Need Journal Articles?

If you need to identify relevant articles, try our citation databases. Most have links to the full-text articles.

Not comfortable doing your own searches? Request a Literature Search done by your Librarians, Margo or Michele. We are expert searchers! Just tell us what you are looking for.

If you have a complete citation in mind, check the Affinity Library Services’ A-Z Journals List to see if we have full-text access online or in print.

You can also Request an Article, and we’ll take care of the work in finding it for you. If we don’t own it, we have inter-library loan arrangements with libraries all over North America. We can usually get the article for free or low cost without a credit card.

Let us help you get the info you need!

Database of the Month – MDConsult

If you want a single place to find news, articles, guidelines, and patient information resources, look no further than MDConsult.

Review more than 50 electronic, full-text leading reference books
Access full-text articles in more than 80 journals and the Clinics of North America
Browse more than 1,000 peer-reviewed practice guidelines
Create customized patient education materials
Obtain CME credit
Locate drug information provided by Gold Standard
Keep current with news updates and selected articles from prominent medical journals
Create a personal MDConsult account from an Affinity Computer and access MDConsult from any computer with Internet access.

Access MDConsult here or from the Library page under “Most Popular Links”.

Literature Searching (aka, Research on Behalf of AHS Staff)

You may not realize that Affinity Librarians offer research services (literature searching) in the areas of health and wellness for all Affinity staff members and volunteers. If you need health information, or if you need information for patient care or other work-related projects, you can contact Michele Matucheski at MMC (920-223-0340) or Margo Lambert at STE (920-738-2325) and we can do the research for you. Simply let us know what you need and we’ll get the information to you as soon as possible.

If you wish, you can also complete this online form and we’ll do the rest.

Affinity CME Video Blog

Affinity Health System CME Offerings (aka The Affinity CME Video Blog) via your computer at http://affinitycme08.blogspot.com/

You can also find it by navigating to :
Affinity Intranet Home Page > Library > Affinity CME Video Blog
or
CME Page > Affinity CME Video Blog

What is it?
* A regularly updated website where you can access internet video presentations of continuing medical education (CME) lectures previously presented at Mercy Medical Center. We are now beginning to add other programs from around Affinity.
* Access is 24/7 - on your own schedule
* Access from your work or home computer
* Better use of time (not spent in travel to the presentation site)
* So more of you can "attend" these lectures without physically being there

ANYONE can watch the videos.
However, only medical staff will be eligible for CME credit.
Fill out the CME Evaluation form and submit it to Carole Carow at Mercy Medical Center to get CME credit.

For an intro about the CME Video blog itself, visit the sites below :
CME Video Blog FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
CME Video Blog and Library Orientation (Documentation and Handouts), July 11, 2007
CME Video Blog and Library Orientation Video
CME Video Blog System Requirements

Simple Truths at MMC Library

In effort to “Make Affinity a better place to work,” Affinity Library Services recently purchased a new series of books and DVDs from Simple Truths. Simple Truths shares quotes, stories, and short inspirational films about making a difference.

* Watch some of their inspiring (and short) movies here.
* Sign up for the Simple Truths free emailed newsletter.
* Contact the MMC Library to check out or reserve the books.

Looking for a quote or meditation to open a meeting? You’ll find it in these Simple Truths books!

Thanks to Dawn Auclair for suggesting this series.

Featured Database of the Month: MedlinePlus

Looking for quality health information from trustworthy sources?
Try MedlinePlus.



Information is geared to the public
Use MedlinePlus to find information about medical conditions, medical tests, and general health and wellness
Excellent for Patient Education materials
Created by the same people who compile Medline for health professionals, MedlinePlus provides health information written in everyday language
MedlinePlus is available free of charge
Search MedlinePlus from any computer with Internet access
Information comes from medical encyclopedias, dictionaries, medical organizations and other sources that have been screened and proven reliable by The National Library of Medicine
In addition to articles, watch videos of medical procedures and listen to online tutorials

Affinity Library Blogs

Did you know … The Affinity Libraries maintain two blogs with new messages posted regularly. A blog is like an online diary or journal with the latest entry listed first. We use it for announcements, news, and featured resources.

What’s New at Affinity Libraries?
Most of these posts are published in The Weekly Employee Newsletter. An easy way to find a past article, or post, is to use the “Search This Blog” Feature. All prior library posts are listed and available back to 2005 in the Blog Archive.

New Books at Affinity Libraries
We post three new books every week—usually consumer health-related for the widest appeal.

You can stay current with Affinity Library News by visiting our blogs and signing up for email notifications. By signing up, you will receive an email message with each new post.


You can also add them to your Google Reader. What’s this?

PDR Pros & Cons

One of my fellow Librarians in Florida created a helpful little PowerPoint Presentation to illustrate the pros and cons of the PDR, that heavy drug book people always ask for.

Physicians’ Desk Reference : Pros and Cons (ppt) * by Patti Reynolds, MLIS
(Affinity Access only)

Ms. Reynolds presents some surprising facts you probably didn’t know about the PDR, and why it is usually NOT the best available source for drug information. She also offers several alternatives for quality drug information.

For starters, try the following on the Affinity Libraries Intranet site (Affinity Access only) :

Find Drug Information for Health Professionals

Drug Information for Patients and Families


* Used by permission. Edited to reflect Affinity Drug Resources.

Featured Database of the Month: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database

In April we are featuring the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database.

Affinity’s newest database offering, this resource was suggested by medical and nursing staff and provides high quality information for professional staff and patients.

• Objective and thorough enough for medical professionals yet presented in a way that is accessible to patients.


• Search for information on various natural medicines, including effectiveness, individual ingredients (sugh as Ginkgo Biloba extract), and drug interactions.


• The database provides information about how the various sections are created and describes the criteria used to rate each product's safety and effectiveness.


• Researchers update the database daily, so the information is current.


• For those who wish to see the studies cited in the articles, direct links to the study abstracts are provided.

Access the National Medicines Comprehensive Database via the Library webpage. It is listed alphabetically on the right under the “Most Popular Links” heading. Please be sure to logout when you are finished.

PubMed Citation Matcher

PubMed Citation Matcher -- a useful tool to fill in the blanks!

Find complete citations when you have only partial information.

Fill in the details you have, click GO and PubMed Citation Matcher will do the rest ... like Magic!

Using Google Phonebook to find Contact Info and Directory Listings

Finding People is one of the trickiest tasks on the internet.

Finding fellow Affinity staff is easy—Use the Phone Book on the Intranet, or Outlook. But sometimes we need to locate contact info for people not on staff. The AT&T White & Yellow Pages on the Intranet only covers The Fox Valley. What if the person or business lives beyond the Fox Valley?

The Internet offers many directories that allow you to search, but often require payment to see the results.

One free option is to use Google Phonebook. Google’s phone directory for business and residential listings is integrated into the Google Search Engine.

To use the Google Phonebook directly, type phonebook: before your search.
To find the Smiths in Oshkosh, type phonebook: smith Oshkosh

This will get you a list of all the Smiths in Oshkosh, complete with their phone numbers, street addresses and maps. Since Smith is such a common name, you’ll probably want to give Google a few more clues (first name or initials, zip code, state, phone number) to help zone in on just the Smith you’re looking for.

Google pulls this info from local phone directories and internet phonebook searches already publicly available. To have your residential phone and address information removed from the Google PhoneBook, click here.
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Still can’t find the person?
It may be that the person has a cell phone. Cell phone numbers are not listed in public phone directories.
The person may have an unlisted number.
Perhaps the person’s home phone is in someone else’s name?
Perhaps they live somewhere else?
Sometimes the numbers listed are outdated.

Reverse Lookup
To do a reverse look-up (when you want to know who belongs to what phone number), simply type the phone number into the main Google Search box. (You don’t have to specify phonebook for a reverse lookup.) Use the this format for best results : 555-555-555.

Remember, cell phone numbers are not considered public information.

If you still can’t locate contact info, Library Staff may be able to help.

Free Trial for NCMEtv

Through April 15, 2008, we will be doing a free trial of NCMEtv.

Many of you are already familiar with NCME. They produce the high quality CME video programs we show when a scheduled speaker is unable to attend. The Affinity Libraries have subscribed to NCME for many years. Soon, NCME will no longer be providing phycial DVD or videos in favor of their new online NCMEtv delivery program.


We need your help in determining if this would be a useful subscription for Affnity.


Benefits :

• Wider access available at your computer desktop 24/7
• Same cost as for monthly DVDs with much wider access
• Online submission of CME Tests
• Instant CME Certificates

Questions : Will it be used? Only YOU can help us answer this question ...

More Info (Affinity Access only):
NCMEtv Brochure

NCMEtv Registration Info Step-by-Step

Free Trials Evaluation Form We want to kow what you think!

You will also find links at the top of the Affinity Library web page.

Wildlife Siting at Mercy : Bald Eagle

This week, while eating lunch in the Mercy Cafeteria, I saw a majestic Bald Eagle swoop down over the frozen pond. The white head and tail were unmistakable. It was quite a sight to behold!

Several years ago, I created a list of animal sitings in and around the Mercy Pond in Oshkosh, WI. If you've seen animals not already on the list, please let me know, and I will add them.

ScienceDirect eJournals Available Online

325 new ejournals including old favorites like :

· American Heart Journal
· American Journal of Cardiology
· Annals of Emergency Medicine
· Heart & Lung
· Journal of Pain & Symptom Management
· Journal of Pediatrics

Visit the complete list here.

As of January 2008, Affinity Libraries are no longer receiving print copies of these journals. Instead, we now have reliable online access to these plus many more titles through ScienceDirect. As long as you are accessing these titles via an Affinity computer, you should be able to access full-text cleanly and effortlessly.

Access to our complete list of ScienceDirect titles is integrated into everyday Library tools and resources like :
OvidSP (Medline and CINAHL)
Google Scholar
A-Z Journals List
PubMed LinkOut

That means, if you are searching a database like Medline, the results come up with links to the full-text articles, when available.

Ask us about online Tables-of-Contents : a efficient way to keep up with new developments in your areas of interest.

Your Librarians,
Michele Matucheski, MLS, AHIP email via Outlook or 3-0340 (phone)
Margo Lambert, MLS email via Outlook or 8-2857 (phone)

Featured Databases of the Month: Ovid and Cinahl

When you hear librarians talk about searching Ovid, Medline and CINAHL are most likely the databases being used. Here is some general information about these resources:

The intended audience is health professionals
A search in CINAHL will lead to articles in Nursing and Allied Health Journals
A search in Medline will lead to articles in Clinical Medical journals
Since Affinity offers extensive online journal collections, many articles found using CINAHL Medline are available directly through Ovid, saving valuable time
Use CINAHL and MEDLINE to locate research on medical conditions and treatments

OvidSP is HERE!

If you search Affinity's MEDLINE, CINAHL, or Cochrane Library databases, you’ll notice that Ovid has a whole new look and feel beginning February 4, 2008.

Affinity Librarians will be available to help with the transition of getting used to using the new OvidSP. Contact Michele Matucheski or Margo Lambert via Outlook. We will be happy to sit down with you and lead you through the new interface.

We have OvidSP Quick Reference Cards available. Stop by the Libraries to pick one up or request that one be sent to you.

Remember to take advantage of the Help Files, OvidSP User's Guide, and the Database Field Guide available at the top of every page of the Ovid databases.

If you want a more formal online tour, try the following tutorials on the new interface from health science libraries around the US :

Online Tutorials:

OvidSP Tutorials – Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale University
OvidSP –Medical College of Wisconsin Library
OvidSP –University of Michigan Taubman Medical Library
Using PICO to search the OvidSP CINAHL Nursing Database – North Colorado Medical Center Medical Library

Documentation / Handouts:

Multiple Search Modes in OvidSP for MEDLINE (and more): What to Expect – Himmelfarb Library
Natural Language Searching Medline (and more) on OvidSP – Himmelfarb Library
RSS Feeds on OvidSP –Himmelfarb Library
OVID databases starter workbook (pdf) –University of Leeds Library
OVID databases advanced workbook (pdf) –University of Leeds Library

2008 Affinity CME Video Blog

We've created a new Affinty CME Video Blog for 2008. The url is slightly different, so you may want to update your Favorites or your RSS Feed.

The first program for 2008 is Asymptomatic Primary Hyperparathypothyroidism by Rebecca Sipple, MD. More info here ...

The 2008 Video Blog does have a sidebar link to the 2007 version, so you'll still be able to view the 2007 programs.

If you signed up for Feedburner email notifications on the 2007 video blog, you may want to sign up again since the 2008 version is a whole new blog.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments on the CME Video Blog.

Your Librarian,

Michele Matucheski, MLS, AHIP

Updated Training Materials Available from NLM

The following training materials have been updated for 2008:

• The PubMed® training workbook
• The Basics of Medical Subject Headings® Web site
• The PubMed Tutorial

These materials reflect changes in the medical subject headings and PubMed through December 2007. For details regarding these changes, see the November-December 2007 issue of the NLM Technical Bulletin.

Additional training materials for PubMed and other NLM® resources are available from the NLM Distance Education Program Resources page and the NLM Training Manuals and Resources site. The training manuals are designed for use with the NLM National Training Center and Clearinghouse training courses described at: http://nnlm.gov/ntcc/description.html.

From The NLM Technical Bulletin, January 2008 :
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/jf08/jf08_updated_training.html

Back to Basics : What's the Difference between Affinity's Health Science Libraries and The Public Library?

Question : What’s the difference between the Public Library and Affinity’s Health Science Libraries?

Answer : A Health Science Library is a “special library” that focuses its resources in the areas of health and medicine. Our mission is to help health professionals, patients, consumers and community members find the quality information they need to make informed health care decisions.

Therefore, most of what we have focuses on health, medicine, nursing, allied health, patient education and consumer health.

What we do NOT have :

You won’t find blockbuster movies, romance novels, westerns, car magazines, dog-training, gardening or quilting books in The Affinity Libraries. While these subjects have a great mass appeal, it is beyond the scope of our special health science library focus.

Public Libraries typically have a much broader mission that covers entertainment, cultural, educational and informational needs. Public Libraries often have SOME health and medical resources, but not to the extent and depth that a health science library has. This is our business.

Here are examples of some health-related questions we can help answer :

For health care consumers
Do you have cookbooks with recipes for diabetics?
What are the latest treatments for asthma?
My father’s doctor prescribed a new heart medication for him. What are the possible side effects and drug interactions?

For Health Professionals (Doctors, Nurses, and others …)
Where do I find current drug information on ABC drug?
Best practices for patient care
Patient Education Materials
Policy Updates
Patient Safety Initiatives
Continuing Education

In short, if you want to research a health topic, Affinity Library Services is the place!

Used Book Sale at Mercy Medical Center Library

We just put out a new batch of used books at the MMC Library. These are old editions (In most cases new editions are available for checkout, but are not for sale).

Prices are $1 per volume.
Limit 5 books per person.
First come, first served.

Subjects this time include the following :
Surgery (heart and chest)
Nursing Nursing Nursing
Quality
Obstetrics / Gynecology
Neurology
and many more...

Stop in to see the selection!

As always NEW books can be checked out for 2-4 weeks at a time.

In addition, we still have a decent selection of the old AudioDigests free to a good home. Series that remain are :
Family Practice
Ophthalmology
Internal Medicine
Gastroenterology
Anesthesiology
Obstetrics / Gynecology