Sheraton Lexington Inn

727 Marrett Road [Exit 30B off I95 (Rte 128) Lexington, MA]

April 29, 1999

Following the morning business meeting, John Stey, Director, NN/LM New England Region will provide the membership with an update. Informational programs will include, "Health Information and the Public," System Mergers and their Effects on Libraries & Library Service," and "Electronic Journals and Copyright." A delicious buffet luncheon will be served.

A registration form is available at: http://nnlmner.uchc.edu/mahslin/registran.html or contact Pat Vigorito, Registration Chair at:

Tel: 508/828-7407

Fax: 508/824-6941

Email: vigorito@juno.com

Have you renewed your Mahslin membership for 1999? MaryBeth Edwards and Cathy Guarcello, Co-Chairs of the Membership Committee report that renewals are coming in, but would like to remind those who have not yet renewed that the time is now. A Mahslin membership is one of the best ways to keep in touch with colleagues and the profession. So, if you haven't done so already, take a moment to fill out and return the renewal form on the next page.

MAIL DUES AND FORM TO CATHY GUARCELLO AND MARYBETH EDWARDS

STOHLMAN LIBRARY

736 CAMBRIDGE ST.

BOSTON, MA 02135-2997

'The time has come,' the Walrus said,

'To talk of many things:

Of shoes-and ships-and sealing wax-

Of cabbages-and-kings-

(Lewis Carroll)

The Mahslin Executive Board, as part of its December 1998 meeting, met with the various Consortia chairs and Resource Libraries representatives to exchange thoughts and ideas, discuss concerns and issues, and just find out how we're coping with the changes and challenges inherent in today's healthcare environment. While these are uncertain times for healthcare, and we are not immune, health sciences librarians are looking positively to the future while trying to make things work in the present.

After brief around-the-table introductions, luncheon was served and several members of the Mahslin Board updated guests with information they could bring back to members and colleagues. Then, the invited guests each had a chance to discuss what was happening in their own backyards:

Central Massachusetts reported that they are currently reassessing who and what they are. They have taken quite a hit in membership over the past year, having decreased from 15 to 11 members. And, there is always the question of how mergers will ultimately affect membership.

SEMCO stated that they, too, have lost some members due to downsizing, e.g., positions not filled or filled by non-librarians. They currently have 22 members and, although they have also experienced facility mergers, the libraries, thus far, have been able to maintain their separate and individual identities. SEMCO members have also been able to take advantage of several educational opportunities over the past year, including sessions on Evidence Based Medicine, and CINAHL.

NECHI reported that they have been very active over the past year. Membership has actually increased, as the result of a recent membership drive, from 17 to 20. However, NECHI, too has been touched by mergers and downsizing and is still uncertain what effect these events will have on individual members. Several members of the consortium have been or soon will be visited by the JCAHO. Education programs over the past year included workshops on PubMed, the Massachusetts Regional Library System, and Loansome Doc.

BBLC mentioned that mergers are occurring there as well, but that, in spite of these mergers, individual libraries are still represented and membership remains fairly stable. There are currently 18 members. A number of education programs have been or soon will be presented covering such topics as publishing, DOCLINE, Blackwell's online serials, and a tour of the new library at the New England College of Optometry.

Western Massachusetts reported that the consortium currently has 20 members, plus or minus. They include several personal members, community colleges, OPL's, and a medical center. However, they, too, have not escaped merger-madness with the joining of Cooley-Dickenson Hospital with New Hampshire's Murray Hitchcock. Education programs over the past year included Evidence Based Medicine, some technology-based programs, and others such as environmental issues and reproductive issues for women. They are now gearing up to do something on alternative medicine.

CIR noted that membership and staff are stable. There are 7 libraries representing 5 institutions. Although the group meets rarely, they are connected by a shared cataloging service. All members of CIR belong to other consortia and all of the original institutions have realigned. Thus, CIR is taking things from year to year.

Florence Mercer, Mahslin Chair, welcomed Boston College to its first Mahslin Board meeting. Wanda Anderson reported that she is the nursing librarian at BC, doing outreach to nurses and nursing students. They are considering the possibility of developing formal training programs.

The following developments were reported by UMass Medical:

• Upgraded Ovid platform (switched from Novell to Unix)
• Signed contract for web-based Micromedex
• Added Biosis database
• Introducing new Integrated Library System (ILS) using Endeavor
• Approval given for 2 new, senior librarians
• NLM AIDS outreach grant to provide pc's, materials and training to 7 AIDS clinics in the Worcester area
• Internal grant given to Reference Department to develop and EBM website
• New photocopy machines
  

NAHSL reported that the Fall 1998 meeting held in Boston was, indeed, a success. The NAHSL Board wants to set objectives for the year, and there will be discussion about the profit made from the NAHSL meeting and how best to handle it. There are also ongoing discussions about the costs of the meeting and the possibility or reducing registration costs.

BU Medical Center reported on the following developments:

• Expansion of the learning resource center, some NAHSL courses held here
• Web of Science added to access throughout BU
• Webspirs added with databases such as Sociofile, Psyclit, and others
• STAT-Ref! full-text collection of textbooks
• An additional ILL assistant was hired.

Tufts mentioned the following:

• Second year of NLM resource grant for curriculum database-digitizing all of 1^st and 2^nd year curriculum
• Next year all Medical School students will be required to have a pc
• Increasing Ovid-added Biosis, full text collections, and Cochrane databases
• New look for library web page
• Liz Richardson doing training with Cochrane databases
  

John Stey of the NN/LM reported some developments:

• Down only one position now. Dan Dollar appointed new Education Coordinator
• Development of a 15-20 minute video aimed at public librarians who teach PubMed
• Spring NAHSL CE-Ed Donald developing a 4 hour MLA credit course to given in five locations
• EFTS II testing two runs in January
• Investigating group purchase of MDConsult for regional libraries
• ILL/Document Delivery meeting scheduled for April 22 in Sturbridge
  

At the end of this informational session, Florence Mercer thanked everyone for attending and especially Chris Bell for hosting.

Nancy Fazzone, Chair of NECHI sends this word or caution to the Mahslin membership:

The Northeastern Consortium for Health Information (NECHI) recommends that librarians not purchase the Internet Toolkit for Health Professionals (volume 2), published by COR Healthcare Resources in Santa Barbara, CA, as the PubMed demonstration is misleading and the presenter states that you can now obtain articles, without trudging down to the medical library to bother the librarian, through Loansome Doc. She has no knowledge that Loansome Doc is supported 100% by medical librarians. As you know, COR publishes Medicine on the Net and focuses on a physician market. NECHI wrote to the publisher protesting this misinformation and received a reply that "the series is no longer being actively marketed and...no plans for reissuing the series without extensive revisions."

Nancy Fazzone

Director of Library Services

Nancyf@NSMC.partners.org

The North Shore Medical Center

81 Highland Avenue

Salem, MA 01970

(978)741-1215 x4951

(978)744-9110 (fax)

Nancy Frazier, Director of the Frazier-Grant Medical Library at Cape Cod Hospital for 19 years, passed away in January. She was a founding member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Consortium (SEMCO) and has been recognized for her years of contribution to health sciences libraries. She was inducted into the Mahslin Hall of Fame in April 1998 for her dedication to Mahslin and the health sciences library profession. She was a wonderful mentor and friend to many in our profession. She will be greatly missed. Memorials in her name may be sent to Cape Cod Hospital Foundation, 27 Park Street, Hyannis, MA 02601 or to the charity of one's choice.

Technology Committee Update (reported by Nancy Fazzone)

The Committee has established four areas of focus:

1. PubMed support
2. DOCLINE/SERHOLD enhancement/changes
3. Librarians and their role in intranet/internet
4. Medical librarians and the new Massachusetts Regional Library Systems

PubMed -

The PubMed Interface: An updated interface reflecting input from libraries and other users is on the horizon. NLM is now projecting a release date of March 1999.

PubMed and IGM Manuals: Manuals are currently available through PubMed in PDF format, and may be downloaded locally with Adobe Acrobat. As the time to print the files is somewhat extensive, NN/LM is providing us with one complete current copy. It will be circulated to any Mahslin member, on request, to photocopy. After making a photocopy, the borrower will be responsible for forwarding the original to the next requester. You may contact Nancy Fazzone (nancyf@NSMC.partners.org) to request the master copy.

Centralized collection of questions and concerns: All Mahslin members are invited to submit questions and/or concerns related to PubMed to Nancy Fazzone (nancyf@NSMC.partners.org), and they will be forwarded to the appropriate source. Replies to these messages will be posted on the Mahslin listserv. Through this process, the Committee hopes to identify trends and benefit from a collective voice.

Education Committee News(reported by Howard Silver)

Upcoming Course Opportunities:

• April 8, 1999

"Building a Consumer Health Information Service"

9:00am - 4:30pm

Umass Memorial Healthcare, Worcester, MA

Instructors:

MaryLinn Bergstrom, Director Library Services, UMass Memorial Healthcare

Kate Kelly, Senior Librarian & Project Manager for Massachusetts Consumer

Health Reference Center, MGH

Cost: $60.00 Mahslin members; $75.00 Non-members

MLA CE credits: 8

This one day course will give you practical advice and tools for building a Consumer Health Information (CHI) service.

Limit: 24 participants

• June 16, 1999

"Creating Library Service Forms on the Web"

1/2-day, hands-on workshop

BU Medical Center

Instructor:

Michael Leach

(Detailed information still to come)

Mahslin Educational Support Program

Mahslin has initiated a program to support the Massachusetts Hospital Library Consortia Continuing Education programs. Consortia may apply for as much as $400 to support the costs of staging the program.. Information on specific guidelines for application and use of these funds can be obtained from the Mahslin Education Committee or at http://nnlmner.uchc.edu/mahslin

Was the title of a jam packed NEASIS program held at MIT in January. XL is described as the heir apparent to HTML and this program aimed to both explain the difference between XL and HTML and to explore the effect XL will have on content, libraries, document management, and the role of information professionals. Very few of the 150-plus attendees had experience with using XL and speakers differed in their opinions of when XL would supplant HTML. However, they did agree that when Bill Gates decides to implement XL as a Microsoft standard, then we should really pay attention. Speakers included Mike Cunningham of the Harvard Computing Group; McKenzie Smith, Digital Project Manager, Harvard University Library; Bill Forquer, VP Basis Division, Open Text; and Jonathon Yaron, CEO Enigma Inc. For further information on the speakers and presentations, check the NEASIS web page at http://www.aasis.org/Chapters/neasis. For more information on XL check XL: a Brief List of Resources also on the NEASIS home page.

Kate Kelly, MLS AHIP

Treadwell Library

Massachusetts General Hospital

Margo Coletti, Medical Library Director, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center recently reported the following changes via email:

The email address for Paul Vaiginas, Jay Daly and myself (and everyone else who works here at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) has changed. The "bidmc" portion of the email address has been changed to "caregroup" (the name of our parent organization). New addresses for the librarians are:

Paul Vaiginas: pvaigna@caregroup.harvard.edu

Jay Daly: jay@caregroup.harvard.edu

Margo Coletti: margo@caregroup.harvard.edu

Don't forget the upcoming Mahslin Annual Meeting April 29, 1999

Sheraton Lexington Inn

See you there!!

Deadline for submissions is March 31 for the April 1999 newsletter

Please contact Terri Niland, Editor, Fahey Health Sciences Library, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 170 Governors Avenue, Medford, MA Tel: 781/306-6606 Fax: 781/306-6655 Email: tniland@shore.net