Changes to MyNCBI

For those of you who utilize MyNCBI while doing your PubMed searching, MyNCBI just went through a redesign last week. Not only does it allow for easy customization of your page, but "eliminates complexities and provides a streamlined interface."

And for those of you who have yet to explore MyNCBI, come see me and we can set up this free account so you can start saving your searches, saving collections of citations, and seeing your recent search activity all on one page. I will be happy to help you set it up and show you how to use it in your everyday research.

For more information about the MyNCBI redesign, see the NLM Technical Bulletin.

Happy Searching!

NLM Announces PubMed Mobile Beta

In a recent post from the NLM Technical Bulletin, PubMed came out a with a more "simplified mobile friendly Web interface." Its pretty basic, but still includes all the vital information when digging for literature. The feature also includes links to related citations. As noted in the Bulletin, it does not includes functions such as Limits, Advance search or other features such as MyNCBI, Clipboard, or LinkOut. Give it a try!

Liaison Program in Meeting Information Needs

In January a new article, "Effectiveness of a Liaison Program in Meeting Information Needs of College of Pharmacy Faculty" was released where I served as a co-author. My colleagues and I collaborated on a study to determine the effectiveness of liaison services here in the College. Read about our findings in Medical Reference Services Quarterly at http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a932726497~frm=titlelink

Extended Library Hours

Its that time of year again! And the library has extended our hours starting today May 3.

Extended Library Hours

Monday May 3 - June 30, 2010

6 am - midnight

7 days/week

Good luck on your exams!

New version of SciFinder

The web version of SciFinder Scholar, SciFinder, is now available to University of Arizona faculty, staff, and students.

SciFinder has features not found in the client version SciFinder Scholar, including weekly "Keep me Posted" email alerts to new content matching your search terms. The "My Connections" feature lets you establish connections and collaborate with other SciFinder users within your organization by sharing comments and tags that you have associated with SciFinder references. Connecting to other also allows to view your colleagues' comments and tags. SciFinder also eliminates the need to install special client software.

To register for SciFinder go to, http://www.library.arizona.edu/search/articles/dbDetail.php?shortname=scifinderweb
Please note that a valid UA email is required for registration.

For more information about the features of SciFinder, visit http://www.cas.org/products/sfacad/index.html

Refworks Workshop

Overwhelmed with article citations?

Want to create a bibliography with the right style?

Interested in learning more about how to use Refworks?

Attend this session:

Wednesday February 24, 2010 @ 12 - 1 pm

Location: Drachman B206 (small computer lab)

Changes to PubMed

If you are a regular PubMed user, you probably noticed some changes made recently. If you're not a regular PubMed user, you may not have noticed this subtle change. PubMed made some changes to their Advance Search menu options. PubMed took the Limits portion out of the Advance Search menu and created a new Limits tab. In the Advance search tab, the Search Builder was added to the top and the searching by Author, Publication, Journal and Date was replaced. See the NLM's Technical Bulletin for more information. If you have any questions about using these new features, contact me or Sandy Kramer.

Coming Soon: Refworks 2.0

Refworks announced that it will be changing their interface to make it "cleaner, more streamlined" for users. The transition to Refworks 2.0 is going to take place in the next 3 months. However, you will have the option of using the old or new interface before the change to Refworks 2.0 is permanent. This transition period will allow users to adjust to the new interface. Refworks 2.0 will still retain the same functionality but also incorporate "Web 2.0 conventions, making it easier to navigate and more visually appealing." Check out a preview of the new Refworks interface and FAQ's.

Cell Reformats Articles Viewed Online

On January 7, Cell publisher Elsevier announced a new format for articles viewed online, using tabs for navigation. Rather than scrolling through the whole article on one page, you can now view each part of the article in separate tabs. Breaking down the articles into segments such as methods, results, and tables, is the new idea Elsevier is trying out with Cell. See a sample of the "article of the future" and also read more about the new format. You can also provide feedback about this new format to the publisher.

Cool Photo

As I browsing for images in Flickr, I came across this one that shows the new building at the College of Pharmacy. Its not very new, but new to me since it was no there before I came back to the U of A as an employee. When I was a student, that area was all parking and a few houses. Amazing how much has changed in the past 10 years. As you can see from the image, the landscaping is well done and my favorite area is where the mesquite trees are at the very bottom.

Back in the Office

Hello fellow patrons and clients! After being on maternity leave for a while, I'm back in the office and ready to hit the ground running! You can find me at my usual cubicle space in the Department of Pharmacy Practice & Science on the second floor of Drachman. My office hours will take place from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm daily. So if you have questions about a resource, search any new grants, would like me to meet with your students, or swing by to say hello, please don't hesitate to do so. Of course you can always reach me via phone or by email. Click here for contact information. Please feel free to drop by!

What is PILS?

As part of meeting the information needs of our health science colleges, the Arizona Health Sciences Library (AHSL) set out their Information Services Librarians out to our users. Rather than being in the library, dedicated librarians serve in their respective colleges. My outpost is located in the College of Pharmacy among the faculty, students, and staff I serve. Along with myself, my colleague Sandy Kramer also provides library service to our clientele.

PILS stands for Pharmacy Information Liaison Service. The name PILS was actually created by our very own Dean Bootman. Once a partnership with the College was established, we were provided with dedicated office space in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science which is located on the second floor of the Drachman Building. Prior to my joining AHSL in 2007, Sandy held office hours in the student lounge on the first floor. This was a great spot for students to ask questions and become familiar with us as a resource. Now that we are located on the second floor, we see more faculty and staff traffic. However, we are still in touch with students through our guest lectures in at least five courses throughout the year.

The first year was a challenge, but it provided lots of insight that we may not have known had we not physically ventured into the College. I have worked with faculty on research projects, large projects, all the way down to short reference questions. I have worked with both the PharmD and PhD students and have held instructional "hands-on" searching sessions in certain databases. I have worked with new rotating students in our Medication Management Center (MMC) and introduced them to our resources. But as a librarian, I have also learned a lot about the College, faculty, and research that allows me to share with the library.