By the time you read this, the country will have started a new era. Hope combined with action can accomplish great things. Mr. Obama has tremendous challenges ahead of him, but with hope, action, and Congressional cooperation, he will be able to lead the country back to a sounder footing.
Sometimes we have chances to make a difference that has little or nothing to do with our jobs. A couple of years ago a patient came to my office. She was not only a patient, but a doctor as well. Six years previously she had been diagnosed with Stage IIIC ovarian cancer. She had written an essay about how she had dealt with her treatment, including CAM, extreme athletics, and music. She wanted to know if I had some suggestions of journals where she might submit the essay as the original journal that had been suggested had turned it down. She was also making a film about her experiences and those of other patients. At this time the film is very nearly complete, and Dana-Farber plans to show it for its Women’s History Month program. The hope (there’s that word again) is to have this film and a series of others derived from it become part of medical school curriculum.
Dana-Farber and, I suspect, most of our institutions, are implementing or strengthening programs in CAM, and looking at patients as whole beings, not simply a particular disease. Integrating care across the spectrum of services is vital. I believe that patients have been leading the way, gaining momentum, and institutions are catching on.
I invite you to read more about this project. The Web site is www.thekasiaproject.com. In the vein of full disclosure, I will tell you that I was invited to be on the advisory board. I would tell you about this regardless because I believe in this project. My remuneration is in knowing that I am helping to do something good and right. If anyone is interested in reading the essay, I can send it to you. If you are interested in attending the program at Dana-Farber on March 25 in the Jimmy Fund Auditorium, which will include panel discussion, contact me at christine_fleuriel@dfci.harvard.edu.
Submitted by Christine Fleuriel
Baruj Benacerraf Library
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
MAHSLIN extends a warm welcome to our newest members - Kristin Motte, Director of Library Services and Claire Rork, Circulation Coordinator, both from the New England College of Optometry.
An article posted on the Medical Library Association website (Alderton, Matt. “Signature Story - Reading, Writing and Rx” Forum, January 2009 http://www.associationforum.org/resources/signatureStory.asp?objectID=5469) features praise for an ongoing MAHSLIN project – the MLA’s MedSpeak brochures.
A series of disease-specific, plain language (6th grade reading level) brochures have been designed to help patients navigate their illnesses with easy-to-understand definitions and resources. Distributed for free via MLA's Web site and meetings, and sold in bulk at cost to medical libraries, public libraries, hospitals and doctor's offices, MLA's Medspeak brochures have been so well received that they even appeared as props on a recent episode of Fox's medical drama House. Many MAHSLIN members have contributed to the brochures: Dorothy Barr , Donna Beales , Alison Clapp , Margo Coletti , James L. Craig, Carolyn Dooman , Michelle Eberle , Christine Fleuriel , Cara Helfner , Megan McNichol , Nathan Norris , Danielle Tawa and Jeanie M. Vander Pyl.
Excerpted from the Medical Library Association website
If you’re looking to buy books for your library, here are three new titles by or with contributions from MAHSLIN members:
Brandy King, Librarian, Center on Media & Child Health, Children's Hospital Boston has written a book, “Finding the Concept, Not Just the Word: A Librarian's Guide to Ontologies and Semantics”, which was published in August 2008 by Chandos Publishing in London. The book describes how simple descriptions, visual representations, and real-life case studies demonstrate the power and potential of ontologies to enhance the electronic search process. Readers will gain a sense of how ontologies are currently being used and how they could be applied in the future, encouraging them to think about how their own work and their users' search experiences could be enhanced by the creation of a customized ontology.
Martha E. Stone, Coordinator for Reference Services, Treadwell Library, Massachusetts General Hospital wrote essays on the following topics:
Martha’s essays were published in: Byrne, J. P, ed. Encyclopedia of pestilence, pandemics, and plagues. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2008. (WorldCat link)
Cara Helfner, Director of Library Services, Faulkner Hospital, served as a principal researcher for “The Innovator's Prescription: A Disruptive Solution for Health Care” by Clayton M. Christensen, Jerome H. Grossman M.D., and Jason Hwang M.D., which was published in December 2008 by McGraw Hill. The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the strategies that will improve health care and make it affordable and applies the principles of disruptive innovation to the broken health care system.
January 27, February 11, February 24, March 4 - ONLINE CLASS - Emergency Preparedness
Hosted by the NN/LM NER. To register, please contact Martha Pearson.
January 28 - ONLINE CLASS - Maintaining Your DOCLINE Routing Table
Hosted by the NN/LM NER. To register, please contact Martha Pearson.
January 28 - InMagic WEBINAR - The Social Library: Beyond Traditional OPAC
Register Online
February 10 - Expanding Your Library's Outreach
Boston University, Pickering Educational Resources Library
Register Online
February 12 - MLA ONLINE LEARNING ACTIVITY- Health Information Outreach and Community Engagement: Lessons Learned from the Experts
Hosted by the NN/LM NER. To register, please contact Martha Pearson.
February 18 - Tough Economic Times: Strategies for Success
Sponsored by NELINET. Southborough, MA
Register Online
February 23 - SLA Online Copyright Education: Demystifying Copyright in your Enterprise and Developing a Copyright Policy
Sponsored by the Special Libraries Association.
Register Online Syllabus available here
February 24 - Countway Library of Medicine Notable Book Series - Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity
Sponsored by the Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston
For more information email: rvogel@hms.harvard.edu
April 17-19 - Knowledge Globalization Conference
Hosted by Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University and organized by Journal of Knowledge Globalization
For more information http://www.kglobal.org
April 22 - Boston Library Consortium Seminar: Grant Writing and Funding Strategies for Preservation and Digital Projects
Sponsored by BLC. Northeaster University, Snell Library, Room 90
Register Online
May 5-9 - Massachusetts Library Association Conference
Mass Mutual Center, Springfield, MA
For more information Massachusetts Library Association
May 15 - ACRL New England Annual Conference
College of the Holy Cross, Hogan Center, Worcester, MA
For more information ACRL/NEC
Don't Forget! The MAHSLIN CE Committee is ALWAYS looking for suggestions for classes that might benefit you in your work. Also visit the Education Page on our website for information about current classes available.
Periodicals shelf, free-standing, two-sided. Will display up to 80 journals and has ample back-issue storage. Gray metal, 7' H x 6' 3" W x 27" D. Purchased in 2000 for over $1,000 and still in excellent condition. Free to anyone who can remove and transport it.
Submitted by:
Diane Hopkins
New England Primate Research Center
Rebranding Ourselves for the 21st Century
Friday, April 24, 2009
Massachusetts Medical Society, Waltham, MA
Detailed information still to come.
Submitted by:
Teri Niland
Lawrence Memorial Hospital
On the MAHSLIN membership form (www.mahslin.org/resources/memberapplication.pdf), there is now a link to the current MAHSLIN directory online (www.mahslin.org/mahdir.htm), which has been updated. Since many members have been at the same jobs for years and information hasn’t changed, you can now look at the directory and if all your information is correct, just check the box that no changes are necessary.
Additionally, a new line has been added to every entry in the directory indicating the year that the person last paid dues. This should make it easy for program planners to see whether people are current MAHSLIN members, as well as make it easy for members to keep track of whether they’ve already paid during a given year. Once someone has not paid for 2 years, their information will be removed from the directory.
Submitted by:
Brandy King
Center for Media and Child Health
Your co-editors, Cara Helfner and Sally Gore, welcome your news, updates and educational opportunities to share with the MAHSLIN community. Sally will be editing the Spring MAHSLIN Network News, so please contact her at sally.gore@umassmed.edu if you have anything you would like to contribute. Stay warm and looking forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting on April 24!