November/December 2011 – Volume 6 – Number 2

The Grinch that Denied Access… Or Why Everyone Can’t Have Offsite Online Access to HS/HSL Resources

M.J. Tooey

M.J. Tooey
Executive Director

At least once a week, people outside our campus community request offsite access to the online resources of the Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HS/HSL). These requests come from other state agencies, from alumni, from people from other universities. In most cases, we have to say “no,” although we have gotten very good at questioning the requestor looking for any glimmer of possible permission to access. We realize that as the only publicly-funded health sciences library in the State of Maryland and the University System of Maryland our collections are unique and access is desirable for the many educators, researchers, and public health workers across the state.

However, and here is the Grinch part, unlike the days when our collections were primarily print and were “owned” by us, our “e” collections are “licensed.” This is a very important legal distinction as licenses define access and are very precise regarding who can use what and in what context. Licenses also cover how we can lend materials and in what formats. Interestingly, in at least one of our contracts, the University of Maryland Medical Center is not considered part of our library contract because of their separate legal stature. Companies in the BioPark are not considered part of our contracts at all because, from a licensing perspective, they are considered businesses rather than educational institutions – a distinction that affects costs due to significantly differing pricing strategies for businesses and higher education.

We license our resources for our faculty, staff, and students based on campus full-time employee (FTE) counts. Every vendor/publisher license is slightly different, so what is defined in an Elsevier Publishing contract may be different in a Sage Publishing contract. We review these contracts regularly and advocate for as much inclusion as possible.

There are a number of our resources licensed across the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) library consortium. Resources licensed through this consortium are available to everyone throughout all 16 libraries in the consortium. These consortial agreements are negotiated at the USMAI level and HS/HSL staff cannot change any of the conditions of these licenses without involving all libraries.

As the University System encourages and supports collaboration, the USMAI library directors are committed to identifying and resolving issues regarding access for our faculty and students involved in collaborative teaching and research ventures. In our perfect world, ALL resources of ALL USM libraries would be licensed and accessible to ALL our faculty, staff, and students. This would support and enhance collaboration, research, and multidisciplinary programs across the System. Although not easily done – collections need to be studied, overlap identified, licenses renegotiated, and financial support identified – this type of project could have a tremendous impact on public higher education, stimulating economic growth across the state by enhancing collaboration, encouraging discovery, and ensuring access to the best information resources that support our collective missions.

Happy Holidays!
M.J. Grinch

HS/HSL Acquires Bodine Campus Prints

The HS/HSL is proud to announce that it has acquired 10 prints by noted Baltimore Sun photographer, A. Aubrey Bodine, to be added to the Library’s historical collections. The prints, taken in the ’40s, ’50s, and early ’60s, include images from the Dental School, Davidge Hall, and other areas of campus.

“While not among the iconic prints associated with Bodine, such as watermen, Baltimore landmarks, or the working people of our city, these prints capture moments in time in the history of our campus. I was delighted to attend the auction on November 16 and find these treasures,” stated M.J. Tooey, Executive Director of the HS/HSL and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Eventually, these photos will be digitized and added to the UM Digital Archive, but first they need to be researched and investigated. The photos will be held in the historical collections of the HS/HSL where they will be available for viewing by making an appointment with Richard Behles, Historical and Special Collections Librarian, at 410.706.5048 or by email.

PubMed Health from the National Library of Medicine Now Available

PubMed Health from the National Library of Medicine

PubMed Health has been added to the HS/HSL Databases list. PubMed Health is a free service provided by the National Library of Medicine that allows you to search for clinical effectiveness research. It provides easily understandable summaries and full systematic reviews for both consumers and clinicians. A search in PubMed Health also provides results from a medical encyclopedia as well as systematic reviews in PubMed.

Try out PubMed Health for your next evidence-based medicine search.

Late Night Study at the HS/HSL

Late Night Study at the HS/HSL

Monday – Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.

Holiday Hours at the HS/HSL

Friday, December 23 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 24 – Monday, January 2 CLOSED

Spring 2012 schedule will begin on Tuesday, January 3rd.

Tooey 2012-2013 AAHSL President

M.J. Tooey, Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs and HS/HSL Executive Director, has been elected President of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) for 2012-2013. This national organization supports academic health sciences libraries and directors in advancing the patient care, research, education, and community service missions of academic health centers. AAHSL achieves these goals through visionary executive leadership and expertise in health information, scholarly communication, and knowledge management.

Text a Librarian Now Available

Text a Librarian

Since the introduction of our new AskUs! platform, Library users can now use texting as a way to ask the Reference staff a question (in addition to telephoning and emailing). Simply text your brief question to 410.695.6362. Please keep in mind that if you need to pose a longer, more involved question, email and telephone are probably more effective ways to communicate with us.

We are happy to hear from you!

Digital Archive Highlight

Digital Archive Highlight

Looking for a 2010 issue of Capsule or a 2002 issue of University of Maryland: Research and Scholarship? How about a 1936 issue of the Bulletin Nurses’ Alumnae Association University of Maryland? You will find them all in the UM Digital Archive. Does your department, division or school have a newsletter or magazine you would like to preserve and share with the worldwide community? Please let us know.

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

Holiday Door Decorating Contest at the Library

All That Glitters

The HS/HSL will hold its 6th annual holiday door decorating contest during the month of December. This year’s theme is “All That Glitters.” Watch for doors all over the Library to be transformed into sparkly, festive tableaus. Winners will be announced on December 15th. The first place winner receives the Library’s coveted “Door D’Or” trophy.

Potter Puzzle Contest Winners

The HS/HSL would like to congratulate our Potter Puzzle contest winners:

  • Teresa Tang
  • Sausan Jaber
  • Bryce Hallinan
  • Chrissie Galindo
  • Cynthia Bearer
  • Edward Knapp
  • Ian Waldman
  • Judith Leitch

Each winner correctly answered trivia questions based on the Library’s recent exhibit, Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine. Prizes included gift certificates, replica Harry Potter wands, and a few other Potter-themed treats. We were thrilled to have over 200 Potter Puzzle entries. Congratulations, winners, and enjoy your prizes!

Potter Puzzle Contest Winners

Revelers attending the “Halloween with Harry” Party

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