Dana Supports Administrative Personnel

A handful of brave souls came out on a stormy day in January to attend a reception held by Dana Library Liaisons for administrative personnel across the College of Medicine, College of Nursing and Health Sciences and Fletcher Allen. This was the second year Dana librarians hosted such an event in the hopes of educating more staff about the services available to them through the Liaison Program. Last year’s event was a success with many attendees becoming regular library service users.

Administrative staff learned more about the following services:

• E-resource access and trouble shooting
• Training in knowledge management tools: EndNote; Journal Table of Contents Alerts; Current Awareness searches; RSS Feeds
• Assistance with grant formatting
• Literature searching

To learn more about services available at the Library, see http://library.uvm.edu/dana/services/liaison/. And keep on the look-out for next year’s Administrative Personnel Reception.

Spotlight on: Dana Liaison Program

Since 2005, the Dana Medical Library has had a Library Liaison Program in order to foster direct and effective communication about services, information resources, and other library matters. Under this program, a professional health sciences faculty librarian at the Dana Medical Library is assigned to serve as a liaison between the Libraries and units of the University of Vermont College of Medicine, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Fletcher Allen Health Care and Porter Medical Center.

Depending on the needs of the unit, activities of a Librarian Liaison might include:

Services for Staff

• E-resource access and trouble shooting
• Training in knowledge management tools: EndNote; Journal Table of Contents Alerts; Current Awareness searches; RSS Feeds
• Assistance with grant formatting
• Literature searching

Services for Clinicians

• Research assistance
• E-resource access and troubleshooting
• Orientations to Dana Resources
• Library Grand Rounds/ Presentations
• Training in knowledge management tools:EndNote; Journal Table of Contents Alerts; Current Awareness searches; RSS Feeds
• Assistance with Graduate Medical Education competency compliance
• Literature searches for Journal Clubs, Grand Rounds & other presentations

Services for Faculty and Researchers

• Research assistance
• Monitoring curricular and research developments
• Review of information needs
• Discussion of research and teaching needs with graduate students, faculty, and postdoctoral associates
• E-resource access and troubleshooting
• Training in knowledge management tools: EndNote; Journal Table of Contents Alerts; Current Awareness searches; RSS Feeds
• Tailoring instructional programs to specific needs
• Electronic integration of resources into UVM curriculum via course management systems (COMET and WebCT)

For more information about the Liaison Program and to find your department’s Liaison, go to: http://library.uvm.edu/dana/services/liaison/.

Expert Searching Works for Clinicians and Researchers Alike

Whether you’re pursuing evidence-based clinical practice or creating new knowledge through research, a literature review is an essential step in the process. The literature review can provide you with:

• vital background information,
• a rationale for research,
• highlights of work that has already been undertaken in the field,
• a review of previously-used methods, or
• insight into unexplored research areas.

A thorough literature review prevents duplication of efforts, stimulates creative ideas for how to proceed, and confirms or validates the results of your research. In the end, high quality literature searching leads to success in the research process, promotes efficient use of funding, and ensures the safety of patients.

Unfortunately many clinicians and/or researchers and their assistants who perform literature searches do not have the time to search the literature effectively and efficiently. Keeping up with the constantly shifting information landscape can seem nearly impossible. However, the use of comprehensive evidence- or knowledge-based information retrieved through the expert searching process is crucial to ensuring clinical, administrative, educational, and research success.

The Library Faculty Liaisons at the Dana Medical Library are proud to offer an expert literature searching service for your convenience. So, the next time you’re contemplating a grant, investigating a complex patient care issue, or preparing to undertake a research project, start by contacting your liaison librarian or a DML reference librarian for a literature search that will get the job done.

To find the Library Liaison for your department go to http://library.uvm.edu/dana/services/liaison/, or contact the Dana Medical Library reference desk at 802-656-2201 or danaref@uvm.edu.