| Winter/Spring 2000 | Kristine M. Alpi, Editor |
From the Editor
We've received many announcements since the last issue, so I released an early issue of the newsletter on 12/16/99 to be added to as we go along. Joining those announcements are an APHA wrapup by Karyn Pomerantz, an article about being active in your users' professional organizations by Laura Larsson, Win Sewell, and Karyn Pomerantz, and another installment of Laurie Isenberg's Grey Literature column.
It's amazing how quickly things change. Note new contact information for Laurie with her column. I have also gotten married, changed my name, and started a new position as an Information Services Librarian at Weill Medical College of Cornell University on January 3. My new contact information is on the Officers Page [Ed. note: link no longer available].
I encourage you to contribute items for this newsletter and to enjoy the information your colleagues are sharing.
Happy New Year!
Kris Alpi
Editor
The idea for the first program listed, "Tracking the gray literature: capturing the elusive dragon" had its beginnings at three other conferences! First a 1998 conference at the New York Academy of Medicine (Lasker RD. Challenges to accessing useful information in health policy and public health: an introduction to a national forum held at the New York Academy of Medicine, March 23, 1998. J Urban Health 1998 Dec; 75(4):779-84) in which the issue of so much of health policy and public health literature being gray or fugitive (the non-commercially published) which can make acquisition and access so difficult [Presentations from the conference are available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr/nyam/nyam.html.]. The second conference was the 1999 MLA annual meeting. In his keynote address, Clifford Lynch mentioned "gray literature" as one of several important issues that will have an impact on the web in the future. And the third conference? The third conference was the 4th International Grey Literature Conference held in Washington, DC in October 1999. For librarians interested in the literature and issues of public health and health administration, this program should be illuminating and thought-provoking.
The idea for the second program came during our Business Meeting (a reason to attend this year!!!) at the last annual meeting in Chicago. PH/HA members wanted to hear about outreach to public health professionals and population-based service. Several members commented on NLM's interest in partnering with public health professionals through their program, Partners in Information Access (http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/partners/public.html). But of course there is so much more outreach going on than what is listed at this site. Attendance at this program will give you a close look at current projects and a fresh perspective on what we all can do in the future.
Our other activities include a co-sponsorship of a session on life-long learning and don't forget our Business Meeting on Tuesday, May 9 from 12:30 – 2:00pm. We're a small section so everyone's presence matters! One suggestion from you could make a difference!
An early planning meeting for the 2001 annual meeting in Orlando will take place on Sunday, May 7 so email program suggestions NOW to Helen Look, our Chair-Elect. Helen's email is hlook@umich.edu.
Kathel Dunn
Chair
Laurie Isenberg, the editor of the Grey Literature column, has moved. Her new contact information is:
Laurie Isenberg
Director of Reference and Instructional Technology
Archbishop Alemany Library
Dominican College
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-257-0197
isenberg@dominican.edu
I am excited to announce the MLA Annual Meeting section entitled: Tracking the grey literature: capturing the elusive dragon. Mark your calendars for Program Session I on Sunday, May 7th, 4:00 – 5:30 pm.
The section is being sponsored by the Public Health/Health Administration, Collection Development, Research, and Technical Services sections of MLA and the Canadian Health Libraries Association. It will address various aspects of discovery and organization of unpublished or low-circulation research materials known as grey literature.
This is an exciting time to gather and share notes about the growing body of grey literature, both on-line and off. Here is a preview of what's to come… [Complete abstracts available]
How do conventional and fugitive search methods compare across different electronic databases?Full abstracts are available.
Diane Helmer, Mary Doug Wright, & Arminee Kazanjina
BC Office of Health Technology Assessment
Better read than dead: breathing new life into state morbidity data via the Internet.
Kathryn Kerdolff
Lousiana State University Health Sciences Center Library
The grey literature report: acquiring, organizing, and making accessible fugitive literature in health policy and public health.
Marie Tomlinson-Ascher
The New York Academy of Medicine
Set your sites on MSDS providers
Hongjie Wang
Lyman Maynard Stowe Library, University of Connecticut Health Center
Log onto AHRQ's Web site through its new address, http://www.ahrq.gov, or the old address, http://www.ahcpr.gov, for information on reducing medical errors, improving patient safety, and the Quality Interagency Coordination Task Force. A fact sheet on AHRQ's reauthorization is available on the Agency's Web site at http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ahrqfact.htm.
Ysabel Bertolucci, AHIP
Email ysabel.bertolucci@kp.org
Fax 510 596 1500
Kaiser Permanente Medical Center
280 West MacArthur Blvd
Oakland, CA 94611
A publication that might be of use to safety committees is "Use Multiple Data Sources for Safer Emergency Response." The six page PDF file is available from the EPA at http://www.epa.gov/swercepp/pubs/respnd1.pdf.
EPA points out that sufficient and correct information regarding chemicals in an accidental spill or release is important for protection of the employees and the public. This publication is designed to increase awareness of the limitations of the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). It discusses the importance of using more than the MSDS for information about a chemical when responding to an emergency because MSDS from different sources provide varied and conflicting information. It suggests various sources for information on chemicals and related standards from OSHA, many of which are on the Internet. They do not mention the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) which is a very comprehensive source for this type of information and is available through the NLM TOXNET System [Ed. note: Updated link 3/17/04] (available free on the Internet). If your Safety Committee is not already aware of your ability to provide this type of information, you have an excellent marketing opportunity.
The 1999 edition of the Directory of Health and Human Services Data Resources is available on the Internet at http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/datacncl/datadir/. The Directory is a compilation of information about most major data collection systems sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It was developed under the auspices of the HHS Data Council and it updates and expands upon the 1995 HHS Directory of Minority Health and Human Services Data. Additional data systems are included in this update, and more extensive information about each data system is provided.
The Directory was designed to include data resources with current utility, or the potential for use by a wide variety of audiences. Databases from continuing departmental data projects or program administrative and evaluation activities that met the criterion of broad utility were included. Such data projects and systems included recurring surveys and disease registries either maintained or sponsored by HHS. Databases from one-time studies or data collections were also included when the data may have broad interest.
On behalf of the NLM, National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR) we hope you find the Directory a useful resource.
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The Healthy People 2010 Toolkit: A Field Guide to Health Planning contains practical guidance, technical tools, examples, and resources for states, territories, tribes, and others involved in Healthy People planning. The Toolkit is now freely available on the Internet (in Acrobat Reader PDF files) at: http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/state/toolkit/.
To order a printed copy of the Toolkit (item RM-005) for $39, call the Public Health Foundation toll-free at 1-877-252-1200 or visit the new online bookstore at: http://bookstore.phf.org. |
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The Toolkit was developed by the Public Health Foundation with assistance from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Department of Health and Human Services.
Ms. Pomerantz was recognized with the APHA Committee on Affiliates Chair’s Citation for her continuing work assisting the Committee and other state affiliate organizations in public health education and advocacy. She also is active in metropolitan area public health activities and is a past President of MWPHA. Ms. Pomerantz is employed by The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services where she has designed distance learning programs for public health workers in Israel and South Africa.
In announcing this year's awards winners, APHA Committee on Affiliates Chair Karen Valenzuela (Olympia, Washington) said, “Both Karyn and Sam [other recipient] are two of the many unsung heroes among us--dedicated, deserving people--rarely recognized for their many years of selfless efforts on others’ behalf.” Ms. Pomerantz received her award at a special reception held on November 6 at the annual APHA meeting in Chicago.
The web site has been expanded and now includes the responses from the Public Health Training Subcommittee’s request for information about public health training currently being offered. Visit the site at http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/partners/.
The Prevention Enhancement Protocols System (PEPS) series was initiated to systematically evaluate both research and practice evidence on substance abuse prevention and then compile recommendations for the field. In doing so, PEPS strives to maximize the prevention efforts of State substance abuse prevention agencies, practitioners, and local communities. PEPS documents currently in HSTAT [Ed note: Updated link 3/17/04] include: Keeping Children Drug Free: Using Family-Centered Approaches, Preventing Problems Related to Alcohol Availability: Environmental Approaches, and Reducing Tobacco Use Among Youth: Community-Based Approaches. More will be added as they are developed by SAMHSA/CSAP.
In addition to this newest collection, HSTAT already includes the following prevention-focused collections/documents:
For more information on HSTAT, see http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/hstat.html.
An earlier issue of the PHA/HA newletter reported on efforts to pass the APHA resolution supporting research on the social causes of violence. I am happy to report that this resolution passed and was accorded #2 priority status by the 150 member Governing Council. The resolution calling for a national health service received the top priority ranking.
In addition, APHA members also passed a statement to "condemn the racist response to school violence" in Decatur, Il after 7 black students were expelled and charged with felonies for a fight. This resolution sparked a lively debate about the role of racism and the different spins given when violence occurs among children of color who are seen as criminals compared to white kids who are characterized as alienated.
Racism and other disparities in health will be the theme at next year's APHA meeting in Boston in November 2000.
[Editor's Note: the full text of this article is available]
Introduction | Personal Reasons | Professional Reasons | Tips on How to Get Involved | Three Examples of Participation | Conclusion | Appendix: Associations
Introduction
Public health organizations tackle key political and social issues that impact the entire population. Joining these organizations allows you to participate in the myriad struggles conducted by public health activists, such as access to health care, police violence against people of color, environmental protections, war in Iraq, tobacco control, and scores of others. As the number of uninsured people increase, social disparities mount, and racist violence spreads, we need to join with thousands of others to build a movement for justice and health. Joining your public health associations provides that opportunity. If you'd like to know more, see the March 1999 issue of The American Journal of Public Health for the text of the public policy resolutions approved by the APHA last year and read The Nation's Health to learn more about national and grass-roots efforts.
In addition, two of the most important ways that people achieve happiness is through personal development and through contribution to the well-being of the world around them. Both of these methods are major benefits of participation in the societies of one's profession. They are also available, often to an even greater degree, through participation in the professional societies of one's professional clients. Here, we are speaking primarily of librarians involved with public health in the American Public Health Association.
The reasons for participation are enumerated under the two ways for achieving happiness mentioned above: personal development and professional contribution. These reasons overlap. We often achieve personal development while making a professional contribution. We certainly achieve professional recognition and advancement of our profession while making a contribution to our clients' societies. In a very real way, their societies become ours and we broaden our perspective by becoming members of their teams.
Recognizing the overlap in the reasons for participation, the two groups below are arbitrary, roughly bringing like concepts together. If some of the reasons seem repetitive, remember that our contributions result in benefits many times repeated.
Working with a related professional association shows you care! We need them; they need us. Together we can improve the quality of healthcare and expand the reach of public health.
Continue on to full text of this article.
Author Contacts:
Laura Larsson, University of Washington. Department of Health Services. larsson@u.washington.edu
Winifred Sewell, Consultant. winswll@erols.com
Karyn Pomerantz, George Washington University. School of Public Health and Health Services. kpomeran@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu
Achievements in Public Health -- United States, 1900-1999
MMWR, December 24, 1999 / 48(50);1141-7
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