Colorado Libraries » databases

New CVL Is Right Around The Corner

Michelle — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:16:49 +0000

After more than a year of hard work by the Networking & Resource Sharing team of the State Library, the new Colorado Virtual Library (CVL) will be launched sometime during the week of 10/10 with 3 content collections (and more to come):

Colorado Histories
Tech Help
Tools for Tough Times

There is much more work to be done, because the CVL will never truly be done. It is designed to be ever-changing, evolving, and improving. We hope you love it, but of course are open to constructive criticism.

Stay tuned!

AIRS Announces 2011-12 Statewide Package

Jim — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:31:09 +0000

Posted on behalf of Linda Sturgeon, AIRS Chair—–

The AIRS Committee (Acquisition of Information Resources Statewide) has negotiated with OCLC and EBSCO to provide selected databases covering general, business and K-12 information at a special Colorado statewide rate.

For the coming fiscal year (July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012), the statewide package of databases has been finalized. Details about the FY11-12 program are available on the AIRS web site. The AIRS Committee was able to keep pricing stable for FY2011-2012 even while many libraries with shrinking budgets were forced to drop out last year and may be dropping out during the coming year.

These have been difficult years for libraries, which continue to face increased use of resources and lower funding. Despite these challenges, the number of libraries participating in the AIRS database program continues to help sustain this collaborative purchase effort, along with subsidy funds from the State Library. Working together, libraries still find they save money over “going it alone.”

On the AIRS web site, you will find:

The AIRS Spring 2011 Newsletter
A letter from the State Library and AIRS
A note about the EBSCO Elite vs EBSCO Premier package
History of the package
Details about the 2011-2012 package, including pricing
Contact information for various individuals involved with the AIRS program

During the coming days, Amigos Library Services will be sending invoices to libraries that subscribed to the AIRS package in FY2011-12. During the coming months, AIRS will be conducting needs assessments using a variety of information-gathering methods. This activity will lead to a review of various vendor products, followed by an RFI/RFP process for FY2012-13 and beyond.

Any of the AIRS Committee members welcome your questions and comments, or feel free to contact me directly.

Linda Sturgeon | AIRS Chair

Email: lsturgeon[at]dclibraries.org | Website: www.DouglasCountyLibraries.org

Direct: 303-688-7608 | General: 303-791-READ (7323)

Online Twitter Directory for Libraries – Add Your Name!

Michelle — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:26:32 +0000

The State Library has put together a Twitter directory for the Colorado library and education community, and we invite you to add your Twitter username to the list.

This directory is an online version of the content that was previously kept in an ever-growing spreadsheet, for those of you who remember it. Anyone on that spreadsheet has automatically been added to the new directory.

Please check out the directory and look for your Twitter username. If you don’t see it, you may add it by following the Submit an Account link at the top of the page. To edit or remove your information from this directory or to pass on any comments or suggestions, please email Michelle Gebhart. And don’t forget to search for colleagues; this new site makes it easy to search by username or category.

More resources on Twitter can be found on the Colorado State Library website, and for “newbies,” the Colorado Libraries 2.0 website offers a Twitter tutorial.

Understanding Genetic Conditions

dana — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 23:37:04 +0000

“If one of my parents or another close family member has cancer, does that mean I will eventually inherit that diagnosis too? That is a common question and to assist with answering that and many other questions about genetics and cancer, I recommend an excellent resource. Genetics Home Reference (GHR) http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov is a free product created and managed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (the world’s largest medical library,) Bethesda, MD and is a consumer-friendly online resource to genetic conditions. The user may browse more than 500 genetic conditions, diseases and syndromes. They also may search in Genes by symbol, full name, group or classification in its databank of more than 700 genes. Information about the 23 pairs of chromosomes may be found and for each specific one they provide content to answer such questions as “What is that chromosome and how are changes in it related to health conditions; is there a standard way to diagram that chromosome?” They present a diagram beneath to illustrate. They also provide answers to questions such as “What is DNA; what is a chromosome; what is mitochondrial DNA and can changes in chromosomes affect health and development?”

Other features in GHR include a handbook with sections such as Cells and DNA, How Genes Work, Gene Therapy and many more. The Glossary contains an alphabetical directory of hundreds of definitions related to genetic conditions. In addition they feature a Resource and Patient Support web page that has general interest links to websites including genetics education, Human Genome Project, policy/ethics and health literacy. Health professionals may find links under Resources to the NCI’s PDQ: Cancer Genetics Overview, Gene Tests, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), PubMed Medical Genetics Searches, and much more. Patients and families may click on links to websites such as Ask the Geneticist and the Genetic Alliance’s Understanding Genetics: A Guide for Patients and Professionals.

If one does a simple search of the alphabetical list under “Conditions” and click on “breast cancer,” they will find a description of the disease, its frequency, specific genes related to the disease such as BRCA1, BRCA2, PTEN, STK11, TP53 and others, with a direct link from each gene symbol to its web page with detailed information. They also provide information on breast cancer inheritance and links for web pages on the diagnosis, management or treatment of breast cancer. A simple search, in the search box at the top, on “cancer,” brings up 695 results including condition summaries, specific genes, definitions, chromosome summaries, and gene summaries all related to cancers. Clicking on the “Genetic Conditions” tab at the top on the home page and then clicking on “Cancers” in their list of diseases by categories, results in a large list of genetic related cancers.

Patients, consumers and health professionals will find this a rich resource for learning about genetic conditions. The National Library of Medicine has a wealth of databases and electronic resources (All Free!) for health professionals and the public: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases . For questions about Genetics Home Reference (GHR) or NLM’s other biomedical resources, contact Dana Abbey at 303-724-2110 or dana.abbey@ucdenver.edu.

NoveList meets VuFind at Marmot

JTMarmot — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:47:32 +0000

We’ve done a nice job integrating NoveList content with the new “VuFind at Marmot” OPAC. Take a look at Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

“Similar Titles” in the upper right is NoveList content in the OPAC, right where readers can use it, instead of parked off on the side in some database of titles that may or may not be in this library catalog.

“Also in this series” shows this title’s position in a series. Most importantly, this is a proper series list from the NoveList database rather than an attempt by OPAC software to make the best of series data which is typically dicey in even the best bibliographic records.

“Similar authors”, under jacket art on the upper left, is more NoveList content.

These NoveList features are now available to open source developers like us as the “NoveList Select” add-on product. We’re still working on the print function, so a page like this will print nice instead of goofy. Watch for that improvement in a couple weeks.

The State Library at CAL

Michelle — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:03:32 +0000

The Colorado State Library will have a variety of pre-conferences and workshops at the 2009 CAL Conference. Don’t forget to stop by our booth on Friday and Saturday in the Exhibits Area. We would love to:

* Share with you the latest services and resources we can offer Colorado libraries
* Hear how libraries have transformed your lives

CSL at CAL 2009 – Schedule (PDF)

Track your meds – online

judy — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:08:03 +0000

Posted on behalf of Dana Abbey.

Did you know that adults in the U.S. average 11.5 prescriptions per year, and persons over 60 average 15.6? Pillboxbeta, provides an easy way to visually identify an unknown tablet or capsule medication based on imprint, shape or color.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is developing two free online tools to assist in identifying and tracking prescriptions and over-the-counter medications.

The site, currently under development, is designed for consumers, emergency physicians, first responders and Poison Control Centers. Pillboxbeta contains 5,693 records – 779 have images. In addition to pill images, the site provides links to medication content and labeling as found in the medication package inserts; MedlinePlus for easy to read summaries; PubMed for medical literature describing research; clinical trials; and, literature on substances that might pose possible health effects to nursing infants. The NLM is working with the Food and Drug Administration and drug manufacturers on a large-scale photography project, so look for more images to be available in the near future. This site, as with all other NLM databases, does not accept advertising.

Personal medication records can help to educate and empower consumers and improve patient safety and health quality. MyMedicationList is a prototype Web application being developed by the NLM that helps users manage and track their prescription and over-the-counter medication lists. The program has two options for display: text and pictogram. The pictograph view is a great feature for those with low literacy – medications can be associated with images and instructions for use. The list can be printed, emailed or brought to medical appointments. This web tool is not connected to a health institute or organization, is advertisement-free, and is stored locally on the user end. Multiple lists can be created, allowing all family and household members can keep track of their individual medications.

When disposing of unused, unneeded, or expired medications:
•   Remove from original containers
•   Mix prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and put them in impermeable, non-descript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags
•   Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs doing so
•   Look for community pharmaceutical take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal

For more information on prescription, over-the-counter medications and supplements, visit MedlinePlus at www.medlineplus.gov.

Boring. Historical. CHNC.

Jim — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:50:42 +0000

History is dull. Dry. Boring as all get-out.

Saturday, June 30, 1894. Buena Vista Herald.

The Western Region. A Dastardly Outrage.
Adjutant General Tarsney Tarred and Feathered at Colorado Springs.

“…kidnapped from the Alamo hotel a few minutes after midnight Saturday morning, by masked men, taken to the suburbs in a hack, and there tarred and feathered. General Tarsney had been in the city for several days attending the examination of the arrested Bull Hill miners…”

“…his condition was pitiable in the extreme. As a result of the severe handling to which he had been subjected and the drying of the tar, he could make but slow progress.”

Read more from this newspaper story, part of the Colorado Historic Newspaper Collection, at http://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/

Every month, come see something new in this “old stuff.” The CHNC is consistently updated with new titles and pages added!

The online collection now features 158 distinct newspaper titles and offers more than 522,000 digitized pages to researchers and casual readers alike.
Recently added titles include:

Buena Vista Democrat (1883-92)
Buena Vista Herald (1891-94)
Chaffee County Democrat (1902-22)
Chaffee County Republican (1895-1926)
Chaffee County Times (1885-86)
Colorado Democrat (1892-95)
Colorado Republican (1904-07)

To learn more about the CHNC, visit at:
http://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/

Statewide Database Package Unveiled (AIRS)

Jim — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:58:57 +0000

Posted on behalf of Michelle Jeske…

Subscription information for the 2009/2010 Colorado Statewide Database Package is now available.

All current subscribers will soon receive a packet from BCR that includes:

Invoice for your library for 2009/2010
List of the databases included in the 2009/2010 package and
subscriber pricing
Contact and additional information

New subscribers can find information about the package, pricing, and a link to the online order form on the AIRS website…

As most of you know, the past year has been one of triumphs and troubles for the Colorado Statewide Database Package and its subscribers. The $1.0 million state appropriation that supported on-line database products to schools and libraries throughout the state became a casualty of the budget cuts in the waning days of the 2009 legislative session. To help with the shortfall, the Colorado State Library has committed in LSTA funds approximately 20% of the amount lost so that AIRS could hold subscription prices to the tiered pricing structure developed and implemented last year.

Given the rapid changes in funding, the AIRS committee worked hard to put together a package of databases that still provides valuable content for all types of libraries. While the full depth and breadth of content in the 2009/2010 package could not be sustained without significant price increases, this package offers access to the most heavily used resources across all types of libraries in the state, as indicated by data gathered over the last year.

The concept of a statewide, shared-cost database program should not be lost. If database services are in fact a key ingredient in your library’s customer service, it is imperative that everyone who participated previously maintain involvement this year; otherwise the loss of state funding becomes justified and restoration efforts will be far more difficult next year.

We know these are challenging times for all libraries. But now, more than ever, it is important to come together in a cooperative fashion to achieve the greatest levels of benefit and discount. We greatly appreciate continued participation by current subscribers and eagerly welcome new participating schools and libraries.

If you have any questions regarding your library’s subscription to the Colorado Statewide Database Package, please contact Chris Cook at BCR (ccook@bcr.org or 303.751.6277)

If you have any questions or comments regarding the Colorado Statewide Database Package, please contact any member of the AIRS committee.

Thank you for your support and patience. And many thanks to the members of the AIRS Committee, the Colorado State Library, and BCR.

Michelle Jeske
Acting Director of Collections and Technology
Manager of Web Information Services and Community Technology Center
Denver Public Library

Successful LSTA Grants for 2008-2009

Michelle — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:34:29 +0000

The reach of this year’s awarded LSTA competitive grants went beyond the original 16 awardees. Several of the grantees developed innovative projects that included outreach and partnerships with other libraries. This Google map shows how 16 awards enriched 38 individual libraries throughout the state!
Resources:

For additional information, contact Jean Heilig, 303-866-6731, or visit the LSTA page.
For more news and announcements, visit the Colorado State Library.