A history of the library (podcast)

During a stroll through a local bookstore, I ran across this book on the history of "the library" appropriately called The Library: A Fragile History by Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen. 

This episode of "Travels Through Time", a history podcast, spoke with the authors and delved a little deeper into library history. 

"Of all the accomplishments of human civilisation, the creation of libraries, making the preservation and transmission of knowledge possible, is surely the greatest. In this episode the academics Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen take us back to 1850, a pivotal moment in the history of public libraries."

Collection Equity, a two-part podcast from NNLM Region 5

NNLM Discovery, a podcast from NNLM, recently concluded their two-part series on library projects awarded the Collection Equity Outreach award. These stories encompass libraries of all kinds across Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington. 

• Part 1 Collection Equity: A Story from Region 5
• Part 2 Collection Equity Continued: A Story from Region 5

Upcoming WHSLA Wisdom Chat - Copyright: What Librarians Need to Know

Don't forget about the upcoming WHSLA Wisdom Chat featuring Claudia Noonan. 

Wednesday, November 8 from 2-3 pm CT

In this Wisdom Chat, Claudia Noonan, Medical librarian at Marshfield Clinic Health System, will inform us about what is important for librarians to know about copyright,  so we can become a copyright asset to our  organizations.

Join us for Claudia’s presentation followed by our usual round of sharing.

WHSLA Wisdom Chats are open to all WHSLA members in good standing. If you are a current member and didn't receive an invitation, please contact Barb Ruggeri, WHSLA Wisdom Chat coordinator. 

Civil War Medicine book discussion: October 26 at 1pm CT

For those interested in military medince, the University of South Alabama's Charles M. Baugh Biomedical Library is hosting a virtual book discussion next week. 

18th century medicine

This past spring my family visited Mount Vernon. We marveled at the gardens and architecture, learned about education at Mount Vernon, and the enslaved and free people that worked on the estate. 

Since then I've been reading more about Revolutionary War era America and ran across some interesting posts on medicine in the late 1700's. As always when you read about medicine more than 200 years ago, it makes me glad I am alive in the 21st century. 

Read more below about George Washington's health throughout his life, how his family was touched by cancer, meet his good friend Dr. James Craik, and learn what might have been inside an 18th century medicine jar. 

• Cancer and the Washington family
• George Washington's Health (and his tooth troubles)
• 18th century medicine jar
• Dr. James Craik

AI in Medicine with Dr. Brian Patterson : WHSLA Web Conference 23 Summary

Friday afternoon of the WHSLA conference featured a fireside chat with Dr. Brian Patterson, Associate Professor and Medical Informatics Director for Predictive Analytics and Clinical Decision Support, UW Health.

Dr. Patterson shared his knowledge of artificial intelligence including large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and how they have evoloved over time and will continue to evolve. 

What are people doing with AI in Medicine? People are using 3rd party apps on the web like Nabla Copilot, DocsGPT.  Many companies have outlawed these tools *, but people will be using them anyway on their personal devices because they see the value in it.

Dr. Patterson expects there will eventually be integration with existing IT products -- including the EPIC project that you mentioned--as businesses license closed shop versions that won't recycle and sell company secrets.  

He suggested that AI would be more of a trust-but-verify copilot, "like a book-smart intern who comes in hung-over sometimes" vs. "the crystal ball is broken if it doesn't always get the right answer."

• ChatGPT for discharge instructions
• Drs will spend less time on documentation and other drudge work, which may reduce burnout
• These tools make it very easy to draft content, but the end-user is still responsible for the final draft.

During the Q&A portion questions were posed about the reliability of ChatGPT especially in regards to citing accuracte evidence and not hallucinating (i.e. making up citations). This is something that ChatGPT might get better at in the future, but human authors using LLM tools will always need to verify, confirm, and attest to the content they create with the help of ChatGPT. 

Dr. Patterson shared that he has been surprised that the uptake and interest in adopting new LLM technologies has happened as quickly as it has. Right now UW-Health is working with Epic to use AI: UW Health using Microsoft AI in Epic Systems medical records (news article). It's likely that more and more health systems will allow uses of AI as the technology evolves and the benefits are seen. One area Dr. Patterson hopes AI can help with is by decreasing paperwork burdens such as charting on providers. An April 5, 2023 story on NPR talked about just that.

For more reading, check out this book mentioned by Dr. Patterson: AI Revolution in Medicine: GPT-4 and Beyond. It may tell the all-too-rosey side of the AI story. 

For another POV, check out this recent Medlib-L post on AI for cataloging and literature searches. 

Prompt by JPxG, model by Boris Dayma, upscaler by Xintao Wang, Liangbin Xie et al. (Apache License 2.0 or BSD), via Wikimedia Commons

Strategic Course Design for Librarians - Unpacking the Power of ADDIE: WHSLA Web Conference 23 Summary CEU

Image from here.

For our MLA continuing education offering, the planning committee asked Abby Dowd to design a new 90-minute class for WHSLA about using ADDIE for instructional design.

Learners got practice working through a scenario to analyze the need for the new class, develop goals and objectives (the blueprint) and develop the class using a storyboard model to flesh out the course.

Having a framework / road map made it easier to map out the class.  

The session was recorded and will be freely available for current WHSLA Members on our website.

Learn more about ADDIE:

The ADDIE Model - University of Washington

Abby recommends the following books about ADDIE and instructional design in libraries:

Creative Instructional Design: Practical Applications for Librarians

Design for How People Learn by Julie Dirkson

Map It: The Hands-On Guide to Strategic Training Design by Cathy Moore

Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown

Badgerlink Update with Jennifer Champoux: WHSLA Web Conference 23 Summary

Badgerlink is Wisconsin's online library, serving ALL citizens of Wisconsin, from school kids to college students to professionals in the workforce.   With over 60 databases in the Badgerlink collection, there's something for everyone!

At the WHSLA Web Conference 2023, Jennifer Champoux gave an overview of the health & medical databases in Badgerlink, including the following:

• AltHealth Watch (Ebsco)
• Consumer Health Complete (Ebsco)
• HealthSource Consumer (Ebsco)
• HealthSource Nursing / Academic (Ebsco)
• Medline (Ebsco)

Other general purpose databases useful for health science libraries are:

• Academic Search Premier (Ebsco)
• Business Source Premier (Ebsco)

The Learning Express Career Preparation Library was also mentioned as providing study materials for professional certification exams in the following areas (among others):

• GED
• Nursing

Check under the Allied Health Tab for:

• Dental Assisting
• Medical Assistant
• Occupational Therapy Assistant
• Pharmacy Technician Assistant
• Physical Therapy Assistant
• Physicians Assistant
• Radiologic Technologist
• Respiratory Therapy Assistant
• Social Worker
• Surgical Technologists
• Veterinary Technologist

Badgerlink Resources for Library Staff page offers links to the following:

• The Bulletin Newsletter (Subscribe to stay informed)
• Contact Badgerlink Staff
• Request FREE Training

• Getting Started
• Direct links to Badgerlink Resources that can be integrated into your own WI Library websites
• Setup Guide, along with an IP Reporting Form
• Resource Guides
• Spanish Language Resource Guide
• Health Resources Guide
• Marketing resources - Posters and bookmarks
• Training Materials - Videos, Info Sheets

Badgerlink is 25 years old!  

Watch the intro video (about 2 min.)

Thriving in the Midst of Change with Dr Bob McGrath: WHSLA Web Conference 23 Summary

Dr. Bob McGrath, a noted psychologist, specializing in mind/body wellness at UW Madison Health Services was our keynote speaker for the WHSLA Web Conference 2023.

Dr. McGrath started his talk by asking: What's most important in our lives?

• Relationships & Connections
• Doing for others - Those who help others are happier.
• Commit to BE with those you feel close to in a media-free zone

Here are some of Dr. McGrath's tried and true tips for dealing with stress:

• Breathing is the best way to chill out.  He recommended 4-7-8 breathing.
• Gratitude - Be Thankful - Keep a gratitude journal - Send a thank you note.
• Mindfulness - Be in the moment - Be present and non-judgmental.
• Meditate - Loving Kindness Meditation
• Take care of your body - Drink enough water; Eat better; No soda; 
• Get a good night's sleep - No caffeine after 2 pm - Limit blue light (screen time) before bed
• Move  - Take a brisk walk for 15-20 min. a day.
• Laugh
• Get out in Nature

My own conclusion from the talk was that a dog would be the best companion for mind-body wellness, because they provide non-judgmental companionship, daily reason to exercise and get out in nature, and laughter.

If you want to read more, Dr. McGrath recommends the following books:

The Village Effect by Susan Pinker

The Good Life by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz

Into the Magic Shop by James Doty, MD

Mindfulness is Better than Chocolate by David Michie

October is National Medical Librarians Month

 

Medical librarians work tirelessly to support healthcare providers, researchers, and patients for evidence-based medical knowledge. The month of October is recognized as National Medical Librarian Month (NMLM) to celebrate and highlight these dedicated professionals and their achievements.

Behind the scenes of healthcare and hospitals are a group of unsung heroes who play a pivotal role in facilitating research and quality health information – you, medical librarians and health information professionals. Ask your library users if they need help with

• Expert searching
• Information management
• Instruction & training

And let them know to reach out because as this year’s theme says it loud and clear –

Yes, we do that!

See the Medical Library Association for more info about how to celebrate NMLM at your institution, including printable posters and email sigs.