October is National Medical Librarians Month 2022

 

Graphic from The Medical Library Association.

October is an opportunity to celebrate and recognize the contributions of Medical and Health Science Librarians (That's us!) who continue to provide specialized library support to physicians, nurses, students, healthcare professionals, patients and consumers wherever we work.

This year’s theme is, Make better decisions faster: Consult your health information professional.

What are you doing to celebrate?  Leave a comment and let us know ...

Book review

Thanks to WHSLA member Robert Koehler for writing this book review:

The Lover’s Dictionary / David Levithan

The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan constructs a couple’s romance in the form of a dictionary.  Each defined word relates to the narrator describing his lover and their relationship together.  The definitions are fairly concise, often just a paragraph, rarely longer than a page, and yet by the end of the novel the reader has a clear mental picture of the couple.  

Through the use of the definitions, the mundane elements and the transcendent moments of the couple’s relationship are highlighted.  In a nonlinear fashion, it presents how the couple meet through a dating app and their eventual decision to join two separate lives into one.  Ultimately, each word the narrator chooses represents the negotiations that take place to overcome pitfalls which all couples face.  In this dictionary, love is a rocky road where living happily ever after is never a straight and easy path to follow.

This is a unique novel that wowed me from beginning to end.  The narrator’s A to Z definitions present a very personal story, but one that is universal as well.  It is a book short enough to be read in a single sitting.  But the reader may find themselves pondering how each word invokes thoughtful consideration on their own experiences in the matter of love, so it can take days to leisurely digest.  It is a novel worth savoring one definition at a time.

A 3D printer in every VA Medical Center?

This NNLM recording unveils a new push at VA Medical Centers across the US. 

Tech Talk with R2: 3D Printing For Health Care Applications

Innovators across VHA have an ambitious goal: for every VA Medical Center to have access to 3D printing services. The 3D Printing Network is bringing VHA closer to this reality, with 75 sites across the enterprise and counting. Expanding access to 3DP capabilities can address several current state challenges to scale and allow Veterans to have equitable access to innovative, timely, and personalized care.

Prosthetics and medical technology (WPR Morning Show)

I heard a recent story on the radio (Medical advances: Limb loss and prosthetic technology | Wisconsin Public Radio (wpr.org) about the advances in prosthetic technology, especially how 3D printing can now really customize things better than ever for patients. 

Listen to the WPR radio segment here. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Are you an accidental archivist? A recorded webinar from CAA/SLA

Many of us work on projects or help with things outside our regular realm. At some point you made have found yourself an "accidental archivist". Whether your knowledge of archives is small or large, enjoy this recorded webinar from CAA (Chicago Area Archivists) and SLA-IL chapter (Special Libraries Association) from July 13, 2022. 

"While some professionals go into the field wanting to be archivists, many fall into the role with "other duties as assigned." Join CAA and SLA-IL for a co-hosted online event to discuss this topic. Corporate Librarian and Archivist Julie Snyder (Schur Incorporated) will moderate a discussion between Becca Smith (Librarian & Archivist, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates) and Drew Davis (formerly archivist at College of American Pathologists, now Manager of Policy and Corporate Records at the College of American Pathologists) to talk about their experience working in both the role of special librarian and archivist. Time will be left for audience participation and questions."

Upcoming NNLM webinar: The Art of Science Communication

Numerous scientific advances have been made recently, but communicating them to the public can be challenging.  Check out this free NNLM webinar tomorrow to learn more about effective scientific communication.

Apply Today for the 2023 Hospital Libraries Caucus/MLA Professional Development Grant

Barbara Ruggeri says: 

I’m on the jury for this grant and we are trying to get the word out to all of our local consortiums and memberships.

 

Apply Today for the 2023 Hospital Libraries Caucus/MLA Professional Development Grant

Whether you are in the middle of your career, new to it all, or have worked for many years, the HLC/MLA Professional Development Grant is an amazing opportunity for a professional journey into education or research.

The grant is open to librarians working in a hospital, health system or similar clinical setting. Grant funds can be used for professional development through MEDLIB-ED or to help attend the MLA Annual Meeting or CE courses. It may also be used to support reimbursement for expenses incurred in conducting research, such as hiring a statistician to help with survey design or analyses.

Eligibility: The applicant must have been employed as a health sciences librarian within the last year in either a hospital or other clinical care institution. MLA membership is required, and Hospital Libraries Section/MLA caucus membership is preferred. 

For more on eligibility criteria and to submit an application, please visit https://www.mlanet.org/p/cm/ld/fid=300

Complete online form and upload all documents no later than November 15, 11:59 p.m. Central Time. Incomplete and/or late submissions will not be considered.

Questions? Please contact Loren Hackett at hacketl@ccf.org

___________________________________________________________________________________

Regards,

Barb

Barbara Ruggeri, MLIS, AHIP
Manager, Library, Advocate Aurora Library
Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center
2900 W. Oklahoma Ave, Medical Office Building 1, LL01
Milwaukee, WI 53215

O:414.389.5873

DoctorSpeak: Health Literacy and Healthcare Professionals

Katherine Chew, the Research/Outreach Services & Mortuary Science, Center for Allied Health Programs, and Center for Bioethics Librarian for the Health Sciences Library at the University of Minnesota.  She created an hour-long presentation on health literacy, DoctorSpeak: Health Literacy and Healthcare Professionals, that is aimed at healthcare professionals of all types -- physician, nurse, therapist.  The presentation is available to anyone with a link and can also be embedded in a webpage.

The presentation gives an overview of the following:

• What is health literacy
• Why it is important
• The risks of low health literacy
• How to recognize low health literacy
• Best practices for communicating with patients
• Health literacy resources such as MedlinePlus, the NLM Drug Info Portal, and more ...

There is an array of attachments that can be used as part of a workshop or healthcare student instructional course, such a Medical Jargon Exercise and a Plain Language Checklist for Written Materials.  There is also a Health Literacy Resource List which includes resources from the CDC, NIH, AHRQ, Medicare/Medicaid and much more, as well as an extensive bibliography of references consulted for the presentation.

The presentation will be most relevant to healthcare providers in Minnesota, as Minnesota statistics are used to illustrate some health literacy issues but should be useful to all Midwest Chapter Members.

View the presentation.

This article first appeared in The Midline: Midwest Chapter MLA Newsletter (Issue 161 Summer 2022, Page 6).  Reposted to The WHSLA Blog with Katherine Chew's permission.  

Liz Suelzer Joins Advocate Aurora Health

The Advocate Aurora Library is happy to announce that Liz Suelzer is our new Application Support Analyst Sr.  Liz began her position on June 22, 2022.

Liz has 15 years of experience as a librarian, including positions in both academic  and academic medical settings.  At Advocate Aurora Library, Liz has the primary role in the library's efforts to implement, maintain, and improve our technologies.  She also has a key role in assisting Advocate Aurora Health team members with technological problems when accessing library resources and with liaising with Health Information Technology for library-related technologies.

We are excited to have Liz on board!

Submitted by Karen Hanus.

Naturalist-in-Residence

Wisconsin Public Libraries are getting all kinds of great press coverage this month!  

The Madison Public Library has launched a new program to help people learn more about their local environment.  Throughout September and October, naturalist John C. Newman will be leading a series of events and workshops in the Madison area.