AHRQ Systematic Reviews Data Repository will Cease Nov 28

AHRQ Systematic Review Data Repository has added a banner announcing operations ceasing as of November 28, 2025 

Post by Jannette Bradley, Former Recipient of the WHSLA Professional Development Award!

 As a former recipient of the WHSLA Professional Development award, I am happy to acknowledge that I have completed the coursework for the Level Two Certificate in the Systematic Review Services Specialization. This specialization is sponsored by the Medical Library Association which seeks to enhance the expertise and skills of health information professionals. I used the award to fund the specialization courses. My journey, which began around 2019-2020, has been both challenging and rewarding. I have gained valuable insights into the librarian's role in systematic reviews and am excited to apply these principles when assisting my patrons.

When I started way back in the "olden times" of 2020s, it seemed there were somewhat limited resources available for librarians to enhance their skills in systematic reviews. The University of Michigan course and the course on designing search strategies offered by Washington University were among the primary options. Today, I am thrilled to see the growing number of educational opportunities in this field. This expansion allows librarians not only to strengthen their skill sets but also to elevate the quality of their contributions to research teams.

Through this coursework, I have sharpened my ability to draft complex and reproducible search strategies, an essential skill both for systematic reviews and for the wide range of literature review requests I receive day to day. I have also become more confident in clearly describing the systematic review process to researchers and students, helping them understand where a librarian’s expertise can make a measurable impact on the rigor and transparency of their review.

I am especially looking forward to using new tools in my daily work—not only for systematic reviews but also for narrative reviews, as well as for everyday research consultations. Some of the webinars I have attended during this training, for example, highlighted emerging AI-based tools designed to support various phases of the review process. Learning to critically evaluate these tools and integrate them into my workflows has given me a broader perspective on how librarians can enhance efficiency while maintaining quality and standards.

We are considering how AI tools might be thoughtfully integrated into our research workflows. Included among the courses on offer for this specialization was a session led by Gregory Laynor, “Communicating with Researchers about the Benefits and Risks of AI for Evidence Synthesis.” It was especially thought-provoking and offered useful perspectives for engaging with patrons and colleagues on this evolving topic.

Overall, this certification validates the progress I have made as a professional and represents my ongoing commitment to supporting evidence-based practice. It equips me with both foundational and advanced approaches that I will now apply in my institution when collaborating with patrons. I am grateful for the support of this award, which has allowed me to continue growing in this specialized area of medical librarianship.

JAMA: Revisited Medical Librarians 10/7/1950

 One of my delightful chaplains shared an article from 1950 in appreciation of medical librarians republished online in JAMA this week: Medical Librarians

Medical Librarians. JAMA. Published online September 11, 2025. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.18949

Check out this Real-Time Lightning Map

LightningMaps.org CC BY-SA 4.0 / Lightning data by Blitzortung.org and contributors

See lightning strikes in real-time across the planet.  

This real-time lightning map is a community project with contributors who volunteer from around the world, who are part of Blitsortung.org.  They are careful to say that it's for entertainment purposes only, and that it does not include every single lightning strike across the planet  -- but still, it is impressive!  

I am in awe of these kinds of worldwide community projects that pool data to create a bigger picture for everyone.  So much more can be accomplished when we collaborate than trying to do it alone.  

What's the difference between Blitzortung.org and LightningMaps.org

Blitzortung.org is a community of station operators who transmit their data to the central server, programmers who develop software, and people who assist anyway to keep the system running. On LightningMaps.org visualizes the gathered lightning data in different variants, for example as overlay on satellite images.

Save the Date: WHSLA Wisdom Chat Sept. 26: Ashley Zeidler will present on The Data Services Continuing Professional Education Program

Ashley Zeidler, MLIS

The upcoming WHSLA Wisdom Chat features Ashley Zeidler on the topic of Professional Growth in Data Services.

Friday, September 26, 2025  from 2-3 pm CST

In this Wisdom Chat, Ashley Zeidler, MLIS, Scholarly Communications Librarian at The Medical College of Wisconsin Libraries, will share her experience going through the 2024 cohort of the Data Services Continuing Professional Education (DSCPE) program. This twelve-week program included learning modules from RDMLA, live sessions with data science professionals, and a capstone project which allowed participants to work directly with a mentor institution. This proved to be an invaluable experience that I would encourage anyone else who is interested in data services to apply for. 

Prior to the session, feel free to view the LibGuide she created for her host institution.  

Bring any questions about the program or her experience to the Chat.

Ashley’s presentation will be followed by our usual round of sharing.

WHSLA Wisdom Chats are open to all WHSLA members in good standing.  Meeting invitations will go out in early September.  If you are a current member and did not receive an invitation, please contact Michele Matucheski, WHSLA Wisdom Chat coordinator filling in for Barb Ruggieri this year.   There's still time to join/renew your membership, if you want to attend this session.

This session will be recorded and made available for later viewing on the members only section of the WHSLA Website.  Special thank you to Paije Wilson and Ebling Library for hosting and recording the session.  

MLA `26 Call for Proposals

 

The Medical Library Association (MLA) is now accepting submissions for contributed papers and immersion sessions to be presented at MLA ’26! 

• Round 1 submissions for contributed papers and immersion sessions are open through October 23, 2025.
• Round 2 submissions for lightning talks and posters will open on December 11, 2025.

Additional information and guidelines for submission can be found on the MLA `26 information page.

MLA `26 will be held this year in our very own Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from May 19th through the 22nd. According to the MLA `26 information page, "This year’s theme is Cultured Collaborations to highlight the transformational partnerships and evolutions of the health information sciences community."

Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone has a great False Fall! 😊 

Free NNLM CE: Telehealth 101: What libraries need to know

Shared from MedLib-L

Please join NNLM beginning September 2, 2025 through September 30, 2025 for a 3-hour MLA CE class called Telehealth 101: What libraries need to know.

This is a work at your own pace class during the scheduled dates.

This class takes place in Moodle. Registration is open.<https://www.nnlm.gov/training/class/telehealth-101-what-libraries-need-know>

Libraries across the United States are beginning to offer their patrons access to telehealth services as a strategy for addressing inequities in digital access to healthcare. This class introduces Telehealth, why it's important, and how it enables people to have greater access to quality healthcare.

This class will also address privacy and ethical concerns, and review the technology and infrastructure needed to launch a successful telehealth program in your library.

The class consists of three modules:

* Recognize the different approaches/models to providing telehealth access within libraries.
* Describe resources available to the library for Telehealth technology and the role of the library in support of digital skills training for telehealth.
* Address potential ethical and legal concerns in offering telehealth access within libraries.

Thanks,
Rebecca Brown, MLS | Training Development Manager | CPACC
NNLM Training Office | Eccles Health Sciences Library | University of Utah

What it's like to be a Brain Surgeon

What it's like to be a Brain Surgeon Apple Podcast with Dan Heath.  

Episode from 11 March 2025.

Zapping parts of the brain to know where to cut, operating a mouth-controlled microscope that's worth more than a house, and carrying the weight of life-or-death decisions with Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, a brain surgeon at the Mayo Clinic. How do you preserve a mathematician's expertise when removing tumors? And how did he go from picking tomatoes to performing brain surgery?

Dr. Q wrote about his remarkable journey to the operating room in the book:

Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon.

He was also featured in the Netflix documentary series The Surgeon’s Cut.

States with the most, fewest licensed nurses

 An article from Becker's Clinical News caught my eye this morning and sparked a discussion with my husband about what the numbers meant. 

The states with the most and the least number of nurses matched the populations/relative size of the state. California and Texas with the most and Wyoming and Vermont at the bottom.

When they calculate it per 100,000 people, however, the results are a bit unexpected. Washington DC tops the list with New York in second with the most per capita, but North Dakota, Alaska, and Montana also make the top 10 per capita.

Bringing up the bottom is Utah followed by California, which surprised me. Texas also was in the bottom 10 per 100,000. 

Wisconsin wasn't on either list coming in at 2,188 per 100,000 (per my calculations). 

My first inclination was this data wasn't telling us much of anything. My husband's takeaway was about the relative demand for nurses in various places like California. Thoughts? 

Registration Now Open! | 2025 Midwest Chapter/MLA Virtual Conferenc

Registration Now Open!   Midwest Chapter/Medical Library Association 2025 Annual Conference Tuesday, October 14th through Friday, October 17th   Join your health sciences library colleagues from the Midwest and beyond to explore this year’s theme: Imagination & Co-Creation   Attendance Options: This year we are piloting a conference format that is simultaneously familiar and new: virtually via Zoom, or in-person at an official host site for a group viewing of the virtual program.   Conference activities will be primarily virtual, with a full day of virtual continuing education (October 14th) and two full days of virtual conference programming (October 16th-17th) that is accessible to all online. Attendees are invited to join other conference-goers at one of two official host sites in the region! Official host sites will provide a half day of specialized in-person programming for attendees on October 15th, and they will provide food, hospitality, and group viewing of the virtual conference program on October 16th and 17th.   The official host sites are: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, Michigan   Official host sites will be part of the conference program as options for attendees to elect to view the virtual conference in person with a group, and to take part in an additional half-day of in-person site-specific activities before/after the virtual conference. There is no additional registration cost to the attendees to join an official host site.   mcmla45.wildapricot.org/mwcmla25-Registration/   Cost Regular Midwest Chapter Members - $35 Non-members - $55 Student and retired Midwest Chapter members - Free   Continuing education Registration includes one designated free continuing education class. Paid CE classes can each be selected for $30/members and $50/non-members.   Included with registration: Full access to the virtual conference via Zoom. Optional attendance at an official host site. Access to conference materials and recordings after the event. Conference memento and other conference materials (mailed to those participating via Zoom).   Registration Deadlines: September 10th - In-person attendance at a host site October 1st - Attending virtually, mailed materials will arrive before conference October 17th - Attending virtually, mailed materials not guaranteed to arrive before conference