2019 Issue

Are you interested in…

• recommending bioinformatics data analysis software options to your department?
• promoting data sharing to your colleagues?
• switching your lab to using electronic notebooks?

The HSLS Molecular Biology Information Service (MBIS) is pleased to introduce MBIS Information Sessions. We are happy to come to your lab, departmental meeting, seminar, symposium, etc., to present on MBIS resources, including available bioinformatics software, the Pitt Data Catalog, and/or Electronic Research Notebooks/LabArchives.

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EndNote helps keep your research organized. You can streamline your workflow even more by having EndNote download and attach PDFs to your library’s reference records.

Here’s how to do it:

In your EndNote library, select the article(s) for which you need full text. Then, click on the “Find Full Text” icon, which looks like a magnifying glass with the PDF symbol inside of it.

EndNote will search for full text for the selected article(s), and will attach any PDFs it finds to the reference record. You can watch EndNote’s searching progress on the lower left side of your library; it will let you know how many articles it has found. Sometimes full text won’t be available. However, you can maximize what EndNote finds by adding HSLS proxy information to your account. Once you add that, EndNote will know what HSLS subscribes to and retrieve much more full text. Continue reading →

The National Library of Medicine’s TOXNET (TOXicology Data NETwork) database will be retired on December 16, 2019. TOXNET includes information about toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases.

Most of the content will still be accessible from other sources such as PubChem, PubMed, and Bookshelf. Please see the TOXNET transition page for the list of TOXNET subject areas and their new locations. Continue reading →

HSLS provides resources and services to the faculty, researchers, students, and staff in Pitt’s health sciences community. In order to better reach out and connect to these populations, HSLS has hired its first marketing specialist, Marissa Spade. Marissa began working at HSLS on August 5, 2019. She is a graduate of Robert Morris University with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. She has varied, practical experience including a marketing internship at SDC Nutrition, Inc., and a position at an inside marketing sales firm.

Q. Why is it important for the Health Sciences Library System to have an overall marketing strategy?

A. HSLS has an abundant amount of resources. However, it is important to let our target audiences know that these resources and services are available, and that is where my role comes into play. My main goal is to increase awareness of the Health Sciences Library System and the products and services we offer. Continue reading →

October marked the one-year anniversary for Pitt’s Community Engagement Center in Homewood. Phase II includes a Wellness Pavilion which will expand community health and wellness services. In anticipation of the 2020 opening of the Wellness Pavilion, librarians at the Health Sciences Library System (HSLS) participated on the Health-Focused Community Engagement Team. This team is an interprofessional collaboration among University health science units, most of whom will be working together on community health and wellness programs in the new space.

HSLS anticipates providing support for health sciences students, staff, and community members through identifying health literacy tools and authoritative, relevant health information resources to aid community health. Ideas are ongoing to partner with the Homewood Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh on health information programs. HSLS also receives funding from the National Library of Medicine to serve as the regional medical library for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region, providing direct outreach to meet the health information needs for community organizations and health centers.

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The HSLS Staff News section includes recent HSLS presentations, publications, staff changes, staff promotions, degrees earned, etc.

Names in bold are HSLS-affiliated

Publications

S. Advani, A. Pragati, D.W. Brown, S.M. DeSantis, K. Korphaisarn, H.M. VonVille, Research and Instruction Librarian, et al., published “Global Differences in the Prevalence of the CpG Island Methylator Phenotype of Colorectal Cancer” in BMC Cancer, October 17, 2019.

J. Karp, J. Kincman, M.A. Gebara, J. Foust, Research and Instruction Librarian, et al., published “A Systematic Review of Community Pharmacy Initiatives to Improve Treatment of Depression and Pain: Focus on Types of Programs and Patient-Reported Outcomes in PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, 2019: CRD42019140053.

J.A. Pruskowski, S. Springer, C.T. Thorpe, M. Klein-Fedyshin, Research and Clinical Instruction Librarian, et al., published “Does Deprescribing Improve Quality of Life? A Systematic Review of the Literature” in Drugs & Aging, October 9, 2019.

Presentations

Erin Seger, NNLM MAR Health Professions Coordinator, presented “NNLM MAR Partnerships & Collaborations” at the New York State Area Health Education Center Advisory Board Meeting in Buffalo, NY, on September 25, 2019.

Tess Wilson, NNLM MAR Community Engagement Coordinator, will serve as 2020 Chair of the Youth Services Division of the Pennsylvania Library Association. At the 2019 Iowa/Nebraska Library Conference, Tess served on a panel promoting the ALA Emerging Leaders program and presented “Privacy is Precious,” a daylong workshop, as part of her work with Library Freedom Project. Her co-presenter was Bryan Jones, Systems Librarian, Nashville Public Library.