Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library Blog

When Cold Spring Harbor Protocols began publishing its authoritative, step-by-step methods for research techniques, it quickly became essential reading for scientists around the world. The online version of this classic journal takes full advantage of web technologies to make CSH Protocols an essential tool for 21^st century scientists. You will still find detailed, peer-reviewed, easy-to-follow guides to methods in cell and molecular biology, genetics, bioinformatics, protein science, imaging, and more, with a special focus on emerging and interdisciplinary areas of knowledge.

New features for the online version include instant expansions, updates, and annotations to protocols as new information is created; the ability to save your protocol searches and most-used protocols to a free, personalized account; a discussion forum, specific to each protocol, where registered users may discuss the protocol and make suggestions for future updates; and the ability to set up alerts via RSS feed or email to be notified when a protocol is cited, commented upon, or corrected. Get online with Cold Spring Harbor Protocols and get connected to the next generation of laboratory protocols!

Are you working on a dissertation? Want some strategies for converting a chapter from your dissertation into a journal article? If so, attend the Graduate Writing Center (GWC) workshop this Thursday.

How to Turn a Dissertation Chapter into a Writing Sample or Article

Presenter: Randy Fallows, Writing Programs

Thursday, May 8th, 4 - 5:30 p.m.

Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center

This workshop will focus on how to move from the rhetorical conventions of a dissertation to those of academic journals. We will discuss how to place a chapter from the dissertation into a wider academic conversation and how to find an appropriate place for publication.

Can’t make it to this GWC workshop? There are others offered on a variety of topics…check out their workshop page.

The UCLA Library Associates, the organization for friends of the UCLA Library, will host Greg Critser for a book reading and reception on May 12, 2008, from 4 - 6 p.m. at the Biomedical Library. Mr. Critser is a longtime journalist and his acclaimed books include Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs are Altering American Lives, Minds, and Bodies and the best-selling 2003 title Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World. The reading will be followed by a reception and book signing.

The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. To RSVP, contact the Library Development office by phone at 310.206.8526 or email giving@library.ucla.edu. View the Library Development upcoming events web page for more information on this reading.

Do you find yourself going into databases to perform your search each week in order to find new items? There is an easier way. Make the resource work for you — not the other way around — by using these features of your favorite resources (databases, patient care tools, etc.):

• Save your search — this option usually provides a reminder that can be set for various intervals (weekly, monthly, etc.) and you can have the results emailed to you; 
• RSS option — look for the  within your favorite database, which means you can subscribe to your search and check it within your preferred RSS Feed Reader (FeedBurner, Google, Yahoo!, MSN, etc.)

Need assistance with setting up these tools? Connect with us at the Reference Desk, chat with us online using the “Questions” link on the top-right of the Biomedical Library homepage, call us at 310.825.4904, or email us at biomed-ref@library.ucla.edu. We would be happy to walk you through it! What tips do you have for keeping up? Please share with us and others using the Comments feature below.

Do you have a UCLA Logon I.D.? Did you know that you can access library online resources from off-campus using your UCLA Logon I.D.? Find out what you can do with the UCLA Logon I.D. and how to get one at an upcoming UCLA BruinTech seminar:

“The UCLA Logon I.D.:  Your Electronic Passport to the Campus and Beyond”
Wednesday, May 14, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Jules Stein Eye Institute RPB Auditorium, 100 Stein Plaza

Perhaps you used to think of the UCLA Logon I.D. as the BOL (Bruin OnLine) I.D. — something for students — but the UCLA Logon I.D. is much more!  It has more capabilities, it’s available to more people, and it’s the future of online access at UCLA.  Do you have one?  Do you protect it?  Why is it so important?  What applications will it enable you to request access to?  How can you get one?

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.:  Presentation on the UCLA Logon I.D. and the UCLA Identity and Access Management (IAM) project and how they affect you, plus a demonstration of the request process.

3:30 – 3:30 p.m.:  Q & A.

4:00 – 4:30 p.m.:  Refreshments and meet the panel.

Admission is free!  There will be a gift for all attendees plus a raffle for prizes, so bring your business card. Space is limited so click here to RSVP today.

Evidence-based practice is a hot topic in health care. While not everyone can attend the Research and Evidence-Based Practice Conference on April 30^th, 2008 (hosted by the UCLA Health System and the UCLA School of Nursing), all health care professionals can benefit from adding more evidence-based practice resources to their toolkit. The UCLA Library subscribes to The Cochrane Library, which provides systematic reviews on many health care topics. Cochrane Reviews are written by experts in the field and updated as new evidence becomes available. The National Guideline Clearinghouse is a free public resource providing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.  Search for guidelines by condition, intervention, measures, or publisher, and use the “compare” feature to view multiple guidelines at the same time. PubMed Clinical Queries is a special search feature in PubMed@UCLA which allows you to easily limit your search of biomedical literature to locate clinical studies or systematic reviews. To learn more about using these resources, set up a consultation with a librarian.

Pundits say that the future lies in the “information economy,” and university faculty, administrators, librarians, researchers, and publishers all engage in “information valuation.”  What is the value of information resources to a researcher, and how is this different from the way librarians and administrators determine the value of those resources?  How do publishers make decisions on what to publish and in what formats?  From the administrator’s perspective, what is the return on investment in information resources?

The UCLA Library invites faculty and administrators to attend a colloquium and discussion on this topic on May 5th, 2008, in the UCLA Faculty Center. Advance registration is required. View the Assessing Research Performance and Value web page to see a list of speakers and to register for the event.

Interested in knowing more about how to help patients make healthier meals?

On NPR this morning, there was a segment on healthy eating and strategies to assist health professionals provide their patients with concrete advice on eating healthier. Menus were shared and specific advice on portions and cooking four meals all in one were provided. Missed it? Read or listen to it here.

Now that you’ve heard or read the segment…do you need to know more about the evidence before you can apply it to your practice? If so, take a look at AGRICOLA, a database which includes articles on nutrition research.

What about patient education, you ask? Well, there’s a resource for that too! MedlinePlus, a free online resource for health information geared to patients and their families created and maintained by the National Library of Medicine, might be one good place to refer your patients. It has a specific page, the MedlinePlus: Nutrition Health Topic page, connecting your patients with easy-to-read handouts, tutorials, and current news and research.

Need more information or help with using these resources? Come by the Biomedical Library’s reference desk, email us (biomed-ref@library.ucla.edu), or call us at 310.825.4904.

There is currently an intermittent problem with access with one of our electronic journal providers. The journals affected are on the Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) via Journals@Ovid platform, which includes about 200 e-journals in the health and life sciences. The problem seems to be limited to off-campus users.

The problem has been reported to the appropriate staff and they are working to resolve the issue quickly. If you experience access problems with LWW via Journals@Ovid or other resources, please contact the Biomedical Library at biomed-ref@library.ucla.edu or 310-825-4904.

Interested in gerontology and the politics of aging? UCLA’s Social Welfare Gerontology Caucus and the Graduate Students Association have partnered to conduct a free panel discussion on April 29th, 2008. Panelists include UCLA faculty members, a representative from the Los Angeles Department of Aging, a representative from the AARP, and community members. Download the flyer for Aging in Los Angeles for more information, location, and time.