Free Books!

We have gently-used books currently on the Free Bookshelf you don't want to miss. There are some great pre-test materials, BLS, and reference books waiting for new homes. The Free Bookshelf is located inside the library across from the Library Service Desk.

Every Thursday, we put out donated materials that are not added to the Library's collection. So stop by to see what's been added!

If you have books and other materials that you are finished with, consider donating them to the library. For more information on how to donate, see our Gifts and Donation page. We will provide a general letter of acknowledgement for your tax purposes and recognize your gift, if added to the collection, with an ascribed bookplate.

Happy Labor Day weekend!!

New Books Blog Now Automated!

After two years of lovingly maintaining our new books blog, we now have the capability to produce a rolling list of new library titles automatically. If you click on the link "Medical Center Library New Titles" on the top right side of this blog, you can access a list of the most recent three months of new titles!

If you have any questions about this new feature, please contact Karen Grigg at karen.grigg@duke.edu

Introducing "From the Literature"

A study of the science of taste: on the origins and influence of the core ideas by Robert Erickson, Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Brain Sciences, and Neurobiology at Duke University. Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2008), 31:59-75.

As part of our new Website, the From the Literature section will highlight thought-provoking and significant new journal articles from the medical literature. Today we launch this new feature with an article by Robert Erickson, in which the four basic tastes -- salty, sweet, bitter and sour -- are called into question. For years, Erickson has voiced concern over the extent that our words and techniques may distract us from the language of the nervous system. This article discusses the "across-fiber pattern" model originated in 1963 in the field of taste. Several other experts weigh in in discussions that follow the article.

In the coming weeks and months, we will feature articles from many disciplines, including research discoveries and new clinical applications. We want you to help us choose the important new articles to highlight. If you would like to suggest an article or serve as a guest blogger, please contact Megan von Isenburg at 660-1131.

JAMA - A Cover Without Art

Did you notice that this week's issue of JAMA is missing a cover image? It has become a tradition for JAMA to omit a cover image on the theme issue devoted to HIV/AIDS. Once again they are observing this tradition. A Cover Without Art appeared previously on July 10, 1996; July 1, 1998; July 12, 2000; July 10, 2002; July 14, 2004; and August 16, 2006.

On a similar thread, Day Without Art (DWA) began in 1989 as the national day of action and mourning in response to the AIDS crisis. To make the public aware that AIDS can touch everyone, and inspire positive action, some 800 U.S. art and AIDS groups participated in the first Day Without Art, shutting down museums, sending staff to volunteer at AIDS services, or sponsoring special exhibitions of work about AIDS. Since then, Day With(out) Art has grown into a collaborative project in which an estimated 8,000 museums, galleries, art centers, AIDS Service Organizations, libraries, high schools and colleges take part on both the national and international levels.

Medpedia Coming Soon

Wikipedia for Medicine?

It's coming. Medpedia promises to be the most comprehensive and collaborative medical resource in the world -- a freely available, authoritative online resource for health and medicine. But instead of allowing just anyone to edit its pages, Medpedia requires that anyone who edits or contributes content has an M.D. or a Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences. There is currently a call for participation for organizations to contribute content and for medical professionals to become members. Get involved at http://www.medpedia.com/index.php/Main_Page.

The site is expected to launch in later 2008. For now, there are a few sample pages online at http://www.medpedia.com/index.php/Special:Preview.

Can it live up to its stated goal -- "to create an invaluable clearinghouse for all the best medical information that cuts across disciplines, socio-economic status and geography to provide valuable medical information to anyone, anywhere, at any time"?