Here is a list of resources explaining the effect this bill would have on libraries and on social networking sites, and some alternative ways of dealing with online predators.
http://www.beiffert.net/wordpress/deleting-online-predators-act-dopa-hr-5319-ih/
Monday, July 31, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Avoiding Medical Errors
Medication errors are among the most common medical errors, harming at least 1.5 million people every year. The problem is so serious that, on average, a hospital patient is subject to at least one medication error per day.
These are among the findings in a report released Thursday by the Institute of Medicine, chartered by Congress to advise the government on science and medical issues.
The extra costs of treating medication-related injuries occurring in hospitals alone conservatively amount to $3.5 billion a year, the report states. The IOM panel estimates that at least a quarter of these injuries are preventable. This is the bad news.
The better news is that the Institute of Medicine provides a Fact Sheet on what you can do to avoid these errors at home, as outpatient or inpatient, and at the pharmacy.
These are among the findings in a report released Thursday by the Institute of Medicine, chartered by Congress to advise the government on science and medical issues.
The extra costs of treating medication-related injuries occurring in hospitals alone conservatively amount to $3.5 billion a year, the report states. The IOM panel estimates that at least a quarter of these injuries are preventable. This is the bad news.
The better news is that the Institute of Medicine provides a Fact Sheet on what you can do to avoid these errors at home, as outpatient or inpatient, and at the pharmacy.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Own Your First Home Contest
What are you waiting for? Enter Black Enterprise's 2nd annual Own Your First Home contest and get a chance to win $10,000 toward your down payment. Closing the wealth gap between black and white households remains at the heart of the Black Enterprise Mission. Read more about the contest in the current issue of Black Enterprise in the library or you can get the contest rules by logging on to blackenterprise.com.
Source: Black Enterprise August 2006
Source: Black Enterprise August 2006
Podcasts and RSS from NEJM
Now you can use the latest technology to keep up with medical research and clinical analysis. The New England Journal of Medicine offers two podcasts each week as well as weekly RSS feeds--FREE. To receive NEJM podcasts automatically, subscribe to NEJM Weekly Audio Summaries or NEJM Interviews at iTunes--easy to use. RSS feeds ae available for the current issue plus the three previous issues of NEJM. Each RSS feed contains article titles, brief summaries for selected articles, and links to the complete article.
Source: New England Journal of Medicine
Source: New England Journal of Medicine
New Resource for Marketing Statistics
American Demographics is a magazine for marketers. The content is available and searchable online (http://www.demographics.com/). it is full of information about who we are and how we live, above and beyond what the government collects. It's a repository of statistics from government reports, polls, and surveys from diverse groups such as the American Toy Institute, the Travel Industry Association of America, and the National Frozen Pizza Institute. Try it out and be amazed.
Source: Ex Libris
Source: Ex Libris
Friday, July 21, 2006
New Power Searching For Gale Databases
The future of search and information retrieval is here in August! Thomson Gale's new technology platform is the ultimate one-stop search solution. Our Thomson Gale databases will begin using the revolutionary new platform, PowerSearch, August 1. This new platform allows for the cross-search of Gale databases -- more than 11,000 InfoTrac periodicals and hundreds of Thomson Gale and partner eBooks. We will also introduce a new service called AccessMyLibrary. The Goodwin Library provides the Goodwin community with the following Thomson Gale databases: Professional Collection, Business & Company Resource Center with Newsletters, Expanded Academic ASAP, General Reference Center Gold, Health & Wellness Resource Center and Alternative Health Module, Informe, InfoTrac, InfoTrac (Junior, Kid's, and Student editions), What do I Read Next?, Kids InfoBits, Kid's Edition, and Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Electronic Voting Machines Need Safeguards
With November elections fast approaching, computer scientists are stepping up pressure on Congress to improve the accuracy and security of electronic voting. Eugene H. Spafford, a computer-science professor at Purdue University, wrote to Rep. Vernon Ehlers, Republican chairman of the Committee on House Administration, urging him to support legislation that would require voting-machine results to be documented by a paper trail. Spafford is chairman of the U.S. Public Policy Committee of the Association for Computing Machinery. "As experts in computing, we have grave reservations about the safeguards in place with many of the computerized voting technologies being used," the letter read. David Wagner, a computer-science professor at the University of California, alsodescribed his concerns before a joint hearing of two House committees. "A single person with insider access and some technical knowledge could switch votes, perhaps undetected, and potentially swing an election," Mr. Wagner warned members of Congress. --Andrea L. Foster in Wired Campus
Thursday, July 20, 2006
The Blog Misses You
The Goodwin Library blog provides information, but it also was intended to be symbiotic, accretive of the wisdom of many, a fragile thread of eclectic conversation. That means anyone reading it, if anyone is, would occasionally be moved to comment. Such has not been the case-- so far. Warning: I am not giving up.
Blog Explosion
"The term “blog” was coined only in 1997, but less than 10 years later the blogging phenomenon is sweeping across the United States and around the world. Millions of bloggers are filling the blogosphere with everything from personal journals and family photographs to political advocacy and journalistic commentary. Blogophiles say the blogging revolution is changing politics, business and popular culture for the better by reducing the influence of elites and institutions and allowing for wider public participation and greater interactivity. Some skeptics, however, question whether blogging is anything more than an Internet fad. And some critics say public-policy blogs spew too much unchecked information and overhyped rhetoric into the political process. But with easy-to-use software and growing interest among individuals as well as businesses and government, the blogging phenomenon appears unlikely to peak any time soon."
Are blogs a passing fad or a lasting revolution? Click on comment below this or any entry to add your opinion.
Source: CQ Researcher June 9, 2006
Are blogs a passing fad or a lasting revolution? Click on comment below this or any entry to add your opinion.
Source: CQ Researcher June 9, 2006
The Big Here: Eco Awareness
"You live in the big here. Wherever you live, your tiny spot is deeply intertwined within a larger place, imbedded fractal-like into a whole system called a watershed, which is itself integrated with other watersheds into a tightly interdependent biome. (See the world eco-region map ). At the ultimate level, your home is a cell in an organism called a planet. All these levels interconnect. What do you know about the dynamics of this larger system around you? Most of us are ignorant of this matrix. But it is the biggest interactive game there is. Hacking it is both fun and vital." (from Kevin Kelly's blog)
Answer the 30 questions on this site to elevate your awareness (and literacy) of the greater place in which you live.
Answer the 30 questions on this site to elevate your awareness (and literacy) of the greater place in which you live.
International Primary Documents
With so much international news making headlines of late, Diplomacy Monitor has become an essential resource for primary documents and news releases from various governments and government agencies. This free service from the St. Thomas University School of Law offers direct access to information (communiques, news releases, etc) from governments around the globe, gathered and posted to this database very soon after they are released on the web.
Material is searchable and also browsable in various compilations. Examples include:• Documents By Region• Documents By Issue• By Nation (Source)• By Nation (Affected)
Additionally, material is cached and non-English docs are also linked to mechanical translations into English. (be careful, of course).
Material is searchable and also browsable in various compilations. Examples include:• Documents By Region• Documents By Issue• By Nation (Source)• By Nation (Affected)
Additionally, material is cached and non-English docs are also linked to mechanical translations into English. (be careful, of course).
Searching for Full Text Aticles
If you are searching for journal articles and you want the instant gratification of full text articles, let me give you some advice. Most of our database search screens have boxes to check that will limit your search to full text and scholarly (peer reviewed) articles. Not all of our databases provide full text; some will give you only the citation and often an abstract as well. So it is even more important to SEARCH IN DATABASES THAT PROVIDE FULL TEXT ARTICLES!
Here are a few examples. The PsycINFO database indexes only citations and sometimes abstracts. For that reason, we have subscribed to PsycARTICLES database that provides full text articles for you. CINAHL usually only provides citations and abstracts, but we have linked our full text database, Health Source: Nursing Academic Edition to CINAHL. If CINAHL has indexed an article that is full text in Health Source, it will show up in your search. WE also have subscribed to CINAHL with Full Text and that should be self-explanatory. In MEDLINE, search in Pub Med Central (PMC) to limit your results to full text articles only. For general academic research, the InfoTrac OneFile database provides the optional limit of full text and journal articles only.
We can often arrange for articles through interlibrary loan, but with shrewd searching or slight refocusing of your topic, you should find what you need in our databases. If you are having difficulty, please contact the library staff for help. We want to be sure that you have the information you need.
860.528.4111 #6782
mnowlan@goodwin.edu
Here are a few examples. The PsycINFO database indexes only citations and sometimes abstracts. For that reason, we have subscribed to PsycARTICLES database that provides full text articles for you. CINAHL usually only provides citations and abstracts, but we have linked our full text database, Health Source: Nursing Academic Edition to CINAHL. If CINAHL has indexed an article that is full text in Health Source, it will show up in your search. WE also have subscribed to CINAHL with Full Text and that should be self-explanatory. In MEDLINE, search in Pub Med Central (PMC) to limit your results to full text articles only. For general academic research, the InfoTrac OneFile database provides the optional limit of full text and journal articles only.
We can often arrange for articles through interlibrary loan, but with shrewd searching or slight refocusing of your topic, you should find what you need in our databases. If you are having difficulty, please contact the library staff for help. We want to be sure that you have the information you need.
860.528.4111 #6782
mnowlan@goodwin.edu
Nursing Care for Older Adults
"The Atlantic Philanthropies has awarded two grants to increase the knowledge and skills of those providing care to older adults. Information about the care of those over 65, derived from cutting-edge research and best practices, is now available to nurses and other providers in either print format or streaming video, at any time and at no cost, through this series called A New Look at the Old.
The print series began in the August 2004 issue of AJN, and will continue every other month until December 2006. You can read or download the articles already publishedby clicking on the 'titles listed below.'
The broadcast series is based on the content of the articles found in AJN, but includes additional content. Those interested in viewing the 60-minute or 30-minute programs which began in January 2005, can click on the titles under the broadcast heading. These programs are archived for viewing at any time."
Source: www.nursingcenter.com
The print series began in the August 2004 issue of AJN, and will continue every other month until December 2006. You can read or download the articles already publishedby clicking on the 'titles listed below.'
The broadcast series is based on the content of the articles found in AJN, but includes additional content. Those interested in viewing the 60-minute or 30-minute programs which began in January 2005, can click on the titles under the broadcast heading. These programs are archived for viewing at any time."
Source: www.nursingcenter.com
Digital Native or Digital Immigrant?
Technology is dividing us into digital natives and digital immigrants - and changing the way we think. A “digital native” is one who has never known a world without instant communication whereas a “digital immigrant” may still be coming to terms with a culture ruled by mobiles, PDAs, blogs, e-mails, and interactive websites. Librarians (and everyone else) must come to terms with this because it impacts the effectiveness of our work.
This generational divide has been evident for a while, but only now is its impact becoming clear. Last month, Lord Saatchi, doyen of the British advertising world, virtually declared the death of traditional advertising — because digital technology is changing the way people absorb information. The digital native’s brain is physically different as a result of the digital input it has received growing up, he claims.
Many of our current and most of our potential college students may appear to live in Connecticut, but they actually spend time in another galaxy — out there, in the digital universe of websites, e-mails, text messages and mobile phone calls. Some may be checking their wall on facebook.com Even young children today are multitasking left, right and center — downloading tracks, uploading photos, sending e-mails, visting chatrooms, instant messaging. They may find sitting down and reading, even watching TV, too slow and boring.
Behaviors are being shaped by digital technology as never before, taking us boldly where no generations have gone before. The experts say it may even be the next step in evolution, transforming brains and the way we think.
What do you think? Are you a digital native, a digital immigrant, or somewhere in between?
This generational divide has been evident for a while, but only now is its impact becoming clear. Last month, Lord Saatchi, doyen of the British advertising world, virtually declared the death of traditional advertising — because digital technology is changing the way people absorb information. The digital native’s brain is physically different as a result of the digital input it has received growing up, he claims.
Many of our current and most of our potential college students may appear to live in Connecticut, but they actually spend time in another galaxy — out there, in the digital universe of websites, e-mails, text messages and mobile phone calls. Some may be checking their wall on facebook.com Even young children today are multitasking left, right and center — downloading tracks, uploading photos, sending e-mails, visting chatrooms, instant messaging. They may find sitting down and reading, even watching TV, too slow and boring.
Behaviors are being shaped by digital technology as never before, taking us boldly where no generations have gone before. The experts say it may even be the next step in evolution, transforming brains and the way we think.
What do you think? Are you a digital native, a digital immigrant, or somewhere in between?
The Best Cities for Doing Business
As part of their annual report, Inc. studied 393 population centers across the nation, identifying job creation and other signs of business vitality. What did they find? The big cities are idling, and the real entrepreneurial hot spots are on the periphery -- where low costs and favorable regulatory environments make it possible to thrive. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford area ranked 298th out of the 393 population centers.
Which metropolitan areas are really booming? The online report is a searchable database, the full 2006 rankings broken down by small, medium, and large cities, an interactive map, stories explaining why -- and where -- companies are flourishing today, and much more. This might be of interest to sociology and business classes.
http://www.inc.com/bestcities/
Which metropolitan areas are really booming? The online report is a searchable database, the full 2006 rankings broken down by small, medium, and large cities, an interactive map, stories explaining why -- and where -- companies are flourishing today, and much more. This might be of interest to sociology and business classes.
http://www.inc.com/bestcities/
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Friday Poetry Club
The Poetry Club will meet in the Libray Annex every Friday from 10:50-11:40. Come share your poetry or just listen and support others. If you have any questions, contact Cynthia McHale-Hendricks at writecmchale@earthlink.net.
Biology Blog
While in Minneapolis and St. Paul last week, I heard abou this biology blog. Paul Z. Myers, an associate professor of science and math at the University of Minnesota , is something of an accidental blogger: he only started after setting up a Web site for students enrolled in one of his courses.
“When the class ended, it was just sitting there,” he says of his blog, now called Pharyngula. “I started typing and haven’t stopped for three years now.” Mr. Myers’s site is now the most visited science blog on the Web. Be warned--he is very opinionated!
“When the class ended, it was just sitting there,” he says of his blog, now called Pharyngula. “I started typing and haven’t stopped for three years now.” Mr. Myers’s site is now the most visited science blog on the Web. Be warned--he is very opinionated!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Librarians Fight for Facebook
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet is discussing a bill that would prohibit anyone younger than 18 from using social-networking sites on computers at public schools and libraries. The “Deleting Online Predators Act,” as it is called, would also prohibit minors from using public machines to log on to chat rooms and some online forums .
Chris Kelly, Facebook executive, depicted Facebook’s security as robust before suggesting, rather gently, that the bill is a bit too broad. But Beth Yoke, executive director of the American Library Association’s Young Adult Library Services Association, didn’t mince words. The bill, she argued, “creates barriers to information literacy” by discouraging librarians and schoolteachers from teaching young students about responsible use of the Web. “This flies in the face of logic and hundreds of years of educational theory,” Ms. Yoke said of the act. WHAT DO YOU THINK? COMMENT??
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
Chris Kelly, Facebook executive, depicted Facebook’s security as robust before suggesting, rather gently, that the bill is a bit too broad. But Beth Yoke, executive director of the American Library Association’s Young Adult Library Services Association, didn’t mince words. The bill, she argued, “creates barriers to information literacy” by discouraging librarians and schoolteachers from teaching young students about responsible use of the Web. “This flies in the face of logic and hundreds of years of educational theory,” Ms. Yoke said of the act. WHAT DO YOU THINK? COMMENT??
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
MagPower Reading
MagazineLiteracy.org has teamed with Texterity.com to create the MagPower Reading demonstration project, which is an online portfolio featuring access to select children's magazines in a digital format. The organizations are now looking for teachers and other educators to participate in the project as literacy agents, providing feedback via an online survey that will help evaluate the benefits of providing online access to children's magazines as a literacy resource for teachers in classrooms, mentors in after-school programs, and literacy agents in community reading programs.
http://magazineliteracy.org/?tp=magpower
http://magazineliteracy.org/?tp=magpower
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Just for Fun
To live and enjoy life requires more than just information. RecipeZaar <http://www.recipezaar.com/> is my favorite cookery site. After all you have done this week you deserve something good to eat. On this site, you can save favorite recipes in a personalized cookbook, rate and review recipes, or get cooking advice from their chefs. Bon Appetit.
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