Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library Blog

Scientific and technologic advances are frequently reported on in popular news media such as TV, newspapers, radio, podcasts, and blogs. Many of these reports are based on peer-reviewed research articles. How can you track down a scientific article from a report from the popular media?

This can sometimes be simple: many news outlets include the full citation to the scholarly article. A full citation includes the title of the journal in which the article was published, year of publication, volume and issue information, name of the author(s) of the study, and in some cases, the exact title of the scientific article. You can search for the title of the journal in the UCLA Library Catalog to determine if UCLA has the volume and issue you need.

(more…)

Please note changes in the Biomedical Library’s hours for the summer:

• Monday - Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Sunday, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

<submitted by Bob Freel>

In an effort to centralize and broaden the scope of library services, the Reference and Circulation desks at the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library have been merged into the Public Service Desk. The change is effective June 15 2009, at the beginning of UCLA intersession week. The consolidation of service desks will also enable librarians to sustain the library instruction program, strengthen collection development, and enhance outreach efforts to the UCLA Health System and South Campus. The Public Service Desk will be staffed all hours that the Biomedical Library is open.

Services provided at the Public Service Desk:

• Circulating materials, laptops, and equipment.
• Assisting with finding library and research materials.
• Answering questions and providing referrals to health & life sciences librarians.

UCLA faculty, staff and students requiring assistance with in-depth research questions should complete a consultation form to schedule appointments with librarians. Consultation forms are available at the Public Service Desk or can be submitted online. For more information, please contact Bob Freel, Head of Access Delivery Services, at 310.206.3004 or Tania Bardyn, Associate Director for Public Services at 310.206.8070.

<submitted by Tania Bardyn>

Please note changes in the Biomedical Library’s hours for Summer Intersession.

June 12 - 21, 2009

• Monday - Thursday, 7:30 a.m - 7 p.m.
• Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Closed
• Sunday, Closed

<submitted by Bob Freel>

UCLA Library reference service is now available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

The Library is partnering with other UC campuses and librarians around the world to provide this newly enhanced service.  Because it is staffed by external as well as UCLA  librarians, your question may be referred for follow up to the UCLA Library, in which case a UCLA Library staff member will contact you within twenty-four hours.

Online reference can be accessed from all library Web pages through the “Questions? Ask Us!” graphic on the right-hand side of the banner.

To add a link to this service to a course Web site or department homepage, copy and paste this HTML code: <http://www2.library.ucla.edu/questions/qwidget_code.html>. This will produce a live chat box (Qwidget).

If you have questions about the new expanded hours of online reference or any other Library services, please contact us.

Recent improvements to UC-eLinks makes it even easier for you to locate articles at UCLA. In many cases, when you click on the orange UC-eLinks button, and UCLA subscribes to the article online, the article will display in the UC-eLinks window, with no further clicks required. Read more about this change to UC-eLinks on the California Digital Library News blog.

Do you have a research project and have searched PubMed for the evidence to bolster your arguments and provide a review of the literature, but want to make sure you covered your area completely and haven’t missed anything?

Do you have a systematic review you are thinking about, and need to talk to an information expert for what databases to search and what terms to use for your search strategy?

Do you have some questions about a particular resource, like CINAHL Plus, or need assistance with using it effectively? Want to know more about the services and resources provided by the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library?

If you’ve answered “Yes” to any of the above questions, schedule some one-on-one time with one of our information experts. Research consultation appointments with a librarian can be scheduled for about an hour and can take place in your office or favorite working space, or you can come in to the Biomedical Library. Consultations are only available for current UCLA students, staff, and faculty.

Ready to schedule? Please visit our online form or email us at biomed-ref@library.ucla.edu.

The Charles E. Young Research Library will begin a remodeling project on August 18, 2008. During the construction, you may still access the library building and the entire collection. The work will begin in the early mornings and end by 5 p.m. to avoid disrupting patrons as much as possible. However, there may be some construction-related noise inside the building. Those who seek totally silent study space may consider using one of the other UCLA Library locations during this project.

The Biomedical Library supports education and instruction by offering a Course Reserves service. Instructors can place a wide variety of materials on reserve such as articles, lecture notes, exams, problem sets, books, chapters, and other personal materials needed for instruction.

Convenient & Accessible
When possible, materials are uploaded to the web so that students can access content from any location at any time. In addition, books that are held at our Circulation Desk for course reserve circulate for two hours. These items can also circulate overnight if checked out within the last hour that the library is open. If a title is not available in the collection we will do our best to purchase a copy.

Fast & Friendly
We pride ourselves on providing an efficient and user friendly service. Course reserve request can be emailed directly and are processed within three days. However, this turn-around time may be extended during the first week of school or if materials must be ordered. Although it is never too early to submit a request for course reserve, please do not hesitate to make requests throughout the quarter/term. In addition, feel free to send us just a list of citations or titles and let us do the rest for you.

Ask & Receive
If you feel you or your fellow students would benefit by having course materials on reserve, please let your instructor know about the services we provide as they may not be aware of all the library can do for them and you. Please let us know if you have any questions about access to online materials from home, or if we can be of further assistance.

For more information, visit the Biomedical Library Course Reserves web page, or contact Ayumi Kameda or Bob Freel at 310.825.5126.

We are happy to announce that the online access problems with the Journal of the American Medical Association have been resolved and access has been restored. We appreciate your patience. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at biomed-ref@library.ucla.edu.