pubshub

Posted on May 26, 2008 by Marie Kennedy

PubsHub is a “strategic publication planning tool,” a database to help you choose to which medical journal or meeting to submit your manuscript or present your data.

i saw a demo of this in the exhibits hall at the medical library association meeting and enjoyed the clean, easy interface with a series of drop-down boxes from which you choose your criteria. rank medical journals by 50 fields of information, like impact factor, circulation, or amount of time (in days) from acceptance to publication.  they don’t yet have in the database whether or not you need to negotiate with the publisher to have your nih-funded manuscript made available, but the representative said they would be adding that information soon.  you can store searches and get email alerts (no rss?) of deadlines.  a free trial is available.

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tracking reference desk queries

Posted on May 25, 2008 by Marie Kennedy

i learned of desk tracker, libstats, and wufoo while reviewing a wiki (http://whywufoo.pbwiki.com) i saw referenced at the recent medical library association conference. my library is still collecting data about reference desk transactions using paper forms, but an online form would be much easier for the staff member that compiles all those hash marks.

thanks for directing my attention to this new (to me) tool, martha hardy and lisa mcguire!

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new article published!

Posted on May 23, 2008 by Marie Kennedy

my new article has been released! find it at the journal of digital information, entitled, “nine questions to guide you in choosing a metadata schema.”

abstract:
This article is a guide for collection developers at the point of considering a metadata schema for their digital collection. The nine questions asked in this article will assist a developer in clarifying how he wants the collection to be organized, described, and used. This article uses examples to illustrate how these questions guided the development of a digital collection built at the University of Southern California.

Keywords: Metadata, Digital Libraries, Schemas, Collection Development.

the journal of digital information is an open access, peer-reviewed web-based journal with an entirely online submission and review process. they’re moving to a new version of software and i expect their procedures will be smoother as a result.

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learning how to say ‘no’

Posted on May 22, 2008 by Marie Kennedy

over the last few weeks i have turned down offers to participate on two american library association committees. i am stepping down at the end of my term as chair of the mlgsca’s government relations & bylaws committee. this is both awesome and not so awesome.

why this is awesome:

i’m busy, and i’ve only been in a professional position for two years

the organizations i’m involved in are all recruiting young people to positions of leadership, and we’re excelling in them. these are exciting times, when traditional slow paths to authority are supplanted by quick rises due to retirements. for example, i’ve just been elected secretary of my university’s medical faculty assembly. i was honored to even be asked to run, and i want to do an excellent job.

why this may not be so awesome:

i’m *very* busy, and i’m concerned about burnout

i’ve had to very quickly get good at saying no to things. organizations need people to fill key positions, but as a young professional i need protected time to develop relationships with colleagues and develop my research agenda. i noticed at the recent meeting of the medical library association that there were a lot of the same people doing multiple presentations, acting as mentors, working on task forces, etc. i think organizations will need to be sensitive to the people they tap to act on their behalf so that those people will eagerly accept appointments to boards and not begin to dread the invitations.

i’m not sure i have a resolution to these issues, but it is something i’m thinking about and wonder if others young in the profession are also considering this.

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Surgical Atlas of the Musculoskeletal System

Posted on May 20, 2008 by Marie Kennedy

because i’m a little squeamish, my mantra for the first couple years of medical librarianship has been, “just look at the text, don’t look at the images.” but i must point you to a resource with some spectacular images! it’s new, from the american academy of orthopaedic surgeons, called the surgical atlas of the musculoskeletal system.

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Matthews Book Company goes green for MLA

Posted on May 20, 2008 by Marie Kennedy

This year’s planning committee for the Medical Library Association national meeting asked exhibitors to consider “going green,” and Matthews Book Company really stepped up to the plate. They didn’t bring paper brochures to hand out, and brought only a limited number of flyers for demonstration purposes. Instead, they built a special web page just for the conference attendees at http://www.matthewsmla.com. They’ll load promotional material onto your jump drive, so stop by their booth and ask for specials, PDFs, and other links to be downloaded. They’re giving away reusable grocery bags that say, “Go Green!” and have the Matthews Medical Books logo on them. Well done!

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