A Review of: “HMO/PPO Directory 2011, 23rd ed. Gottlieb,Richard, ed.”

ABSTRACT

There is limited literature on hospital archives projects. Hospitals understandably have a strong focus on patient care, but there is still a critical need to keep institutional archives. Among their many uses, institutional archives preserve corporate memory, provide evidence of interactions with community, and assist in contemporary decision making. This column describes a university-hospital partnership to undertake a one-year project to preserve, detail, and digitize ten boxes, or approximately 3.8 meters, of materials dating from 1980 to 2006. This project serves as a model for other hospital or health care facilities wanting to preserve and more actively engage with their archival collections.     

A Review of: “Encyclopedia of Infectious Diseases: Modern Methodologies. Tibayrenc,Michel, ed.”

ABSTRACT

Hospital libraries serving military bases offer a different perspective on library services. Two libraries located on islands in the Pacific Ocean provide services to active duty service men and women, including those deployed to other regions of the world. In addition, these hospital libraries serve service members’ families living on the base, and often citizens from the surrounding communities.     

A Review of: “Urology Board Review: Pearls of Wisdom, 3rd ed., by Leslie,Stephen W., ed.”

ABSTRACT

Pediatric Care Online is the American Academy of Pediatrics’ point-of-care tool designed for health care providers. Pediatric Care Online builds on content from Red Book Online and Pediatric Patient Education and features Quick Reference topic pages for more than 250 pediatric health care topics. The multitude of resources available within Pediatric Care Online will be reviewed in this column, and a sample search will be used to illustrate the type of information available within this point-of-care pediatric resource.     

A Review of “Facebook: The Missing Manual, 3rd ed.”

Abstract

This case study describes the process of proposing and implementing a wiki for use in an academic library setting, based on the process used by Iowa State University Library. Using the Iowa State University Library Wiki as a model, this article lays out the decisions necessary at each step of the process of establishing a new wiki. Control of potentially sensitive data and other security concerns led the Iowa State University Library to implement a PmWiki installation on its own server. This article provides helpful advice for any librarian who is thinking about implementing a wiki but unsure of where to start. As librarians everywhere discuss the potential of wikis and their potential pitfalls, this article offers an example of a successful project with an eye on what might have made it successful.     

A Review of: “Training Paraprofessionals for Reference Service: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians. 2nd ed. Morgan,Pamela J.”

QR codes, or “Quick Response” codes, are two-dimensional barcodes that can be scanned by mobile smartphone cameras. These codes can be used to provide fast access to URLs, telephone numbers, and short passages of text. With the rapid adoption of smartphones, librarians are able to use QR codes to promote services and help library users find materials quickly and independently. This article will explain what QR codes are, discuss how they can be used in the library, and describe issues surrounding their use. A list of resources for generating and scanning QR codes is also provided.     

A Review of: “HMO/PPO Directory: Detailed Profiles of U.S. Managed Healthcare Organizations & Key Decision Makers, 2010. 22nd ed.”

The Fourth-year Academic Clinical Training and Teaching Selective (FACTTS) is a course taught by medical and library faculty on the practice of evidence-based medicine and critical appraisal of the medical literature. This study assesses the impact of the course on students' understanding of the subject matter by examining three years of pre- and post-test data and addresses whether the number of sessions in the course affects the knowledge gained by the students. The data show an improvement in the students' understanding of course material, but no benefit was found in having two versus three sessions.     

A Review of: “Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction. 2nd ed., by Cassell,Kay Ann and Hiremath,Uma.”

The status of library consortia has evolved over time in terms of their composition and alternative negotiating models. New purchasing models may allow improved library involvement in the acquisitions process and improved methods for meeting users' future needs. Ever-increasing costs of library resources and the need to reduce expenses make it necessary to continue the exploration of library consortia for group purchases.