Journal Citation Reports (JCR) is a useful tool for academic researchers. It was developed by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), the producer of Science Citation Index, a database tool with which many of us are familiar. JCR is an essential, comprehensive, and unique guide to international scientific publishing, aiding the researcher to identify journals that have significant influence or outstanding reputations in a given field. The "impact factor" is only one measure that ISI developed to evaluate journals.

Journal impact factor is defined as the "average number of times recent articles in a specific journal were cited in the JCR cover year." This particular algorithm works in concert with other quantitative tools such as the "cited half life" or the "immediacy index," giving the researcher a systematic, objective procedure to rank, evaluate, and compare journals.

Besides the alphabetic master list of 6,000 titles, there is a valuable listing by subject category showing the rankings of journals in a specific field. The latest edition, covering the publishing year 2000, is available in the Library's Closed Reserve collection. Ask for it at the Circulation Desk: call number Z7401 S41.

Thank You All!

The SUNY Upstate Health Sciences Library thanks all the thoughtful and generous people and organizations who made gifts to our collections in 2001:

Without such supporters our Library could not perform at its best. Gifts enlarge and enhance the services we can offer in this age of shrinking budgets. The Library deeply appreciates all sorts of donations to help its mission of supporting Upstate in teaching, research, and patient care.

• To donate recent books or journals, please contact the Collection Development Librarian, Rosemarie Bundy, 464-7109 or <bundyr@upstate.edu>.
• To donate rare, scarce, "old," or historical books, journals, instruments, or artifacts, please contact the Curator of Historical Collections, Eric Luft, 464-4585 or <lufte@upstate.edu>.
• To donate money, please contact the Director of the Library, Laurie Thompson, 464-4582 or <thompsol@upstate.edu>.

Your donation may be tax deductible. Check with your accountant or attorney.

PubMed LinkOut -- New Links to Full Text Articles

PubMed, the National Library of Medicine's public version of MEDLINE, has a new feature: LinkOut provides access to the full text of articles directly from PubMed search results. Through LinkOut, the Health Sciences Library identifies the journals to which we have electronic subscriptions. When the results of any PubMed search includes subscribed journal articles, a link to the full text automatically displays, indicated by this icon:

The Upstate icon is seen in PubMed's Abstract display -- not in the Summary display (the initial list of search results). To identify articles that are available for LinkOut, change the list of results to the Abstract display, or click on the link to the article.

You can access PubMed+LinkOut from Biomedical Databases on the Library home page <www.upstate.edu/library/>, from the Electronic Databases page <www.upstate.edu/library/databases/>, or from <www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=sunyumlib>

Most LinkOut journals provide direct access to the full text of the article, but a few journals require a password. If you click on the Upstate icon, and are prompted for a password, see the Reference Librarian or call the Reference Desk at 464-4581. LinkOut to full text is only available on campus or to Upstate faculty, staff and students through LEAP. PubMed without LinkOut is available to all users.

Insofar as LinkOut provides access to full text from search results, it is very similar to Ovid's OpenLinks. For more information about LinkOut, call the Reference Desk at 464-4581 or send an e-mail to <refdesk@upstate.edu>.

News from the Health Information Center

The Health Information Center Web page has a new look, reflecting the colors and format of the recently redesigned University and Library Web pages. Visit the HIC page at its new address: <www.upstate.edu/library/healthinfo/>.

The Joslin Diabetes Center at Upstate recently made a generous donation of books to the HIC. Special thanks to Joann Kearns, Diabetes Educator at Joslin, for arranging the donation, which includes multiple copies of specialized diabetes books not previously owned by the HIC. These new books, like all books and videos from the HIC, may be borrowed by anyone from the Upstate campus or the local community.

The HIC participated in Health Career Awareness, an eight-week program introducing local high school students to various career possibilities at Upstate. Students from Fowler and Henninger High Schools toured the HIC and other departments on campus.

New Titles in Women's Health

• Healthy Women, Healthy Lives: A Guide to Preventing Disease from the Landmark Nurses' Health Study, edited by Susan E. Hankinson [et al.] (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001).
  Consumer Health WA 309 H434 2001
• Miriam E. Nelson and Judy Knipe, Strong Women Eat Well: Nutritional Strategies for a Healthy Body and Mind (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2001).
  Consumer Health WA 309 N428s 2001
• Health Wisdom for Women [monthly newsletter by Christiane Northrup].
• Christiane Northrup, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing (New York: Bantam, 1998).
  Consumer Health WP 120 N877w 1998

The HIC purchased the last two titles at the request of an Upstate faculty member.

The Seventh Library Lecture

"What Do Physicians Need to Know About Domestic Violence?"

A small but very responsive audience heard the Seventh Health Sciences Library Lecture early Wednesday morning, November 14, 2001, in Room 318 of the Library. Presenting a wide cross-section of interests and professional backgrounds, the group included physicians, nurses, librarians, administrators, students, a sociologist, and several others. Everyone participated in the discussion.

The presentation, "What Do Physicians Need to Know About Domestic Violence?", was co-sponsored by the Health Sciences Library and the award-winning local shelter for abused women, Vera House, and featured a panel of three experts: John Epling, M.D., Assistant Professor of Family Medicine in the Center for Evidence-Based Practice at Upstate; Arethea Brown, Co-Coordinator of the Syracuse Area Domestic Violence Coalition and Advocate at Vera House; and Anna Walters, Educator at Vera House. The emcee was Library Lecture Series Coordinator Eric Luft.

Dr. Epling told a disturbing story of an experience he had as a Navy physician, treating a victim of domestic violence who was nearly killed. He suggested some specific, practical ways for physicians and other health care professionals to screen their patients gently and discreetly, to identify victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. Ms. Walters explained some myths and realities about the causes and manifestations of domestic violence. Ms. Brown described the history, mission, functions, committees, outreach projects, and activities of both Vera House and its offshoot, the Syracuse Area Domestic Violence Coalition.

Speakers and audience agreed that domestic violence is everyone's problem, not only because it hurts people physically and emotionally, but also because it degrades society in general. To solve the problem requires community-wide co-operative action, especially from health care providers, social service providers, clergy, pastoral counselors, psychological counselors, the media, police, courts, politicians, educators, and employers. Special training, beyond what is typically given now, is particularly indicated for police, clergy, physicians, and medical students. The Vera House phone numbers are 468-3260 for emergencies and 425-0818 for information.

Historical Collections Adds Chemical and Biological Warfare (CBW) Books

The Department of Historical Collections announces its recent purchase from a prominent Massachusetts rare book dealer, Deborah A. Pascale, of 26 books pertaining to warfare and terrorism by poison gas, chemical agents, or biological weapons. These books, published between 1919 and 1998, create the nucleus of a small but comprehensive collection on this important medical, military, and political topic.

The collection consists of both primary and secondary sources. There is a contemporary regimental history of a World War I offensive gas unit in the American Expeditionary Force and an English translation of the standard Italian scientific text on military chemistry from the 1930s. The nine that were published during World War II include a confidential military report and military manuals on chemical attack, civil defense, and respiratory protective devices. Postwar titles include political and scientific analyses of CBW threats, developments, and trends.

All titles in the 20th-Century CBW Collection, as it shall be called, are classified as either UG 447 for chemical warfare or UG 447.8 for biological warfare and are shelved in the Special Collections Vault. They do not circulate, but are available for consultation in the Historical Collections Reading Room on the second floor of the Library from nine to five, Monday to Friday, or by appointment. Please phone the Curator, Eric Luft, at 464-4585 or e-mail him at <lufte@upstate.edu>.

"A Book and a Brew"

The Health Sciences Library is pleased to announce the installation of Upstate's first gourmet coffee machine. The placement of the machine in the reference area (1st floor) of the Library is the direct result of student requests that there be a coffee machine available both during evening hours (we are open until 1:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday) and weekends when there is no coffee available in Weiskotten Hall. The "Café Diem" will serve up to 15 different hot beverages, including three freshly brewed coffees, specialty gourmet coffee drinks, cocoas, and more. The cost is 75 cents for a regular and $1.00 for a large cup. We may not be Barnes and Noble, but we have better coffee and more comfortable reading areas. Join us for a book and a brew.