Compiled by Amber Burtis
Morris Library, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill
University of Minnesota -Twin Cities Hosts NLM Traveling Exhibit
Submitted by Lisa McGuire, Assistant Librarian, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
The Bio-Medical Library at the University of Minnesota -Twin Cities campus hosted an opening reception and study abroad information fair on Thursday, January 21 in conjunction with the arrival of the National Library of Medicine's traveling exhibit, Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health. Representatives from the School of Public Health and the Learning Abroad Center were on hand to talk to undergraduate and graduate students about international learning opportunities.Later that evening, staff from the Bio-Medical Library moved the exhibit to a reception to announce the new Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility. Approximately 90 Academic Health Center faculty members and students were on hand to view the exhibit and listen to remarks by the medical school and public health school deans about the new center, which will work to improve global health systems and access through discovery, equity, learning, and engagement.
Community Health Informatics Project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Receives Funding
Submitted by Elaine Hicks, Graduate Research Assistant, Community Informatics Initiative, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
The Community Health Informatics Project developed by chapter member Elaine Hicks received funding from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Engagement. The funding was the result of a competitive campus-wide RFP process in which faculty, students, and staff participated. The project supports effective collection, management and use of health data by harnessing multi-disciplinary expertise of UIUC faculty, preparing UIUC students to make significant contributions to the public health workforce, and building sustainable partnerships with health departments and community-based organizations whose mission is to protect and promote the health of Illinois residents.
Specifically, the award funds two graduate assistants who will help the Champaign-Urban Public Health District update and maintain their online health database and the newly-developed Health Map Online which adds geospatial data to health data to facilitate effective regional public health emergency response. Elaine is also the 2009 recipient of the MLA scholarship.
Anna Ercoli Schnitzer in the Spotlight for Community Outreach Work
Submitted by Anna Ercoli Schnitzer, Liaison/Disabilities Librarian, Health Sciences Libraries, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Anna Ercoli Schnitzer was highlighted in the January 11, 2010 edition of the University of Michigan's online newsletter for faculty and staff. According to the article, Schnitzer "spends much of her spare time doing community outreach focused on raising awareness about disabilities. One of her projects is rallying support for animal training programs that help provide therapeutic dogs to people who need them most." The article goes on to say that her "involvement with therapy dogs began five years ago, when she was part of a team organizing the annual Investing in Ability Week, a series of events sponsored by the U-M Council for Disability Concerns."
Somber Message of Traveling Exhibit Reaches Many
Submitted by Elizabeth Smigielski, Assistant Director, Kornhauser Health Sciences Library, University of Louisville
The Kornhauser Health Sciences Library at the University of Louisville recently packed up the 60-odd boxes containing the traveling exhibit Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race, on loan from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. The exhibition examines the role the pre-war German medical community played in the Nazi eugenics movement and the Holocaust. It also draws parallels to the American eugenics movement of the early 20th century.
The exhibit drew over 700 visitors during its three-month stay including several school groups and many from outside the University. In addition, the Library sponsored a lecture series on biomedical ethics which drew roughly 75 people at each of the four lectures. The exhibit was widely publicized in the local media as well as the usual campus vehicles. Michel Atlas, Kornhauser Library, reference librarian and long-time MWMLA and MLA member, coordinated the exhibit. The UofL School of Medicine Office of the Dean and the Louisville Jewish community leant their support for the exhibit.
Deadly Medicine was the second of two traveling exhibits hosted by Kornhauser this year. The summer brought us Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America's Women, a traveling exhibit sponsored by NLM, ALA, and National Institute of Health Office on Women's Research. This exhibit traced the emergence of women in the medical field. As part of the exhibit activities, actress Linda Grey Kelley portrayed Elizabeth Blackwell in an engaging one-act play which was well-attended by students despite its Friday night showtime! Outreach Librarian Carol Brinkman coordinated the exhibit.
Linda Grey Kelley protraying Elizabeth Blackwell in "A Lady Alone", written by N. Lynn Eckhert, M.D.
