On November 19, 2008, you are invited to any of the Resource Libraries in the MidContinental Region to participate in a meeting with the NN/LM Site Visit Team. NLM organizes a visit to each region once every 5 years. The public session will run from 12:00 - 1:50 MT, 1:00 - 2:50 CT. Resource Libraries would like you to notify them, if you will be attending so that they can accommodate all who are joining the public session.

Jean Shipman, Director, will be facilitating a discussion in response to a list of questions. These questions will be distributed at the public session. Refreshments will be served and parking passes will be issued where needed.

The person to contact at each Resource Library, directions and the list of questions are available on the MCR’s site visit web site http://nnlm.gov/mcr/evaluation/nnlm_sitevisit.html On the menu at the top of the page, Click on Participation. We hope you’ll take the time to join us! /ch

“Health and Wellness Guide for the Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services”
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), in partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). Oct 2008.
http://www.nvfc.org/files/documents/HealthWellness_guide.pdf
This Guide provides the rationale and suggestions for successfully implementing a health and wellness program in the volunteer fire and emergency services. It also addresses many common roadblocks. The chapters are divided to help volunteer departments develop a program from the ground up. [posted on the Medical Reserve Corps listserv] scb

Apply to the attend the National Libray of Medicine’s BioMedical Informatics Course offered twice a year at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. This weeklong course is fully funded by the NLM. You can read Network member Laura Hickerson’s recap of her experience last summer in the latest issue of the Plains to Peaks Post http://nnlm.gov/mcr/services/comm/newsletter/PTPP_November_2008.pdf Applications are due January 15, 2009 for both sessions. Don’t miss this opportunity! Learn more at http://www.mbl.edu/education/courses/special_topics/med.html [scb]

Josephine Tan, Education and Information Consultant, Clinical Sciences at UCSF Library in San Francisco, presented “Blogging to Extend Your Reach” to the “13 Things” Learning 2.0 class on November 10. She discussed how to use a blog to disseminate knowledge to a particular audience (i.e., educators, students). She also talked about how she tracks usage of her blog using Google Analytics, which can help you measure your usage and justify your return on investment in creating the blog. View the recording here:

https://webmeeting.nih.gov/p34125116/

[SD]

Google Mail (GMail) has added voice and video chat! For more information, see http://mail.google.com/videochat. [SD]

Looking for information on scholarly communication? There have been many web pages directed to academic and research libraries about issues related to scholarly communication. The Network has attempted to create a page that better addresses the issues of library staff in clinical settings and other smaller, non-research libraries. If you are in one of these libraries, check out the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) web site titled “Scholarly Communication: Issues for Health Sciences Libraries in Clinical Settings” found at: http://nnlm.gov/rsdd/ejournals/nonacad.html

Alison Aldrich from the NN/LM Pacific Northwest Region is the author of this page. Another national page about electronic journals also has been updated by Alison to reflect changes in the scholarly communication environment: http://nnlm.gov/rsdd/ejournals/ She would be happy to hear your comments about either page and can be reached at: aldrich3@u.washington.edu /ch

A growing number of research studies have documented the relationship between social determinants of health and health outcomes. However, relatively little is known about how to translate this knowledge into practice. To address this gap, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with Transtria LLC and the Saint Louis University Prevention Research Center, developed Promoting Health Equity: A Resource to Help Communities Address Social Determinants of Health.

This workbook was created to support new and existing partnerships to address the social determinants of health inequities. It highlights lessons learned by communities and provides information and tools to develop, implement and evaluate interventions that address social determinants of health inequities. It was designed for a wide range of users interested in achieving health equity.

Download or order a free copy of Promoting Health Equity: A Resource to Help Communities Address Social Determinants of Health from the CDC Community Health and Program Services web site:
Download the PDF (3.4Mb): http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dach/chaps/
Order a free copy (maximum of 10): http://wwwn.cdc.gov/pubs/CHAPS.aspx
[posted n CBPR listserv] scb

The November 2008 issue of the Plains to Peaks Post, newsletter of the NN/LM MidContinental Region is now available online at http://nnlm.gov/mcr/services/comm/newsletter/PTPP_November_2008.pdf

In this issue:

The Site Visit Team is Coming to Town
I really enjoyed the Regional Advisory Board meeting
NN/LM MidContinental Region Advisory Board
Communicating Value
Three Ways to Inform Yourself
Benefits of Using the AAO Library
Nebraska Notebook
NLM BioMedical Informatics Course
Continuity of Health Information Award
It’s Good to Pick Up a Book

The November 2008 issue of NIH News in Health is now online. In this free issue learn about current research in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; find out if plastic bottles containing bisphenol A (BPA) are harmful to your health; and read about the new virtual colon scan. [da]