August 2012 Issue

Pitt’s RefWorks subscription will end on September 30, 2012. Its replacement will be Mendeley. Mendeley may already be familiar to you as a free application on the Web, but has recently begun offering a subscription-based product to institutions as well. Mendeley offers substantially the same functionality as RefWorks plus some distinctive features of its own.

Here’s what we can tell you now:

• HSLS will be supporting Mendeley users and will continue its long-time EndNote classes and EndNote support.
• You will not lose the information in your RefWorks records. You have several choices:
  • You can follow instructions for transferring them to Mendeley or to EndNote by September 30.
  • You can save them by September 30 while you decide on your next reference management program.
  • You can purchase an individual RefWorks subscription. After a free 30-day trial, a 12-month subscription costs $100 and includes feature upgrades and online support.
• Like other mobile apps such as Dropbox and Evernote, Mendeley has a hybrid approach. You install the Mendeley application on your desktop or laptop computer. You create your “library” (personal database or reference list). Then you back up and sync your library, PDFs, and annotations across your desktop or laptop computer, your iPhone and iPad, and the Web.
• Mendeley is very social. You can create public or private groups for sharing and collaborating.
• Mendeley does some interesting things with PDFs. From within Mendeley, you can open, annotate, and highlight PDFs and share your annotations with others. Like recent versions of EndNote, Mendeley will create new records from your PDFs. If you designate a “watch folder” and add papers to it as you work, Mendeley will automatically add them to your library.
• The one thing no reference management program can do with PDFs is to capture and import the ones attached to your RefWorks references. We realize that this may be a substantial inconvenience for many of our patrons and are working on ways to streamline the process of saving PDFs from RefWorks and associating them with records in a successor application.

Here’s what you can do:

• Go to Mendeley.
• Click on the green Sign up & Download button to set up an account.
• Click on the green Download Mendeley button to download the Mendeley desktop application to your computer.
• Save your RefWorks records.
• You have until September 30 to explore Mendeley and decide whether you’d like to give it a try. EndNote is the other HSLS-supported alternative and is available at reduced prices for those with a Pitt ID.
• When you are ready, transfer your RefWorks reference list as a single list or transfer each folder separately in order to preserve your current file structure.

Students, faculty, and staff in the health sciences schools can e-mail Ask a Librarian for help with transitioning from RefWorks.

We will keep you posted as other developments occur.

~ Patricia Weiss

HSLS will host Rewriting the Book of Nature: Charles Darwin and the Rise of Evolutionary Theory, a traveling exhibit from the National Library of Medicine, from August 26 through October 6, 2012.

The exhibit was developed to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin in 1809 and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859. It was produced by the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine and the Office of History, National Institutes of Health.

In connection with the exhibit, HSLS will host two lectures: Continue reading →

Construction on the second floor of Falk Library has begun! The three-month project will result in additional group study rooms; a new computer classroom; an open-air help desk; and office space for the staff of National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region. The project will be completed around the beginning of October.

During construction, the CMC help desk has been relocated to the first floor Rare Book Room (across from the elevator). This is where you can check out laptops and iPad 2s. Also available in the Rare Book Room is a flatbed scanner, a Mac, and accessibility hardware. In addition to the 21 desktop computers on the first floor of the library, 12 have been installed on the second floor for your convenience.

At times during the construction, you can expect the second floor of the library to be noisy. So for the duration of the construction project, please pardon our dust as we work to improve the library!

~ Fran Yarger

Here we are again at the start of a new school year! We invite you to explore HSLS resources and services described in this issue and on our Web site. Even if you think you know everything about us, you may learn something new!

Renovation of Falk Library’s upper floor is underway, with completion scheduled by the beginning of October. We’ll be freshly painted and re-carpeted, with new spaces for group study and collaboration. In the meantime, be sure to visit the library’s main floor to see our traveling exhibit on Charles Darwin and the Rise of Evolutionary Theory, on loan from the National Library of Medicine. Continue reading →

The Micromedex 2.0 Drug Information App provides freely available, comprehensive drug information that undergoes the same unbiased editorial process as the full Micromedex 2.0 version. No account is necessary and an Internet connection is not required, so information is readily available 24/7. Continue reading →

The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association periodically holds nationwide Live Chat Events where members can ask questions during a 30-minute online meeting. HSLS Liaison Librarian Michele Klein Fedyshin, BSN, MSLS, RN, AHIP, will be the “Guest Speaker” at the next event, which is September 12, 2012, at 12:30 p.m. (EST). The guest speaker types answers to questions as they are posted online. Each chat event focuses on a specific topic of interest. In Michele’s case, she will be answering questions about evidence-based practice.

We are pleased to welcome new and returning faculty, staff, and students. Although the new calendar year officially begins in January, August begins the new academic year. There are a few things you should know about the library that can make this new year easier for you.

• Falk Library is located on the second floor of Scaife Hall.
• What are Falk Library’s hours?
• An extensive, up-to-date online library is available to you.
• Use remote access to locate library resources 24/7 when off campus.
• Ask us a question via e-mail, phone, or chat.
• Contact your liaison librarian and find out how the library can help you.
• To learn about molecular biology databases and software tools, contact the Molecular Biology Information Service.
• Use PittCat, the online catalog of the University of Pittsburgh libraries, to locate electronic and print journals and books, or audiovisual materials.
• Put your course readings, books or other materials on reserve.
• Are we missing something you need? If so, recommend a resource.
• You can borrow tablet and laptop computers as well as flash drives and headphones.
• Group study rooms with wall-mounted display screens can be reserved.

We invite you to use the library’s resources and services to support your teaching, learning, and research activities. Have a great year!

~ Nancy Tannery

The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is celebrating its 200th anniversary. The journal, originally delivered by horseback and known as the New England Journal of Medicine and Surgery and the Collateral Branches of Science, is the longest continuously published medical periodical in the world.¹

To involve NEJM readers in the celebration, an anniversary Web site was created to highlight medical advances and classic images, and also to give readers a chance to share their medical inspirations and feedback for NEJM.

Other features of the anniversary Web site include:

•  A History of Medical Discoveries interactive timeline, marking milestones such as the discoveries of penicillin and the Salk polio vaccine.
• A documentary, Getting Better: 200 Years of Medicine, detailing the medical progress made in the last 200 years.
• Review and Perspective articles from notable authors detailing advancements made in their fields since 1812. Articles available so far include: “200 Years of Cancer Research,” “200 Years of Surgery,” and “The Evolving Primary Care Physician.”
• The ability to Vote on the Most Important NEJM Article from 1990 to 1999.

The Web site is continuously updated with new articles and reader comments. If you would like to receive notice of these updates, enter your e-mail address at the bottom of the NEJM 200th Anniversary Web site.

1. A.M. Brandt. 2012. A reader’s guide to 200 years of the New England Journal of Medicine. New England Journal of Medicine 366 (1): 1-7. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1112812.

~ Melissa Ratajeski

Faculty of 1000 (F1000) is a post-publication peer review resource. Its purpose is to help researchers identify highly regarded papers through article reviews and recommendations generated by a peer-nominated “faculty” of subject-expert scientists and clinicians from around the world. Established in 2002, F1000 now has over 10,000 reviewers, including 135 affiliates from the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC.

The article evaluations result in a ranking system (Recommended, Must Read, or Exceptional), from which F1000 calculates the F1000 Article Factor (FFa). The more times an article is evaluated and the higher the rankings, the greater its FFa and therefore its rating.

F1000-evaluated articles may also be tagged with one or more of the following classifications to indicate special attributes: Changes Clinical Practice, Clinical Trial, Confirmation, Controversial, Good for Teaching, Interesting Hypothesis, New Finding, Novel Drug Target, Refutation, Review/Commentary, Systematic Review/Meta-analysis, and Technical Advance.

The HSLS Molecular Biology Information Service has integrated F1000 into the search.HSLS.MolBio search engine under the Recommended Articles tab. It is accessible only on the Pitt network. The top 100 search results are listed with article title, authors, journal, rating, and category (classification). Search results may be narrowed by using the clusters on the left of the page, which filter by topic, rating, and category.
 

F1000 is run by and for scientists and clinical researchers. Search.HSLS.MolBio makes it easier for Pitt researchers to use this resource to systematically organize and evaluate the scientific research literature; identify key papers in areas inside and outside of expertise; provide suggestions for journal club articles; and confirm the importance of specific papers.

For more information, see the F1000 FAQ or contact the HSLS Molecular Biology Information Service.

~ Carrie Iwema

One of the many exciting roles of a regional medical library is exhibiting at national, state and local meetings and conferences. Exhibiting offers the opportunity to demonstrate National Library of Medicine (NLM) products to health professionals, consumer groups, and public, school, and health sciences librarians. It is also a great way to encourage membership and promote the services of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.

In our first year as a regional medical library, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region (NN/LM MAR) staff promoted NLM resources to over 1,000 health professionals, public health workers, community-based leaders, and librarians. We did this by exhibiting at four national and eight regional/state meetings. For instance, MAR highlighted drug information resources to pharmacists at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Annual Meeting; emergency response tools and public health resources at the New Jersey Environmental Health Association Meeting; and K-12 resources to school librarians at the New York City School Library Association Annual Conference. Staff also reached a large population of health consumers at an employee health fair in Pittsburgh.

MAR also offered exhibit awards to allow Network members the opportunity to exhibit at a state or local level. Public health librarians from Drexel University exhibited at the Pennsylvania Public Health Meeting in Philadelphia. Mid-Atlantic Behavioral Health received an award to exhibit and present mental health services and resources to senior citizens in Newark, Delaware.

The 2012–2013 regional medical library contract year began on May 1. So far, MAR has exhibited at the following national, regional, and state meetings:

• American Psychiatric Association
• American Diabetes Association
• National Association of Counties
• Delaware/Maryland Joint Library Association
• New Jersey Library Association
• Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers Association
• State University of New York Library Association

Information professionals in public libraries, community colleges, and institutions offering two-year and four-year academic programs in the health sciences may visit the MAR exhibit booth at upcoming New York and Pennsylvania state library association meetings. K-12 librarians and science teachers will benefit from MAR exhibits at the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, New York City School Library System, and the New Jersey Science Convention meetings.

NN/LM MAR staff will reach out to public health workers and unaffiliated health professionals at the Migrant and Immigrant Health in Rural Pennsylvania Conference, as well as upcoming meetings of the New York Public Health Association, the Pennsylvania Public Health Association, and the New Jersey Public Health Symposium. And finally, MAR plans to exhibit to mental health professionals and consumers during the Delaware Community Mental Health Conference, Delaware Psychological Association Mixer, and the annual conferences of the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers and New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies.

Do you belong to a professional organization that would benefit from access to free, reliable biomedical information provided by the National Library of Medicine? Do members of your organization provide patient education? If so, you can invite us to exhibit or teach a continuing education course at your next annual meeting in our four-state region of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. For more information, e-mail NN/LM MAR.

~ Renae Barger, NN/LM MAR Executive Director

When initially released in 2004, IndexCat was a boon to medical historians and researchers. They finally had free online access to a keyword-searchable, digitized version of the Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon General’s Office, a 61-volume print series published between 1880 and 1961. The Index-Catalogue contains material dating from the 15th through the 20th centuries. Now, in a major update, IndexCat also includes the expanded digital version of A Catalogue of Incipits of Mediaeval Scientific Writings in Latin (eTK), and Scientific and Medical Writings in Old and Middle English: An Electronic Reference (eVK2).

In addition to the inclusion of new resources to the database, numerous improvements have been made to the user interface:

• In both the Quick and Advanced Search features, search categories have been increased to include: Date, Subject, Author, Title/Journal Title, and ID Number.
• The new search category, Keyword Anywhere, automatically uses the Boolean AND.
• Special characters used in Medieval, Old, and Middle English are available for searching in the eTK and eVK2 collections.
• The Help section provides general search tips as well as instructions on how to search unique aspects of the database.
• For quick and easy management of search results, a maximum of 100 records can now be saved from the Results Display page to the My Documents page, where users can download, print, or e-mail search results.

IndexCat has become a critical resource for research in the development of medical theories, philosophies, therapies, and other aspects of the history of medicine. To access this resource, type “indexcat” in the search.HSLS box on the HSLS home page or browse the Databases A-Z list. For help using IndexCat, contact the Main Desk at 412-648-8866 or e-mail Ask a Librarian.

~ Andrea Ketchum

Mary Lou O’Shea, HSLS administrative secretary, retired at the end of June after almost 40 years of service. During her tenure, she worked under five library directors, including: Carroll F. Reynolds, Laurabelle Eakin, June Bandemer, Pat Mickelson, and Barbara Epstein.

Over the years, O’Shea witnessed a number of technological changes. One of her more notable memories was the transition from electric typewriters to computers, and the impact these changes had on her workflow. In 1973, when O’Shea began her career at HSLS, her primary office equipment was an IBM electric typewriter. Ten years later, she moved up to a Xerox Memorywriter with correctable ribbon, and eventually a computer. Continue reading →

The third cohort of students enrolled in Pitt’s online Certificate of Advanced Study in Health Sciences Librarianship (HealthCAS), visited HSLS for an orientation to the course and the University. The students came from Illinois, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia.

HealthCAS students, faculty, and the project team came together for a 2.5 day program in June.  In the cohort model, students share professional experiences, learn from each other, and form a network of peers to turn to throughout their careers. The onsite visit gives them and the faculty the chance to connect on a more personal level. This is significant in HealthCAS as students are required to collaborate on several online group projects during the year.

The HealthCAS orientation included an overview of the program, the curriculum and objectives, a meeting with instructor teams, and an explanation of policy and procedures at Pitt, with an emphasis on academic integrity in writing.  Reviews of good research and writing practices were also included, as well as a presentation by faculty from the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy that introduced students to the importance of interprofessional education.

Though the schedule was full, there was also time for fun.  A visit to the Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning gave the students a taste of Pitt’s rich history and its international connections. On a beautiful Pittsburgh day, students “quacked” on the Just Ducky Tour, had dinner at the Hard Rock Café at Station Square, and rode the Monongahela Incline to the top of Mount Washington to enjoy the spectacular Pittsburgh skyline.

HealthCAS is funded by a three-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to Pitt’s iSchool and HSLS. The grant was extended to a fourth year to include the 2012-13 academic year. The program consists of three semesters of coursework. Each semester covers one four-credit course: (1) Libraries in Health Care Environments, (2) Collections and Resources in Health Care Environments, and (3) Reference Services and Instruction in Health Care Environments. The three-credit Independent Research Project spans all three semesters. HSLS faculty librarians develop and teach the curriculum.

Further information about HealthCAS is available from the iSchool or HSLS.

~ Ester Saghafi