March 2024 Issue

This past month, we launched a new way for you to find learning opportunities at HSLS!  

Learn @ HSLS lists: 

1. HSLS live classes – the classes and workshops you already know and love, taught by HSLS instructors, either on Zoom or in person; 
2. HSLS self-paced learning modules – online lessons, created by HSLS instructors, that you can complete anytime and anywhere that is convenient for you; 
3. Third-party learning links – learning options taught by the rest of the world, recommended by HSLS instructors. 

Interested in learning about a specific subject? For example, how to use EndNote citation management software? Simply browse Learn @ HSLS. The category Citation Management contains the topic “EndNote.” Click on that topic and you see that we offer both HSLS live classes and an HSLS self-paced learning module – choose whichever you prefer! 

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HSLS is now offering self-paced learning modules on many of the topics we regularly teach. Don’t worry, we’re not getting rid of our HSLS live classes – you’ll still be able to learn from your favorite HSLS instructors over Zoom and in person. We’re simply adding an additional option. We hope you’ll check out our new modules and let us know what you think! 

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The Health Sciences Library System is excited to announce the Open Scholarship and Research Impact Challenge! This asynchronous course on Canvas, developed in partnership with the University Library System, will guide you through a wide range of topics that focus on how to make your research openly available. Making your articles and related research outputs open can help increase the transparency and reproducibility of your work, as well as help maximize your research impact.

The overarching benefit of making your work open is that your research is likely to get more exposure than from behind a paywall. If you’re unsure about how to get started, this course is a great place to learn the basics about openly sharing your articles, books, preprints, protocols, data, and code. You can expect to learn about the different open access publishing models, copyright and licensing essentials, open access repositories for all types of research outputs, and other best practices for sharing your scholarship.

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In February, experts and activists in Pittsburgh came together for a panel discussion on the local and global impacts of lead in the community. The panel event was held in conjunction with the national exhibit This Lead is Killing Us: A History of Citizens Fighting Lead Poisoning in Their Communities, on display at Falk Library through March 22, 2024. HSLS co-hosted the event with the School of Public Health.

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The eighth annual Pitt Day of Giving (PDoG) took place on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. HSLS received gifts from 14 unique donors, a 75% increase from 2023, for a total of $885 raised.

HSLS ran four fundraising campaigns for PDoG 2024:

• HSLS General Fund
• Student Experience at HSLS
• Research and Faculty Support at HSLS
• Nancy Tannery Memorial Fund

The HSLS General Fund received the most donations, totaling $485, with the Nancy Tannery Memorial Fund coming in second with $295.

We are sincerely thankful for the generosity of our donors and their support in ensuring that our resources serve as a beacon of knowledge for the health sciences community!

Ithaka S+R, a not-for-profit research organization, has been engaged by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Open Science Program to conduct an international survey of generative artificial intelligence usage among biomedical researchers. This survey will provide landscape-level benchmarking data crucial to inform decision-making by institutions, scholarly societies, and funders about how to encourage the development of ethical research norms and practices governing the use of generative AI across the biomedical sciences.

Take the Survey

To provide important cross-disciplinary comparative data, the survey is open to researchers regardless of disciplinary affiliation and to individuals working in research capacities across the globe. All responses will be fully anonymous.

Enjoy this online, self-paced module at a time and place that works best for you.
Access the module for Infographics: Sharing Information Visually*

Knowing how and when to use visuals to convey information can improve your ability to communicate and connect with your audience. This module will give you a brief overview of visualization, focusing on using infographics to tell visual stories. Included is a brief demonstration of the online tool Piktochart, so that you can hit the ground running and create your own visuals. Not sure if this module is right for you? Explore Piktochart templates to see examples of the infographics we will create.

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

News

HSLS welcomes Sarah Price, who has joined our team as a Main Desk Library Associate. She is a graduate of Allegheny College and most recently worked at the Geneva Public Library.