UpToDate Comes to Upstate

Is UpToDate for you? UpToDate is a practical clinical reference tool designed to provide quick access to synthesized medical information in an easy-to-use format. It is a cooperative effort of thousands of expert clinicians at leading academic centers and is an official educational program of a number of major medical associations.

The Upstate Medical Alumni Association and the Health Sciences Library have created a partnership to provide UpToDate for the benefit of students, faculty, and staff at Upstate Medical University. Access is provided via the Library home page <www.upstate.edu/library/> on the Syracuse Campus, in the student lounge on the Binghamton Clinical Campus, and in University Hospital. But UpToDate is not available from off-campus via LEAP.

Supported PDA devices that have been configured by IMT for the Upstate wireless network can access the UpToDate clinical research system at <www.utdol.com>.

InfoPOEMs: New Evidenced-Based Tool

The Library, in partnership with the Department of Family Medicine, has purchased InfoPOEMs <www.infopoems.com/>, a clinical information system designed to answer questions with current and relevant information at the point of care. InfoPOEMs combines two respected information tools: POEMS and InfoRetriever.

POEMs is a current awareness service that delivers daily e-mails culled from articles in over 100 top journals. A "POEM" is "Patient Oriented Evidence that Matters." The acclaimed POEMs process applies specific criteria for validity and relevance to practice. Only one in forty studies qualifies. Each POEM must:

1. address a question clinicians face;
2. measure outcomes that matter to patients, such as symptoms, morbidity, quality of life, mortality; and
3. have the potential to change practice.

InfoRetriever searches the full spectrum of evidence-based content and tools: all POEMs since 1996, abstracts of Cochrane Systematic Reviews, decision support tools, diagnostic calculators supporting selection and interpretation of diagnostic tests and the history and physical (H&P), and summaries of evidence-based practice guidelines. InfoRetriever also includes the full Griffith's 5-Minute Clinical Consult, an ICD-9 (International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision) code look-up, an E/M (evaluation and management) coding assistant for payments, guided searches of Medline and other Internet references, and links to patient-education materials on the Web.

InfoPOEMS is available at <www.infopoems.com/infopoems/main.cfm>, or by linking from the Databases menu on the Library home page <www.upstate.edu/library/>. Off-campus users can access InfoPOEMS with LEAP (Library Enhanced Access Program) passwords. To obtain a LEAP password, members of the Upstate community may call 464-4581 or use the online registration form at <www.upstate.edu/library/access/leap_account.php>.

Wi-Fi Wireless Access Reaches the Library

High-speed, wireless Internet access is now available in the Library as part of the SUNY Upstate wireless computer network. Wireless routers were installed in May 2004 at strategic points determined to be best for hot spot coverage of the entire Library. Open only to affiliated Upstate faculty, students, and staff with an Upstate ID badge, wireless access now enables a wireless-capable laptop computer or PDA (palm-based or pocket PC) to access electronic resources, send e-mail, or surf the Internet from anywhere within the Library.

Library wireless access is protected against trespass by unauthorized users by requiring a monitored setup with passwords and other protections. All eligible laptops must have virus protection software installed and updated. McAfee VirusScan for the PC or Virex for the Macintosh can be provided at no charge to Upstate faculty, students, and staff. All laptops must have the most current Microsoft or Apple security updates installed.

To obtain a wireless account for the public Internet only, fill out the Wireless Network Account Request Form and turn it in to either the Library Reference Desk or the Educational Communications / Academic Computing main office in 210 Weiskotten Hall. Academic Computing will then contact you to make an appointment to have your device connected to the wireless network.

For further information, please refer to the policy and registration forms available at the Library Reference Desk or from Educational Communications / Academic Computing:

1. Wireless Network Account Policies and Procedures
2. Wireless Network Account Request Form

To obtain a PocketCAIS (application for clinicians) account for your PDA, contact the Information Management and Technology (IMT) Help Desk at 464-4115 and request this application. Further information is available from the IMT Help Desk Web site: <imt.upstate.edu/helpdesk/pocket/>.

PsycINFO Database New on Ovid

The Health Sciences Library has provided access to PsycINFO for a number of years, but beginning in June 2004 PsycInfo became part of the Ovid suite of databases. This change offers Upstate researchers several benefits: access to significant full text, advanced searching capabilities, saved searches, cross-database searching with other Ovid products such as Medline, and the familiar Ovid interface.

PsycINFO covers journal articles, books, dissertations, and technical reports in the field of psychology and the psychological aspects of related disciplines, such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business, and law. Journal coverage spans 1887 to the present, while book coverage begins in 1987. PsycINFO is available in the Databases menu on the Library home page <www.upstate.edu/library/>.

Keeping Up with Translational Research

Were you one of the over 100 clinicians and scientists who attended the March 2004 conference at the Marx Hotel on Translational Research? Are you interested in finding out more about the new "NIH Roadmap" for the nation's research agenda and how Upstate can best compete in this environment? For emerging trends, successful examples, upcoming conferences, and reports from the literature, see the Library's new Web page, "Keeping Up with Translational Research" <www.upstate.edu/library/reference/tr/>, created in cooperation with the Department of Research Administration/Clinical Trial Office.

To submit news, articles, or conference details, please e-mail either Diane Luft at luftdd@upstate.edu in the Library or Kathi Durdon at durdonk@upstate.edu in Research Administration.

New Veterans Administration Librarian

Congratulations to Bette Jean Ingui, who became the new VA Librarian on July 12, 2004. Like her predecessor, Kay Root, Bette Jean will remain based in Upstate’s Health Sciences Library and will continue to have a visible role at Upstate.

RefWorks from the Perspective of a Very Satisfied Customer

In June 2004 the Reference Department of the Library received the following unsolicited testimonial from an Upstate faculty member:

"I recently came across RefWorks <www.RefWorks.com>, a software package that the Library offers to Upstate employees and students free of charge. RefWorks is a neat way of storing references, importing them into scientific articles, and ultimately having these references formatted in the manner required by any given journal. Having tried the system once, I was instantly hooked.

"RefWorks is easy to use, makes the mechanics of putting references into scientific papers almost trivial, and saves me lots of time and effort. Importing references can be done automatically from any Web search, or may be entered manually. The initial effort is very modest, with no need to invest a lot of upfront effort to create a large database. As a new user, I easily created a directory of my own references by doing a Medline search for 'W Huda.' I now simply add a new directory every time I write a new paper, and import relevant references from prior directories or from new online searches.

"A feature of RefWorks called 'Write-N-Cite' enables me to import into a Word document any reference, which can then be converted into an elegant list of formatted references by a couple of keystrokes. IMHO, RefWorks is a godsend for the serious scientific paper writer who wants to remove the time-consuming drudgery of 'manually' formatting references. Simply log onto the Library home page <www.upstate.edu/library/> and check out RefWorks."

Walter Huda, Ph.D.
Department of Radiology

Check the Upstate Update or the "Library Classes" Web page <www.upstate.edu/library/reference/classes/> for dates and times of RefWorks classes and other classes that the Library offers.

E-Mail Delivery Speeds Interlibrary Loan Service

The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Department entered the high-tech age in February 2000 when it began sending and receiving photocopied journal articles electronically, as PDF files. Once received, the electronic copies of these articles are then either printed and sent to our users by snail mail or, upon request, delivered directly through our e-mail system. What previously took one or two weeks to receive is now available in two or three days. In some cases materials are received on the same day of the request.

Currently 87% of all ILL requests are received electronically from the lending library. A full 70% of last year's ILL users expressed preference for electronic delivery of their materials via their e-mail accounts.

There are three main benefits of electronic delivery of ILL materials:

1. The increased speed in the arrival of the materials.
2. The convenience of not having to come to the Library to either request materials or pick them up.
3. Not having to wait for either the U.S. Mail or campus mail.

These benefits are especially important considering how many remote locations are now part of Upstate. You can request materials directly from the ILL Web page <www.upstate.edu/library/docdelivery/interlibraryloan.php> and expect to receive them electronically on your desktop within a few days.

For Consumers and Patients: HIC News

The Health Information Center was a featured news story on Upstate Magazine, which airs on Staff Education TV, Channel 62. Upstate Magazine is also available as a streaming video from the Upstate Educational Communications Web site: <www.upstate.edu/edcom/upstatemag/index.php>.

Watch Health Videos Online

A new HIC Web page with videos and full-text consumer health information is available at: <www.upstate.edu/library/healthinfo/wiredmd.php>. Twenty-eight streaming videos including topics such as type 2 diabetes, headache, hypertension, hypothyroidism, sleep apnea, GERD, irritable bowel syndrome, smoking cessation, and many others are now online. Once you select a video, copy the Prescription^tm code and continue to a page which instructs you to paste this code, then proceed to see the video.

A Thousand+ Health Topics

In addition to videos, full-text information on 1150 popular consumer health topics can be viewed or printed from these pages. To access these topics, enter the Prescription Code as described in the preceding paragraph, click "Go," then on the next page select "More."

New Videos Each Month

Five new videos are added each month, some in other languages such as Spanish or Russian. Check the HIC home page <www.upstate.edu/library/healthinfo/> each month for new videos.

New Alzheimer’s Pathfinder

A new pathfinder <www.upstate.edu/library/healthinfo/pathfind/alzheimer.php> has been created on a frequently requested topic at the HIC, Alzheimer’s disease. This pathfinder puts together in one place all the books, videos, and pamphlets which may be borrowed from the HIC, as well as a link to several online videos from the "Alzheimers Issues" Web site: <www.alzheimersissues.com>. Links to local resources, newsletters, and caregiver resources are included to round out this pathfinder.

Support Groups

A new Web page featuring local support groups is now available on the CNY Health Information site: <www.upstate.edu/library/healthinfo/cny/local_res/cnysupport.php>. Included is a listing of University Hospital facilitated support groups, local chapters of national organizations, and other local and regional health related support groups. A growing Web site of local community resources will be an ongoing project of CNY Health Information.

New Books on Fitness and Food

• Richard R. Bradley with Sarah Wernick, Quick Fit: The Complete 15-Minute No-Sweat Workout (New York: Atria, 2004). Consumer Health QT 255 B811q 2004
• Roberta Larson Duyff, 365 Days of Healthy Eating from the American Dietetic Association (Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley, 2004). Consumer Health QU 145 D855a 2004.
• Toni Piechota, Real Solutions Weight Loss Workbook (Chicago: American Dietetic Association, 2004). Consumer Health WD 212 P614r 2004
• Recipes for Weight Loss, edited by Lawrence J. Cheskin and Lora Brown Wilder. The Johns Hopkins Cookbook Library (New York: Rebus, 2003). Consumer Health WD 212 R297 2003
• Arthur Agatston, The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss (Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale, 2003). In process.

New Links on Radiology Procedures

Two Web sites from the HIC Consumer Health Links page concern radiological procedures.

• RadiologyInfo^tm <www.radiologyinfo.org/> contains patient education resources on several interventional radiological procedures. Some of the procedures covered are chemoembolization, vertebrolasty, angioplasty and vascular stenting, cryotherapy, and others.
• The Society of Interventional Radiology <www.sirweb.org/> also has a large number of radiological procedures, most containing instructional graphics to enhance patient learning.

James A. Capodagli
Head, Health Information Center
464-4410 or <hic@upstate.edu>
<www.upstate.edu/library/healthinfo/>

Netscape Browser Requirements for Ovid Online Users

Ovid continues to enhance its online products with powerful new features to better serve your research needs, but to support these enhancements, it is necessary to upgrade current Web browser requirements for Netscape users.

Effective August 1, 2004, Netscape 7.x and above will be the new requirement for Ovid users who prefer Netscape. Ovid's minimum requirement for Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) will remain at 5.x and above. Some new features also require JavaScript and cookies to be enabled. You can acquire Netscape at: <channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/default.jsp> and Microsoft Internet Explorer at: <www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.asp>.

What's New in Historical Collections?

If you are interested in the history of alternative medicine, you already know that many of America's most significant alternative medical movements arose in New York in the nineteenth century. Hydropathy, eclecticism, phrenology, and various forms of botanic and herbal medicine, including Thomsonianism, all had close ties to Upstate New York. Accordingly, one focus of the Department of Historical Collections is to acquire primary source materials, especially New York imprints, pertaining to these movements. Recent acquisitions in alternative medicine include the purchase of hydropathy co-founder Russell Thacher Trall's 1862 book on diphtheria and Dr. Joel Potash's gift of a broadside on magnetic medicine from the 1890s.

The Curator of Historical Collections, Eric Luft (464-4585 or <lufte@upstate.edu>) encourages students, faculty, researchers, and friends to consult these and other non-circulating historical materials, to see what's available through the Historical Collections home page <www.upstate.edu/library/history/>, or just to drop by the History of Medicine office on the second floor of the Library and talk about history.

E-Journals: Electronic Cost as a Percentage of Print Cost

The chart below shows the relational costs for the print format of these specific titles in contrast to the costs for electronic access. The content in the electronic version is almost always identical to the print version. The rationale for the excessive costs for e-access is stated by the publishers as a cost for technical support and hardware to maintain a stable link. One may question the necessity of charging such a high percentage over and above the print costs, when the same content has already been rendered "reader ready" and peer-reviewed. The chart is enlightening, to say the least.

                                   Print Cost  Electronic Cost  Percentage 

New England Journal of Medicine       $483.33      $5,400.00      1,117%
   Consortial Prices                  $483.33       1,080.00        224%

Cell                                  $945.79
Neuron                                $945.79
    Combined Prices                 $1,891.58      $6,290.00        333%

Nature                              $1,275.67      $3,240.00        254%

Proceedings of the National           $348.82        $630.00        181%
Academy of Sciences - PNAS

Nature Reviews - 7 Titles           $7,322.00     $11,588.00        158%

Nature Academic
  Structural and Molecular Biology  $1,135.15
  Genetics                          $1,235.81
  Neuroscience                      $1,235.81
  Biotechnology                     $1,195.94
  Medicine                          $1,042.47
       Combined Prices              $5,845.18      $5,477.00         93%

Rosemarie Bundy
Head, Collection Development
464-7109 or <bundyr@upstate.edu>

Welcome Rod Murad!

Our new PC Support Specialist, Rod Murad, started work in the Library on April 23. With his knowledge of computer software and hardware, he is a very valuable addition to the Library Systems Department. Rod writes:

"I am originally from Utica and currently live in Liverpool with my wife Margaret and my two girls, Katie and Megan, and two dogs. Although my formal name is "Roddie," I prefer to be called Rod.

"I hold a B.S. in Computer Science from SUNY Institute of Technology and bring to this job many years experience supporting computer users' needs in industry and academic settings.

"I am active within the local community where I volunteer on several school district committees, serve on the Board of Directors for a local recreational softball league, and manage my daughter's softball team. I also have been officiating high school football for the past ten years."

Welcome, Rod!

Welcome Deidre Brennan!

Deidre Brennan, our new Circulation Clerk for the 9:00 pm to 1:00 am shift started on May 10. She writes:

"I have been a resident of Central New York for most of my life. I have been married for ten years to my husband Gary. We have three children: Charlotte (9), Grant (5), and Phoebe (3). I enjoy swimming, tennis, reading, and taking my children to Disney World. I am very excited to be on staff at the Health Sciences Library."

Welcome, Deidre!

Librarians Win Awards

Congratulations to Reference Librarians Bette Jean Ingui and Diane Davis Luft, winners respectively of the 2004 President's Award for Excellence in Library Science and Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Librarianship.

The Medical Library Association: Two Views of the 2004 Meeting

Highlights

The annual meeting of the Medical Library Association (MLA) was held this May in Washington, D.C. The MLA meeting affords librarians opportunities to hear thought-provoking lectures by noted speakers and to learn from colleagues through presentations, poster sessions, and informal outings. Vendors also take this time to showcase new products and software enhancements and to speak with customers directly. The increase in electronic journals and the concomitant increase in prices was a very hot topic, with library leaders and journal editors presenting their views.

A highlight of every annual meeting is the National Library of Medicine (NLM) update for online searchers. It is an opportunity to hear about forthcoming features, to ask questions, and to make recommendations for future system modifications. This year's PubMed enhancements will include the capabilities of initiating auto-alerts, creating a PICO (Population-Intervention-Comparison-Outcome) interface search screen, and searching with a PDA in a wireless environment.

As part of its ongoing commitment to consumer health, NLM joined with the National Institute on Aging (NIA) in creating a Web site especially for older adults: <nihseniorhealth.gov>. It is designed to be senior-friendly with features such as large fonts, short paragraphs, pictures to reinforce the print, videos, and minimal scrolling. This Web site also has the ability to activate the voice command feature without a plug-in. The database covers senior health topics such as diabetes, macular degeneration, and osteoporosis. This complements MedlinePlus <medlineplus.gov/>, NLM's first database geared toward health professionals and consumers. For more details, see the July-August 2004 issue of the NLM Technical Bulletin: <www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/current_issue.html>.

Milestones: Due to lack of demand, the printed Index Medicus, published by NLM since 1879, will cease at the end of 2004. The Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon-General's Office ("Index Cat"), published by NLM from 1880 to 1961, is now available at <indexcat.nlm.nih.gov>.

Bette Jean Ingui
Reference Services
464-7192 or <inguib@upstate.edu>

Perish or Publish? -- the Perils of Open Access

There are few topics that cut across academic fields as much as the controversy over "open access," which may be defined as the providing of online, free, full-text, quality-controlled (usually by peer review), scholarly or scientific periodicals. Nearly every scholarly society has discussed the complexities of making academic work and research widely and cheaply available over the Internet. Probably few institutions are as affected by these challenges as are libraries, and at the May 2004 MLA annual meeting in Washington, D.C., the repercussions of open access was a major "hot topic."

The bottom line with providing open access is money; i.e., who pays and who gets paid for access to academic research? One model, such as the Public Library of Science (PLoS) <www.publiclibraryofscience.org/>, requires that the authors pay a goodly sum (around $1000) to have their findings published.

In another model, academic institutions act as repositories for faculty papers, with the library serving as archivist, publisher, and copyright manager. The University of California and the University of Toronto are venturing this model, while MIT has developed software, known as D-space, to manage this type of publishing.

One other important model has the publisher offering some portion of its publications free on the Internet. The British Medical Journal has been among the most daring by making their entire journal available online at no cost; unfortunately, BMJ has announced that it cannot continue this policy, and as of January 2005 will begin tiered access.

Of course, the prospect of open access hurts publishers where it hurts most, and has paradoxically played a role in the rise of subscription prices. Libraries are caught very much in the middle of this dilemma, and most medical libraries are having to cut back, in some cases drastically, on their journal subscriptions. A proposal was brought before the MLA meeting to refuse sponsorship from any publisher who does not support open access. The issue was challenged with questions of what defines open access, and what defines support.

The issues are too complex to discuss fully here, so in keeping with what librarians do, we have developed a bibliography of articles on the topic of open access, including Web sites such as the Directory of Open Access Journals <www.doaj.org/>. To learn more, please visit the Upstate Health Sciences Library, the Library's Web site <www.upstate.edu/library/>, or any of the following Web sites: <www.nature.com/nature/focus/accessdebate/>, <www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/bethesda.htm>, <www.biomedcentral.com/news/20030630/05/>, or <www.soros.org/openaccess/>.

Let us know what you think on this topic. Please send any comments to <askalibrarian@upstate.edu>.

Kathy Hughes
Reference Services
464-7200 or <hugheskd@upstate.edu>

Medline Now Back to 1951

The National Library of Medicine has been working systematically to extend Medline coverage to earlier than 1966, the original online start date. The Library's Ovid database system now includes OldMedline, containing citations originally printed in hardcopy indexes published from 1951 through 1965. OldMedline contains no abstracts, and reflects vocabulary in use at the time the records were first established.

What Happened to the Library Reference Desk?

Next time you visit the Library, take a minute to notice the new Reference Services Desk. It's smaller, friendlier, and closer to the entrance. There's a chair handy inviting you to sit and talk over your information needs. Replacing the long, wide, imposing Reference counter is a new open space with chairs and tables for individuals or groups to study or socialize. Stop in and tell us whether you like the changes. Although the look is different, you can still reach us at the same number, 464-4581, and with the same e-mail, <askalibrarian@upstate.edu>.