mentioning Elsevier’s journal Cell as the “journal of the future” for its multi-media content and collaborative capabilities. He finished by discussing the implications of these emerging trends for libraries, such as licensing for concurrent users, ability for online downloads, and accessibility and availability of online/digital content.

In general, from the Top Tech Trends panel and the rest of the conference, I took away a much stronger desire to facilitate ease of use of our electronic resources for our patrons. I’m eager to continue strengthening the technology behind the scenes to make accessing quality information appear seamless for our patrons, all the while continuing to improve our branding and library marketing so users know the resources are being provided to them by librarians. For no matter how great emerging technology trends may be, as Lucretia McClure says, “a thinking librarian is the best resource in the library.”


Emily Kean


SWON Libraries

The Executive Board of SWON Libraries is pleased to introduce you to our new Executive Director, Melanie A. McDonald. Melanie has worked in school, academic and special libraries and is a graduate of the University of Illinois’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science. In addition to libraries, Melanie has worked in the business and non-profit sectors specializing in outreach, process improvement, change management, innovation leadership, new service/product development and mentoring.

Melanie is a member of ALA and SLA where she served for two years on the board of the Military Libraries Division as Corporate Member. She is the inaugural Spread the Word columnist for Documents to the People (DTTP), the journal of the Government Documents Round Table of ALA.

Says McDonald, “I’m very excited to be joining SWON Libraries at this pivotal time for libraries in the state of Ohio and Kentucky. So many people need us more than ever and our responses, the decisions we make now, can have a major positive impact on our futures. Looking forward to meeting and listening to all of our members over the coming year.”



CAHSLA Colleagues

Emily Kean (J N Gamble Library The Christ Hospital), Leslie Schick (UC HSL), and Lisa McCormick (The Jewish Hospital HSL) attended the MLA’11 conference in Minneapolis, MN.


Jane Thompson (retired UC HSL) writes:
OK, news from the golden shores of the Midwest Retiree:
We recently took two trips, one to the Outer Banks/DC and one to the heart of the Midwest, Mattoon, Illinois. Both were occasioned by the deaths of youngish family members of my husband's, one was his sister and the other was a cousin whom we had not seen for some time, but had fond memories of her. The Outer Banks trip took us to Ocracoke Island, at the southernmost tip of the Banks. There were many people who journeyed down to scatter ashes on the beach at sunset, including one of our daughters and her s.o., so we had a mini-get together with them, and also reminenced about our previous beach days. Ocracoke is a tiny town, with a beautiful beach and many B&Bs, a good family place. People were constantly out walking or biking on the main road (speed limit for cars is 25 mph). The restaurants are surprisingly good and plentiful. No bookstores that I saw, but there is a good one in Buxton, several miles away that provides a good excuse for an auto trip.

We concluded this trip by driving to Washington to visit old friends and take in the American Indian Museum. I would recommend this museum even if you are not particularly interested in Indian artifacts. It was designed in collaboration with members of the various tribes represented, and they chose the design of the exhibits, the objects displayed, and approved the texts. I thought we would zip through and then eat at the restaurant, which has quickly achieved a reputation for wonderful food, which it deserves. We wound up staying in the exhibits for several hours. There were 6 of us, and we would gather at the set time to meet, then drift off to see "one more thing" until the afternoon was nearly over. Fortunately we ate first.

Our Midwest experience took us to Mattoon, Illinois, The one the only, as a graffiti near the public library stated. Cincinnati is not the midwest! Out there, people are very close to their farming experience, and are very proud of having grown up on the farm. Of course, many of those farms are now subdivisions, but that agrarian way of life is still with them. We visited one of the cousins who is 90 now, lives in a retirement community, and is still fiercely independent. We talked about politics, the good and bad of retirement living, the need for more inter-generational relationships, etc. etc. Old people have a lot more to offer than just warnings about getting old. I did not visit any libraries or bookstores. I didn't have the time to winkle out the bookstores, and didn't have time to stop at the two Carnegie libraries I saw, which I truly enjoy doing, to see how other people handle their collections, especially in these hard times.

We are planning a trip out to see Dorothy and Maury Gilroy before such a trip is too much. We have many friends along the way, so driving is the practical method, plus flying just makes me angry. That will be another report from the fields. In the meantime, stay cool, keep calm and carry on!

In the Literature

Sickness sleuths use social media to spot and track trends

Social media sites—including Facebook, Google, Twitter, Foursquare, and Wikipedia—are changing how epidemiologists discover and track the spread of disease, according to a June 13th
New York Times article.

Public health officials historically would investigate outbreaks with diagnostic kits and by gathering test results and data without telling the public that investigations were under way or announcing the results for months. Now, new technology is allowing more individuals to get involved in the disease-hunting process, and more epidemiologists are considering using social networking sites to track pathogens, the Times reports.


In the past few years, researchers have identified regional spikes in seasonal flu at least one week before CDC by tracking online search queries and following Twitter streams. In addition, researchers are using Craigslist data to try to identify patterns of sexual behavior associated with an increase in syphilis cases.


Leveraging social media's disease tracking potential


John Brownstein, an assistant pediatrics professor at Harvard Medical School, teamed up with Clark Freifeld, a software developer, to design
HealthMap, a website that pinpoints global health outbreaks in real time by scouring the Internet for disease reports. It looks at local news articles, blogs, Twitter, and official CDC and World Health Organization reports. In a related mobile application, called Outbreaks Near Me, users can detect where infectious hazards are found. Brownstein also is working with CDC and Google to develop online tracking tools for dengue fever.

According to Philip Polgreen, director of the Infectious Diseases Society of America's emerging infections network, social media can present a trove of new data and should become an important addition to traditional disease surveillance, especially for new and emerging conditions with little or no historical information.


Skeptics raise concerns


Meanwhile, skeptics of using social media to track diseases say Internet-based searches can be unproductive and spread large amounts of misinformation. Other opponents say that using social media can provide only the illusion of better disease tracking, noting that it is difficult to ensure that resources are pooling an even amount of information from different areas. In addition, online data can be skewed, as most social networking users live in urban areas and tend to be younger, according to the Times (Garrity, Times, 6/13).


Original source:
www.advisoryboard.com June 15, 2011


175 Years of Advancing Biomedical Knowledge by Anita Slomski

JAMA; June 1, 2011; 305(21): 2158.
Slomski offers a short history of NLM focusing on the advances made primarily under the leadership of Donald A. B. Lindberg, MD “…a pioneer in the application of computers to medicine. Lindberg came to the NLM in 1984 from the University of Missouri, where he was a professor of information science and pathology. “ Slomski reviews the developments that enabled the creation of PubMed. Other NLM contributions to scientific knowledge that Slomski mentions are The Visible Human Project, the Clinical Trials Registry, Disaster Response and the Human Genome.
 
For the full article, http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/305/21/2158.full