Day: September 1, 2011

GeoData@UC Berkeley with MapUp Released

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

The UC Berkeley Libraries are excited to announce the release of GeoData@UC Berkeley with MapUp, a geoportal and geospatial data sharing application.

GeoData@UC Berkeley allows users to discover the library’s geospatial data holdings, preview geospatial data, create custom maps using only a web browser, and download geospatial data in a variety of formats. GeoData@UC Berkeley currently contains over 9,000 geospatial data layers from UC Berkeley, Harvard University, and MIT.

GeoData@UC Berkeley is part of a consortium of geoportals created by Tufts University, Harvard University, MIT, Princeton University, and the Massachusetts Office of Geographic Information (MASSGIS).

MapUp is an application developed by the UC Berkeley Libraries to allow UC Berkeley students, faculty, and researchers to store and share their geospatial data with GeoData@UC Berkeley users. Anyone with a valid CalNet ID can upload data to MapUp.

For more information about GeoData@UC Berkeley or MapUp, please contact John Ridener, GIS Specialist/Map Cataloger at the Earth Sciences and Map Library: jridener@library.berkeley.edu.

This post originally appeared on the Earth Sciences and Maps news blog.

September 14th Richmond Instruction: PubMed’s My NCBI Hands on

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

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RSVP by Monday, September 12th to Judy Bolstad at
jbolstad@library.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-2510.
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* Do you want to save your PubMed search(es) and receive e-mail updates as new relevant citations are added to PubMed?

* Did you know you could permanently store citations you find from a PubMed search?

* Do you want to share a list of citations with colleagues?

* Are you interested in customizing the PubMed display such that searches are “filtered” into categories of your choice?

* Are you interested in keeping track of searches run and citations viewed during the previous 6 months?

If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, then please come to the Sheldon Margen Public Health Library’s PubMed’s My NCBI Hands-on class!

Topics covered will include:
1. How to register for a My NCBI account
2. How to save searches and have PubMed periodically re-run the search and automatically e-mail you new citations
3. How to permanently save and share citations in My NCBI
4. How to set up search filters in PubMed, so search results are sorted into your desired categories (e.g., age groups, citations that link to other databases, etc.)
5. Other features of My NCBI

Class: PubMed’s My NCBI Hands-On
When: Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 10:30 am-12 pm
Where: CDPH Richmond Campus, Building P, Computer Training Room P-1246

Audience:
This class is intended for CDPH staff who have used PubMed and who want to learn about some of its customizable features.

Class Objective:
This class will assist you in keeping current with new literature in your field. It will save you time by allowing you to save searches and search results (citations), and will facilitate collaboration by letting you create shared citation sets.

Supervisors: Please encourage your staff to attend, if appropriate.

If you wish to attend, RSVP by Monday, September 12 to Judy Bolstad at jbolstad@library.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-2510.

Please note: This class is limited to 16 participants.  A waiting list will be created, if necessary, for an additional class.

These hands-on training sessions are free to CDPH employees. Please obtain your supervisor’s approval to attend.

September 28th Sacramento Instruction: Google, Google Scholar, Google Books and WorldCat

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

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RSVP by Monday, September 26th to Judy Bolstad at
jbolstad@library.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-2510.
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Do you know:

* You can limit any search in Google to a particular domain (such as .gov or .org) or even a web site?

* What exactly is and is not included in Google search products?

* You can import citations directly from Google Scholar into EndNote or Reference Manager?

* You can search for citing citations in Google Scholar?

* You can limit Google Scholar searches by year, subject area, and more?

* Google Books allows you to read or preview books online?

If you answered “No” to any of these questions, then please come to the Sheldon Margen Public Health Library’s Google, Google Scholar, Google Books and WorldCat class!

Topics covered will include:
1. Google search products: what’s in them?
2. Search tips
3. Setting Preferences, using Advanced Search
4. Cited reference searching
5. Shortcomings of using Google for research
6. Other sources of free, online books

Class: Google, Google Scholar, Google Books, and WorldCat
When: Wednesday, September 28, 2011, 1:30-2:30 pm
Where: CDPH Sacramento, 1500 Capitol Ave, Training Room C

Class Objective:
This class will teach participants skills to efficiently and effectively search Google, Google Scholar, Google Books and WorldCat to retrieve relevant information and literature for their jobs.

Audience:
This class is intended for CDPH staff whose work requires more effective Internet searching, and finding articles and books on work-related topics.

Supervisors: Please encourage your staff to attend, if appropriate.

If you wish to attend, please RSVP by Monday, September 26th to Judy Bolstad at jbolstad@library.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-2510.

These one-hour training sessions are free to CDPH employees. Please obtain your supervisor’s approval to attend.

“CDPH in the News” Blog

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

The Public Health Library created a blog titled “CDPH in the News” consisting of news stories that mention CDPH. This blog is on the CDPH library home page and is on the web portal home page — scroll down in the right-side column. The most recent 3 stories are listed, with a link to see all posts. We will add new stories to this blog regularly, so make sure to check back for updates or sign up to get new blog posts via RSS feed.

What Works in Public Health

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

The National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools (NCCMT) is a Canadian entity that can “help you to find and use innovative, high quality, up-to-date methods and tools for sharing what works in public health.” Their focus is broad enough such that public health professionals in the U.S. will find much of value on their web site, including:

– The Registry of Methods and Tools: a searchable, online collection of evidence-informed methods and tools for knowledge translation in public health.
– Public Health +: a source of synthesized and methodologically strong research evidence.
– Learning Modules: free online tutorials on evidence-informed decision making and critical appraisal of intervention studies.

and more.

Join NCCMT’s “DialoguePH” network to get weekly e-mails with tools and resources designed to help you in your work. Recent weeks’ topics include:

– Developing health communication campaigns
– Developing your skills in writing policy papers
– Supporting change through large scale disseminations
– Engaging citizens for decision making

An archive of these emails is here: http://www.nccmt.ca/networking/mail/archives-eng.html

Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

“The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity is a non-profit research and public policy organization devoted to improving the world’s diet, preventing obesity, and reducing weight stigma.” Site includes some publications back to 2006 with searching available by topic, year, or author; a link to podcasts; a legislation database; policy briefs and reports; and a monthly newsletter. Check it out by going to our Food/Nutrition Resources web page.

National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research: Catalogue of Surveillance Systems

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

“This web tool provides a catalogue of existing surveillance systems that contain data relevant to childhood obesity research. It includes local, state, and national systems that provide data at multiple levels. NCCOR is a collaboration among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)”. To access it, go to our Statistical/Data Resources web page.

EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database (Environmental Working Group)

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

EWG has created online safety profiles for over 65,000 cosmetics and personal care products and made these available in an easy-to-search database. The profiles list and rate the safety of the ingredients in each of the products in the database. Includes sunscreens, hair straighteners, shampoos, nail care products, fragrances, and more. Take a look, from our Consumer Health Resources web page.

Web First: Increased Public Health Spending Reduces Preventable Deaths

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

A new study, released online recently as a Web First by Health Affairs, found that increased public health investments can produce measureable health improvements. The study, which will also appear in the journal’s August issue, analyzed changes in spending patterns and mortality rates within the service areas of nearly three thousand local public health agencies between 1993 and 2005. See below:

Evidence Links Increases In Public Health Spending To Declines In Preventable Deaths
By Glen P. Mays and Sharla A. Smith

“To measure spending, the authors used information from the National Association of County and City Health Officials and other sources. They looked at county-level infant mortality rates and age-adjusted mortality rates for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and influenza, all measures expected to be sensitive to public health interventions. They found that between 1993 and 2005, public health spending increased among 65% of local public health agencies, by an average of $6.16 per person, for a total of $40.84 per person in 2005. In communities that increased public health spending by 10 percent, mortality levels declined measurably: infant mortality rate declined 6.85 percent; heart disease deaths per 100,000 population declined 3.22 percent; and deaths from diabetes and cancer declined 1.44 percent and 1.13 percent respectively.) “Our results suggest that additional spending, such as the $15 billion in new federal funds authorized under the Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund, would be expected to generate substantial improvements in population health over time,” conclude the authors. “By measuring spending levels in specific programmatic areas such as tobacco control, nutrition, and physical activity, it may be possible to identify more precise relationships between investments and health outcomes.”