Blogs

(Written by John Gallagher, Interim Director)

October is National Medical Librarians Month, a month to both celebrate and raise awareness of the important role of the health information professional. Indeed, medical librarians are an integral part of the healthcare team, and research demonstrates that librarian-led information services and resources improve clinical decision making and patient-care outcomes. Librarians also have a direct impact on the quality of research conducted, by helping users stay current about advances in their specialty areas. Librarians teach students and healthcare providers how to find and evaluate information.

 The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library has a wonderful team of librarians and staff. While their individual responsibilities and topics of expertise can vary widely, all sincerely share the utmost commitment to helping you save time, and succeed in your patient-care, research, or educational goals.

Do you know your Medical Librarian?

• Departments: http://library.medicine.yale.edu/services/crs/liaisons

• Students: http://doc1.med.yale.edu/services/crs/main.php

• See all Library staff: http://library.medicine.yale.edu/about/staff

The Research Data Consultation Group is a collaborative, university-wide group created to provide consultation on data management best practices, implement data management services, and help link users to resources. The RDCG’s membership includes experts in data management, metadata, information technology, and preservation as well as domain expertise in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

RDCG can, for example:

• assist in the creation and implementation of federally mandated data management plans as well as data management plans created outside of federal mandate requirements
• assist researchers in finding, acquiring, and using research data for research and teaching purposes
• consult on best practices and implementation services for: metadata, data collection, study design, information security, data analysis, research computing, and long term preservation and access

Visit the Research Data Consultation Group website to learn more and to request a consultation.

Due to product updates, IPA will be unavailable from 8PM EST on Friday, September 25th thru 3PM EST on Sunday, September 27th, 2015.

Historical Illustrations of Skin Disease:  Selections from the New Sydenham Society Atlas 1860-1884

The Atlas of Skin Diseases was among the first publications undertaken, in 1859, by the New Sydenham Society. 

Time-consuming and costly to produce, it was issued in seventeen parts over a period of twenty-four years. 

In this exhibit, Yale dermatologists Jean Bolognia and Irwin Braverman present the celebrated nineteenth century illustrations to a current clinical audience, making a relevant teaching point with each plate.  Twenty-five of the Atlas’ forty-nine plates are selected for display.  They depict cutaneous diseases ranging from the common, e.g. psoriasis and eczema, to the rare, e.g. iododerma and systematized epidermal nevi.  Examples of skin signs of systemic disease, including Addison’s disease, neurofibromatosis, and lupus erythematosus, are also shown.  The emotional toll which these chronic diseases inflicted upon patients is a striking feature of the many portraits on view. 

The exhibit is curated by Drs. Jean Bolognia and Irwin Braverman, Professors of Dermatology at the School of Medicine, and Susan Wheeler, Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Library.

On view:  September 17, 2015-January 10, 2016

(Authored in collaboration with Kelly Barrick, Center for Science and Social Science Information)

There has been significant change with GIS support recently at Yale.  First, the Libraries are currently in the process of filling the GIS Librarian vacancy. This position will be instrumental in supporting the suite of geospatial services and resources that Yale has to offer. The library is also working with faculty and departments to find additional ways of managing multiple tiers of GIS assistance across campus.

Any questions related GIS, ESRI licensing and installation, workshops and instruction can be addressed to gis_reference@yale.edu. The StatLab will continue to provide GIS and spatial statistics workshops alongside its research and data analysis offerings. For the schedule see http://csssi.yale.edu/instruction/workshop-and-instruction-calendar.

Online tutorials based on earlier workshops are available from the GIS Libguide (http://guides.library.yale.edu/gisworkshops). In addition, members of the Yale community can take advantage of online offerings directly from ESRI (http://training.esri.com/gateway/index.cfm?fa=aul.premiumCourses) and http://lynda.com. To request ESRI Virtual Campus Access Codes, email the gis_reference@yale.edu with a list of up to three (3) course titles. Codes are only valid for Yale University (yale.edu) email addresses.

Researchers who require assistance with items in the Map Department collection may contact the department directly at mapsreference@mailman.yale.edu or 203-432-1867.

For assistance with finding data or data management, please contact Michelle Hudson, Data Librarian, at michelle.hudson@yale.edu.