In my last column, I expressed the Library’s need to better understand who our users are and what resources they are using both virtually and on-site. I am pleased to report that, starting in late October, we will launch a year-long study on library resource and service usage, ending in September 2009. This anonymous survey will be distributed in the Library and online at random two-hour intervals, twice a month. We have hired Brinley Franklin, Vice Provost for University Libraries at the University of Connecticut, as our consultant on this project. Mr. Franklin has over 20 years of experience with studies of this type, and his methodology is considered the “gold standard” in this area. Since 1982, he has implemented these studies at dozens of universities, including two UMB peer institutions: the University of California, San Francisco and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

It is essential to the Health Sciences and Human Services Library’s future effectiveness and ongoing transformation that this survey be taken seriously and be answered thoughtfully and thoroughly. At times during the four hours per month, the survey will seem intrusive, but I ask your patience as we gather this very important information. The staff of the HS/HSL is very grateful to Dr. Malinda Orlin, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, for her support and her vision in seeing the importance of this study. We thank you very much for your support and time in giving us this important data.

You asked for it, you got it! Located to the right of the guard’s desk upon entering the building is a brand new snack vending machine. It’s in the hall between the Library and the soon-to-be Campus Center.

Enjoy trail mix, pop tarts, gum, chips, and gummy fruit for prices ranging from $0.60 to $1.00. The machine accepts dollar bills and coins, and soon will accept the campus ID One1Card.

Next to the snacks is a soda machine where you can purchase bottled water, iced tea, and a variety of soda pops for $1.25 per 20 oz bottle. Enjoy!

The Medical Library Association has designated October as National Medical Librarians Month. With the explosion and increased accessibility of health-related information, biomedical librarians are more valuable than ever to health professionals, patients, and the community.

Come celebrate our month with us! We will be providing a casual continental breakfast with bagels and coffee, plus a chance to mingle with librarians and Library staff.

Meet your Librarians Breakfast

Thursday, October 23rd at 8 am, HS/HSL Weise Gallery

Have a group assignment and need to display your laptop for all to see? On October 13th, seven study rooms re-opened on the HSHSL’s 2nd floor, newly equipped with 37″- 42″ LCD panels and study tables to plug in your laptop. No need to crowd around a small screen; the large, wall-mounted LCD panels provide a comfortable way to collaborate. Read more details on the rooms here.

Here are the guidelines for use:

• Priority for use of this room is given to study groups of two or more people utilizing the audio-visual equipment.
• Audio-visual equipment is for educational purposes only.
• Please be courteous and keep volume set below 25.

Questions? Ask at a Service Desk (410-706-7995/410-706-7996)

The HS/HSL recently received an award for an AIDS Community Outreach Project for 2008-2009 from the Office of Outreach and Specialized Populations at the National Library of Medicine. The Library will be working closely with the STAR TRACK (Special Teens At Risk-Together Reaching Access, Care, and Knowledge) Program through the School of Medicine’s Adolescent and Young Adult Center.

The goals of this outreach project are to improve access to health information for STAR TRACK clients, to enable STAR TRACK staff to communicate more effectively with at-risk youth, and to increase access to and awareness of health resources in an effort to reduce the number of teens infected.

If you have further questions, please contact Meredith Solomon via email or at 410-706-1551.

Did you know that you can designate the HS/HSL as a recipient of Maryland Charities funds? And what a great investment it is! A gift to the HS/HSL truly is a gift to everyone at UMB, across the State, and in these difficult financial times a way to stretch your giving dollars.

The Library supports everyone at UMB – faculty, students and staff – through:

• Access, both virtually and on-site, to an array of excellent resources and services selected to meet all users’ health/human service research, education, service or personal needs.
• Access to the vast resources of the USM library system. If you need a book or article from another USM library, whether you are a researcher or a student, you can have it delivered here for free – saving you time and money.
• HealthyMe@UMB – a customized portal to quality health information for our UMB community.
• Maryland Health > Go Local. The HS/HSL is the host and developer of Maryland Health> Go Local – a statewide database of resources for all citizens that helps them meet their health needs right where they live. The Maryland Health > Go Local site is ranked 4th in the United States for visits to Go Local sites.

Simply…

• Designate your Maryland Charities contribution to the University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation (#9695).
• Make sure to check the “Release my name” box.
• Fill out a Supplemental Form, available from your Maryland Charities representative, and designate the Health Sciences and Human Services Library as the recipient of your contribution.

Thank you!

Do you work with diverse or specific populations? In addition to their free classes on finding health information for specific populations, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) offer a variety of quality health resources.

MedlinePlus – Population Groups Every racial, ethnic, GLBT, veteran, or age group has specific health concerns. Differences in the health of groups can result from genetics, environmental factors, access to care, and cultural factors. On these pages, you’ll find links to health issues that affect special populations.

American Indian Health and Asian American Health are designed to bring together health and medical resources pertinent to these populations including policies, consumer health information, and research.

HIV/AIDS Resources offers information on treatment, prevention, and research.

NIHSeniorHealth features health and wellness information for older adults from the National Institutes of Health.

NN/LM Maryland Resources provides State-level information on emergency preparedness & disaster recovery, demographics & statistics, and diverse population tools.

Public Libraries and Community Partners is a guide to encourage health information partnerships between public libraries, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, and local health or community-based organizations.

Looking for resources written in Spanish? Check out these sites: InfoSIDA (HIV/AIDS), MedlinePlus, Tox Town, and ToxMystery.

For other free resources and classes, visit the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Southeastern/ Atlantic Region website.

Finding funding can be stressful, tedious, and sometimes downright difficult. HS/HSL has put together a research funding subject guide to help you locate funding opportunities, news about funding, grant writing guidelines, and funding policies. Some resources are specifically for scientific research while others are for improving the health of our local communities. We plan to add Maryland-specific resources in the very near future and welcome any suggestions.

If you would like to recommend a specific funding source for inclusion, please contact Meredith Solomon via email or 410-706-1551. Please remember that the Library is always willing to be a partner on a grant to help with your information/searching needs.

Happy hunting – we look forward to working with you in the future.

These resources available from the HSHSL can help you quickly and easily find relevant practice guidelines.

• MD Consult: Select the Guideline tab, then run a keyword search on your topic or browse by specialty
• National Guideline Clearinghouse: Comprehensive database of guidelines maintained by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Ovid MEDLINE: Click on the Additional Limits button to see a full list of the limits available in this database. Under Publication Type, select Practice Guideline
• PubMed: Click on the “Limits” tab. Under Type of Article, select Practice Guideline
• TRIP: Do your keyword search from the homepage. On the results page, under Filter By, click on North America under GuidelinesExample of finding Guidelines in TRIP:

Each week the HS/HSL offers free workshops to UMB faculty, staff and students; UMMC staff; HS/HSL Resources Plus! Members, and HS/HSL corporate members.

This semester we are offering a new workshop entitled Maryland Health Statistics. During this workshop you will learn where to find Maryland-specific statistics to get a sense of a community’s characteristics, to locate at-risk or underserved populations, or to find out about the health status of a community in the state. This class will provide a hands-on opportunity to search statistics websites.

The Maryland Health Statistics Workshop will be held on Thursday November 13th from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. For additional information about this and other library workshops and to register online, visit the Library Workshops page.

Maryland Health > Go Local is making a difference in Maryland. In a recent customer service survey (American Customer Satisfaction Index) of the 31 Go Local sites around the nation, Maryland Health > Go Local ranked 4th in use, as measured in web page views.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Health Sciences and Human Services Library sponsor Maryland Health > Go Local, a web-based directory of health-related services and programs in local communities. It links to MedlinePlus, a web site that offers free, high quality health information. Use Go Local to search by location, health condition or service and link to web sites.

Interested in other Go Local projects around the nation? Check out http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/golocalcontacts.html

Are you feeling guilty about those library fines you owe? Please take a moment to check your account for fines and make sure you take care of them. In an effort to clear-up debts owed to the Library, we are sending email notifications to patrons who have overdue fines. All accounts with more than $30 owed and delinquent for over 90-days will be sent to the State of Maryland Collection agency. Once an account is sent to collections, a 17% fee is charged in addition to the amount owed and payment must be made to the collection agency.

Remember, lost books and materials returned late not only cost you money but prevent others from accessing valuable library resources. Call Circulation at 410-706-7995 to see if you owe fines or stop by the Circulation Desk.

Thank you!

“A Line in the Sand” is a photographic exhibit chronicling Maryland’s fight against domestic violence and the people who have made a significant contribution to fight domestic violence. The exhibit was conceived and organized by the House of Ruth Maryland and features 20 interpretive portraits and essays of people who have been influential in the fight against domestic violence. Fine art photographers from around the U.S. were invited to shoot the portraits that make up the exhibit. The exhibit will be on display in the Library from November 3 through December 1. The opening reception will be held on November 13, 2008 in the Library. For more information about the exhibit, check the Weise Gallery webpage.