LSUHSC New Orleans Libraries News

At this time next week, I’ll be writing to you from Chicago, where the 2008 Medical LIbrary Association’s annual meeting is taking place. Several members of the library are attending, including: Kathy Kerdolff, Hanna Kwasik, Wilba Swearingen, and me, Maureen “Molly” Knapp, your ever faithful Reference Librarian and blogger.

What exactly do librarians do at these conferences? All kinds of things, from presenting papers and poster sessions, to continuing education, to networking with vendors and other colleagues across the country that we may only see once a year. Trust me, since I’m an official MLA conference blogger this year, you’ll be sure to get the inside scoop on what we get up to. Stay tuned!

The School of Dentistry received a “Bouquet” in this week’s Gambit Weekly for distributing sealants to prevent tooth decay to 60 elementary school students. The article is not online yet, but you can read about it in the print copy here in the library. Way to geaux, Tigers!

Reference Librarian, Molly Knapp has been selected as one of the official MLA bloggers for the 2008 Annual Meeting in Chicago. What this means for this blog is that starting next week, posts will appear with the subject line of MLA2008 and that the official meeting website will be linking to our little part of the blogosphere.

MLA is the Medical Library Association; this organization is the primary National professional group for medical/health sciences librarians. Molly was one of only 15 librarians to receive this invitation.

MedlinePlus.gov debuted a multilingual feature, providing access to high quality health information in languages other than English and Spanish today (Wednesday, May 7th).

“The new collection contains over 2,500 links to information in more than 40 languages and covers nearly 250 Health Topics. Continuous growth is expected.”

MedlinePlus.gov is a consumer-oriented, free website from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

The renovation project for the new Library Commons will start this Summer. The plans for the area are now on view in the Isché Library. Come check them out.

Mosby’s Nursing Consult updated over 8,000 patient handouts over the weekend. These handouts are written at between a 6th & 8th grade reading level and LSUHSC “Authorized Users have permission to print copies of patient education handouts for personal, non-commercial use in educating patients.”

Examination time is here again and the Isché Library will be open until midnight every night of the week through May 15th. Come get your study on this weekend.

Natural Standard provides evidence-based information on herbs & supplements, health & wellness, allergies & immunology, interactions, and conditions. Now LSUHSC members can access this database on their mobile device!

To get your free download & serial number, send an email Maureen “Molly” Knapp at the LSUHSC Library. Please use your LSUHSC account if you can, so we can verify your eligibility.

If you want more information on Natural Standard read this review from the Journal of the Medical Library Association.

Screen shots of Natural Standard:

Extended Exam hours at the Isché Library begin today (Monday, April 28th). The Isché Library will remain open until 12 midnight each night through Thurday, May 15th. Come get your study on!

Information Services released an announcement today about filming which will affect the downtown campus:
I have just been made aware that there will be filming that will affect our campus beginning today. It’s an action adventure film called “Twelve Rounds”. The memo University Police received this morning from LSU Interim Hospital states that the film company will be preparing University Hospital from Friday, April 25 - Monday, April 28. The film company will be shooting nightly from Tuesday April 29 - Friday May 2. They say there will be intermittent traffic flow used around the hospital. Most of the work at the hospital will be done inside and on the helipad, but there will be some exterior work on Tuesday during the day and evening. There will be a simulated explosion done outside on Tuesday in the late afternoon.

No parking signs will be posted by the City from Friday, April 25 at 5:00 a.m. - Friday, May 2 at 7:00 p.m. in the following locations:
1900, 2000 and 2100 blocks of Perdido Street
400, 500, and 600 blocks of Bolivar Street
1900, 2000, and 2100 blocks of Gravier Street (with street closures overseen by NOPD)
500 block of S. Prieur Street
400 and 500 blocks of S. Johnson Street (with street closures overseen by NOPD)

Which means no street parking this weekend in front of the Library’s building. Can’t wait for that explosion on Tuesday!

Just in case you missed the email from the chancellor:

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will be held at the New Orleans Fairgrounds this weekend and next. Dr. Eric Hovland, Dean of our Dental School, has extended an invitation to all faculty, staff and students with their LSUHSC ID’s to park at the Dental School if they are planning to attend Jazz Fest. University Police will accommodate entering and exiting through the Tensas Street Gate (the back Walk Thru Gate) on the above-referenced dates until 7:45 PM each night. After 7:45 PM, entering and exiting will only be allowed through the Florida Avenue drive-in. ALL LSUHSC rules and regulations remain in effect regarding proper use and care of our campus properties and facilities. Please see Captain William Joseph for any other questions.

More information on Jazz Fest and a Dental School Parking Map (pdf).

Every day, children ages eight to 18 spend more than six hours watching TV, playing video games or using the computer for recreational purposes. The more time youth spend in front of the screen, the more likely they are to be overweight.

Turnoff Week (April 21-27) is a nationwide campaign to raise public awareness about the effects of too much screen time. Sponsored by the NHLBI We Can! program, they offer helpful activities to reduce screen time.

Click here to see current literature on television’s effect on obesity in the US from PubMed.

Conceived by a Wisconsin Senator in 1969, April 22 is known to some as Earth Day, marking the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

Are you doing anything for Earth Day? Planting a tree? Walking instead of driving? Absolutely nothing?

Whether you’re apathetic or animated about the state of our planet, you can let the world know on Google Maps today.

“However you’re planning to honor Earth Day (April 22) and combat climate change, we want to hear all about it – the more unique, the better.”

Who knows? Maybe you’ll even learn how other locals observe Earth Day…or how they do not.

Lovin’ the Earth Lagniappe
Nature Reports: Climate Change

What’s all that hustle & bustle out on Gravier Street this morning?

Apparently they’re filming scenes for the film Final Destination 4.

And don’t forget: some parts of the CBD will be closed today until 3pm for the North American Summit.

That’s how many questions reference librarians across America answer in an average week.

Ever wonder what it’s like working the other side of the reference desk? Here’s a short video from our librarian overlords that examines that very question. Why? Because it’s National Library Week!

Relatedly: Monkey Wars!

Just a reminder, students, faculty and staff will need their LSUHSC IDs to access campus areas after 6pm beginning today, Monday, April 14. (more…)

April 11th is Medical Information Day.

TODAY ONLY!

Drop by the library Circulation desk and mention this blog, get a FREE GIFT!

1. We’re cheap
Everyone knows, you get what you pay for. As an LSUHSC member, all of our resources are available to you for free - from articles to books to exam preparation. Who cares if our interlibrary loan service can get you that $35 article you found online for free. If you want to refinance your condo to pay for that Kaplan prep course instead of exploring ExamMaster or USMLEasy, that’s your call. It’s your money: spend it on what you want.

2. We’re too nice
We hear it all the time. We’re so nice, so helpful, so timely. We understand that if you’re used to pulling teeth and dealing with attitude to get a service to which you are entitled, it’s hard to deal with friendly, helpful people. Here’s a kleenex, it’ll be okay.

3. It’s all online
Actually, we’re surprised to even see you in here. With over 12,000 journals and 400 books available to you online, for free, through our library catalog , and more than 400 specialty databases as well, it’s flattering to us that you even made the trip.

4. You’ve adjusted to mediocrity.
Why settle for excellence when you just need to pass? It doesn’t matter that your sloppy references in that paper cost you an entire letter grade. Who cares that you could have let RefWorks do that bibliography for you, in APA style like you needed, in about 2 seconds. It’s fine, really, that you searched Google for those drug interaction references instead of something authoritative like MicroMedex. It’s not like you’re going to hurt anybody…yet.

5. No one likes a smarty-pants
We understand. We know too much. Whether it’s who to talk to about your transcripts, where to start researching your dissertation, or how to set up your mobile phone for campus wireless access, it’s hard to ask a question when you feel you should know the answer. If you can swallow your pride, we’d be happy to help (see point #2). You can even ask us online, if face-to-face interaction is too cringeworthy for you.

So there you have it. 5 reasons why you SHOULDN’T use our library. Can you think of any more?

The semester is almost over, but some students aren’t planning their summer vacations just yet. If you’re planning to take the USMLE Step 1, 2 or 3 or the NBDE soon, take a look at EXAM MASTER, a medical exam preparation and review resource that is available for FREE to LSUHSC students.

EXAM MASTER FEATURES

• Over 7,700 questions, answers, and explanations covering the USMLE Step 1 Exam.
• 3,100 clinical vignette type questions
• Questions created by physicians and medical educators
• Exam customization - Select questions by integrated outline, medical subjects, keywords, or take a pre-made practice exam
• Images and tables are associated with many questions.
• Scoring feature - track user performance and get the analysis necessary for concentrated study efforts.

More information on Exam Master

Students need to create an Exam Master username & password to use this resource. Off campus access requires log-in with library barcode & PIN, then login with your Exam Master info.

The City of New Orleans has finally put the survey about reinstatement of curbside recycling online. Please take a minute to fill it out if you are interested in the return of curbside recycling.

http://www.cityofno.com/pg-123-7-sanitation–survey.aspx

What happens if the LSUHSC Libraries doesn’t own what you need to conduct your research or write a paper? You can borrow it through the Libraries’ Interlibrary Loan Service, ILLiad.

ILLiad allows electronic submission, tracking, and notification. It’s easy, so set up your account today!

Researchers at the Imperial College London found that theobromine, a chemical commonly found in cocoa, may help patients with a persistent cough. Theobromine works by suppressing vagus nerve activity, which is responsible for causing coughing. A 2004 study in FASEB journal found that the concentration of capsaicin (a chemical a substance used in clinical research to cause coughing) required to produce a cough in those people given theobromine was around one third higher when compared with the group receiving a placebo.

The team also discovered that unlike standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no adverse effects on either the cardiovascular or central nervous systems.

This is great news for us humans, but I wonder, is it in time to help the smoking pigs?

Happy April Fool’s day, everyone.

No, I’m not talking about the Wii. This summer Nintendo will introduce a new program for the DS system. My Weight Loss Coach comes with a pedometer, mini quizzes and challenges designed to motivate and reward users for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The legibility of doctor’s handwriting has been an established source of humor . According to the Annals of Improbable Research, there have been 4 studies on physician handwriting in the last 30 years (really there have been many more). They even go so far as to recommend a penmanship book from 1843. However, according to Quality & Safety in Health Care, physician’s handwriting is as good (or bad) as anyone else’s.

Happy April Fool’s Day!

Get a leg up on your classmates and check out www.getbodysmart.com. Created by an anatomy teacher, this website is a great resource for learning about the skeletal system, muscle tissue physiology and the nervous system among other subjects. The animated drawings, diagrams and interactive quizzes will help you ace your next exam.