As posted on HLIB-NW, Lea Starr announced that she is "on the move" again. I have accepted the position of head librarian at the Open Learning Agency in Burnaby BC.
Today (November 25, 1998) is my last
day with the University of Alberta. I begin my new position on
December 1st. In the interim of 6 days, I will be moving. This
is a permanent change. We have sold our house in Alberta and rented
a house in Vancouver. I am looking forward to visiting all
my west coast friends from PNC soon! Likewise my home in Vancouver
is open for visits. Address:
5276 Blenheim, Vancouver. I will post my new email address
when I know it."
State Report
submitted by Kathy
Murray
Anne Girling at the Alaska Native Medical Center has a one-year subscription to Ovid via the web including two groups of full-text medical journals.
Donna Hudson announced that Elmendorf's move into their new hospital has been pushed back until the Spring.
The University of Alaska Anchorage library has a new Dean, Stephen Rollins. Steve abandoned the sun and altitude of Albuquerque for Anchorage, taking over the reins from Barbara Sokolov on 1 October 1998.
As announced in the last newsletter, UAA was awarded an outreach subcontract for public health professionals. So, Kathy Murray will be able to continue her exploration of Alaska by visits to ten or more communities over the next year and a half.
Alaska's State Library is spearheading a trial of state-wide databases. After six months, a selection of the most useful (as voted on by the populace) databases will be made permanently available. Anyone interested in the vendors being evalutated should visit their home page.
BC Report for PNC/MLA
October 1998
submitted by Jim Henderson
Personnel and Institutional Changes
The Tzu Chi Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine opened and immediately hired a full-time professional librarian, Vivian McCallum. Unfortunately, money problems have hit the Institute and Vivian will be losing her position in November.
Carolyn Hall from the BC Health Association retired with the closing down of the Association. She is reported to be happily traveling. Leslie McGee is now running the library of the new Health Association of BC. She was with the BC Association of Community Care, which closed its offices and library. The new library amalgamates the BCHA, BACC, and Health Communities libraries.
Nancy Forbes has retired from UBC's Biomedical Branch Library at the Vancouver General Hospital. We welcomed Dean Giustini back from Alberta to replace her. Pat Lysyk retired from the UBC Hamber Library at the Women's / Children's complex. Her replacement, Cathy Rayment, ended her long term - some 16 years - job-sharing arrangement with Pat Young at the Vancouver- Richmond Health Board. Donna Curtis is leaving her position as document delivery librarian in UBC Woodward Library. UBC introduced "case-based learning" for first year medical students in Sept. 1997.
Carol Macfarlane of the Registered Nurses Assocation is the proud mother of a new baby girl. We were pleased to welcome Marjory Jardine, even temporarily, for maternity leave replacement.
Anyone interested in overseas work might want to apply to the Chilliwack Hospital. Elaine Robinson has left for library work in Micronesia in the South Pacific, following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Sue Kurucz, who is in the United Arab Emirates.
The Medical Library Service of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC launched a web site in November of 1997, featuring the popular Cites & Bytes with links to PubMed and, when available (average of 5 of 50 articles), free full text. It can be reached at http://www.mls.cps.bc.ca.
Riverview Hospital learned that the hospital will be closing in 11 years. The Library was the first in the province to offer OVID full text journals.
The opening of the new BC Cancer Agency clinic in Kelowna resulted in the hiring of Diana Hall as half-time reference librarian.
Charlotte Beck moved the Richmond General Hospital Library to new quarters in a prime location.
Shyann Hiebert left her position with the Capital Health Region library system to take up a career in physiotherapy. She is missed.
Hoong Lim was joined by Jenny O'Grady at Burnaby General Hospital one day a week. Jenny is also spending a day a week at St. Mary's Hospital.
Activities
As of earlier this year, every province in Canada is represented in the list of DOCLINE participants. The Pacific Northwest on both sides of the border can be proud of its pioneering role in making DOCLINE an international system. And do consider putting Canadians in your routing tables - we are now cheaper than ever, and we love those American dollars!
Derek Reimer was hired as Director of Records Management and Library Services with responsibilities for the BC Ministry of Health Library. The Ministry catalogue was mounted on the web using SIRSI software (at unicorn.hlth.gov.bc.ca/uhtbin/webcat).
BC has been an active participant in federal activities. Health Canada, the federal government department, created the Advisory Council on the Health Info- Structure through its Office of Health and the Information Highway. This Council issued its Interim Report in September. Also arising from Health Canada, first as the National Population Health Clearinghouse as recommended in the National Forum on Health, but strangely transformed into a consumer health information service called the Canada Health Network. This Network is currently searching for a Western Canada operating centre. The Consumer Health Information Service of Metro Toronto Reference Library would seem to have scooped the library aspects of the national operating centre.
The Health Libraries Association of BC (HLABC) submitted a one-page brief, "Health Knowledge Network: Transforming Knowledge to Health", to the BC Ministry of Health to encourage a co-ordinated approach to changes resulting from regionalization and the shift to community-based health care delivery. HLABC has launched a Task Force to advocate for a more systematic approach to access to knowledge-based information in the province. HLABC produced a printed union list from DOCLINE data for the first time in several years.
Finances
On this side of the border, great gnashing of teeth and groans greet each drop in the Canadian dollar relative to its robust American cousin - over 6% down in the past year. Many libraries are cutting journal subscriptions even more this fall since most good journals and databases are published in the US.
MLA in 2000
Of course, we have been seeing more of our American neighbours as a result of the favourable exchange rate, and look forward to and are preparing for a large innudation for MLA/CHLA 2000. It will be held in the "sails", that is, Canada Place, in the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre - on the waterfront in downtown Vancouver May 6-10, 2000. We are bemused, and delighted, that MLA decided to start the new millennium here in Vancouver. We are counting on the MLA 1997 Seattle experience of our Pacific Northwest friends!
State Report
submitted by Kathy
Nelson
The Idaho Medical Librarians met in Twin Falls for their annual
spring meeting. The education program was on using teams to solve
problems. Gardner Hanks from the State Library was
the facilitator. Terry Wiggins announced that she would
be moving to Kansas City and she had accepted a position at the
University as Clinical Librarian. Nancy Griffin accepted
the position as Director of the Idaho Health Sciences Library.
This library was named a resource library by the NN/LM for
Idaho and was awarded an outreach subcontract from the RML to
provide service to five
Health West clinics with internet access training and hardware.
Nancy exhibited at the Idaho Medical Association meeting in October
about the library and internet resources, and will be doing more
exhibits at other health professional meetings.
The IHIA fall meeting was in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and the education program was provided by Linda Milgrom. The group rented a computer lab and had a hands on PubMed update. This meeting is held in association with the Idaho Hospital Association meeting and the librarians enjoy the social events including a dinner meeting. We also visited the DeArmond Consumer Health Library at Kootenai. Joan Hust shared how they deliver information to inpatients, outpatients and community patrons. She fills 400-500 requests each month for consumer health information.
St. Joseph's Hospital in Lewiston, Idaho has a new medical librarian, Susan Jones. Susan attended the fall IHIA meeting and has been very active using Docline. Ceclia Sharp is the new library technician at Magic Valley Regional Medical Center in Twin Falls. She attended PubMed training in Portland Oregon in August.
The State Library dropped the specific health library consultant position. IHIA took charge of printing the Idaho Union List from the former consultant Rand Simmons and the list was given to IHIA members free. Copies are available for sale to other libraries. Rand's new position in the state library includes managing the LiLi website* and he is helping us to create a webpage on the site for the Health Sciences Libraries in Idaho. Watch for more information on this in the future. [* LiLi stands for "Libraries Linking Idaho" a project of the Idaho State Library and the Idaho Library Community. The LiLi website at http://www.lili.org has information about Idaho and links to many sites of interest around the state including library home pages, catalogs etc. IHIA will be putting up a webpage on this site in the future.]
IHIA is participating in the evaluation of the statewide database proposal and we hope that we will have an agreement similar to Washington State's when the licensing and contracts are completed.
Update on the DeArmond Consumer
Health Library in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
submitted by Joan Hust
The latest in the Consumer Library here is The Patient Question Pad. This is given to all new patients, and they can request, and obtain, the information the very same day which is delivered to their rooms.
We have approximately 400-500 " folks " per month come through the Library. We tape by satellite daily. Our collection of videos is quite good. We average about 2500 books. One may check out books, cassettes, posters, and videos. Brochures are free. Our brochure collection is approximately three hundred plus.
We are on the Kootenai County system which includes Athol, Bookmobile, Harrison, Hayden, Post Falls, Rathdrum , and Spirit Lake. They can check out materials from me, and return them to the nearest Kootenai County Library. We also serve the five northern counties, and the two Indian reservations. We do many ILL's. Patrons using the Library range from home schoolers (Elementary - High School), Private Schools, Nursing students, employees,College students, and the general public.
All the doctors have prescription pads that they fill out requesting health and medical information on various topics plus the patient's diagnosis. Their patients bring the slip to me, and I do a search for them via the Internet, medical databases, books, videos, brochures, cassettes, et al.
The usually stable medical library scene in western Montana was shaken up considerably in 1998. Susan Long left the library at Kalispell Regional Medical Center to accept a position at MultiCare Health System in Tacoma. Also leaving the state was Kate Oliver, who had been in the library at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Hamilton. Both positions are still vacant at this time, although Suzy Holt has been filling in for both positions on a temporary basis.
The two hospitals in Great Falls have merged. The librarian for the combined medical library is Pat Mueller.
The VA Medical System in Montana is reorganizing. Gail Wilkerson is in charge of all VA information services at this time.
The MSU Extended Nursing Campus in Great Falls has moved its library collection to the College of Technology in Great Falls. The College of Technology library will be expanded and its expansion is scheduled to be completed in Fall, 1999.
Montana libraries of all types are participating in a state-wide licensing arrangement for access to full-text databases. The current vendor is EBSCO.
Kathy Kaya at Montana State University-Bozeman has received
NLM funding to provide outreach training and equipment to the
7 tribal colleges in Montana.
New librarian at Klamath Falls
submitted by Pam
White
I have been a librarian since 1990. I specialized in Systems Analysis & Database Design while studying at UCLA's Graduate School of Library & Information Science. My work experience includes libraries as diverse as the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England and Haleakala Waldorf School, on Maui. In a 1998 project, I analyzed web sites as a consultant. My current goals are to automate the hospital library and Community Health Education Library catalogs.
OHSLA State Report
submitted by Beverly
Schriver
OHSLA has a new medical librarian; Pam White is at Merle West Medical Center, Klamath Falls, OR.
In July at the Silver Falls annual conference, OHSLA hosted Ann McKibbin who taught the CE course Evidence-Based Medicine. It was well attended by both Oregon and Washington medical librarians.
OHSLA members were encouraged to look at the possibility of joining the University of Michigan consortia membership to DIALOG. With DIALOG's new price structure there is a significant savings to be made by such a membership. Apparently there is also a similar consortia in Colorado.
OHSLA new officers:
President: Peggy Baldwin, Providence Portland Medical Center
Past President: Beverly Schriver, SHMC
Program Chair: Judith Hayes, Tuality Community Hospital
Secretary: Melissa Horner, Adventist Medical Center
Treasurer: Valerie Lawrence, Western States Chiropractic College
WASHINGTON
Our region has been given the opportunity to have a voice within the larger MLA organization. We currently have three PNC members running for office on the MLA ballot. If you have not voted, please dig out your ballot and mail it so it reaches Chicago no later than December 18. Two members are on the slate for possible Board positions:
Susan Schweinsberg Long, AHIP, believes that MLA’s challenge for
the next century is to use its strengths: professional development,
governmental relations, research, and advocacy to solidify its
position as a leader in health sciences information. “My
goal as an MLA Board member is to leave the association stronger,
more resilient, more agile, and more connected to our members,
our strategic partners, and our mission of excellence in health
information,” she commented. A recipient of the MLA Award
for Excellence and Achievement in Hospital Librarianship and the
AHIP Distinguished Member status, Schweinsberg is a former chair
of the MLA Task Force on Hospital Library Certification, the Hospital
Libraries Section, Strategic Planning Task Force, and the Professional
Development Committee.
Intellectual property rights management is the most critical issue
facing the health sciences information profession according to
Jean Shipman, AHIP. The Associate Director of Information
Resources Management at the University of Washington, Seattle,
Shipman feels that because the Web provides an automatic publishing
forum, the ability to protect intellectual property rights while
maintaining a balance of fair use presents a major challenge to
the health librarianship profession. A Distinguished Member of
AHIP, Shipman has served on many committees including the 2001
National Program Committee and the Governmental Relations Committee.
Shipman has also served as chair of the Ida and George Eliot Prize
Jury of the Awards Committee.
And Terry Jankowski is running as our region's selection for the MLA Nominating Committee. This group chooses the slate of officers for MLA.
WLN and OCLC Begin Negotiations to Merge
Lacey, Washington, October 21, 1998 - WLN and OCLC announced today the signing of a letter of intent that could lead, following negotiations, to the merger of WLN and OCLC. For further information, please connect to the WLN home page.