News & Current Awareness

News & News & Current AwarenessCurrent Awareness

Nancy Allee and Helen LookNancy Allee and Helen LookPublic Health Informatics Services & AccessPublic Health Informatics Services & Access

February 13, 2004February 13, 2004

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

U.S. National Library of U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Network of Medicine, National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Libraries of Medicine. Information Access in Public Information Access in Public Health: A Training ManualHealth: A Training Manual. . Bethesda, MD: National Library Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine, 2003.of Medicine, 2003.

OverviewOverview

Learn specific strategies for Learn specific strategies for identifying the best resources for identifying the best resources for keeping currentkeeping current

Evaluate which strategies best Evaluate which strategies best suit your needssuit your needs

Establish a personalized routine Establish a personalized routine for staying informedfor staying informed

Class ParticipationClass Participation

Question 1Question 1: :

What do you currently do to stay What do you currently do to stay informed on public health informed on public health issues?issues?

Please name specific Please name specific resources/tools that you useresources/tools that you use

Class ParticipationClass Participation

Question 2Question 2: :

What are some of the What are some of the challenges/barriers to staying up challenges/barriers to staying up to date on public health issues?to date on public health issues?

The Value of Staying InformedThe Value of Staying Informed

Staying informed is essential for Staying informed is essential for being able to inform, educate and being able to inform, educate and empower people about health issuesempower people about health issues

An awareness of current hot topics An awareness of current hot topics enables you to be prepared for enables you to be prepared for developing risks and opportunitiesdeveloping risks and opportunities

Consistently being aware of the Consistently being aware of the latest information is important at any latest information is important at any level of your careerlevel of your career

The Cost of Staying InformedThe Cost of Staying Informed

The two primary costs: The two primary costs: timetime and and moneymoney

We will cover a list of strategies We will cover a list of strategies and the amount of time requiredand the amount of time required

We will focus on resources and We will focus on resources and services that are free (unless services that are free (unless otherwise indicated)otherwise indicated)

Organizing Your InformationOrganizing Your Information

Use folders/directories in your e-Use folders/directories in your e-mail system to store electronic mail system to store electronic readingsreadings

Use web browser bookmarks or Use web browser bookmarks or favorites to access frequently favorites to access frequently used web sitesused web sites

Use physical folders to gather Use physical folders to gather and store relevant readingsand store relevant readings

Top Ten Strategies Top Ten Strategies For Staying For Staying InformedInformed

Strategy 1: Receive E-mail Receive E-mail Announcements/Notification ListsAnnouncements/Notification Lists Announcement lists provide Announcement lists provide

one-way communication of one-way communication of information that you deem information that you deem relevant to your interestrelevant to your interest

These lists may be daily, These lists may be daily, weekly, monthly, or only when weekly, monthly, or only when there is newsthere is news

Strategy 1: Strategy 1: Receive E-mail Receive E-mail Announcements/Notification ListsAnnouncements/Notification Lists CNN Health Week (every Friday) or CNN Health Week (every Friday) or

CNN Breaking News CNN Breaking News http://http://www.cnn.comwww.cnn.com/EMAIL//EMAIL/

Strategy 2: Strategy 2: Participate in E-mail Participate in E-mail Discussion Lists (Listservs)Discussion Lists (Listservs) Discussion lists are interactive lists Discussion lists are interactive lists

where people may post or receive where people may post or receive messagesmessages

Sign on to observe a list for a week Sign on to observe a list for a week or look at the archivesor look at the archives

Consider the percentage of the Consider the percentage of the messages that were on target or messages that were on target or potentially valuable to youpotentially valuable to you

Some lists offer options for a one-a-Some lists offer options for a one-a-day digest formatday digest format

Strategy 2: Strategy 2: Participate in E-mail Participate in E-mail Discussion Lists (Listservs)Discussion Lists (Listservs)

Partners in Information Access Partners in Information Access for the Public Health for the Public Health Workforce’s Workforce’s

Discussion and E-mail ListsDiscussion and E-mail Lists

http://http://phpartners.org/dlists.htmlphpartners.org/dlists.html

Strategy 2: Strategy 2: Participate in E-mail Participate in E-mail Discussion Lists (Listservs)Discussion Lists (Listservs)

Strategy 3: Strategy 3: Regularly Review Web Sites Regularly Review Web Sites With News UpdatesWith News Updates

Identify web sites related to your Identify web sites related to your areas of interest that have news areas of interest that have news updates or continuous news feedsupdates or continuous news feeds

You can add these sites to your You can add these sites to your browser bookmarks or favoritesbrowser bookmarks or favorites

You can make one of these web You can make one of these web pages your default web page so it is pages your default web page so it is the first thing you see in the morningthe first thing you see in the morning

Strategy 3: Strategy 3: Regularly Review Web Sites Regularly Review Web Sites With News UpdatesWith News Updates CDC in the News: CDC in the News:

http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/

Strategy 4: Strategy 4: Request Auto-Notification of Request Auto-Notification of Changes to Web Sites of InterestChanges to Web Sites of Interest

If a web site you are interested If a web site you are interested in does not provide email in does not provide email updates, you can ask a free web updates, you can ask a free web service to track changes for you service to track changes for you and notify you when a particular and notify you when a particular page is updated page is updated

Strategy 4: Strategy 4: Request Auto-Notification of Request Auto-Notification of Changes to Web Sites of InterestChanges to Web Sites of Interest

ChangeDetection.comChangeDetection.com

http://http://changedetection.com/monitor.htchangedetection.com/monitor.htmlml

Be aware that not all changes to Be aware that not all changes to a page will be due to substantial a page will be due to substantial content updatescontent updates

Strategy 5: Strategy 5: Browse Table of Contents of Browse Table of Contents of Relevant JournalsRelevant Journals Some fields have their own journals Some fields have their own journals

and therefore receiving the contents and therefore receiving the contents is a good strategy for keeping upis a good strategy for keeping up

This strategy is less successful for This strategy is less successful for fields that are too narrow to have fields that are too narrow to have their own journals or so their own journals or so multidisciplinary that they are multidisciplinary that they are published in many journals. published in many journals.

Note: The automatic update search Note: The automatic update search strategy is better suited for strategy is better suited for multidisciplinary fieldsmultidisciplinary fields

Strategy 5: Strategy 5: Browse Table of Contents of Browse Table of Contents of Relevant JournalsRelevant Journals

To identify relevant public health journals:To identify relevant public health journals: Core Journal List in the Public Health Core Journal List in the Public Health

from the Public Health/Health from the Public Health/Health Administration Section of the Medical Administration Section of the Medical Library AssociationLibrary Association http://http://info.med.yale.edu/eph/library/phjournalsinfo.med.yale.edu/eph/library/phjournals//

Lamar Soutter Library’s Evidence-Based Lamar Soutter Library’s Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Project Practice for Public Health Project http://library.umassmed.edu/ebpph/http://library.umassmed.edu/ebpph/

Your local librarian can also help you Your local librarian can also help you identify journalsidentify journals

Strategy 5: Strategy 5: Browse Table of Contents of Browse Table of Contents of Relevant JournalsRelevant Journals BioSecurity and BioTerrorism: BioSecurity and BioTerrorism:

Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and ScienceSciencehttp://www.biosecurityjournal.com/index.asphttp://www.biosecurityjournal.com/index.asp

Strategy 5: Strategy 5: Browse Table of Contents of Browse Table of Contents of Relevant JournalsRelevant Journals After identifying relevant journals, user your After identifying relevant journals, user your

favorite search engine to find the home favorite search engine to find the home page for the journalpage for the journal

The table of contents and/or the full-text of The table of contents and/or the full-text of articles may be available for freearticles may be available for free

Some journals allow you to view articles Some journals allow you to view articles that will appear in a future issue that will appear in a future issue

Some journals will automatically e-mail you Some journals will automatically e-mail you the table of contents for new issues. Look the table of contents for new issues. Look for a link to “email alerts” or “email for a link to “email alerts” or “email notifications” notifications”

Some sites only require your email address Some sites only require your email address while others require additional information while others require additional information for registrationfor registration

Strategy 6: Strategy 6: Activate Online Access for Activate Online Access for Journal SubscriptionsJournal Subscriptions Many individuals and Many individuals and

institutional subscriptions allow institutional subscriptions allow for online access to the full for online access to the full content of recent issues. content of recent issues.

Be sure to activate the online Be sure to activate the online access to your subscriptions, access to your subscriptions, particularly those resulting from particularly those resulting from individual or organizational individual or organizational memberships.memberships.

Strategy 6: Strategy 6: Activate Online Access for Activate Online Access for Journal SubscriptionsJournal Subscriptions PubMed Link Out Journals by Title PubMed Link Out Journals by Title

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/johttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/journals/loftext_noprov.htmlurnals/loftext_noprov.html

A list of PubMed journals that links to A list of PubMed journals that links to full text articlesfull text articles

Strategy 7: Strategy 7: Run Automatic Updates SearchesRun Automatic Updates Searches

You can set up automatic update You can set up automatic update searches in a variety of databases searches in a variety of databases relevant to your discipline.relevant to your discipline.

There are free services that you can There are free services that you can use to set up automatic searches of use to set up automatic searches of the PubMed database to email the PubMed database to email regularly to you.regularly to you.

These searches can be by subject These searches can be by subject area, by author to track particular area, by author to track particular experts in your field, or by institution experts in your field, or by institution to track the work of particular to track the work of particular organizations.organizations.


Some database producers have Some database producers have already prepared these “canned” already prepared these “canned” searches on topics of interest that searches on topics of interest that you can receive as email updates.you can receive as email updates.

Another method of getting these Another method of getting these search updates is to visit a page with search updates is to visit a page with links to live PubMed searches such links to live PubMed searches such as Healthy People 2010 Information as Healthy People 2010 Information Access Project Access Project http://phpartners.org/hp/http://phpartners.org/hp/


BioMail BioMail http://biomail.orghttp://biomail.org

PubCrawler PubCrawler http://www.pubcrawler.ie/http://www.pubcrawler.ie/

By Subscription: By Subscription: Current ContentsCurrent Contents


Demo Cubby feature in PubMedDemo Cubby feature in PubMed

Strategy 8: Strategy 8: Form a Local Support System for Form a Local Support System for Specific Projects/TopicsSpecific Projects/Topics

Journal ClubsJournal Clubs

Newspaper ClippingsNewspaper Clippings

Routing JournalsRouting Journals

Strategy 9: Strategy 9: Join or follow organizations Join or follow organizations focused in your area of interestfocused in your area of interest Newsletters, discussion lists, real Newsletters, discussion lists, real

and virtual meetings, continuing and virtual meetings, continuing education in a variety of formats from education in a variety of formats from organizations focused on your area organizations focused on your area of interest may be some of the of interest may be some of the benefits of membershipbenefits of membership

See sample issues of the newsletter See sample issues of the newsletter Talk to colleagues about whether the Talk to colleagues about whether the

networking in that group has been networking in that group has been valuable to them valuable to them

Local or regional groups tend to be Local or regional groups tend to be less expensive and more relevantless expensive and more relevant

Strategy 9: Strategy 9: Join or follow organizations Join or follow organizations focused in your area of interestfocused in your area of interest

Links to Public Health Links to Public Health Organizations and Resources Organizations and Resources OnlineOnline

http://www.phf.org/links.htmhttp://www.phf.org/links.htm

Top Ten Strategies Top Ten Strategies For Staying Informed For Staying Informed 1.1. Receive e-mail announcements/notification listsReceive e-mail announcements/notification lists2.2. Participate in e-mail discussion lists (listservs)Participate in e-mail discussion lists (listservs)3.3. Regularly review web sites with news updateRegularly review web sites with news update4.4. Request auto-notification of changes to web sites Request auto-notification of changes to web sites

of interestof interest5.5. Browse table of contents of relevant journalsBrowse table of contents of relevant journals6.6. Activate online access for journal subscriptionsActivate online access for journal subscriptions7.7. Run Automatic Update Searches (SDIs)Run Automatic Update Searches (SDIs)8.8. Form a local support system for specific Form a local support system for specific

projects/topicsprojects/topics9.9. Join or follow organizations in your area of Join or follow organizations in your area of

interestinterest

10.10. Develop a formal plan for staying Develop a formal plan for staying informed on a regular basis (daily, informed on a regular basis (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)weekly, monthly, etc.)

Evaluating StrategiesEvaluating Strategies

The most efficient strategies will maximize the equation:

Value = Relevant Items/Time SpentValue = Relevant Items/Time Spent

Strategies for keeping up can be Strategies for keeping up can be short-term, long-term or project short-term, long-term or project specificspecific

Time for Staying InformedTime for Staying Informed

With a list of possible strategies, consider With a list of possible strategies, consider how much time you can devote to keeping how much time you can devote to keeping up to dateup to date

Five Minutes Per DayFive Minutes Per Day:: Read and respond to an e-mail announcement listingRead and respond to an e-mail announcement listing Quickly read the topics from a listserv digestQuickly read the topics from a listserv digest Review the table of contents of a journalReview the table of contents of a journal

One Hour Per WeekOne Hour Per Week:: Do all the activities listed aboveDo all the activities listed above Read abstracts of selected journal articles or Read abstracts of selected journal articles or

newslettersnewsletters Review the results of an automatic update search and Review the results of an automatic update search and

request journal articlesrequest journal articles

Final Class ActivityFinal Class Activity

Develop a formal plan for Develop a formal plan for staying informed on a regular staying informed on a regular basisbasis

Additional Services for Additional Services for MI-INFO ProjectMI-INFO Project

Reference Service (Free):Reference Service (Free): E-mail: E-mail: [email protected]@umich.edu Phone: 734-763-5109Phone: 734-763-5109

Loansome Doc Service (Fee):Loansome Doc Service (Fee): http://www.lib.umich.edu/http://www.lib.umich.edu/

taubman/ldregister.htmltaubman/ldregister.html

ConclusionConclusion

Contact us: Contact us: [email protected]@umich.edu or 734-763-5109or 734-763-5109

EvaluationsEvaluations Please remember to fill out your Please remember to fill out your

evaluations.evaluations.

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News & Current Awareness