Public Health Library Holiday Hours and More!

From December 24th through January 5th, we will be open December 24th, December 29th, December 30th, and January 2nd from 9AM to 5PM for CDPH services. Please plan ahead and anticipate your project needs, especially if you will be using our Document Delivery service. If you wish to visit the library on these dates, please let us know beforehand so we can make sure a librarian will be here to assist you.

Thank you for continuing to use our valuable library services. We encourage you to let your new and existing colleagues know about our services and resources, if they do not already use them. We are currently working on improving our web portal interface for you to be able to more easily access our services. Be on the lookout for updates soon!

Happy Holidays to you from all of us at the Public Health Library!


December 22nd Sacramento Hands on Instruction Session: Reference Manager 11

* Do you have the Reference Manager program but are not sure what it can do for you?

* Are you already using Reference Manager and have some burning questions?

* Are you interested in a hands-on session so you can learn and practice using Reference Manager?

* Do you write journal articles or reports where you need to cite literature you’ve read or referenced?

If you’ve answered “Yes” to any of these questions, then please come to the Sheldon Margen Public Health Library’s Reference Manager 11 hands on class!  This class will be held at 1500 Capitol Ave in the Computer Training Room, 72.169.

Topics covered will include:
1. Basics of using Reference Manager 11: display, navigation, etc.
2. How to get PubMed and other citations into Reference Manager
3. How to use “Cite While You Write” with Microsoft Word
4. How to get help

Class: Reference Manager 11 Hands On
When: Monday December 22, 2008 10:30-12 pm
Where: Sacramento Campus, 1500 Capitol Ave, Room 72.169
(Computer Training Room)

Audience:
This class is intended for CDPH staff who want to learn more about using Reference Manager’s features. Please note that the software will not be distributed at this class. Your unit must purchase the software for you to use it.

If you wish to attend, please RSVP by Wednesday December 17 to Judy Bolstad at jbolstad@library.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-2510.

Please note: This class is limited to 12 participants. A waiting list may be created, if necessary, for a possible additional class. These hands on training sessions are free to CDPH employees. Please obtain your supervisor’s approval to attend.


No Richmond Training Session in December

There will not be a training session held in Richmond in December. The next Richmond class, Toxicology Resources, will be held on Wednesday, January 14, 2009. Further information will be included in the next issue of this e-newsletter, which will be sent out in early January. In 2009, Richmond classes will be held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month.


January 5th Sacramento Instruction Session: Health Statistics and Data Resources

* Does your research require health statistics or data, but you’re not sure where to get them?

* Do you want to know where to look for answers to questions such as:

– How many people in Sacramento County died from diabetes-related complications in 2002?
– What was the population growth of Asians in Fresno County in 2004?
– How do I find health status reports for California counties?
– How can I get raw data from a national survey that describes nutritional and behavioral factors associated with mortality?

* Do you want to be able to download and save this data into spreadsheets?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then please come to the Sheldon Margen Public Health Library’s Health Statistics and Data Resources class!

Some of the topics that will be covered:
1. Vital Statistics
2. Incidence and Prevalence Statistics
3. National Surveys
4. California Statistics

Sheldon Margen Public Health Library librarians have scheduled a training session to demonstrate online sources of statistical information and data files. NOTE: We will NOT cover statistical analysis or statistical software programs.

Class: Health Statistics and Data Resources
When: Monday, January 5, 2009, 2-3 pm
Where: 1500 Capitol Avenue, Rooms 72.149-151, Training Rooms A and B

Audience:
This class is intended for CDPH staff who need to find and use health-related statistics for their work. A number of resources will used to demonstrate how to obtain and save various types of statistics.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP by Monday, December 22nd to Judy Bolstad
(jbolstad@library.berkeley.edu).

Feel free to send some examples of real life statistical questions you frequently get or need answers to. We’ll try and incorporate some of these into the class. These one-hour training sessions are free to CDPH employees.  Please obtain your supervisor’s approval to attend.


Upcoming Free Spring 2009 Courses (from the UCB Center for Infectious Diseases & Emergency Readiness) !

The following courses will be offered on the Berkeley campus at CIDER for free, if you do not want credit.

Classes:

PH 253E: Ethics and Public Health in an Age of Terrorism
(http://www.idready.org/courses_ucb.html#PH253E)

PH 253B: Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases
(http://www.idready.org/courses_ucb.html#PH253B)

PH 252B: Modeling the Dynamics of Infectious Disease Processes
(http://www.idready.org/courses_ucb.html#PH252B)

To register for non-academic credit, please fill out the registration form at:

http://www.idready.org/documents/Registration_Form_09_Spring_000.pdf

and return it to the Center for Infectious Diseases & Emergency Readiness at 1918 University Ave, 4th Fl, Berkeley, California 94704-7350. You may also fax the form to 510-643-4926. If you have any questions, please call 510-643-4939 or send an e-mail to: idready@berkeley.edu.


Where’s my Article? A Tip for Using the Document Delivery Service

Have you requested articles from the Public Health Library, but have not yet received them all? Does it seem like you have been waiting too long since you requested them?

If this is ever the case for you, remember that you can log on to your web portal account and view the status of your requests. There is a link on your home page to see items delivered to you in the last month, and by clicking the “View My Requests” link, you can also see which of your requests are still pending. In addition, you can see all requests you have made each month, as well as for the entire fiscal year.

If you find that you often do not receive the emails from us with the link to your requested article, you may wish to adjust the spam settings of your e-mail program to accept messages from
publdeli@library.berkeley.edu.

If you do not have a web portal account set up already, please contact Michael Sholinbeck, who can create one for you. He can be reached at msholinb@library.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-2510.


California Food Guide: Fulfilling the Dietary Guidelines for Americans

This 2008 update to the 1990 version was written by nutrition experts from across California. The CFG is for health professionals such as public health nutritionists, registered dietitians, health educators and other community based health professionals. It includes statistical information comparing California’s nutritional health status to the Healthy People 2010 goals. Chapters cover specific nutrition topics such as whole grains and other food groups, prenatal nutrition, physical
activity, ethnic dietary issues, and hunger and food insecurity. To check it out, please go to:

http://www.cafoodguide.ca.gov/


New electronic resources

The library subscribes to more than 900 premium online information sources. To learn more about what we’ve added in the last month, see our list of new resources.

New
» CAIRN (French-language articles)
» European Film Treasures (free, on-demand European films)
» Godefroy dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue francaise (IXe-XVe siecle)
» Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism
» Opera del Vocabolario Italiano (pre-1375 Italian texts)
» Revues.org (French-language journals)
» Tresor de la langue francaise informatise (French dictionary)

Changed
» ATLA Religion Database now available via EBSCOhost
» Art History (subject) is now Art History/Art Practice

To find out more about any of our electronic resources, search its title here.


Holiday gift guide

In these challenging economic times, the library offers a variety of interesting products at attractive prices. Many of these can be bought online — get your shopping done and still have time to study for finals!

Check out these holiday gift ideas:

  • The Library Bookstore offers great prices on a wide range of scholarly and general interest books that are not needed for our collections.
  • For someone who isn’t currently affiliated with the University, membership in the California Alumni Association provides a number of benefits, including the ability to get a Library Borrower’s Card at no extra charge.
  • Anyone who uses our photocopiers, or prints from the public computers, will appreciate a Copy Card. It’s like a BART ticket — add as much value as you want!
  • For the bibliophile on your list, the Bancroft Library offers a variety of publications and other items including cards, posters, and T-shirts.
  • People with an altruistic turn of mind will enjoy knowing that you’ve made a gift to the library in their honor. 
  • We’ve even got stocking stuffers! The Copy Center in Moffitt Library offers pencils, notepads, computer disks, and other useful items.

Finally, if you need a break after all this shopping, we recommend a visit to the Free Speech Movement Café.