Annual PalPittations Holiday Concert

Take a break and come listen to the holiday sounds of the PalPITTations, an a cappella vocal group made up of medical students from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.  The PalPITTations will perform on Friday December 12 at 12:15 p.m. on the first floor of Falk Library, 200 Scaife Hall.  All are welcome for this free concert.

WPIC Library to Close

The Library of Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic (WPIC) will close permanently on Friday, December 19, 2008.  In the future, reference consultation and educational services will be available to the WPIC community through Falk Library.

Plans for disposition of the print collection are incomplete.  January-March 2009 will be a transitional period, during which the books, videos and bound journals will be sorted and packed.  Some materials will be moved to Falk Library, while others will be sent to the HSLS remote storage facility.  See the article “Obtaining Materials from the WPIC Print Collection” for instructions on how to request print materials during this period.

Since its beginning in 1942, WPIC Library has become one of the world’s most comprehensive collections in psychiatry and the behavioral sciences.  An online timeline describes the growth and activities of the Library.

~ Barbara Epstein

UPMC Shadyside Libraries Conference Area Now Available

A new conference room with seating for 10-12 people is now available at UPMC Shadyside Libraries.  The Q & A’s below will help you plan for future meetings or classes.

Who can reserve the room?
UPMC Shadyside clinical staff and faculty can reserve the room for use during regular library hours (Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.).

How do I reserve the room?
You may reserve the room either in person or by calling 412-623-2415. Library staff will make your arrangements.  Reservations are available on a first-come first-served basis.

What technology and equipment are available?
The room is equipped with a projection/LCD monitor.  There is no computer in the room, but you may bring your own laptop or borrow one from the front desk for up to four hours.  Internet is available via the Pitt wireless network –no UPMC network connection is available.

May I provide food for a meeting in the conference room?
No food is permitted.  Drinks with a lid are allowed.

~ Michelle Burda

Classes Now Offered at Shadyside Libraries

Classes will now be offered in the new conference room in the Shadyside libraries.  Class topics will include database searching, software applications such as PowerPoint, and molecular biology and genetics.  Please check the UPMC Extra and HSLS class calendar for scheduled dates and topics.

If you need additional information or would like to inquire about personalized classes for a group, please call the UPMC Shadyside libraries at 412-623-2415.

CINAHL Users – Make the Transition to EBSCO

As of January 1st 2009, CINAHL, the nursing and allied health bibliographic database, will be available only through the EBSCOhost search interface. Though the look and “feel” of the EBSCOhost interface is different from that of CINAHL’s current OVID interface,  users will continue to have access to CINAHL’s familiar search tools.

To access CINAHL EBSCOhost, go to the HSLS home page. Type “CINAHL” into the search.HSLS text box and click on the Search button. At the top of your search results, find the HSLS Electronic Resources box – it will contain a link that takes you to EBSCOhost CINAHL.

ILL/Document Delivery Fee Increase

Beginning January 1, 2009, the cost for obtaining an article or book from another library, as well as the fees for scanning articles by library staff, will increase from $3.50 to $5.00 per request. Even though our costs have continually risen, we have not raised our fees in nine years.  This $5.00 fee, which is more in line with what other academic health sciences libraries charge, is still a bargain considering HSLS pays $11-$15 per request, plus the costs of interlibrary loan copyright royalties.

Rush and priority fees will remain the same and there will still be no charge to obtain copies from HSLS storage or books from any University of Pittsburgh library.  To request materials use HSLS Document Delivery Services.

~ Renae Barger

HSLS Consumer Health Information Page Featured

The HSLS consumer health information page was highlighted on the National Library of Medicine’s Web site under the Middle Atlantic Region featured projects.  The consumer health page allows for quick and easy retrieval of information on patient education and safety, service programs, HSLS consumer health collections, and more.

To conduct a search, users have a choice of five resource tabs: MedlinePlus, Patient Education, Patient Safety, Local Support & Services, and Books & Videos. Results are displayed, using Vivisimo® technology, with clusters presented to the left. These clusters group results into related topics or categories and allow users to quickly narrow a search.

HSLS Associate Director Selected as Leadership Fellow

Congratulations to Nancy Tannery, HSLS associate director for User Services, who has been named as a National Library of Medicine/Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries Leadership (NLM/AAHSL) Fellow.

The NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program is focused on preparing emerging leaders for the position of library director in academic health sciences libraries.  During this one-year program fellows have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills in a variety of learning settings, including exposure to leadership in another library environment. Continue reading

Falk Library Renovations Underway

Renovations in Falk Library’s Rare Book and computer areas will begin on December 15, 2008.  This two-month project includes long-delayed upgrades to the cooling and humidity controls for Falk Library’s collection of valuable older materials housed on the main floor, and construction of a new, properly ventilated room on the mezzanine floor to house the computer servers managing HSLS e-resources and other online services.

The Rare Books have been moved to another area in Falk Library for safekeeping during construction, but are still available for use by appointment.  No service disruptions are anticipated during construction of the new computer server room.  The construction crew will try to keep noise and other disturbances to a minimum.

~ Barbara Epstein

Where are the Journals?

Looking around the HSLS libraries, you will notice fewer print journals than in years past.  We are changing our subscriptions to the electronic version of journals whenever possible and cancelling the print subscriptions in most cases. Each library may maintain a small print browsing collection.  In addition, print journals that have no electronic counterpart will continue to be available.

What are we doing with our older print journals? Because of space considerations, HSLS libraries are moving bound copies of pre-1990 print journals to off-site storage. We will retain one copy of each title.

If electronic access to an older journal volume is not available but a print copy is maintained in storage, patrons can order a copy of the article quickly and easily through Document Delivery.  There is no charge for this service.

~ Leslie Czechowski