TML News and Notes: May 2007

Now available from VCU Libraries, images.MD is a compilation of over 50,000 high-quality images from more than 90 collections that span all areas of internal medicine. The collection includes photos, radiographs, slides, graphs, tables and original artwork derived from Current Medicine's series of illustrated atlases. Each image is accompanied by detailed and informative text written by contributing experts. The VCU Libraries subscription allows for use in presentations, handouts and other educational purposes.

To fully utilize the tools within images.MD, a short registration form must be completed. Once a personalized account has been set up, save images to a slideset using My Slides, and add text or personal notes to the images or create a PowerPoint presentation. Sets of up to 20 images can be sent to any email address.

To learn more, click on the iMDTour located on the images.MD homepage. Access to this exciting new resource is available from the VCU Libraries Databases A-Z list.

Don't just settle for Google images - try images.MD!!

In the fall of 1932, the Medical College of Virginia dedicated its first library building to great fanfare. As one contemporary described it, the new College Library was "a gem architecturally, faithfully carried out in the Georgian manner." 75 years later, that same structure continues to serve the needs of students, faculty, and clinicians on VCU's Medical College of Virginia Campus with the latest technology and most up-to-date resources.

As part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Tompkins-McCaw Library building and the 110th anniversary of library service on the MCV Campus, an exhibit has opened on the first floor chronicling the history of this campus fixture. The exhibit includes historical images of the library, information about major milestones, and an illustration of the massive growth of library collections constructed with imprints from the Classics of Medicine Library.

The exhibit is located next to Current Periodicals on the first floor of Tompkins-McCaw Library, and may be seen during normal library hours. A companion Web page is also available.

For more information about this exhibit or the history of Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences, contact Andrew Bain, TML Special Collections and Archives, at 828-9898.

AMED is a unique bibliographic database on alternative medicine produced by the British Library Health Care Information Service. It provides citations and abstracts to articles on complementary medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, palliative care, rehabilitation and podiatry. Relevant articles from over 500 journals, mainly European and many not indexed by other sources, are included from 1985 to present. AMED is an invaluable resource for health care professionals seeking information on topics such as acupuncture, homeopathy, massage, hospice care, herbalism, holistic treatments, spiritual therapies, hypnosis and many other subjects.

Each record includes subject terms from the AMED Thesaurus based on MeSH, the medical subject headings used in MEDLINE. Keyword searches map to a display of the most relevant subject terms. You can limit your search by publication type, language, years, medical concepts or therapies. Links to full-text articles and other services from VCU Libraries can be found through the Get It @ VCU menu. AMED is restricted to 2 simultaneous users from VCU.

Access AMED through the Databases A to Z list on the VCU Libraries homepage. For additional information, consult the online help guide located in the upper right of every screen in AMED or contact VCU Libraries through Ask a Librarian.

Elvatrice Parker Belsches, VCU/MCV Alumna School of Pharmacy Thursday, July 12, 2007, Noon - 1:30 p.m., Directions and Map

Ms. Elvatrice Parker Belsches, MA, RPh, is an archival researcher, author and pharmacist living in the Richmond area. Ms. Belsches is an emerging authority on the life of Dr. Sarah G. Jones MD, the first known woman of any race to be granted a medical license by the the Virginia State Board of Medicine. Belsches will discuss her new and corrective scholarship on this pioneering physician as the author of her biographical entry for Harvard University's upcoming publication, the African American National Biography, (Oxford University Press, Spring 2008) and the author of Richmond, Virginia, a Black America Series publication (now in its sixth printing).

June 29, 2007, 5:00 p.m – 7:00 p.m.
Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences
509 N. 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298
Directions and Map

Join the VCU Libraries in honoring women in all fields of medical sciences. The opening reception celebrates the contributions of VCU's own Dr. Marcella Fierro, Dr. Eleanor Sue Cantrell, and Dr. Yvonnecris Smith Veal, who are featured in this exhibit. The reception is free and open to the public, but a reservation is required to reserve your space.

To RSVP, contact Shannon Jones at (804) 828-0626.

Photo credit: S. Josephine Baker

VCU Libraries now provides online access to Current Protocols in Molecular Biology and Current Protocols in Bioinformatics.

Current Protocols in Molecular Biology allows you to search and print over 1,000 protocols ranging from basic methods like cell culture or DNA preparation and screening to more advanced areas like microrarray analysis or chromatin assembly. Protocols are added and updated every three months and cover emerging areas like mouse phenotyping. Appendices include basic measurement information, instructions to mix common reagents, common techniques, suppliers and vectors.

Current Protocols in Bioinformatics provides instructions for research biologists who might not be familiar with all the databases and software available for sequence analysis or experienced researchers who want to learn new programs. CPBI covers the basics, from selecting the right software parameters to analyzing data and interpreting the results. Topics include recognizing functional domains, similarity searching, homologies, models, conservation and evolution of proteins, and intermolecular interactions, with new and updated protocols added every three months. Information on acquiring programs is included.

In both collections you can browse the contents or search by a specific subject. Protocols can be viewed online, where you can link to preparatory protocols, or they can be printed out in pdf format. Cited literature is listed with links to PubMed and links to internet resources are included when used. Both Current Protocols are available through the VCU Libraries' Databases A-Z list.

VCU Libraries will host the Public Health Grand Rounds: "Coordinated Approach to Child Health: From Research to Practice" on Friday, June 15 at the Tompkins-McCaw Library, from 2:00 - 3:00 pm, in Room 2-010. This broadcast focuses on Healthy People and the importance of establishing healthy behaviors during childhood instead of attempting to change unhealthy behaviors during adulthood. Major research initiatives and school and community based interventions to prevent and reduce unhealthy behaviors that cause and exacerbate chronic diseases will be discussed. Registration is available Online For more information, contact Shannon Jones at sdjones@vcu.edu or 804-828-0626

Searching for information takes time, especially when looking for older material that is not available from your computer in a full text online format. This workshop will provide an overview of health sciences print resources to locate needed information, and guidance to help you 'hand search' the literature for articles that are more difficult to locate. The class will be held at the Tompkins-McCaw Library in LIMERC, Room 2-012. Advanced registration is recommended.

*Tuesday, June 19, 2007, Noon - 1:00 pm
*Wednesday, July 18, 2007, 10:00 am - 11:00 am

For more information and to register, visit http://www.library.vcu.edu/events/

Learn to use the Instructional Media Workshop, a self-service facility in Tompkins-McCaw Library for creating media presentation materials. The IMW computers include a variety of software, including Adobe software used to convert MS Word documents into PDF files. Equipment and supplies are available in the Workshop to produce posters, banners, signs, digital images, audio and video. First-time users are encouraged to attend the class before using the Workshop independently. Meet at the Service Desk, 1st floor, Tompkins-McCaw Library, 509 N. 12th St., MCV Campus.

*Wednesday, June 13, 2007, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
*Tuesday, July 10, 2007, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
*Friday, July 27, 2007, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
*Tuesday, August 14, 2007, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

For more information about these workshops and other VCU Libraries events and classes, log on to:
http://www.library.vcu.edu/events/index.html

Learn to search MEDLINE via PubMed, including basic features and search techniques such as limits, display options and print formats. Methods to identify locally available journals or full-text online articles will also be discussed. Tompkins-McCaw Library, LIMERC, Room 2-012.

*Tuesday, July 31, 2007, 11:00 am - Noon

For more information about these workshops, or any of the Summer classes, contact Thelma Mack, Education Services Coordinator, 828-0017.

Learn about the variety of resources and services available to you from the VCU Libraries. In these one hour sessions we'll show you the most effective ways to find books, journals, and other information for research and provide an orientation to the library and its services as well as offer a tour of the facility for employees and students. Tours will begin at the Service Desk, 1st floor, Tompkins-McCaw Library, 509 N. 12th St.

*Friday, June 15, 2007, Noon - 1:00 pm
*Wednesday, July 11, 2007, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
*Thursday, August 9, 2007, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

For more information about these workshops and other VCU Libraries events and classes, log on to:
http://www.library.vcu.edu/events/index.html