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Official Meeting Blogger: NLM Update Highlights

Highlights from the NLM Update:

Jerry Sheehan, Deputy Director, highlighted some major things NLM has been focused on:

  • Literature availability: they’re good at articles (Medline), and are now working on how best to collect, organize, and make accessible supplementary materials (such as study/clinical data and datasets) that are associated with articles (see here for more guidance).
  • Positioning for data-driven discovery to ensure that everything can be found on one platform, effectively curated and accessed.
  • Increased attention to education: PhD-level programs, librarians as informationists, and training in data management and data science.
  • Updated stats for PubMed Central’s public access articles: 5.4 million articles (1 million NIH-funded); 2.5 million users daily, with 9 million page views and about 3 million searches.
  • MedlinePlus Magazine is now online, with English and Spanish consumer health info.
  • Managing organizational changes based on budget cuts: NIH did not sustain any budgetary cuts in 2018, but they are making plans to be prepared for any future funding decreases.

Janice Kelly, Acting Deputy Director of Special Services, gave an overview of the Office of Specialized Information Services (SIS), as part of above mentioned changes:

  • SIS (established in 1967) is merging into other offices.
  • Over the past 53 years it produced Toxline, Chemline, HSDB, TOXNET, AIDS clinical trial information,WISER, ToxTown, ToxMystery, and more.
  • Contributed to work on health disparities, consumer health, disaster planning, etc., from print collections to microcomputer network to web resources and mobile apps.

Joyce Backus, Associate Director of Library Operations, talked about PubMed and the library:

  • PubMed Labs lets user test updates, several of which are coming to PubMed soon: i.e. redesign of advanced search, and changes to the search results page.
  • LinkOut will use link resolver links only: this will be a difficult adjustment, but NLM couldn’t keep supporting the old system.
  • NLM building, finished in 1961, needs renovations. They need less space for onsite users now, and more for remote services. Three-year plan features floor strengthening to support new compact shelving, a binding area, and updated climate control.

Amanda Wilson, Head, National Network Coordinating Office, gave us the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) News:

  • NNLM Membership is 7,690 (up 546 from 2018)
  • Funding for projects across the country: $11.12 million awarded since 2013, representing 1,224 projects and 10,628 outreach activities. Consider applying!
  • Training/professional development: over 20,000 registrants for 260 classes. Docline Talkline in particular has been much used after the recent Docline update.
  • Examples of cool projects: #CiteNLM Wikipedia edit-a-thon, genetics with kids/teens, Citizen science projects like collecting ticks, Graphic Med Con.
  • The All of Us research partnership: provides training/education, speaker series, community engagement network, and content for libraries for health observances like National Heart Month.

Find all MLA '19 Elevate blog posts here

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