I have been bemused by some of the reactions to the HS/HSL’s Food for Fines program during which the Library will forgive $10 in fines for each donation of a non-perishable item to be donated to the Maryland Food Bank. Reactions have ranged from concern over us giving up a huge income stream from fines (not!) to simply "why"?

Well, we say "why not?" During this traditional season of giving we don’t have hoards of students to send out to serve dinners or collect toys or build houses. And, if you know anything about how library staff are paid or how the library is funded, you know we don’t have millions of dollars to donate to worthy causes. However, we still feel it is important for the library staff to be engaged in the good work of UMB.

This year we chose two projects, the aforementioned Food for Fines and Reach Out and Read. At the time of this newsletter’s publication, we have collected hundreds of items. We won’t know how many fines were forgiven because we have found that, in the spirit of giving, people have been dropping off items or contributing beyond their one item to $10 ratio. That’s pretty great.

Reach Out and Read is a national non-profit organization promoting early literacy by giving new books to pediatric patients in doctors’ offices. In addition to collecting age appropriate children’s books, Library staff donated over $300 to support the purchase of new books for the program.

It is good for the Library to be part of UMB’s community outreach efforts not only at the holidays but during the rest of the year as well. Please accept our best wishes for this holiday season and on into 2008.

Looking to curl up with a good book over the winter break? Or maybe a light read while you recover from exams? Then look no further than the Kinnard Leisure Collection, located on the Library’s first floor near the digital display.

If you have used our leisure collection in the past, you will be happy to hear that we now allow leisure books to be renewed up to three times – that means you can borrow a leisure book for up to three months! You can also place a hold on a book that is currently checked out by someone else, and we’ll notify you when it’s available.

This collection is made possible through a generous gift from Dr. & Mrs. William Kinnard and has a rotating selection of recent fiction, biography and history, as well as over thirty popular magazine subscriptions.? We’re confident you’ll find something that appeals to you, but we’re also looking for suggestions of what you like to read for pleasure.? Simply drop a note in the HS/HSL suggestion box if there’s something you’d like to read, and we’ll see what we can do.

Formerly known as "Document Delivery Management," "Interlibrary Loan" or "The Ones Who Get Stuff for Us," the Resource Sharing Services department will begin 2008 with a new name. We do more than document delivery, more than interlibrary loan and, while we ARE the ones who get stuff for you, we think that Resource Sharing Services has a nicer ring to it. Please let us continue to share the world?s educational resources with you in 2008 and beyond!

Phone: 410.706.3239
Email: rs@hshsl.umaryland.edu

Information about our Services:
Document Delivery
Interlibrary Loan

Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8:00 am ? 4:30 pm

Have you noticed those big red buttons on the public computers? They are part of the new QuickHelp service brought to you by the Library Reference staff.

When you click the QuickHelp button, your computer sends a message to the Reference Desk, alerting the staff that you need assistance.

This new, convenient service is available during reference hours and is installed on all public computers, floors 2-5.

Debbie Berlanstein, Liaison & Outreach Services Librarian, recently had the opportunity to attend the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA).

Ms. Berlanstein reported to Connective Issues that the "breadth of the APHA program was truly impressive," and included sessions on the history and future of public health in the U.S. and a "heated" overview of the national healthcare debate. When asked what the best part of the meeting was, she replied that she was most impressed with the "dedication to their work that was evident among the wide range of public health professionals in attendance."

Her attendance was generously funded through a stipend from the Sewell Memorial Fund of the Medical Library Association, whose mission is to increase librarians’ identification with medical and health care professionals so that they may better serve their clients’ needs.

For select public health resources, see the following:

• CDC RSS Feeds
• Advancing the Nation’s Health: A Guide to Public Health Research Needs, 2006-2015
• HS/HSL Public Health Resources Page

"Hi, I am a graduate student. I brought my laptop to work on my studying. During my studying, I wanted to connect to the internet, but unfortunately, the wireless network is really weak! I have tried to many, many times, but it has never worked. This library is great, but not for [the] internet connection. Please increase connectivity. It is very important to students here. Thank you."

We’re glad you think the Library is great, but very sorry you have had difficulties with our wireless connectivity. Your problem is not uncommon, as the increasing popularity of wireless computing has stretched our network access to the limit. Unfortunately, there is only so much wireless bandwidth to go around and, the more users there are on the system, the weaker and slower the connection becomes.

The good news is that the Library’s wireless network is due for an overhaul.? We are proud of the fact that we were one of the first campus buildings to install wireless over four years ago, and pleased to announce that we are not only planning to improve the strength of the signal, but also on connecting to the emerging campus wireless network.? There are still a few technical issues to resolve, and we are awaiting a cost estimate.? Our hope is that the wireless upgrade will take place along with our other Spring renovations, so stay tuned.

This semester, the Library awarded prizes to workshop attendees. As if learning weren’t enough! To be eligible, faculty, staff, and students needed only to attend a workshop and complete an entry form.

Winners:

• Janet Clarke, School of Nursing – Library mug
• Valerie Rogers, School of Nursing – 1 GB USB drive
• Johnnie Holmes, School of Nursing – $10 Library printing card

Grand Prize Winner:

• Ying Tang, School of Medicine – Reserved study room plus coffee and bagels during finals week.

Congratulations to the winners! We look forward to seeing you in the workshops next semester, where you will once again have the chance to learn and win! Keep an eye out for the Spring Workshop offerings.

In an effort to aid students and faculty in browsing our journals by subject, the Library has created links to the major headings of Health & Biological Sciences or Social Sciences on our journal collections webpage.

We have also launched ArticleFinder, a new service that allows you to look up a specific article in the Library’s electronic journal collections using the article’s citation information. Check it out!

Publications

Robin Klein, Patricia Hinegardner, Alexa Mayo and former staff member Jane Murray published a chapter, "Serials Management in an Academic Health Sciences Library," in Lightman & Blosser’s Perspectives on Serials in the Hybrid Environment (ALCTS Papers on Library Technical Services and Collections, #15). Chicago: American Library Association, 2007.

Teresa Knott, AHIP, reviewed Evolving Internet Reference Resources in the July 2007 issue of the Journal of the Medical Library Association.

Promotions and Appointments

Eric Rector was promoted to Head, Collections Management on August 1, 2007. In his new position, Eric is responsible for leading and overseeing the selection, acquisitions, processing and maintenance activities of the Library’s collections in all formats.

Steven Douglas was appointed as Acquisitions Librarian on September 17, 2007. He manages the ordering, processing and maintenance activities of all monographs and serials acquisitions and collaborates with the Digital Resources Librarian to acquire all electronic resources.

Awards

Paula Raimondo, Head, Outreach & Liaisons Services was named Librarian of the Year by the Medical Library Association’s Mid-Atlantic Chapter (MAC) in October 2006 – September 2007.

This award is presented to a MAC member for outstanding contributions in health sciences librarianship. Criteria for the award include, but are not limited to: leadership in the profession, scholarship/publications/research, teaching/training/mentoring, professional activity, and service to the health profession.

This October, the Library once again hosted a student breakfast in the Weise Gallery to celebrate National Medical Librarians Month.

In addition to bagels and coffee, the breakfast attendees were treated to a three minute video featuring HS/HSL Librarians discussing the challenges and rewards of medical librarianship, and also had the opportunity to attend fun, informal workshops on Flickr, Bloglines, and Google Docs.

Filling both minds and stomachs, the student breakfast was hailed as a success.

Historical Highlights focuses on some of the unique materials available for viewing in the Historical Collections department, located on the fifth floor of the HS/HSL. For more information on the materials you read about, contact Rich Behles, the library’s Historical Librarian and author of our series, at (410) 706-5048 or rbehles@hshsl.umaryland.edu.

Sometimes called the "Christmas star," the vibrant poinsettia flower (Poinsettia pulcherrima) is a popular Christmas decoration. While it is commonly believed that the plant is highly toxic, and it is true that its milky sap has been known to cause allergic reactions, modern researchers have proven that we can enjoy this holiday centerpiece without fear of its sting.

Unlike the poinsettia, whose value is merely aesthetic, another popular flower of the season does have some medicinal properties. That flower, sometimes dubbed the "Christmas rose," is the black hellebore (Helleborus niger), and its Latin name is derived from its knotty black root. The flower?s popular name, and its popularity during the season, comes from its tendency to bloom in December. This species is both demon and delight, and enjoys a history of curative properties, though it can be dangerous.

As described in Thomas Green?s Universal Herbal, shown here, medical writers through the centuries cautioned that the use of black hellebore should be guarded. At higher dosage levels, it functions as a violent cathartic purgative, which is the very characteristic giving it merit under controlled dosages. Its ability to promote evacuations made it useful, for example, in releasing uterine or urinary obstructions. Its history dates back to the earliest millennia, as the ancients in the Hippocratic tradition prescribed it favorably in the treatment of mania and melancholy. The early authorities believed that hellebore?s evacuative power facilitated the release of black bile, which was blamed for the presence of such mental maladies.

On a lighter note, for centuries festive folk have played at seeking or eluding a quick smooch under the mistletoe during the Christmas and New Year?s season. Green?s book describes the Viscum album, or common white mistletoe. Traditions surrounding the mistletoe arose from the Druids, who viewed both it and the oak tree upon which it grew as sacred. Druid celebrations included scattering countless mistletoe branches as an announcement of the new year. Over time, the plant increasingly found its way into houses, hung in conjunction with other Christmas evergreens. However, it too has medicinal uses, as its dried and powdered leaves enjoyed a great reputation for curing epilepsy and other convulsive disorders. Though many a timid youth might disagree, as the very sight of mistletoe might have triggered the most terrified trembling as it encouraged the unwelcome advances of some not-so-winsome lad or lass.