A few years ago, I had an opportunity to hear futurist Andrew Zolli speak. According to his web site, Zolli is a “well-known expert in global foresight and innovation, studying the complex trends at the intersection of technology, sustainability and global society that are shaping our future. He is widely recognized as a writer, thinker, commentator and speaker on futures-related topics.” He is also the curator of PopTech and a Fellow of the National Geographic Society. As a self-proclaimed “trend geek,” I am always fascinated by what he has to say.

A few years back, he started talking about trends in textbooks and self-publishing. His premise was that it was just a matter of time before everyone could become authors and create their own texts. When this line of thought is coupled with national discussions regarding textbook affordability, it seems that a change in textbook publishing is imminent. It has been my belief for a number of years that we are on the verge of faculty “creating” their own textbooks composed of useful book chapters and articles as opposed to expensive textbooks. This is a very exciting concept, as it would allow faculty to add or delete material based on need and advances in a field.

Lo and behold on October 9th, the Chronicle of Higher Education published an article entitled, “New Digital Tools Let Professors Tailor Their Own Textbooks for Under $20.” Without the engagement of the big five textbook publishers mentioned in the article, there may be limitations as to what can be accomplished. In addition, the scientific, technical, and medical (STM) publishing industry will present its own challenges. But as open source, open access, and public access models continue to evolve, opportunities will grow.

The HS/HSL staff, having weathered both journal evolution from print to “e” and the scholarly publishing model moving from ownership to licensure, may have some particular talents to support this textbook creation shift. We work closely with faculty to identify information needs through both our liaison and consultation programs. We are experts at finding the right information. We have expertise, through our course reserves, copyright clearance, and lending and borrowing operations to acquire and make information available. And potentially, these new “textbooks” could be located on our web site or within our archive. This is something that clearly bears watching.

Anyone out there interested?

Take a break and join us at the Library for refreshments on Wednesday, October 26th, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., to celebrate National Medical Librarians Month.

Mix and mingle with the librarians of HS/HSL and learn about all the different ways we can work together with students and faculty to enhance the work you do!

Need a break from the academic grind? Don’t miss “Halloween with Harry,” an HS/HSL event that accompanies the Library’s current exhibit, Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine.

Halloween with Harry
Monday, October 31, 2011 from 3:00 – 4:00 pm in the HS/HSL Weise Gallery

Enjoy Halloween treats and celebrate Harry Potter with the HS/HSL (costumes optional).  Complete the Potter Puzzle before or during the event for a final chance to win one of four $25 gift certificates!

Harry Potter’s World is on display in the HS/HSL Weise Gallery through November 5th. The exhibit uses materials from the National Library of Medicine to explore Harry Potter’s magical world and its roots in Renaissance science. For more information, visit the Gallery web page or call 410.706.7996.

The publishing of quality information created with integrity is important to everyone from the scientist to the consumer. On October 18th, over 70 people gathered to listen to experts on the topic of publishing ethics and to participate in a thoughtful discussion. M.J. Tooey, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Executive Director of the HS/HSL said it would be “a thought provoking and thoughtful day,”—and it was! The speakers were excellent and the issues very relevant. The topic was viewed from several perspectives.

Mark Seeley, Senior VP and General Counsel, Elsevier Publishing, and GertJan Geraeds, Executive Publisher, Elsevier, presented the publisher’s view. Seeley spoke about what Elsevier is doing to standardize their approach to publishing ethics, while Geraeds provided a more general look at ethics and the publisher. Visit Elsevier’s Publishing Ethics Resources Kit (PERK) for more information.

Dr. Steven D. Munger, Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine approached the issue from the viewpoint of the researcher. His insightful presentation compared academic research to a business and discussed the variety of stresses that research faculty face.

Dr. Ellen Silbergeld, Editor-in-Chief, Environmental Research, and Professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins, presented the issue from a global perspective, beginning with a look at the “scientific commons.” Dr. Geraldine Pearson, Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), provided an overview on COPE and how editors can use them as a support mechanism. Guidelines and flowcharts to assist editors can be found on the COPE web site.

Videos of the event are located in the UM Digital Archive.

The HS/HSL Scholarly Communications Series is dedicated to providing our campus community with insightful programs that address current issues in this area. If you have suggestions for topics, please AskUs.

Look for the next event in Spring 2012!

The University offers several transportation services to help you get safely to your destination. Consider using the Caravan, the Escort Patrol Vehicle, or a Campus Police walking escort when leaving the Library at night.

Additionally, Campus Police provides a 24-hour daily walking escort service to areas on campus not covered by the Escort Patrol Vehicle. To request a walking escort, call Campus Police at 410.706.6882.

In the next few weeks, the Reference Department will be upgrading our AskUs! service using LibAnswers software.

This new platform has a built-in knowledge base that allows you to search and find relevant answers as soon as you start typing a question. It will bring together email, chat, and even texting to offer multiple ways to communicate with our Reference staff and find the answers you need.

Watch for more details on the HS/HSL home page soon.

Not sure what type of apps you should be using with your Blackeberry, iPhone, or iPad? In this 30-minute workshop, we will introduce you to different medical apps that can be used on a variety of mobile devices. Apps to be introduced include PubMed on Tap, Calculate by QxMD, Micromedex Drug Interactions, and RefMobile.

This workshop will take place on Tuesday November 8th, from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. Workshops are free for all University of Maryland faculty, students, and staff, and UMMC Staff. For full workshop descriptions and registration, visit our Workshops web page.

On October 18th, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Information Resources (GIR) and Group for Research Advancement and Development (GRAND), along with the Association of Academic Health Science Libraries (AAHSL) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM), hosted a summit to identify the infrastructure needed to support the digital research enterprise today and in the future. The summit brought together librarians, chief information officers and researchers. Alexa Mayo, Associate Director for Services, participated in the summit.

Topics of discussion included issues of data curation, data management, research metrics, data storage, high performance computing and other computing support, warehousing and secondary use of clinical data, training needs, organizational compliance with regulatory and good practice requirements.

Look for more conversation about sustaining the digital research enterprise at the University of Maryland.

Presentations and posters given at professional meetings are not usually preserved for the future. Don’t let your hard work be lost. Submit your presentations and posters to the UM Digital Archive. Each school on campus will have a Faculty Works section where your work will be preserved and made publically accessible via the web.

For example, this poster “From study room to studio: designing state-of-the-art collaboration space” is located in the Faculty Works HS/HSL Collection. It was presented at the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association 2010 Conference and explores the transformation of a library study room into a collaboration space and presentation studio for faculty, staff, and students.

If you have content that you would like to contribute or questions about the Digital Archive, please email us.

In anticipation of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, Life and Limb: The Toll of the Civil War, produced by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), will be on display in the Weise Gallery from November 28, 2011 through January 7, 2012. The exhibition tells a story about how hundreds of thousands were permanently disabled by battlefield injuries or by amputations that saved lives by sacrificing limbs. The exhibition explores the experiences of the veterans disabled during the Civil War, whose broken bodies symbolized the fractured nation and provided a stark reminder of the costs of the conflict.

To complement the NLM exhibit, HS/HSL will present a display of items from our Historical Collections entitled “A House Divided.” The display will highlight individuals from our University community and illustrate their connections to both sides in the war; it will also showcase a selection of Civil War-themed works.

For more information about this exhibit, please visit the Gallery web page.