Consumer Connections
ISSN 1535-7821 Vol. 25 No. 1 2009
Announcements
MLA 2009
Articles
- Update from the National Library of Medicine, Division of Specialized Information Services
- Consumer Health Electronic Resources Updates
Book Review
Publication Information
Announcements
Election Results
The Consumer and Patient Health Information Section held an electronic election using Zoomerang the week of February 13 – 18, 2009. Three positions were open; Chair-Elect, Secretary, and the CAPHIS candidate to MLA Nominating Committee. Of the 554 members on the membership list of CAPHIS, 187 votes were submitted via Zoomerang.
- For Chair-Elect, Rhonda J. Allard received 52% (97) of the vote; Terri Ottosen received 48% (90) of the vote with one write-in candidate vote.
- For Secretary, Kay Hogan Smith received 77% (144) of the vote; Joseph (Joey) Nicholson received 23% (43) of the vote with one write-in candidate vote.
- For Nominating Committee, Lisa Boyd received 59% (110) of the vote; Mindwell Egeland received 41% (76) of the vote with one write-in candidate vote.
Rhonda J. Allard is Manager of the Myra Mahon Patient Resource Center at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, NY. She has been an MLA member since 2002 but has been attending MLA conferences as far back as 1995. From 2002-2006, she served as the Consumer Health Coordinator for the NN/LM, MAR. It is in this position she developed a true passion for consumer health and truly enjoyed conducting those consumer health workshops. In her current position, she jokes, “I know get to practice what I had been teaching, and there’s a few things I’d change!” She looks forward to this new opportunity and is grateful to Tammy Mays for nudging her into running for the position. She is looking forward to hearing from members, especially their ideas and thoughts. Contact Rhonda at rha2002@med.cornell.edu
Kay Hogan Smith, MLS, is Associate Professor/Community Services Librarian at the University of Alabama Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, where she has worked for fifteen years. Lister Hill Library is the largest biomedical library in the state of Alabama and a resource library in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern/Atlantic Region. A large part of her duties as Community Services Librarian involve the administration of Health InfoNet of Alabama, a free, cooperative consumer health information service of the state’s medical and public libraries since 1999 and a participant in the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus Go Local program since 2004. She serves on the Consumer Health Committee of the NN/LM Southeastern Atlantic Regional Advisory Committee. Kay is also a liaison to the UAB School of Public Health and is currently pursuing a masters in public health as a part-time student. She is a Distinguished Member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals and has completed the Level II Consumer Health Information training certification. khogan@uab.edu
Lisa M. Boyd is the Consumer Health Librarian in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), National Network Office (NNO) at the National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Considered a spokesperson for consumer health issues she coordinates the consumer health activities of the NN/LM, is the liaison between NLM and the NN/LM Consumer Health Coordinators and serves on the NLM MedlinePlus Go Local Team. Upon receiving MLS and MA degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park Ms. Boyd went on to become an NLM Associate Fellow, a Clinical Medical Librarian at the University of Connecticut Health Center, the Senior Librarian heading the Rural Information Center Health Service (RICHS), Office of Rural Health Policy and the first Consumer Health Outreach Coordinator for the Southeastern/Atlantic Region, NN/LM. She successfully completed the 2006 – 2007 NLM/Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) Leadership Fellowship.
Ms. Boyd is an active member of several professional associations including in the Southern Chapter of MLA, the American Library Association (ALA) and the Black Caucus of ALA. From 2007 to 2009 she served on the Executive Board of the BCALA and obtained their sponsorship for a series of consumer health workshops given at the 2008 ALA annual meeting. Her interest in history continues with her membership in the Southern Historical Association. During the 2008 MLA annual conference in Chicago she presented, “Quest for Equality: Louise Kerr versus the Enoch Pratt Free Library,” a historical paper on the civil rights movement’s impact on librarianship.
A champion of the profession Ms. Boyd participates in a variety recruitment and retention activities. She served as a mentor for the Spectrum Scholars Fair at 2007 ALA annual conference in Washington, DC and presented a paper at the 2007 Southern Chapter of MLA meeting on the challenges faced by mid-career librarians. In June 2009 she will be part of a panel discussion on becoming a federal librarian to be held at the Library of Congress and coordinate the NLM summer internship of an Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Career Enhancement Fellow.
Congratulations to our newly elected CAPHIS officers!
Submitted by Tammy L. Mays, CAPHIS Chair
Annual Meeting in Honolulu
CAPHIS at MLA 2009
As the MLA conference begins to wind down, make a date to bring ideas and tips back to your library workplace on how to create an environment that leaves you feeling as stress free as sitting on the beach in Hawaii.
Attend the CAPHIS panel "The Healthy Library: Creating a Culture of Wellness" on Tuesday May 19th from 1:00-2:30. Please join several panelists as they share their experiences and offer insight into integrating healthy behaviors into the workplace: their vision, approach, outcomes and future plans. In addition, a short presentation will provide guidelines, practical steps and resources to help you get your healthy workplace program up and running! Speakers include Loriene Roy, ALA Immediate Past President, Mary Ryan, MLA President 2008-2009, Kelli Ham, NN/LM PSR and Carol Ann Attwood, Mayo Clinic Arizona.
Submitted by Siobhan Champ-Blackwell
Hospital Libraries Section (HLS) Welcomes Friends of the National Library of Medicine at MLA 2009
Sunday, May 17th at 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Register Here
You are invited to join the Hospital Libraries Section Connection Reception and Friends of the National Library of Medicine Reception on Sunday May 17th at 6 p.m.–7:30 p.m. at the MLA Honolulu, Hawaii Conference. Sign-up on the MLA Registration form (HLS is in lower right hand box). Reception includes great drinks, delicious food and loads of camaraderie with all your Friends for only $20. HLS members are free.
Who will be there? Lucretia McClure and Naomi Broering, both former MLA Presidents will welcome you and talk about the Friends, and Senior NLM staff will chat about the latest DC happenings. Come rub elbows and talk with NLM folks about your hopes, wishes and ideas. Dr. Donald A. B. Lindberg, Director of NLM and staff are also attending.
Everyone is invited to join us: Friends, members or non-members. If you have already registered and forgot to check the box, you can sign-up at the MLA registration. Or contact Susan Chesniak at MLA 312.419.9094 x18 or by email.
Thank you. I hope to see you there,
Naomi Broering, Former CAPHIS Chair and MLA President.
Articles
Update from the National Library of Medicine, Division of Specialized Information Services
TOXMAP: Now Includes TRI 2007 and Save Search Feature
http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov
TOXMAP now includes the 2007 EPA Toxics Release Inventory data (TRI)
In addition, TOXMAP now offers the ability to save one's search results, the ability to zoom to U.S. Indian reservations, and county and Congressional district boundaries that can be toggled on/off.
TOXMAP is a Geographic Information System (GIS) from the Division of Specialized Information Services of the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) that uses maps of the United States to help users visually explore data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Toxics Release Inventory and Superfund Program.
New Features: NLM Dietary Supplements Labels Database
The National Library of Medicine Dietary Supplements Labels Database now includes several interface improvements, more products, and an auto-complete (search) feature. http://dietarysupplements.nlm.nih.gov
Other recent additions/changes include:
- Search box on every page
- Age/gender categories under “Products”
- Glossary page with A-Z anchor links
- Updated FDA Recalls, FDA MedWatch and FTC Actions
- More products (3000)
- New “Help” page.
The Dietary Supplements Labels Database includes information from the labels of over 3,000 brands of dietary supplements in the marketplace, including vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and other specialty supplements.
The database is designed to help both the general public and health care providers find information about ingredients in brand-name products, including name, form, active and inactive ingredients, amount of active ingredient/unit, manufacturer/distributor information, suggested dose, label claims, warnings, percentage of daily value, and further label information.
Links to other NLM resources, such as MedlinePlus and PubMed, are provided for additional health information. In addition, links to related Fact Sheets from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are also available.
ToxMystery
In late 2008, the National Library of Medicine ToxMystery was installed as a permanent kiosk in the Exploration Station exhibition at the Carnegie Science Center (CSC) in Pittsburgh, PA. ToxMystery is an interactive children's game about household hazards.
The kiosk was developed in partnership with the Carnegie Science Center to develop a kiosk that allowed easy and secure access to ToxMystery. The kiosk was installed between the CSC hands-on “Exploration Station” and the “Building Green” exhibit which looks at the connections between human health and the environment. Plans for building a ToxMystery kiosk are available from the National Library of Medicine. These plans include the list of materials needed, detailed construction diagrams, step-by-step directions, and photographs of the completed kiosk taken at the Carnegie Science Center.
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
In March, Specialized Information Services (SIS) exhibited at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. SIS demonstrated several resources in biology, toxicology, and environmental health at all grade levels for the attendees. Tox Town, ToxMystery, Visible Proofs, and MedlinePlus were well received. New flyers that were handed-out at the conference are now available on the SIS promotional materials page: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/outreach/promotional_materials.html .
Class Opportunity: TOXNET® and Beyond
The TOXNET® and Beyond class covers using the National Library of Medicine's Environmental Health and Toxicology Portal. Class will be held Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 9:00 AM-5:00 pm at the:
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Building 38A, 4th Floor Training Room (4S-412)
Bethesda, MD 20894
8600 Rockville Pike
Building 38A, 4th Floor Training Room (4S-412)
Bethesda, MD 20894
This full-day class is designed to convey the basics of searching the NLM's TOXNET, a web-based system of databases in the areas of toxicology, environmental health, and related subjects. Students learn the content and structure of files covering toxicology data, toxicology literature, toxic releases, and chemical searching and nomenclature. Among the databases highlighted are TOXLINE®, the Hazardous Substances Data Bank, the Integrated Risk Information System, the Toxic Release Inventory, and ChemIDplus. This class is for U.S. domestic searchers. There are no fees for training but students must cover their own travel and lodging. Classes are held throughout the United States. The training schedule and other details are available from the National Training Center and Clearinghouse.
The TOXNET class is awarded 6 MLA continuing education credits. http://nnlm.gov/ntcc/classes/schedule.html#class5
Stay Updated!
NLM-Tox-Enviro-Health-L is an email announcement list available from the National Library of Medicine (NLM)'s Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS). The purpose of the announcement list is to broadcast updates on SIS's resources, services, and outreach in toxicology and environmental health. The NLM-Tox-Enviro-Health-L Archives allow users to search list postings, and to modify subscription options.
To subscribe to the NLM-Tox-Enviro-Health-L announcement list, please send the following text in the body of an email to listserv@list.nih.gov: SUBSCRIBE NLM-Tox-Enviro-Health-L your name or use the list serv web page:
http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/envirolistserv.html
Submitted by Colette Hochstein, D.M.D., MLS
Consumer Health Electronic Resources Updates
Healthfinder.gov – New Features, Online Tutorial for Librarians, and Twitter
Healthfinder.gov has long been on the recommended list for consumer health information websites for MLA and CAPHIS, and they recently have undergone a website redesign to make it even easier for consumers to navigate and find the health information they need.
A brief (6 minute) but highly informative closed-captioned video tutorial about Healthfinder.gov especially for librarians is now available at http://www.healthfinder.gov/tutorial/LibrarianTutorial/Video/index.html that highlights several new features of the website, including the 2009 National Health Observances that can be tied in with health promotion campaigns at libraries.
If you are on Twitter (www.twitter.com), a free and popular online social messaging tool, you can follow the latest news about healthfinder at www.twitter.com/healthfinder Unlike many government and agency Twitter accounts, the Healthfinder account is very interactive with users and welcomes your feedback about the Healthfinder website and health literacy in general.
Nikki Dettmar, Co-Editor of Consumer Connections
MedlinePlus – New Clouds of Information
New on MedlinePlus.gov, you can view a search cloud of the top 100 search terms typed into the search box and it is usually updated each weekday. The terms appear in alphabetical order, and their size represents their relative frequency. The bigger the term, the more often it is searched by people who visit MedlinePlus.
It is particularly interesting to note the differences between searches for information on MedlinePlus in English (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cloud.html) and MedlinePlus in Spanish (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/cloud.html) Checking the MedlinePlus search clouds is a great way to stay current on what health topics the public is searching for.
Nikki Dettmar, Co-Editor of Consumer Connections
Book Review
Monaghan, Brian & Gerri. The Power of Two: Surviving Serious Illness with an Attitude & and an Advocate. Workman, 2009. 256p. ISBN 978-0-7611-5259-0. $24.95
At the age of 59, Brian Monaghan, a successful lawyer, got some very bad news: a diagnosis of stage IV melanoma with metastasis to the brain and lymph nodes. He had six months to live. This occurred ten years ago, but he lived to write this book with his wife. It tells the story of how they faced cancer together and how he recovered to live an almost normal life. The book has sections written from both Brian’s and Gerri’s point of view. They talk about the importance of support when facing a serious illness. Gerri became Brian’s advocate, doing research to find the best available treatment options and remaining by his side in the hospital. Brian used his sense of humor and never-say-die attitude to remain strong while undergoing gamma knife surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, traditional surgery, and dendritic cell/peptide vaccination in a clinical trial. The fact that they had the financial resources and contacts to get the care that they needed sets them apart from the average patient, but their techniques are available to anyone. Research, advocacy, and support are crucial to surviving serious illness. As librarians, we can help our patrons with all three of these things. This is an inspirational book that belongs in all consumer health collections.
Reviewed by Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland Public Library, Oakland, CA.
Publication Information
Statement
Consumer Connections (ISSN 1535-7821) is the newsletter of the Consumer and Patient Information Section of the Medical Library Association. It is published on the CAPHIS website quarterly. Notification of publication is sent via the CAPHIS listserv. CAPHIS is the largest section of the Medical Library Association.
Newsletter articles and book reviews are copyrighted; please contact the editor for reprint permission.
Submissions
Please submit items for Consumer Connections during the third quarter for publication in the following quarter.
Submit by this newsletter |
For publication newsletter issue |
|---|---|
| March | April-June |
| June | July-September |
| September | October-December |
| December | January-March |
Please send submissions in electronic format to the editors:
| Joey Nicholson | Nikki Dettmar |
| e-mail: jnicholson@nyam.org | e-mail: snydern@u.washington.edu |
| Telephone: (212) 822-7355 | Telephone: (206)543-3409 |
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