Day: July 1, 2014

New Loan Periods for Faculty

Posted on by dorner

Beginning June 2014, books checked out to faculty are now loaned for six months.

As long as the item isn’t requested by another patron, faculty may renew items. Renewals can be done online by using “My OskiCat” before the book is due. Faculty can renew the book several times for a total loan period of four years.

The Library has changed these loan periods with a goal of creating more consistent practices that bridge all our campus libraries. The six month loan period for faculty is a compromise between the former practices of one month loans in the science libraries, and twelve month loans in the social science and humanities libraries.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Richmond Instruction: Food and Nutrition Resources

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

Wednesday, July 9, 2014, 10am-11am
Building C, Room 140
850 Marina Bay Parkway, Building C, Richmond, CA

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RSVP by Monday, July 7th to Michael Sholinbeck at msholinb@library.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-2510. Please obtain your supervisor’s approval before you RSVP.

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Supervisors: Please encourage your staff to attend if appropriate.

* Need to find literature on food and nutrition and their relationship to health?

* Want to know the nutritive value of different kinds of foods, from broccoli to Big Macs?

* Interested in how many fruits and vegetables Californians eat daily and other statistical information?

* Need to keep updated on the latest food-borne outbreaks and recalls?

* Want to know about quality sources of food/nutrition information for consumers?

* Curious about what professional resources (e.g., free training courses) are available to you?

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

Some of the topics that will be covered:
1. Using bibliographic databases such as Agricola to find journal articles on food and nutrition topics
2. Resources for finding the nutritive value of foods
3. Finding statistics on food consumption
4. Information for consumers or for developing consumer material

Class Objective:
An introduction for CDPH staff to quality professional food and nutrition resources that will support CDPH work. Use of these resources will help staff locate statistics, policies/best work practices, and evidence-based information. Professional tools can assist in staff skill development.

These training sessions are free to CDPH employees. A certificate of completion will be available for those who attend the class.

If you are interested in other training classes we offer please go to the library training page for more information.

Sacramento Instruction: PubMed Advanced Hands-On

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

Wednesday, July 23, 2014, 10:30-12 pm
Enterprise Computer Training Room 72.169
1500 Capitol Ave, Sacramento
(Turn left as you enter the building and
proceed through the double doors to the
Enterprise Training Room)

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RSVP by Monday, July 21st to Michael Sholinbeck at msholinb@library.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-2510. Please obtain your supervisor’s approval before you RSVP.

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Please note: This class is limited to 12 participants. A waiting list will be created, if necessary, for a possible additional class.

Some seats may be available on the day of the class so if you don’t register in advance, you can just show up to see if there is availability.

Supervisors: Please encourage your staff to attend if appropriate.

* Want to learn more about finding and using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)?

* Want to know how to effectively use MeSH subheadings?

* Want to learn how to use “evidence-based medicine” filters, useful for both clinical medicine and epidemiology?

* Want to learn about using PubMed’s Topic-Specific Queries, such as Comparative Effectiveness, Healthy People 2020, Health Disparities, and more?

* Need to know if a specific journal is indexed in PubMed?

* Interested in other advanced features of PubMed?

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

Topics covered will include:
1. More about MeSH
2. Using MeSH Subheadings effectively
3. Clinical Queries
4. Topic-Specific Queries
5. Journals in NCBI Databases
6. Other Advanced PubMed features

Class Objective:
This class will teach you how to create more focused searches using MeSH and MeSH subheadings, and to quickly find “evidence-based medicine” citations utilizing PubMed’s pre-defined clinical queries.

It is highly recommended, but not required, that you have already taken the PubMed Basics class, or already have a basic understanding of and ability to search PubMed. This class will not cover what was covered in the PubMed Basics class.

A certificate of completion will be given to those who pre-register and attend the class.

Supervisors: Please encourage your staff to attend if appropriate.

These training sessions are free to CDPH staff.

If you are interested in other training classes we offer please go to the library training page for more information.

CDPH in the News, July 2014

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

Salmonella warning issued for products from Novato company

From San Jose Mercury News.

The California Department of Public Health is warning the public not to eat three products from a Novato-based company that may be contaminated with salmonella. The warning includes Navitas Naturals products including Navitas Naturals Organic Sprouted Chia Powder, Navitas Naturals Omega Blend Sprouted Smoothie Mix and Williams-Sonoma Omega 3 Smoothie Mixer. As of Tuesday, 12 patients infected with the same strain of salmonella have been reported in the U.S., according to the CDPH.

Chromium 6 limit finalized for California

From Glendale News Press.

The California Department of Public Health’s new cap on water contaminant chromium 6 of 10 parts per billion is set to take effect July 1 after the limit received final approval from an administrative arm of the department last week. The Office of Administrative Law’s approval follows more than three years of work by the health department to reduce the maximum contaminant level for the cancer-causing element featured in the 2000 film "Erin Brokovich." Public health officials used more than a decade of research done by the city of Glendale to craft the new cap.

Healthcare Watchdog, Our SALUD, Takes on State’s Chief Public Health Officer

From the Digital Journals.

Our SALUD is taking on the head of the California Department of Public Health for allegedly not doing his job to protect the health and well-being of all Californians, especially the most vulnerable. Community activists Elba Romo and Bell corruption scandal whistleblower Nestor Valencia are leading the grass roots organization that seeks equal access to health in disadvantaged areas.
Plaintiffs Our SALUD representing low-income minority communities filed a lawsuit today demanding Ron Chapman, Director of the California Department of Public Health, take immediate actions to enforce the state’s patient protection regulations against Prime Healthcare, one of the state’s largest healthcare systems, that operates more than 18 hospitals in California. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by Our SALUD.

Botulism scare prompts recall of Healdsburg pickled products

From Press Democrat.

The Healdsburg Pickling Company is voluntarily recalling three of its pickled food products after the California Department of Public Health warned consumers that they may have been improperly produced. The products affected by the recall are green beans, carrots and pickles, which are packaged in quart and pint jars with screw-on metal lids. They have the label "Healdsburg Pickling Company" but do not have any coding or "use by" dates on the labels, officials said.

West Nile virus detected in Central Valley

From Central Valley Business Times.

The California Department of Public Health’s new cap on water contaminant chromium 6 of 10 parts per billion is set to take effect July 1 after the limit received final approval from an administrative arm of the department last week. The Office of Administrative Law’s approval follows more than three years of work by the health department to reduce the maximum contaminant level for the cancer-causing element featured in the 2000 film "Erin Brokovich." Public health officials used more than a decade of research done by the city of Glendale to craft the new cap.

Professional Development: Introduction to Water and Climate, an edX online class

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

Interested in expanding your knowledge of how water impacts global climate patterns? Then you might be interested in an upcoming online class called Introduction to Water and Climate. Created by Delft University of Technology located in the Netherlands, this class explores the global water cycle, water and climate change, interventions, water resource management, and more.

This edX class begins on August 26 and will run for 8 weeks with about 8 hours a week of work anticipated. It’s free to audit or you can pay a minimal fee ($50) to pursue a Verified Certificate of Achievement.

edX, a new not-for-profit enterprise founded by MIT and Harvard University, offers free online learning to students around the world. UC Berkeley, Harvard, and MIT are among the institutions offering online classes here. An online listing of all the classes offered by edX is available here.

Visiting the Public Health Library this summer?

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

As things heat up outside, please feel free to stop by and use our library. Below you’ll find information on our holiday closures and summer hours.

Our summer hours began on May 17 and continue through August 27. During this time, the Public Health Library will be open from 10am-5pm. If you wish to visit the library from 8am-10am, please let us know beforehand. Just give us a call first so we can open the door for you and make sure that a librarian will be here to assist you. We have computers available for your research use. Please let us know when you arrive.

You will still be able to reach us as usual from 8am – 5pm by calling (510) 642-2510 and by logging in to the web portal.

The Public Health Library will be closed on July 4 for the Independence Day holiday. Please plan ahead and anticipate your project needs, especially if you will be using our Document Delivery service.

To tweet or not to tweet?

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

That may be one of your questions! With all the various social media tools available, it’s hard to know which ones should you be using for the best results and benefits for your program. A new report called The Nonprofit Social Media Decision Guide may help you sort through the ever changing terrain of social media and help you choose an effective social media mix.

This report, written by the nonprofit Idealware, explores the different strengths and weaknesses of various types of popular social media. Idealware’s mission is to research and report on software for nonprofits to help them with their software decisions.

The report includes a workbook with tools to help you identify your social media goals and to define your audience. Other tools will help you to decide which channels are right for you, to integrate your communications, and to create a social media policy.

e-Pathgen – Using Genomics to Support Public Health module

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

Need to review the basic principles of genomic sequencing? Want to learn about how genes, genomics, and genetic sequencing intersect with public health? Then you might want to take a look at these free tutorials and case studies created by Public Health England (PHE).

These tutorials were designed for public health workers who need a basic understanding of genomic sequencing and and its application to epidemiology and public health. e-Pathgen – Using Genomics to Support Public Health utilizes videos, a collection of introductory tutorials and illustrated case studies to take viewers through epidemiological investigations that utilize genomic data along with more familiar forms of information.

The objectives of these e-learning modules are to explain the basic principles of genomic sequencing, learn about the benefits and limitations of genomics to epidemiology practice, and practice the application of the principles of genomics to solving public health problems.

New Books!

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

The Public Health Library has the following new books available in print:

1. Community Development Approaches to Improving Public Health. Edited by Robert S. Ogilvie. London; New York: Routledge, 2013. Call number: RA445 .C646 2013. Table of contents and description available from publisher here.

2. Handbook for Public Health Social Work. Edited by the Public Health Social Work Section of the American Public Health Association; Robert H. Keefe, Elaine T. Jurkowski, managing editors. New York: Springer Pub., 2013. Call number: HV687.5.U5 H36 2013. Table of contents and description available from the publisher here

3. Community-Based Participatory Health Research: Issues, Methods, and Translation to Practice, Second Edition. By Daniel S. Blumenthal, Ralph J. DiClemente, Ronald Braithwaite, Selina Smith, editors. New York: Springer Pub., 2013. Call number: RA440.85 .C66 2013. Table of contents and description available from the publisher here

and here are some new titles available online from the National Academies Press, which require a free registration to download a pdf of the title:

4. Understanding the Connections Between Coastal Waters and Ocean Ecosystem Services and Human Health: Workshop Summary. Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2014.

5. The Impacts of the Affordable Care Act on Preparedness Resources and Programs: Workshop Summary. Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2014.

6. The Current State of Obesity Solutions in the United States: Workshop Summary. National Research Council. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2014.

Please note that these books are only a small selection of what is newly available. If you are interested in checking out any book(s), submit a request using our online form and we will mail the book(s) to you.

You may also log into your web portal account to request book(s).

If you do not currently possess a UC Berkeley library card, you will need to apply for one before we can check out a book to you.