On behalf of the MAHSLIN Board and MAHSLIN membership, the Publicity Committee would like to express its gratitude to the NNLM/NER for providing a home for our Web page. It is much appreciated.

Joe Harzbecker and Terri Niland, Co-Chairs

The CommonWealth of Information Thursday April 27, 2000

10:00 -10:30 NN/LM Update with John Stey, Associate Director of the National Network of Libraries in Medicine New England Region, University of Connecticut Health Center

10:30 - 11:00 Morning Break

11:00 - 11:20 Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners Update presented by Rob Maier, Deputy Director, Head of Library Development, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

11:20 - 11:50 Strategies to Sustain Success in Today's Business Environment with Dr. Jerry Miller, Associate Professor, Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science

11:50 - 12:20 The Health Triad: All Things Considered presented by Dr. Teresa Sylvina, Department of Environmental and Population Health, Tufts University School of Medicine

12:20 - 12:30 Announcements

12:30 - 2:00 Lunch

2:00 - 2:20 Got Data? Finding Sources for Massachusetts Health Statistics by Cara Helfner, Research Library, Massachusetts Health Data Consortium

2:20 - 2:40 The Sheppard Library: a Resource for Drug, Herb, and Dietary Supplements Information with Julie Whelan, Sheppard Library, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy

2:40 - 3:00 The Consumer Health Reference Center at Treadwell Library, Massachusetts General Hospital: a Resource for Massachusetts Regional Member Libraries with Kate Kelly, Treadwell Library, Massachusetts General Hospital

3:00 - 3:40 DOCLINE Transition Forum with Edward Donald, NNLM/NER, University of Connecticut

See you there at "New England's Most Magnificent Garden."

As most of you have discovered by now, the new version of PubMed became the only version of PubMed on March 21, 2000. For several months prior to the cut-over, we've had the opportunity to "play" with this new version while still maintaining a lifeline to the safe harbor of the familiar and comfortable older version. If you're still feeling a bit unsure of how to navigate these new waters, here are a couple of resources that may be helpful.

Daniel Dollar recently announce on NEHS-L:

The PubMed Basic Brochure "New Version" has been revised to include recent changes in the new PubMed. You can download the publication as a PDF file at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ner/education.

If you have any questions, please contact him. He can also provide the publication as a PageMaker 6.5 file if you wish to customize it for your local needs.

He can be contacted at: Daniel M. Dollar, Education Coordinator, NN/LM New England Region. dollar@nso.uchc.edu or 860/679-4798.

Michele Tennant at the University of Florida writes:

The University of Florida Health Science Center Libraries are pleased to announce the creation of a new web-based tutorial for PubMed. We invite you to take a look at our progress! We would like to welcome all of you to try out the tutorial and give us your feedback. There is nothing more valuable that a constructive evaluation from our fellow librarians....As PubMed is always changing, this will be a constant "work in progress".

Please visit at http://www.library.health.ufl.edu/pubmed/pubmed2/. We hope you find the tutorial useful.

So many changes. PubMed. Docline. How to keep up? One way is to join listservs. Mahslin, of course. But, here are a couple more that will help you keep up with the changes being made and the concerns people have. Here's how to join (if you haven't already).

To subscribe, send message to lists@mailserv.nlm.nih.gov

In the subject line, put in identifying information. Include your new LIBID and an abbreviated name of your library (e.g. MDUNLM-Natl Lib Med)

In the body of the message type: subscribe DOCLINE-L

To join NEHSL-L, write a short internet e-mail to LISTSERV@NNLMNER.UCHC.EDU

Leave the subject line bland, and put this single line in the message body:

JOIN NEHSL-L Reverend Charles L. Dodgson

(Feel free to substitute your own name and credentials for Mr. Dodgson's).

Permanent Access to Digital Information (Presented at the January 2000 meeting of the NLM Board of Regents:

Betsy Humphreys, Associate Director for Library Operations, said that this would be the first in what will no doubt be a series of periodic presentations on various aspects of how NLM can provide permanent access to digital information. Permanent access to digital information equals preservation, but preservation by itself does not necessarily guarantee permanent access. It will require a well-organized effort and sufficient funds to ensure that we have permanent access to digital information. There are a number of types of digital information and to ensure access to all of it will require different approaches. Among the types: "born digital" information such as databases and publications are available only in electronic form, and unpublished electronic records such as e-mail. NLM began capturing digital information in the mid-sixties and it has been accessible ever since. Ms. Humphreys showed several early MEDLINE records and described how, although preserved, the records have undergone certain alterations. As to today's Web-based information, using as an example a fact sheet on Extramural Programs that recently went up on the NLM Web site, she wondered what happened to the one it replaced. Did anyone save it? Should we do anything special to preserve such material? To what extent should we convert older journal articles to digital form to make them as accessible as the materials that will be entered into PubMed Central in the future? NLM has gradually been converting pre-1965 Index Medicus data into electronic form, and a contract has just been signed to undertake the digitization of the Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office. NLM's general approach is to use its own publications and service as test-beds; to collaborate with other organizations to develop a scalable national strategy; and then to acquire the resources necessary to meet its obligations in this area as a national library. One reason to concentrate on our own publications is to find out what works and thus be able to contribute effectively to national and international standards as they are developed. MEDLINEplus will be a useful test-bed for developing procedures for collaboration with other libraries. Descriptions of web-based information developed by NLM should be easily integrated into web sites that provide access to local, state, and regional information. NLM also is developing special license arrangements with publishers that will allow the Library to fulfill its mandate as a national back-up and archive for medical information. Ms. Humphreys said that NLM staff have been meeting with representatives of the National Agricultural Library and the Library of Congress to arrive at some common practices for the preservation of electronic information.

Richard Kaplan, Associate Dean for Instructional Resources at the Sheppard Library met with several members of Mahslin a little while back. They asked him if he could proved some information about the Drug Information Centers at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He replied:

It was nice meeting with several members of Mahslin...As you requested, here is some information about the Drug Information Centers at the Mass. College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. As I mentioned, the Library tries to maintain a comprehensive collection of foreign pharmacopoeias and drug information databases. Basic information can be obtained by calling our reference desk at 617/732-2813. For more comprehensive information, please call the numbers listed below:

Please refer only medical personnel to these centers. At this time, they are not accepting requests from the health consumer.

Drug Information Center 617/732-2759 Maria Summa, Pharm. D-directorMsumma@mcp.edu

Center for Integrative Therapies in Pharmaceutical Care (this center deals primarily with herbal medicine, homeopathic remedies and nutraceuticals). 617/732-2182 June Riedlinger, Pharm. D.-director, Jriedlinger@mcp.edu ; Lana Dvorkin, Pharm. D-drug coordinator, Ldvorkin@mcp.edu

Please let me know if you need any additional information.

Richard Kaplan, Associate Dean for Instructional Resources, Director of Sheppard Library, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 179 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115 (Voice): 617/732-2808 (Fax): 617/278-1566 (E-mail) rkaplan@mcp.edu

Congratulations to Nancy Fazzone and Elaine Martin for their election to the MLA Nominating Committee. They will assume office at the conclusion of the 2000 Annual Meeting in Vancouver.

New Director of the Treadwell Library, Massachusetts General Hospital

Elizabeth Schneider has been appointed Director of the Treadwell Library at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. The former Assistant Director for Collection & Systems Management, Beth joined the Treadwell staff as a Cataloger more than 15 years ago and served as Interim Director since March 1999.

Anne Fladger has recently assumed the position as Director of the Library at the North Shore Medical Center, Salem Hospital. Anne comes from her position at the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital where she was Coordinator/Librarian of the Learning Center.

John Stey recently announced that five consumer health proposals will be funded by NLM for this year, including two from Massachusetts: Massachusetts General Hospital's Treadwell Library (439.955) and The University of Massachusetts Medical School, Lamar Soutter Library ($39,994). The remaining three are: Maine General Medical Center Library ($40,000); St. Francis Hospital & Medical Center, Health Learning Center ($10,000); the University of Connecticut Health Center, Lyman Maynard Stowe Library, HealthNet ($39,511).

To Sue Dhanjal (of the North Shore Medical Center Library) and her husband on the birth of their twins on December 30, 1999. They have named their daughter Jasmeen and their son Shaan. Sue reports that they are thrilled but a little overwhelmed. Congratulations.

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