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HSLS Introduces a New Leisure Reading Collection

Now that the cold weather is keeping everyone inside, it’s a good time to take a break and lose yourself in a good book. Come explore the new LeisureReading@HSLS Collection in Falk Library. The LeisureReading@HSLS Collection is a revolving collection of newly-published, general fiction and non-fiction books, as well as a selection of popular magazines. The collection is located on the main floor of Falk Library in the comfortable seating area just before and to the left of the History of Medicine Department.

leisure reading

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Director’s Reflections…Better Returns than Mining Stock: Thanks to our Donors

Sir William Osler (1849–1919), a well-known British (Canadian-born) physician was renowned for his pithy and memorable quotations. In 1908, he wrote a letter to the physicians of Vancouver, British Columbia, commending his colleagues for organizing a medical society and library. He wrote:

 I am so glad that you have started a library. There is no better index of the intellectual status of the profession in any town than the condition of its medical library…Every citizen has a direct personal interest in the development of the profession. I hope that every physician in the place will feel that he should help as much as he possibly can, not only by his individual subscription, but, when he feels he can afford it, by an occasional donation. Tell some of the members from me, please, that money invested in a library gives much better returns than mining stock.1

Barbara EpsteinIn this spirit, I wish to thank the generous donors who contributed to the Health Sciences Library System during the past year. The support of these thoughtful people helps our library to provide essential resources to enhance the quality of health care in western Pennsylvania and beyond.

  • Mr. Raed S. Abdullah
  • Ms. Patricia Bookamyer
  • Mr. Joseph Hirsh Cataio
  • Arnold and Barbara Epstein
  • Kenneth L. Euler, PhD
  • Ms. Marie C. Kelly
  • Ram Kodavatiganti
  • Louis A. Lobes, Jr., MD
  • Joanne F. McVay, Dr. PH
  • Dr. William J. McVay
  • Ms. Janet L. Misko
  • Mr. John Kerr Musgrave IV
  • Mrs. Maria Pimentel-Schumann
  • Mr. Fredrick A. Prinz
  • Joseph Salkowitz, DMD
  • Elizabeth A. Schlenk, PhD
  • Dr. John B. Schumann

1. Harvey Cushing. The Life of Sir William Osler. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1925. Excerpted from Chapter XXVIII in Volume 2.

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PubMed Commons: A Forum for PubMed Authors

PubMedCcommonsPubMed Commons enables authors to share opinions and information about scientific publications in PubMed. Currently a pilot, authors of publications in PubMed are eligible to become members and comment on any publication in PubMed. You can find out more about becoming a member at “How to Join PubMed Commons.”

Once you are a member of PubMed Commons, you can invite other eligible authors to join. You can also invite an author to comment on an article, or a comment made by you or anyone else on PubMed Commons.

The comments appear at the bottom of the PubMed abstract display.

PM Commons Abstracts

*Parts of this article were reprinted from the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Commons.

~ Nancy Tannery

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Data Repositories: Meeting Your Research Needs

What is a data repository? According to the E-Science Thesaurus, a data repository can be broadly “defined as a place that holds data, makes data available to use, and organizes data in a logical manner.”1 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) further defines repositories by level of security to accommodate sensitive data:2

  • Data archive—a place where machine-readable data are acquired, manipulated, documented, and finally distributed to the scientific community for further analysis.
  • Data enclave—a controlled, secure environment in which eligible researchers can perform analyses using restricted data resources.

In accordance with the NIH and the National Science Foundation policies requiring that research data developed with federal funds be shared with other researchers, data repositories provide the technical platform that enables the sharing, discovery, validation, and reuse of data. They also support greater efficiency throughout the scientific process.

What advantages does a data repository offer a health sciences researcher? Besides convenient storage and facilitated, professional long-term preservation for your research data, a data repository provides:

  • Updates to new data formats
  • Enhanced discoverability
  • Increased citation rates
  • Access to a variety of datasets to explore
  • Ability to reuse validated and unique datasets
  • More efficient workflow

When selecting a data repository, first check for funder, journal, or institutional requirements, and maintain compliance with your research protocols. General data repositories as well as subject-specific repositories are represented in the searchable directories listed below.

General:

Directories:

For previous articles on data management published in the HSLS Update, please see:

1. E-Science Thesaurus: Data Repository. E-Science Portal for New England Librarians. Last updated: Sep 5, 2013. Accessed Jan. 7, 2014.
2. Definitions: NIH Data Sharing Policy and Implementation Guidance. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bethesda, MD. Last updated: March 5, 2003. Accessed Jan. 7, 2014.

~ Andrea M. Ketchum

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Open Data in Clinical Trials

In a recent New England Journal of Medicine editorial titled, “Open Data,” Jeffrey M. Drazen, MD, describes an Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee examining the sharing of data in clinical trials. The committee is charged with “reviewing current practices on data sharing in the context of randomized, controlled trials and with making recommendations for future data-sharing standards.”1   A draft report of the committee’s work can be found at www.iom.edu/activities/research/sharingclinicaltrialdata.aspx.

The committee is collecting comments on their draft report as well as comments about the sharing of clinical trial data. Comments will be collected until March 24, 2014, at www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=49578.

1. J.M. Drazen, “Open Data,” New England Journal of Medicine, January 22, 2014, http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe1400850.

~ Nancy Tannery

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Where’s FlashClass?

HSLS teaching librarians gathered on January 30 for a half-day retreat. The agenda: to generate ideas for the next round of FlashClasses. Periodic retreats are part of the FlashClass process, which emphasizes creativity and timeliness in the development of class topic ideas. Have a potential topic of your own in mind? Write us at medlibq@pitt.edu. Anxiously awaiting the next FlashClass season? We’ll be back in March. Make sure you’re on the FlashClass mailing list and watch for the resumption of weekly class announcements.

~ Pat Weiss

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Treasures from the Rare Book Room: The Oldest Book in the Library

The oldest book in any of the HSLS collections is Expositio in primam fen quarti Canonis Avicennae De febribus, Giovanni Arcolani‘s commentary on fevers in the first fen [section] of book four of Avicenna’s Canon. It was printed in Venice in 1496 by Bonetus Locatellus, one of the most prominent Venetian publishers, whose monogram appears on the last page. The book contains many examples of marginalia, hand written notes by scholars studying Arcolani’s text, and includes drawings of a small hand pointing to important passages. It also has fine wooden capitals [decorated initial letters]. The book was rebound on Gregorian chant parchment. When it was rebound, the pages were cut in the process so there is a minimal loss of marginalia in the HSLS copy.

Arcolani

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Changes to the HSLS Journal Collection for 2014

Rising journal subscription costs and the dynamic journal publishing landscape have profound impacts on library collections and budgets. Libraries strive to build collections that meet their users’ needs, but cost-effective management of those collections may require the cancellation of low-use titles. In addition, when journals switch publishers, libraries can either gain access to new titles or lose access to existing ones.

The HSLS subscription to ClinicalKey greatly expanded our electronic collection. Please check out this comprehensive, clinical reference resource—you’ll find it in the Quick Links section on the HSLS Web site. ClinicalKey brought approximately 200 new electronic journals (not to mention numerous e-books, videos, and images) to the collection, including:

  • Clinical Imaging
  • Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology
  • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America
  • Seminars in Ultrasound, CT, and MRI
  • Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America

In addition, the following electronic journals have been added to the HSLS collection for 2014:

  • A&A Case Reports
  • Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology
  • Biotechnology Journal
  • Canadian Pharmacists Journal
  • Clinical Thyroidology
  • Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness1
  • Foot and Ankle International
  • Games for Health Journal
  • InnovAiT
  • Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine1
  • Journal of Acute Care Physical Therapy
  • Journal of Clinical Urology
  • Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions
  • Journal of Informetrics
  • Journal of Music Therapy1
  • Journal of Pharmacy Technology
  • Journal of Sexual Medicine
  • LGBT Health
  • Music Therapy Perspectives1
  • New Microbes and New Infections
  • PsychologyOpen1
  • Public Policy and Aging Report1
  • Regeneration
  • Respirology Case Reports
  • Sexual Medicine Reviews
  • South African Journal of Psychology
  • Transactional Analysis Journal
  • Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations
  • Veterinary Medicine and Science1
  • VideoEndocrinology1

1. Availability expected later in 2014.

For the electronic journals listed below, 2014 and future articles will not be available due to cancellation, ceasing of publication, or other publication change. Note that in many cases, 2013 and earlier articles will remain available. University of Pittsburgh users may order individual articles for a small fee through the HSLS Document Delivery Service.

  • Aggressive Behavior
  • Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
  • Australian Dental Journal
  • Behavioral Interventions
  • Behavioral Sciences and the Law
  • Blood Purification
  • British Journal of Diabetes and Vascular Disease
  • Cerebrovascular Diseases
  • Chinese-German Journal of Clinical Oncology
  • Clinical Nutrition Insight
  • Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging
  • Congestive Heart Failure
  • Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Disruptive Science and Technology
  • Epileptic Disorders
  • European Eating Disorders Review
  • Experimental Physiology
  • Genes and Cancer
  • Gerodontology
  • Hematological Oncology
  • ICU Director
  • International Journal of Psychoanalysis
  • Journal of Asthma and Allergy Educators
  • Journal of Biorheology
  • Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis
  • Journal of Community Psychology
  • Journal of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Sciences
  • Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy
  • Journal of Men’s Health
  • Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A – Statistics in Society
  • Lasers in Surgery and Medicine
  • Lettre de Médecine Physique et de Réadaptation
  • Medicine Studies
  • Mediterranean Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism
  • Modern Rheumatology
  • Molecules and Cells
  • Music and Medicine
  • Nephrology Times
  • Nephron: Clinical Practice
  • Nephron: Experimental Nephrology
  • Nephron: Physiology
  • Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics
  • Perspectives in Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy
  • Psychopharm Review
  • Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
  • Traumatology

~ Jeff Husted

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Medical Students Create Research Journal

AMSRJ

A group of motivated LSU Shreveport medical students has established the American Medical Student Research Journal (AMSRJ) to make the research and publishing process more accessible to their peers. Authored, reviewed, and edited by medical students in association with faculty mentors, this pilot academic publication is an effort to promote interest in research as well as to provide a platform for the development of critical thinking skills needed to succeed in practice. The student journal will be only the second of its kind in the country.

The creation of AMSRJ was entirely student driven, with students putting up their own money to register as a non-profit corporation and apply for federal trademark permissions. Student editors authored peer review and editorial workflow guidelines, section guidelines for authors, and their own author statements and consent forms. They created a Web site and began accepting submissions for case reports, original research manuscripts, clinical experience essays, and health position policy articles. Advertising through e-mail and social media has been a success to date, with both submissions and requests for greater involvement received from across the nation. The team has grown from a core group of 12 committed LSU Health Shreveport student editors to include 33 faculty advisors from LSU Health Shreveport, and 64 reviewers from medical schools across the country.

While medical students usually submit their work to the same publications frequented by faculty, AMSRJ provides a free, open-access alternative venue to allow students to connect and collaborate with their peers and future colleagues in a constructive review process.

The AMSRJ inaugural issue will be published online in spring 2014.

~Nancy Tannery

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Classes for February 2014

HSLS offers classes on database searching, software applications such as Adobe Photoshop, bibliographic management, molecular biology and genetics, and library orientations. For more information, visit the online course descriptions.

Classes are held on the first floor of Falk Library (200 Scaife Hall) in Classroom 1 and on the upper floor of the library in Classroom 2. All classes are open to faculty, staff, and students of the schools of the health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. They are also open to UPMC residents and fellows.

No registration is required for any of these classes. Seating for classes is first-come, first-served, until the class is full. Faculty, staff and students of the schools of the health sciences will need a valid Pitt ID or e-mail account to attend these classes. UPMC residents/fellows will need to show their UPMC IDs.

Classes marked with an asterisk (*) qualify for American Medical Association Category 2 continuing education credit.

Class schedules are subject to change. Please consult the online class calendar for the most current information.

FlashClass

FlashClass is a “deal of the week” Groupon-like offer of timely and useful learning. Each week’s offer proposes one or two topics, and you’re invited to sign up to attend a one-hour class the following week. If at least three people sign up, we’ll hold the class. (We’ll notify you either way.)

HSLS CLASSES
Adobe Photoshop (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Monday, February 3 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Advanced PowerPoint for Presentations (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Tuesday, February 11 1:30-3:30 p.m.

EndNote Basics (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Tuesday, February 18 3-5 p.m.

Painless PubMed* (Falk Library Classroom 1)

Wednesday, February 5 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 13 3-4 p.m.
Monday, February 17 9-10 a.m.
Tuesday, February 25 Noon-1 p.m.

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS RESOURCES

Gene Regulation Resources* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, February 5 1-4 p.m.

Cancer Informatics* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, February 12 1-4 p.m.

Pathway Analysis Tools 1* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, February 19 1-4 p.m.

Pathway Analysis Tools 2* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, February 26 1-4 p.m.

CUSTOMIZED CLASSES

Customized classes can be developed for your department, course, or other group.