December 7, 2004
Rethinking the Last 75 Years!
Next year the Medical Center Library will celebrate its 75th anniversary along with the rest of the Medical Center and Duke Hospital. In the
December issue of our newsletter,
Pat Thibodeau, Associate Dean, outlines what has changed over the years at the Libary, what’s the same, and how we are preparing for the future.
December 7, 2004
A Few Good Advisors Needed
The Library's
Web Advisory Committee (WAC) has some openings for faculty, staff and students who want to help the Library maintain its Website as a viable tool for education, research and
clinical care. The group meets 4 times a year (over lunch) to advise on issues of content, usability, and navigation. If you are interested in helping us help you, please contact
Beverly Murphy, Webmaster.
December 3, 2004
SCOPUS Trial Underway
SCOPUS, a new multidisciplinary database and research tool, will be available for trial through the end of December at
http://www.scopus.com. Containing records back to 1966, this system offers newly-linked citations across a wide body of scientific abstracts. The citations also link to the full-text journals to which Duke subscribes.
SCOPUS covers the literature normally found in the major indexes such as MEDLINE, Embase, Compendex, Biosis, and SciSearch, as well as information from Internet sites. The search results are summarized and presented in a table by journal title, author, date, topic and document type. You can further refine search results by choosing to exclude any of the categories in the table. The citation list, which can be sorted in several different ways, notes the number of times articles have been cited by other articles in the SCOPUS database.
SCOPUS was designed with input from researchers, so it contains a number of specialized features including the ability to set up a profile to customize the search results screen, auto-alerts on a specific subject or when someone cites a key article, and other tools for reviewing search results.
We welcome your comments during this trial period. Please send them to Pat Thibodeau, Associate Dean, at thibo001@mc.duke.edu. For more detailed information on SCOPUS, visit their Website at http://www.info.scopus.com/.
October 25, 2004
First Consult Available on a Trial Basis
FirstConsult, a Web and PDA based clinical information system, is currently available through the Medical Center Library on a trial basis until the
end of November, 2004. One of
MD Consult's newest products, FirstConsult provides continuously updated, evidence-based guidance on the latest in patient evaluation, diagnosis, and management.
First Consult consist of the following components:
- Differential Diagnosis enables users to work through a patient's diagnosis - from presenting signs or symptoms, to interactive diagnostic pathway tables drawn from 1,500 possible diagnoses and sorted by age and prevalence.
- Medical Conditions provides in-depth and regularly updated information on patient evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, tests, and disease prevention for conditions most often seen in primary care.
- Patient Education provides customizable instructional handouts for patients.
- Procedures offer guidance on surgical techniques commonly performed in the primary care setting.
In addition to being a stand-alone clinical decision-making tool, FirstConsult works with MD Consult through the use of links that integrate the two complementary programs.
To access First Consult, login into MD Consult using your MD Consult username and password, perform your search, and FirstConsult will display in the list of available resources.
For additional information about First Consult or to provide feedback, contact Rick Peterson at rick.peterson@duke.edu or 660-1150.
October 25, 2004
Duke's Response to Flu Vaccine Shortage
To learn about Duke's plan to direct its vaccine supply towards high risk patients, see "
Flu Information from Duke" on dukehealth.org. For more information on respiratory etiquette, flu activity, and the flu vaccine shortage, connect to the CDC's
Influenza (Flu) page.
October 25, 2004
Last Chance to be an NMLM Winner!
To help us celebrate National Medical Librarians Month (NMLM), we are sponsoring a
Web Scavenger Hunt.
This week's hunt is your last chance to be a weekly winner.
Also, don't forget to stop by the Library and let us know what tools you use and receive an entry to win the NMLM grand prize at the end of the month, an iPod!
October 4, 2004
Online Catalog Guide Available
The Duke University Libraries Online Catalog, which launched in July, has several features which can make doing research easier. For basic instructions, connect to our
catalog guide.
October 4, 2004
Medical Bookplates Exhibition
An exhibition of 19th and 20th century medical bookplates will be on display in Rm 108 on the lower level of the Library through Dec. 16, 2004. The display is sponsored by the Library's History of Medicine Collections and the Center for the Study of Medical Ethics and Humanities.
August 20, 2004
Jump, Flash, or Thumb Your Way to Storage
If you have one of the new USB memory storage devices, also known as a jump, flash or thumb drive, you can now use it in the Library. Since this new, compact, and highly portable device has become so popular, the Library is providing access on the public workstations. Currently, you can use a USB memory device in the electronic classroom on the Lower Level (ports are on the front of the machines) and in the Reference Area, where we have provided USB extensions (please do not take the cables). As we upgrade our public computers, the goal is to make USB ports available on all the workstations.
August 17, 2004
Welcome from the Associate Dean!
As the new academic year begins, Pat Thibodeau, Associate Dean for Library Services, highlights some of the recent changes at our Library. To read more, see "
Highlighting Your Library" in the August issue of our newsletter.
July 26, 2004
New Online Catalog Now Available
The Duke University Libraries have implemented a
new integrated library system that offers new functions and features beyond the traditional online catalog. To read more about this system, see
http://library.duke.edu/research/help/catalog/.
July 26, 2004
Medical Center Library News Moves to Online Only
The August 2004 issue of the
Medical Center Library News will be the last issue distributed in print and mailed to subscribers. Beginning with the October 2004 issue, our newsletter will only be available in electronic format. For your convenience, we will continue to offer an HTML version and a portable document format for printing at
http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/about/news/newsletter.html. If you want to be notified by email when the electronic versions are available, you may send an email message to
mclnews@mc.duke.edu or complete the Notification Form at
http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/about/news/mailform.html.
July 26, 2004
Spotlight on ... Information Technology Services
The Information Technology Services (ITS) group at the Medical Center Library, or Systems staff, as they are commonly referred to, are highlighted in the
June issue of our newsletter.
July 6, 2004
Carpet Installation Update!
The First and Second Level Stacks are open! Patrons may now access both the book and journal collections. Although some followup work will continue for another week, the primary installation has been completed. The Library staff would like to thank all of you for your patience during this process.
July 6, 2004
A New Library Catalog...and More
Duke will be implementing a new integrated library system in July that will offer new functions and features beyond the traditional online catalog. To read more about this system, see the
June issue of our newsletter.
June 1, 2004
E-Journal Enhancements
The Medical Center Library will be changing electronic access from the Ovid platform to HighWire Press for ten major clinical journals. HighWire, the electronic publishing division of the Stanford University Libraries, offers more up-to-date content, formats in both PDF and HTML, and access to some electronic-only data not available via Ovid. To read more about this and other enhancements, see the
June issue of our newsletter.
May 21, 2004
More Titles Added to Books@Ovid
Electronic versions of nine additional titles have recently been added through
Books@Ovid.
May 21, 2004
TOUGH Decisions
Resource: New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
Print version: $400
Current Ovid site license: $3,800 per year; 4 users; HTML format
New NEJM site license: $5,400 per year; unlimited users; both PDF and HTML formats
Issue: Although the increase in cost for NEJM was a surprise, the new contract represented a major increase in the number of simultaneous users as compared to the Ovid version. The real issue then became one of contract term negotiations, since the new contract included a clause that would make our Library liable for what another library did with an interlibrary loan article, if we sent it to them in electronic format. While this may not seem like a major issue, as a resource library for the National Library of Medicine network, we do provide many articles to smaller health facilities and other types of libraries using electronic copies as our preferred method of delivery. However, once the Medical Center Library explained the issues to the New England Journal of Medicine, they agreed to modify the contract language and address our concerns.
Decision: Good news! We are signing a contract with NEJM for expanded and enhanced access to this important electronic journal.
May 21, 2004
Thank You For Your Donations!
The Medical Center Library sincerely thanks everyone who contributed books for the Afghanistan and Iraq Book Drive.
May 5, 2004
SAM Partners with ACP
As announced by the American College of Physicians (ACP) in April, WebMD Scientific American Medicine (SAM) has become ACP Medicine. This partnership will reportedly expand and strengthen efforts to integrate and communicate principles and guidelines for effective clinical practice.
ACP Medicine is now an option on our databases menu on the main Web page.
April 21, 2004
New Library System Coming This Summer
The Duke University Libraries (Perkins Library and its branches along with the libraries serving Business, Divinity, Law, and Medicine) selected Ex Libris, Inc. in 2003 to provide a new suite of library management software. The new software, called Aleph, will substantially enhance access to all library resources, both online and traditional. The Duke Libraries are in the final stages of implementing the system and plan to have it up and running later this summer, in time for the new academic year. Some of the modules are being made available as soon as they are fully implemented.
- The MetaLib virtual gateway will search across electronic resources with a single command, standardize results from multiple sources, and compare those results in ways that yield more relevant information.
- SFX is a context-sensitive linking tool that will be fully integrated into MetaLib and allow users to move seamlessly from information in the library's online catalog and subscribed databases to licensed full-text versions.
- Get it @ Duke
is a new feature that you may have already seen in some of our databases. Using SFX, this program allows users to access resources available online, request copies of articles in print journals or at other libraries, or ask librarians for help.
For additional information regarding this project, visit http://www.lib.duke.edu/ils/.
April 21, 2004
Walking Away from the Big Deal
In the
April issue of our newsletter, Pat Thibodeau, Associate Dean, gives further details concerning our decision to say no to the Elsevier contract and what that means for accessing critical information in these journals.
April 21, 2004
Teleconference on Expert Searching
The Medical Center Library hosted a teleconference in March on expert database searching. Sponsored by the Medical Library Association, this forum provided an opportunity for participants to review the basic concepts of expert searching, explore issues involved in developing and retaining expert skills, and learn how to promote expert search services as an important means of institutional support. For more information on the teleconference, see the
April issue of our newsletter.
April 2, 2004
NRC Resources Added to Online Catalog
Books and other materials listed in the Duke online catalog with a location of "Med Ctr Natl Ctr Child Trauma - NCCTS" are held in the
National Resource Center Library (NRC) for Child Traumatic Stress. Items in this off-campus, Duke-affiliated library collection do not circulate, but may be used in the Center, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. For directions to the NRC Library, ask staff at the DUMC Library Service Desk.
March 23, 2004
Join Us on April Food's Day!
Beginning April 1st, you can come to the Library and sip your coffee while searching MEDLINE or munch on a sandwich while reading the latest journal article. No, it's not an April Fool's joke! But it is an experiment that starts in April, when the Library will begin to lift its ban on food and beverages. So join us for a snack in our newly-created "
MCL Cyber Cafe" on
April 1st. Our treat! For more information on the Cyber Cafe, see the
article in the April issue of our newsletter.
March 23, 2004
Ovid Tutorial Revised
The
Ovid Tutorial has been reviewed and revised for 2004. In response to user comments, we have added a Table of Contents to the pages to improve navigation. We are also able to better maintain and update the tutorial, which is now powered by Zope, a Web content management program.
March 23, 2004
Inactive PubMed Cubby Accounts to be Canceled
The National Library of Medicine has announced that several new features, including automatic emailing of stored search results, will soon be added to PubMed's Cubby. To provide an efficient service, inactive Cubby accounts that have not been used (logged into) for the past nine months will be canceled this April. There will be a limited period after April during which canceled accounts can be re-activated. For more information about PubMed or Cubby accounts, please contact
Anne Powers at
660-1128 or
power003@mc.duke.edu.
March 1, 2004
Wireless Connections
Reminder: Wireless nodes are available in the Medical Center Library. For general information about wireless connectivity, visit
http://wireless.duhs.duke.edu/. If you have questions or difficulty getting connected to the wireless network, contact the
DHTS Help Desk at
684-2243 for assistance.
March 1, 2004
Delivery Service Offers More in 2004
The Library has added new features to its interlibrary loan and document delivery service which will expedite retrieval of journal articles and books for faculty, staff, and students. For more information on these enhancements, see the
February issue of our newsletter.
February 20, 2004
Budgets, Contracts, and E-Journals!
Good news! The decision has been made not to make any additional cuts in the Medical Center Library's budget over the next fiscal year. In the
February issue of our newsletter, Pat Thibodeau, Associate Dean, outlines some of what this means for our Library for the next few years.
February 9, 2004
Black History Month: A Medical Perspective
In honor of Black History Month, the Medical Center Library revisits "
Black History Month: A Medical Perspective," a popular display first exhibited in 1999. This virtual exhibit contains a wealth of information including a
chronology of achievements of African Americans in medicine, a section on
folk medicine, and a
selective bibliography.
February 9, 2004
Changes in Elsevier Science Access
After months of unsuccessful negotiations, the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN), has discontinued the consortial arrangement which provided access to electronic journals published under the Elsevier Science imprint. This move will result in the loss of electronic access to 400-500 journal titles shared by Duke, UNC, NC State, and NC Central. We recognize that reduced availability to these resources will impose an inconvenience. Duke's libraries will work with you to minimize the impact on your research and teaching and provide timely delivery of the articles in canceled journals through TRLN, other research libraries, and document delivery services. If you have questions or concerns, please contact
Pat Thibodeau, Associate Dean for Library Services.
January 8, 2004
Service Interruption for E-Journals
Due to delays beyond our control in completing negotiations for the renewal of several major electronic journal licenses, there may be some temporary disruption of service during the transition to our 2004 journal list. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. For additional information, contact Judy Woodburn, Head of Serials, at 660-1140 or
wood001@mc.duke.edu.
January 8, 2004
EndNote Tutorial Revised
The
EndNote Tutorial has recently been updated to reflect changes for EndNote version 6. Included are instructions on how to "directly export" citations from Ovid MEDLINE into EndNote.
January 8, 2004
Voices from the Past
Recently, the DUMC Archives implemented an oral history program to augment the collections. Although several oral interviews already exist in the Archives, there has never been a program dedicated specifically to documenting the oral history of DUMC. To read more about this new program, see the
December issue of our newsletter.
