Himmelfarb Library Blog - Web resources

Need a guide to research?

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:25:00 -0500

Overwhelmed by the number of library resources available? Interested in a customized set of resources for your program or a specific class? Let librarians help you design and information tool customized for your students' needs.

We realize that it is not always simple to sort out which databases, books, and journals are most relevant, so we would like to help you. Save time searching for appropriate books and journals by accessing all of them from one convenient location. We can even include handy search tools that will allow you to search a term across 40 databases or all of our electronic textbook collections.

We can also gather and link to all the important journals in your field (via Himmelfarb subscriptions) as well as provide an easy way for you to receive the tables of contents for each new issue as it is released.

The Reference Department is happy to work with you to develop a Research Guide containing books, journals, websites, and software programs gathered from our collection that match the needs of your students.

Several Research Guide have already been developed and are available on the Himmelfarb Library website. For more information contact Alexandra Gomes at (202) 994-1825 or mlbawg@gwumc.edu.

Request & Recommend Resources to Himmelfarb

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:16:00 -0500

Himmelfarb Library welcomes recommendations from faculty, students and staff members for materials of all types that we may want to add to our collection. Because of your research, clinical, and educational expertise, you may be aware of an information resource that would be valuable to our collection, and we want to hear from you!

Although the final addition is dependent upon a number of factors, we depend upon your input to identify high-quality materials. Once a request is made, we will review the specific title, balance it with the other titles in the same area, and keep you aware of the final disposition. We will also provide any training necessary.

Please do not hesitate to contact us to make us aware of your request. You can submit requests and recommendations:

Purchase Request Form
By contacting the individual responsible for that area of the collection:

Books: George Paul (202-994-3682, mlbgpp@gwumc.edu)
Journals: Steve Brown (202-994-9756, mlbswb@gwumc.edu)
Audiovisuals: Catherine Harris (202-994-9453, mlbcrh@gwumc.edu)
Software: Alexandra Gomes (202-994-1825, mlbawg@gwumc.edu)
Databases and Electronic Textbooks: Laura Abate (202-994-8570, mlblea@gwumc.edu)

By making your request known to your Library Liaison.

Please help us with your special knowledge as we try to make our collection one of the best available.

Free Services for File Storing and Sharing

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:09:00 -0500

Ever lost a document you spent hours on because of a power failure, misplaced your flash drive, or forgot to e-mail yourself the correct file? Tried to work on a group project but had difficulty finding the right way to collaborate?

These free online storage services allow you to save files safely and securely online so that you can access them from anywhere you do your work. While each has its own unique features, all of these services allow for collaboration on files and file sharing, making group projects easier and digital documents more safe and secure.

These services can help to keep you organized and allow you to work together on things without needed to get together. They protect what you're working on from local hard drive failures and power outages, and are always available from wherever you are, be it your apartment, the Himmelfarb Library, or a computer in a café abroad.

Google Docs

If you have a Gmail account you already have Google Docs which comes with ample online storage space and auto saves documents while you work.

Office Live

Office Live provides users with 5GB of storage and allows you to view and work on Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents from any web browser, even if the computer does not have Microsoft Office installed. Office Live is an excellent service if you work on collaborative PowerPoint projects or want to share them easily with colleagues.

Windows Live Skydrive

If you have a Hotmail, Messenger or Xbox Live account you already have access to Windows Live Skydrive. Skydrive gives users 25GB of free storage which allows you to upload documents and multimedia for easy sharing and collaboration.

Health Reform Policy Analyses

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:53:00 -0500

Are you interested in health policy? Do you want to stay abreast of health policy reform legislation?

George Washington University's Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program at the School of Public Health and Health Services have created the National Health Reform Law and Policy Project. This project provides comparative analyses and summaries of the major pieces of health reform legislation in the 111th Congress.

The Project will track health policy reform legislation from legislation through and into implementation. Before preparing the analyses, GWUMC faculty and staff worked with experts in health care policy and management to determine which questions should be asked when considering health care policy and legislation. The Project uses these questions to frame their analyses.

The National Health Reform Law and Policy Project includes:

A user's guide to navigating project contents
A taxonomy that identifies the major themes guiding the comparative legislative analysis
Comparative legislative tables showing provisions in each analyzed proposal and viewable independently or comparatively (side by side)
Comprehensive summaries of each proposal and links to the actual legislation

Board Review Collection: USMLE Step 1

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:42:00 -0500

For the last five years the Himmelfarb Library has maintained a collection of test preparation and review books for 2nd year medical students preparing for the USMLE Step 1 exam. The collection includes:

Review books (Print). In addition to a selection of titles that focus on a general review for the exam, the Library also purchases titles in the specific subject areas of anatomy and embryology, behavioral sciences, biochemistry, microbiology and immunology, pathology, pharmacology and physiology. All titles are available in Reserves (checkout period = one week), and select titles have additional copies available in the Stacks (checkout period = three weeks). Himmelfarb's board review collection is based upon the recommendations found in the latest edition of 'First Aid for the USMLE STEP 1.' The library acquires titles that are rated A, A- and B+ by the editors.
Review books (Online). A number of review books are available in electronic format. Step 1 titles include Clinical Vignettes for the USMLE Step 1: Self-Assessment and Review, First Aid for the USMLE Step 1, and Lange Outline Review : USMLE Step 1.
Audio CDs and Videos/DVDs. Himmelfarb Library provides audio and video review programs for steps 1, 2, and 3, including the MedStudy Video Board Review of Internal Medicine.
Computer Review Programs. These programs can be accessed in Himmelfarb Library or from off-campus locations. Available programs include the Exam Master Medical Subject Review, Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine: Self-Assessment and Board Review, and USMLEasy Lite.

If you have recommendations or questions concerning our collection, please contact George Paul, Head, Collection Development at 994-3682 or mlbgpp@gwumc.edu.

Image created using Wordle

Healthy DC - Go Local Launched

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:05:00 -0500

People throughout the District of Columbia now have a fast, free, and easy way to find health services close to where they live and work.

Healthy DC - Go Local enables consumers to search for doctors, hospitals, clinics, health screening and testing programs, support groups, mental health centers, counselors, and other programs and services. The site offers additional information and convenience because is it linked to MedlinePlus, the consumer health database of the National Library of Medicine.

From MedlinePlus pages about a given health topic, a user can select a link to the applicable Go Local site for information about related services that may be located nearby. Conversely, a Go Local user looking up local services by disease/condition can select a link to related health information from MedlinePlus.

Healthy DC - Go Local was created by medical librarians at Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library and Georgetown University's Dahlgren Memorial Library, in collaboration with librarians at Howard University's Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library.

Louis Braille Bicentennial (1809-1852)

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:03:00 -0500

Besides being the bicentennial of the births of such luminaries as Charles Darwin, Abraham Lincoln, and Edgar Allen Poe, 2009 is the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille (1809-1852), the creator of the ingenious braille system, which has given countless blind and vision-impaired people the ability to read and write. Braille utilizes a six-dot cell of raised dots to represent letters of the alphabet, numerals, punctuation, and other symbols. Permutations of the six dots permit the representation of 64 different characters, and the system has been adapted to numerous different languages around the world. The compactness of each cell allows individual cells to be read without unnecessary movement of the fingertipa weakness of earlier systems.

Braille first described his system in a 32-page booklet published in 1829 entitled, Procede pour écrire les Paroles, la Musique et le Plain-chant au moyen de points, a l'usage des Aveugles et dispose pour eux (Method for Writing Words, Music, and Plainsong by Means of Points, for the Use of the Blind and Arranged for Them). Images of this rare work are viewable on the web site of the bookseller, Jonathan A. Hill.

To commemorate Braille's contributions and promote literacy among the blind, the US Mint issued a one-dollar silver coin on March 26, 2009. The obverse of the coin features a portrait of Braille and the reverse depicts a child reading a book in braille with the word "braille" (abbreviated as BRL) above him--the first time a US coin has employed braille--and the word "independence" on a bookshelf behind him.

According to the National Federation of the Blind, only 10 percent of blind children in the United States are learning braille. Among working-age, legally blind adults, over 70 percent are unemployed, although among those who are successfully employed, a large majority know braille. The NFB website offers resources on braille literacy and an extensive Audio-Video Center, including a video on the commemorative coin, Change with a Dollar.

Additional online resources of interest include the National Braille Press and the Louis Braille Bicenntenial web site.

This article was written by Edward T. Morman, MSLS, PhD, Director, Jacobus tenBroek Library, National Federation of the Blind, Jernigan Institute.

Faculty: technology tools

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:38:00 -0500

The Handbook of Emerging Technologies for Learning by George Siemens and Peter Tittenberger was recently published and made available full-text online. Designed as a resource for educators planning to incorporate technologies in their teaching and learning activities, the handbook covers broad topics (e.g. changes in the role of universities, enhanced understanding of learning process, etc.) as well as specific technological tools (e.g. blogs, wikis, etc.).

George Siemens and Peter Tittenberger are Associate Director, Research and Development and Director, respectively, of the Learning Technologies Centre at the University of Manitoba. The Handbook also supports and leads into the Certificate in Emerging Technologies for Learning offered their institution.

Medpedia vs. Wikipedia

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:26:00 -0500

Do you like Wikipedia's accessibility and organization? Do you have concerns about Wikipedia's reliability and authority?

Medpedia is a new, collaborative online knowledge system. While Medpedia is similar in design to Wikipedia, Medpedia's editors are all physicians and Ph.D.'s whose credentials have been individually verified. Professional profiles on Medpedia include real names, educational backgrounds, descriptions of areas of expertise and disclosures about compensation and conflicts of interest. Medpedia permits only verified physicians and Ph.D.'s in a biomedical field will be allowed to make edits directly to Medpedia.

Medpedia's long-term goal is to create a freely accessible online system to share and advance knowledge about health and medicine. Medpedia's intended uses and benefits include:

Reference source for both medical professionals and the lay-public covering information about health, medicine and the body
Forum for individuals and groups to be recognized for their areas of expertise
Clearinghouse of bio-medical journal articles, data, research, and educational materials
Forum for debating emerging issues
Platform for advancing medical knowledge

A number of high-profile organizations have partnered with Medpedia to provide content including Harvard Medical School, Stanford School of Medicine, University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, University of Michigan Medical School, American College of Physicians, and the American Heart Association.

Good animal care and good science go hand-in-hand

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:18:00 -0500

The majority of Americans support carefully regulated and appropriate use of animals in medical research benefiting human and animal health. Upholding its motto 'good animal care and good science go hand-in-hand', the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) launched a website Medical Research with Animals. You'll find information here on preparedness, policy & guidance, grant and funding resources, as well as training & education. If you are working with animals or plan to in the future, this site provides valuable support.

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/air/researchers_institutions.htm

Rock the Boards!

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:39:00 -0500

Students can access a variety of board review materials from Himmelfarb Library and can find a list of the resources available on the Librarys Rock the Boards website. Rock the Boards can help students identify and access:

Print review books which can be checked out for three weeks (available in Stacks) or three hours (available in Reserves).
Electronic review books which can be accessed from on- or off-campus locations.
Important board related groups including the AAMC and USMLE.
Computer review programs which can be accessed in Himmelfarb Library, or from off-campus locations.

Image Reference: Anonymous (2004). Cramer group at Half Dome. [Online image]. Retrieved May 29, 2008 from http://cramer.lbl.gov/SPCGroup.php?Home&Pictures&2.

Health information from Amharic to Vietnamese

Mon, 26 May 2008 15:59:00 -0500

MedlinePlus.gov recently added listings for health information in over 40 different languages. This will be a very helpful resource for patients who read languages other than English.

This multiligual collection is not comprehensive, but is selective and only links to high quality materials. It includes resources produced by the Federal government and professional organizations, associations, hospitals, universities, and state and local governments based here in the U.S. The materials are all written for consumers, immigrants, students, or parents and indicate when they were last updated.

MedlinePlus.gov is managed by the National Library of Medicine and provides extensive health information for patients from only authoritative sources.

Check out this helpful resource for your international patients!

What's happening? Get GWUMC news...

Sun, 25 May 2008 11:30:00 -0500

If you've ever felt behind the curve when it comes to knowing what is going on around GWUMC, you may want to use a couple of useful RSS feeds. RSS feeds are a simple way to get the information that you're interested in fed directly to you. While the term 'RSS' may be new to you, the idea is simple - set up a website where you can see only the news that you're most interested in, and can tell immediately when it has (or hasn't) been updated. To track what's happening on campus, you can set up RSS feeds on:

Scopus - Use this Scopus feed to track articles being published by GWUMC researchers
Google News - Track articles that mention GWUMC to see what's going on around the medical center and learn about issues on which GWUMC researches have provided expertise.
GWUMC News - Read the latest news stories from GWUMC's Medical Center Communications and Marketing.
Himmelfarb Library - Learn how to use the latest research tools, databases features, and access tips to keep yourself on top of the information that you need.

Note that the links above are for RSS feeds. This means that they'll look great in an RSS feed reader and terrible in a regular web window. If youre new to RSS and need help getting going with RSS, you can learn more about it on Himmelfarb Library's website:

Getting started with RSS - Learn about RSS feeders and how to (easily) set one up.
RSS feeds and e-journals - Find out how easy it is to get the Tables of Contents for your favorite journals delivered to you automatically.
RSS feeds & Scopus - Set up RSS feeds to find the latest articles on whatever topics interest you. As always, if you have questions or need assistance, please contact us via phone (202-994-8570), email (library@gwumc.edu), or Instant Message.

Planning a trip overseas?

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:35:00 -0500

Do you need a yellow fever vaccination to visit Angola?
Do you want to what areas of the world have Mefloquine-resistant malaria?
Beyond the wound, what additional threat is posed by the bite of a macaques monkey?
The CDC has published the 2008 Edition of the Yellow Book, officially known as Health Information for International Travel. This book is published every two years as a reference on health risks for international travelers. The contents are fully searchable by destination or topic and the book tells you what vaccinations are recommended for travel to what countries. It also contains lots of helpful general information about all types of infectious and non-infectious health risks during travel. We thought this would be a helpful reference for the GWUMC community, both for those traveling themselves and as a reference to help others. The contents are freely available online.

Find the perfect journal

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:05:00 -0500

Are you looking for a good journal in which to publish? Authors looking to submit their articles to the "perfect journal" may be interested to know about two relatively new tools to compare journal impacts and rankings. Eigenfactor

Eigenfactor's Article Influence is similar to the ISI Impact Factor
Provides a cost-effectiveness search for journals
Ranks journals similarly to the way Google ranks websites
Uses citation data from Thomson Scientific's Journal Citation Reports (JCR)
Algorithms are openly described on the methods page
developed by a group working with Carl Bergstrom, in the department of biology at the University of Washington

SCImago Journal & Country Rank

The Compare Journals function provides easy-to-read charts of ranking, citation, and reference data
Uses citation data from the Scopus database
Algorithm is similar to Google's PageRank
Data can be downloaded in Excel spreadsheets
Provides information publishing and impact by country
Developed by a research group from the University of Granada, Extremadura, Carlos III (Madrid), and Alcalá de Henares