“We now live in a world where information is potentially unlimited. Information is cheap, but meaning is expensive. Where is the meaning? Only human beings can tell you where it is. We’re extracting meaning from our minds and our own lives.”  --George Dyson

Bookmarks for Success: WorldCat

Scenario 1

I would like to know if any books have been written about a topic, or, say, by a specific person.  More so, I am not interested in whether NYIT Library owns a particular book, as I understand that I can either request it through interlibrary loan, or recommend that it be purchased and added to the collection.

Scenario 2

I would like to locate a library in the city, state or country, that subscribes to a particular journal, or magazine, or that has a specific title in its holdings. I have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), and/or an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN).

The above two scenarios offer perfect examples of WorldCat's true value.

WorldCat is a vertical search engine focusing on libraries.  A meta catalog of close to 200 million records, WorldCat indexes books and other materials from libraries around the world.  A quick search tells you both what books have been written about a given topic, and where a particular book or journal is available based on your current location.  Clicking the Find in a Library link in Google Books directs you to WorldCat’s search engine and website.  Cut out the middle man (i.e. Google) and proceed directly to WorldCat.

Access

NYIT access to WorldCat comes in two varieties: the free public Url, and the advanced NYIT interface.  There is also a custom mobile Url, and mobile Apps.

Bookmarks for Success

• Bookmark: NYIT Journal Locator
• Bookmark: Articles in Databases
• Bookmark: WorldCat

“The secret of success is… to be fully awake to everything about you." LeRoy Pollock, in a letter to his 16-year-old son Jackson, 1928.

Tough Talk: A Tool Box for Medical Educators

Tough Talk is a web-based toolbox for medical educators. It's hosted by the University of Washington School of Medicine, and provides resources for teaching communication skills and ethics in clinical settings.

Tough Talk includes tools on common teaching challenges, optimizing small group dynamics, providing effective, honest feedback, helping clinicians develop and operationalize personal training goals and motivating engagement and self-assessment in reluctant participants.

To access the toolkit visit here.

AMA Most Fascinating Medical Facts of 2011

Recently, AMA (American Medical Association) released the most fascinating medical facts of 2011.  Here are just some that seemed to be the most interesting.

1. For every American who quit smoking in 2011, another became obese.
2. 63% of doctors say they have changed an initial diagnosis based on new information found online.
3. Only 9% of patients say online information influences their physician choice.
4. 91% of Americans don't know how much sodium healthy people are supposed to consume.
5. The overwhelming majority of online physician reviews are positive.
6. Anxiety and depression medications are used by 27 million Americans.
7. 82% of U.S. hospitals have delayed patient treatment because of drug shortages.
8. An estimated 4.5 million annual outpatient visits are due to adverse drug events.
9. 80% of patients fear contracting infection in a hospital; 71% worry about medical errors.
10. Nearly 12 million Americans are cancer survivors, 4 times the number in 1971.

And the list goes on...

• View the complete list of medical facts 2011.
• View last year's 2010 edition.

What's the difference between Apps and Mobile sites?

Many Apps are saved to your device and do not require internet access when they are being used. This is practical when you have limited Wifi, but it also means you need to update the apps frequently to make sure you have the most recent and accurate information downloaded.
Mobile sites are websites or databases optimized for easy navigation on smaller screens and require internet access.

Check NYIT's Library Webpage , and browse the LibGuides including the guide to Medical Mobile Resources. The guide includes both recommended Apps and a list to the mobile sites for databases subscribed by NYIT libraries.

To view the guide click here.