Volume 5, Number 1 September 1992
Books & Bytes is produced by the HSLIC Library Staff for Health Sciences Center personnel. Copyright University of Washington.
- Health Sciences Microlab Merges With Teaching Learning Center
- Social Work Library Now a Branch of HSLIC
- Electronic SDI Piloted for Basic Sciences Faculty
- "Do-It-Yourself" Searching Options
- UWIN Provides Local MEDLINE Access
- Construction Update
- Participation in Collection Development
- Recent Gifts and Contributions to the Collections
- FirstSearch: Menu-Driven Searching for Easy Database Access
- Research Funding Service
Health Sciences Microlab Merges With Teaching Learning Center
by Philip Arny, TLC CoordinatorThe Health Sciences Microlab, formerly administered by Computing & Communications, was administratively transferred to the Health Sciences Library in the spring of 1992. HSLIC will manage the laboratory as an integrated part of our Teaching Learning Center (TLC) using funding provided by the Health Sciences Center. Under the new organization, some procedures will change; however, we will continue to emphasize health sciences educational needs.
Lab Resources
The Microlab is open during normal library hours. Resources include color Macintosh II and IBM 386 PS/2 computers which are networked to allow access to lab, campus, and off campus resources. A major rewiring project completed this summer resolved long-standing problems with limited electrical supply and unreliable network performance.
The computers are arranged in two computer classrooms, with special instructor stations and LCD panels for group viewing. The classrooms may be reserved for computer-based health sciences classes, and software may be placed on reserve for individual use by students. Philip Arny, TLC coordinator, will assist instructors in locating appropriate instructional software. Contact Philip at 685-3125 or Paul Ludecke, lab manager, at 685-8994 for more information on using the lab for classes.
New priorities
To increase our ability to support health sciences education, lab access is now limited to students, staff, and faculty in Health Sciences programs. Non-health science students will be asked to provide evidence of their enrollment in a Health Sciences course requiring lab access.
Priorities will shift toward supporting specific course needs, including instructor-led classes and individual use of software assigned in courses. A pressing issue is whether we have the resources to continue support for general purpose computing. Support for general activities such as word processing and data analysis consumes a considerable amount of computer time, software purchase funds, and personnel time, thus reducing support for specific course assignments and software. High drop-in use of the lab also makes it more difficult to schedule computer classes. At this time, the lab will continue to provide basic support for general productivity software as needed for specific courses. However, software not specifically used in coursework may not be updated, and may eventually be removed from the collection.
Computers, manuals, and other lab resources are now checked in and out at the TLC service desk. Laser printer card sales and printouts are also handled at the TLC desk. This change permits the lab assistants to spend more time helping lab users and performing support functions.
The Future
The hardware in the lab is aging rapidly, and needs to be replaced with newer technology. Similarly, new software will be needed to support new initiatives in computer based instruction. In the future, we hope to provide additional classrooms, to install dividing walls for better sound control, and to provide distributed access to the resources of the lab throughout the health sciences complex. We are pleased to report that the School of Public Health recently contributed $10,000 towards this goal.
The Health Sciences Library is happy to include the Microlab among its resources. We welcome suggestions and advice, and are especially interested in knowing more about what you need from us.
Social Work Library Now a Branch of HSLIC
by Louise Pray, Acting Social Work LibrarianThe Social Work Library (SWL) officially became a Health Sciences Library branch in June. Over the summer we have been changing and expanding services in support of our new responsibility.
Document Delivery and Courier services are now available at both locations for easily exchanging materials between Social Work and HSLIC. Paralleling HSLIC's Information Management Education schedule, demonstrations are now given on a weekly basis at Social Work for Silver Platter and locally mounted database search systems. A research assistant's class will be held once a quarter; and other classes will be scheduled based on user demand.
An X-terminal has been installed for searching the Online Catalog and other locally mounted databases (MEDLINE, ERIC, etc.) through WILLOW or UWIN. Other available databases include an enhanced PSYCHLIT which now includes books and book chapters in addition to access to journal articles, as well as LEXIS/NEXIS, containing legal materials as well as national and international news. The librarian is available to run searches on these databases or train users to search on their own. Also new is access to FirstSearch, a menu-driven search system, offering access to over 20 different databases ranging from BIOSIS to Sociological Abstracts. Contact Lou Pray at lpray@u.washington.edu. or 543-7497 to inquire about SWL services.
Electronic SDI Piloted for Basic Sciences Faculty
by Terry Ann Jankowski, Basic Sciences LibrarianMembers of the Health Sciences Basic Sciences faculty can now receive lists of current journal articles in their areas of research via electronic mail through a new Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI) pilot service being offered by the Health Sciences Library. Using Current Contents CD-ROM databases at various locations on campus, the Basic Sciences Librarian, Terry Ann Jankowski, searches for journal citations and sends the resulting lists via electronic mail to the faculty member.
Working with Ms. Jankowski, the faculty member defines his or her area of interest. This can be specific journals, researchers or authors in the topic area, subject areas defined by the database producer, or unique keywords. The resulting search profile is then executed weekly against the appropriate Current Contents section. The resulting references are downloaded to disk in a format specified by the user and delivered via electronic mail. The message can be downloaded into personal databases or edited and forwarded by the requester to HSLIC's Document Delivery system to obtain copies of the desired articles. There is no charge for this search service at the present time; requesters do pay for copies of articles.
If this pilot project for Basic Sciences faculty works well, it will be extended to other faculty members in the future. For more information or to sign up for this service, call Terry at 543-3397 or via email to terryj@u.washington.edu. At this time you must be a Basic Sciences faculty member and have an email address on the campus network in order to participate.
"Do-it-yourself" Searching Options
There are many opportunities for do-it-yourself searching at HSLIC. Numerous workstations provide access to UW's locally-mounted databases, which includes a 10-year file of MEDLINE, as well as access to ERIC and other bibliographic databases, and online catalogs from other universities.
In addition to the locally-mounted databases, health related databases available on CD-ROM in HSLIC's U-Search Center include HEALTHPLAN, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), PSYCLIT (Psychological Abstracts), MICROMEDEX (drug information), Current Contents/Life Sciences and Current Contents/Clinical Practice, and Health Reference Center (patient-oriented literature on health topics).
If you need more than 10 years of MEDLINE information, you can use Grateful Med, a computer interface that assists formulating and running searches on all of the National Library of Medicine's databases. Grateful Med use requires an individual account, and access charges are accrued each time a search is run.
Information specialists are available to advise you in setting up your search strategies; or we can run searches for you on MEDLINE and a wide variety of other databases. Search costs are dependent on the database and the amount of information retrieved. For more information contact staff at the Reference Desks at HSLIC, the K.K. Sherwood Library at Harborview, or the Social Work Library.
UWIN Provides Local MEDLINE Access
by Leilani St. Anna, Fee-Based Services LibrarianAccess to UW's local MEDLINE database is moving from UWREFLIB to the new campus-wide information service, UWIN (University of Washington Information Navigator). Although several new commands have already been added to the search interface, MEDLINE will look and operate very much as it has in the past. UWIN-MEDLINE will continue to include 10 years of information in two files: MEDL, which contains references from the current 5 years, and MEBK, which contains older references.
During September, announcements about the changeover are being made on the byron computer and within the UWREFLIB program. Users will have several weeks to transfer any searches saved within UWREFLIB. You will be led through a simple process to transfer your saved searches to a campus computer on which you have an account/password. Users who do not have searches saved on UWREFLIB can start searching UWIN at once.
No user account is needed to access UWIN services from any computer directly attached to the UW campus computer network. If you dial into UWIN by modem you will need to have an account on a campus computer such as byron or carson.
UWIN will provide access to a wide-range of local and nationally available information services in addition to MEDLINE. The Libraries' Online Catalog (LCAT), ERIC, Grolier's Encyclopedia, Oxford English Dictionary, and other services will also be available.
For information about MEDLINE, contact HSLIC Information Services at 543-3395. For information on UWIN, contact 543-5970 or help@cac.washington.edu.
Construction Update
by Carolyn Weaver, Associate Director for AdministrationWe have taken advantage of the relatively less busy summer months to do repairs and alterations in library facilities. The work most noteworthy for library users is the rewiring and communications upgrade just being completed in the Microlab, as well as reconstruction on the second floor to permanently (we hope!) cure the flooding which occurs in that area whenever it rains. Both repair projects should be completed by the beginning of October.
Compact shelving is currently being installed in the basement to ease overcrowded shelves and provide for growth of the serials collection in the main stacks until a permanent solution to our chronic space shortage can be found. The scope of the basement collection will be expanded to include both pre-1931 serials (the current composition) and foreign serial titles which are no longer being published or for which HSLIC no longer has a current subscription. These items must be requested at the Circulation Desk; check the Serials List for shelving location.
Other remodeling projects, such as relocation of the reference and circulation desks and walling off of the Circulation work area are in various stages of planning and implementation. We will attempt to minimize the inconvenience for users and will keep you posted through Books & Bytes of progress on the various projects.
Participation in Collection Development
by Colleen Weum, Selection & Acquisitions LibrarianThe Library welcomes and relies heavily upon user recommendations for selecting books, serials, and nonprint materials to be added to the collections. A Purchase Recommendation form (Factsheet #2) is available on information kiosks; or drop a note in the Suggestion box. Among other factors, selection decisions are based on relevance of the item to the Health Sciences curriculum, clinical practice, and UW research interests.
The Health Sciences Library will also accept gifts of books, serials and nonprint items which enhance the collection. Factsheet #14, Gift Acceptance Policy, describes the types of materials which are accepted. Inquiries about donations of nonprint materials and computer software should be addressed to Philip Arny, TLC Coordinator, at 685-3125 or parny@u.washington.edu. Contact Colleen Weum at 543-3439 or weum@u.washington.edu about donations of printed materials. Monetary gifts are very welcome, too! You can discuss such gifts with the HSLIC Director, Dr. Sherrilynne Fuller, 543-5531.
Recent Gifts and Contributions to the Collections
Acknowledgment and appreciation is extended to the following individuals and departments who have recently made contributions to HSLIC:
Contributors to Collections:
Dr. Jeff Altman; Dr. Ellsworth C. Alvord, Jr.; Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Anderson; Dr. Peter Byers; Dr. David M. Buchner; Dr. William H. Calvin; Dr. David C. Dale; Dr. Mickey Eisenberg; Dr. Hjordis Foy; Dr. Sherrilynne Fuller; Dr. James L. Gale; Dr. John Geyman; Dr. Susan Herring; Dr. Hjordis M. Foy; Ms. Marianna Kampf; Ms. Karli Kenfield; Mr. Gordon H. Keown; Dr. Thomas D. Koepsell; Dr. Diane P. Martin; Dr. Robert H. Muilenburg; Dr. Karl-Ake H. Omnell; Dr. Roy C. Page; Dr. C. Alvin Paulsen; Professor Annie Peterman; Dr. Joy B. Plein; Dr. Mika Sinanan; Dr. Jefferson Slimp; Dr. Doris J. Stiefel; Dr. Karen Thomas; Dr. Richard F. Uhlmann; Dr. Noel S. Weiss; Dr. Philip Worthington; Department of Family Medicine; Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism; Department of Physiology and Biophysics; Department of Radiology; Division of Neonatal and Respiratory Diseases; Division of Rheumatology.
FirstSearch: Menu-Driven Searching for Easy Database Access
by Louise Pray, Information Services LibrarianFrustrated because MEDLINE lacks enough veterinary or comparative medicine coverage? Need access to financial data on companies related to your research? Consider using FirstSearch, a menu-driven search system providing access to a wide variety of databases outside the health science disciplines.
UW faculty and staff may request a FirstSearch card from the Libraries to permit access through the Internet to databases such as GPO (government documents); BIOSIS (biological sciences); PsycInfo (Psychological Abstracts); GeoRef (geology); PAIS (public affairs); Sociological Abstracts; Disclosure (company financial data); and WorldCat, a database of library holdings from more than 3,500 libraries nationwide. Each FirstSearch card provides ten searches at no charge.
The UW Libraries commitment to affordable information sources makes FirstSearch a logical choice for many library users due to its range of topics and its ease of use. Contact Lou Pray at lpray@u.washington.edu or 685-2180 to obtain cards and searching instructions.
Research Funding Service
by Diana Hall, RFS LibrarianThe Research Funding Service (RFS), a partnership of the Health Sciences Library and the School of Medicine, offers specialized information resources, services, and events for faculty, postdoctoral scholars, staff, and graduate students in the Health Sciences who wish to identify funding opportunities, write better proposals, and understand funding processes.
Through reference service and individual consultations, RFS staff can help grantseekers locate funding information on federal and private grantmakers that support biomedical and health sciences research. Investigators can also request subject-specific searches for a fee of computerized databases of funding sources and summaries of current federal research projects.
To keep researchers abreast of deadlines and grant possibilities, RFS publishes the monthly Funding Bulletin announcing selected funding opportunities. The RFS reference handbook is being revising into a new series of succinct guidesheets on topics such as the National Institutes of Health, the application review process, UW procedures, and electronic information resources.
Events sponsored by RFS during Autumn Quarter will be of particular interest to new investigators and postdoctoral scholars. Continuing from last year will be "Grant$ for Lunch", a series of monthly informal noon-time discussions on grantsmanship topics. The sessions will require no registration and will be widely publicized. "Getting to the Bottom Line: The Art of Grantsmanship" is a funding symposium to be held on November 18 in Hogness Auditorium. The program will emphasize the process and art of grantsmanship in the current context of the academic health sciences. Details will be announced soon.
RFS, located in HSLIC room T-311, is directed by Janet Rasey, Ph.D., professor of Radiation Oncology, and staffed by Patricia Carlson, Coordinator, and Diana Hall, Librarian. For more information, please call 685-8036, send email to rfs@u.washington.edu, or write to RFS, mail stop SC-64.
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