Tag: tips
Recent Public Health Library web site downtime
Due to the recent downtime regarding our web site, you may have had
difficulty accessing our services, such as Document Delivery. In the
future, make sure to login to your web portal to access our services if the web pages are unavailable.
If you cannot remember your password, please email or call Sarah Ngo
at: sngo@library.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-2510.
Preventing laptop theft: Defense-in-depth approach
Did you know that 88 laptops were stolen on campus last year? Most were stolen from campus libraries (mainly Doe and Moffitt). UC Berkeley iNews has a recent article with steps you can take to reduce the chance of your laptop getting stolen. The article also include information on data encryption and more. This holistic approach is called a defense-in-depth approach: combine physical security with additional, defensive layers such as encryption and location software.
Basic steps you can take include:
- Do not walk away from your laptop, even for a "minute"
- Secure your laptop using quality hardware
- Make sure your laptop is identifiable
Besides laptops, cell phones, ipods, etc. are easily stolen. Don’t be a victim!
What you MISS if you only use PubMed to find articles
PubMed is great, …
BUT: if you don’t use other databases besides PubMed to find articles, you are missing important public health research.
The Library licenses hundreds of databases for you to use while you are at UCB. Here’s a web page with some that are particularly useful for public health research.
So … what would you miss?
Here is some recent research by SPH faculty that you would not find using PubMed:
Use Sociological Abstracts to find articles like this:
eHealth communication and behavior change: promise and performance, Neuhauser, Linda; Kreps, Gary L; Social Semiotics, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 9-27, Feb 2010.
Use PsycINFO to find articles like this:
Voices from the field: The social construction of alcohol problems in inner-city communities. Herd, Denise; Contemporary Drug Problems: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly. Vol 38(1), pp. 7-39, 2011.
Use Geography to find articles like this:
Monitoring and evaluation of improved biomass cookstove programs for indoor air quality and stove performance: conclusions from the Household Energy and Health Project. Smith K.R., Dutta K., Chengappa C., Gusain P.P.S., Berrueta O.M.a.V., Edwards R., Bailis R., Shields K.N. Energy for Sustainable Development. 11(2) (pp 5-18), 2007.
Use Global Health to find articles like this:
Public health policy and dioxin in the environment.
Smith A. H.; Occasional Report Series – Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University, Issue 9; Pages: 69-86 2006.
More examples are on the bulletin board in the Public Health Library. Please contact a librarian at the Public Health Library for more help finding articles on your topics.
PubMed’s Advanced Search Feature Updated
The advanced search page has been modified to provide users with a less cluttered, more intuitive way to build searches. Take a look!
More information can be found at:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/nd11/nd11_pm_advanced_search.html
Tutorial available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dncRQ1cobdc
Update on the LibX for CDPH browser extension
LibX for CDPH is a customized Internet Explorer browser extension that facilitates searching PubMed for CDPH, Google Scholar, OskiCat (UCB Library Catalog), and WorldCat (UC/Worldwide Library Catalog). LibX is an open source program originally developed for the Firefox browser; versions for Internet Explorer and Chrome have since been developed.
LibX for CDPH was created to link to and facilitate searching of resources of interest to CDPH staff. Because Internet Explorer (IE) is the supported browser at CDPH work sites, this custom LibX was created for IE. Information on LibX for CDPH may be found at www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/cdph/LibXinstruct.pdf. We have just learned that LibX will not function on PCs using Windows 7, which is becoming the standard operating system on CDPH PCs. The developers of LibX do not have the resources to continue to create new versions for the non-open source IE. You may continue to use LibX as long as your computer uses Windows XP.
We will soon attempt to update LibX for CDPH Firefox version, for you to use on any computer with the Firefox browser; we will announce this update in this newsletter.
EndNote X5 Update Patch Available
The update is available for EndNote X5 for Windows users and includes a number of improvements. Note: You must have a licensed copy of EndNote X5 for Windows installed to run the X5.0.1 update.
Improvements:
* Find reference updates for multiple references — highlight the references and begin reviewing available updates to
enrich your EndNote library
* Open and convert Reference Manager 12 Databases
* Edit and update Reference Manager 11/12 citations in Word
* Updates to Bibliographic formatting styles, Import Filters, and Connection Files
For more information and instructions on how to install the update, go to:
http://endnote.com/support/ENX501_WinMac_updater.asp
UCB SciLibs IM service discontinued
Beginning with the Spring 2012 semester, the UCB Science Libraries will no longer be offering the UCB SciLibs chat reference service. Users can instead use 24/7 Ask a Librarian for immediate reference help anytime, day or night.
Many of our users may already be familiar with 24/7 Ask a Librarian, a popular chat reference service provided by the UC Libraries. During the 2010-2011 school year, UC Berkeley students asked over 4,000 questions using this service and immediately got the research help they needed online.
Over the next week or two users will notice that our UCBSciLibs Ask Us chat widget will be replaced by the 24/7 Ask a Librarian widget.
Life Sciences Microcomputer Facility Closure
The Life Sciences Microcomputer Facility in VLSB 2105 closed at 7:50 pm on Thursday, Dec. 15, and is not scheduled to reopen until August 2012. The closure is required because of the Biology Lab Project construction and the relocation of the microcomputer facility to the northeast area of the Bioscience Library.
Hours for the other microcomputer facilities on campus can be found on the General Access Lab Hours page.
Bioscience Library Winter Intersession hours
Due to construction related to the Biology Lab Project, the Marian Koshland Bioscience & Natural Resources Library will have restricted hours during the Winter Intersession:
- Saturday, Dec. 17, and Sunday, Dec. 18: Closed
- Monday, Dec. 19 – Friday, Dec. 23: 1 pm – 5 pm
(Please note the 1 pm opening time) - Saturday, Dec. 24 – Monday, Jan. 16: Closed
On Tuesday, Jan. 17, the regular semester schedule will resume.
Resources about the research evidence base for public health practice
A recent "virtual issue" of Milbank Quarterly, Facilitating the use of research evidence, looks like an interesting read. Included articles are:
- How Can Research Organizations More Effectively Transfer Research Knowledge to Decision Makers?
- Developing an Evidence Base for Policies and Interventions to Address Health Inequalities: The Analysis of "Public Health Regimes"
- Comparative Effectiveness Research and Evidence-Based Health Policy: Experience from Four Countries
Another resource that recently came to my attention is, A Schema for Evaluating Evidence on Public Health Interventions, from Australia’s National Public Health Partnership. This tool will help you through a process to appraise your intervention to see if it’s evidence-informed. A thorough evaluation of this document is available from the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools.
Let me know if you find either of these useful!