The Environmental Effects
Of a Meat-Based Diet:
How A Plant-based Diet helpS our earth
A research guide
Overview
This guide will provide information on researching on how eating a meat-based diet contributes to global warming, the Greenhouse effect, pollution of the oceans and seas, and needlessly consumes vast amounts of water and grain products. It will show that by changing to a vegetarian plant-based diet eases we can change all that damage.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
LOC Subject Headings to use in your research: vegetarian diet(s); diet, vegetarian; impacts, environmental; environmental impact; meat; meat products; global warming; marine pollution and overfishing.
Keywords
Some of the Keywords to use in your research are global warming and diet; overfishing and causes/reasons.
Reference Sources
Please search the World Cat catalog at www.worldcat.org to locate these books in your area.
Kennish, M J (1997). Practical handbook of estuarine and marine pollution. Marine science series. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Written for the scientific community but also geared for those interested in the causes of water pollution. Information on toxins such as mercury found in fish, deadly toxins that find their way to sea and poison marine mammals. Can be found under the call numbers GC 1085 .K46 2007 (CSU Fullerton library)
Gilpin, A. (1996). Dictionary of environment and sustainable development. Chichester, NY: Wiley. This dictionary covers just about every known cause of pollution and how to plan environmentally friendly facilities. Written for students or anyone interested in the cause and effects of pollution. Can be found under the call numbers HC79.E5 G518 1996 (CSU Long Beach library).
Goudie, A and Cuff, DJ (2002). Encyclopedia of global change: environmental change and human society. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. This encyclopedia provides a detailed description of how humans have changed the Earth’s environment. Can be found under the call letters GE149.E47 2002 (CSU Dominguez Hills library)
Print Books
Please check the World Cat catalog at www.worldcat.org to locate these books in your area.
Clover, C (2006). The end of the line: how overfishing is changing the world and what we eat. New York, NY: New Press. Charles Clover is an environmental journalist and in this book he writes that human’s “passion for fish is unsustainable”. He includes information of the steep decline of Chilean sea bass – which was named Patagonian Tooth Fish until someone decided Chilean sea bass sounded tastier – is nearing extinction due to overfishing. Clover disputes that the oceans and seas have an unlimited supply of food and that we are in charge of reversing the damage already done. Chapters include topics such as “The inexhaustible sea?”, “Death in a can”, Problem of extinction” and “Sea of troubles”.
Goodall, J and McAvoy, G., and Hudson, G. E. (2005). Harvest for hope: A guide to mindful eating. New York: Warner Books. Jane Goodall is the noted primatologist famous for her study of chimpanzees in Africa. The publisher describes this book as “an exploration of the global meaning of food and what all of us can do to exercise power over the food industry and, ultimately, our environment”. Chapters include information on how humans have been “ravaging the oceans and seas”; about the Earth’s “looming water crisis” as well as “farming animals: hazards to our health”. Goodall makes a strong case for choosing a vegetarian diet to help the Earth and all its residents, human or not.
Jacobson, MF and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (2006). Six Arguments for a greener diet: how a more plant-based diet could save your health and the environment. Washington, D.C.: Center for Science in the Public Interest. Written for anyone interested in their health, Six Arguments presents six compelling motives for changing your diet with tables and charts complimenting the text along with information from the sources such as USDA and the American Heart Association. The authors reveal the amount of water used to livestock, the environmental effects of livestock production - including overgrazing and water pollution, the mercury content in fish and the possibility of extinction for some fish species such as Chilean sea bass.
Schlosser, E. (2001). Fast food nation: the dark side of the all-American meal. Boston, MA: Hougton Mifflin. In this best selling book Eric Schlosser, a journalist, gives detailed accounts of how American’s love for fast food is ruining the planet, destroying their health, keeping “food” animals in cruel and filthy conditions and the terrible work conditions of workers in meat processing plants. Full of horrifying and surprising details, Fast Food Nation is a thoroughly investigative book on how dietary changes can help us all.
Steinman, D. (2007). Diet for a poisoned planet: how to choose safe foods for you and your family: the twenty-first edition. New York, NY: Thunder’s Mouth Press. The publisher describes this book as “Steinman tells his own story of fishing in the Santa Monica Bay as a child and how he went on to testify before Congress as an expert witness on the contamination of his own body by the fish he ate. The book is written by a true expert who has been a member of a National Academy of Sciences committee to advise Congress on seafood safety legislation”. Steinman tells the reader how to reduce their intake of poisons via their diet. Also gives details of reports by the USDA.
Periodicals
These will assist you with your research. One option for searching articles is via PubMed. PubMed is a search engine provided by the National Institutes of Health as well as the National Library of Medicine and can be found at www.pubmed.gov. PubMed is free to use and can be used on any computer with internet access. Use the Single Citation Matcher function to easily locate articles, found on the left hand side of the screen under the PubMed Services heading. PubMed also provides tutorials for use if you get stuck. Click on Tutorials under the Entrez PubMed heading. Check the World Cat www.worldcat.org online catalog to locate these journals near you.
Suggested journal titles to search include:
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. This journal focuses on how human agricultural practices change the environment, including air pollution, climate change, and agricultural land use and water pollution. Available at http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/503298/descripti on#description
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This title’s focus is on “research studies relevant to human and clinical nutrition” and “safety of dietary interventions” (description is from the publisher’s website). In May of this year they published a supplement devoted entirely on the vegetarian diet (May 2009) Available at www.ajcn.com.
Ecological Economics. This journal centers itself on the combination of ecology and economics. Areas included in this are renewable resource management and conservation; sustainable agriculture and development; valuation of natural resources and alternative principles for valuing natural wealth. Available at http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/503305/descripti on#description.
Environmental Health Perspectives provides information and studies on environmental impacts on human health. Available at http://www.ehponline.org/.
Environmental Research: A Multidisciplinary Journal of Environmental Sciences, Ecology and Public Health. This journal contains articles on the human health and illness due to toxic agents. Available at http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/622821/descripti on#description
Journal of Environmental Management has articles on man-made and natural effects on the environment. Available at http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/622871/descripti on
PLoS One is a journal published by the Public Library of Science and publishes articles from nearly all aspects of science. Available free online at http://www.plosone.org.
Science touts itself as “the world’s leading journal of original scientific research”. Written mainly by and for scientists. Available at http://www.sciencemag.org/
Website Resources
The United States Environmental Protection Agency website can be accessed at www.epa.gov. Their mission statement is on their site as says the “EPA leads the nation's environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts. The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people. You can find information here on such material as how much grain is used to feed livestock (http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/cropmajor.html) and other valuable information.
EarthSave International, www.earthsave.org is devoted to promoting ways we can all save the Earth. View their statistics on water consumption for livestock at http://www.earthsave.org/environment/water.htm.
The Ocean Conservancy website, www.oceanconservancy.org mission is to conserve and protect the oceans and their inhabitants. To view their information on over fishing click here http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=issues_overfishing.
Greenpeace International www.greeenpeace.org is an organization who strives to inform about threats to the oceans – be it pollutions, whaling, over fishing or nuclear testing. Click here to read about their thoughts on over fishing http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/overfishing.
World Watch, at www.worldwatch.org, “analyzes interdisciplinary environmental data from around the world, providing information on how to build a sustainable society” according to their site. To view their information on the amount of grain used to feed livestock click on http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1626.
I hope you find this information valuable. Have fun searching!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Research, research, research…
Oh, how have things have changed since I was in high school (I won’t mention how long ago that was). The Internet has made research available 24/7…but does this mean that it has replaced libraries and librarians? I think not.
It used to be that I would go to the library, talk to the librarian and/or use the card catalog to find information. The information could be in microfiche, microfilm, book or a journal. Research and Reference materials online contain book and journal information but allow search ability that was never possible with a card catalog.
One must be careful however of where they are getting the research and reference information. Just because something is online doesn’t mean it is reputable. Check the source people! I don’t trust anything on a wiki, and I know many people that live and breathe by the information provided.
Libraries and librarians provide a vital link of information to their patrons.
The way to access research and reference has changed, but not the work that goes behind it.
Oh, how have things have changed since I was in high school (I won’t mention how long ago that was). The Internet has made research available 24/7…but does this mean that it has replaced libraries and librarians? I think not.
It used to be that I would go to the library, talk to the librarian and/or use the card catalog to find information. The information could be in microfiche, microfilm, book or a journal. Research and Reference materials online contain book and journal information but allow search ability that was never possible with a card catalog.
One must be careful however of where they are getting the research and reference information. Just because something is online doesn’t mean it is reputable. Check the source people! I don’t trust anything on a wiki, and I know many people that live and breathe by the information provided.
Libraries and librarians provide a vital link of information to their patrons.
The way to access research and reference has changed, but not the work that goes behind it.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Blog Reflection #2 LIB 3
Gee…it must be nice to have an easy job.
Gee…it must be nice to be able to read at your job all day.
Gee…what do you do at work since everything is online?
These are but a few of the comments I hear from people when I mention I work in a library (I am sure many of you out there have heard the same things over and over again).
It makes me CRAZY!
Of course online catalogs are a wonderful. That doesn’t mean that there are people behind those catalogs.
I am a small part some major projects at my work. For instance, we have cataloging our print collection – we got an ILS (Sirsi) in 2005. The print books alone took 2 years to complete. Now we’re starting on our non-current print journals and we are estimating it will take 3 or so years to finish. It also took our librarians time to catalog our current print and online journals. I am responsible for linking our print and journal holdings into PubMed as well as Ovid. This takes time and changes on a constant basis. People have said “Oh look. PubMed linked everything for us!”
Without knowledgeable trained library staff people will not find quality information and material on the internet. We make it happen.
People take the computer/internet for granted. They think it “does” everything for them. They couldn’t be further from the truth.
Gee…it must be nice to be able to read at your job all day.
Gee…what do you do at work since everything is online?
These are but a few of the comments I hear from people when I mention I work in a library (I am sure many of you out there have heard the same things over and over again).
It makes me CRAZY!
Of course online catalogs are a wonderful. That doesn’t mean that there are people behind those catalogs.
I am a small part some major projects at my work. For instance, we have cataloging our print collection – we got an ILS (Sirsi) in 2005. The print books alone took 2 years to complete. Now we’re starting on our non-current print journals and we are estimating it will take 3 or so years to finish. It also took our librarians time to catalog our current print and online journals. I am responsible for linking our print and journal holdings into PubMed as well as Ovid. This takes time and changes on a constant basis. People have said “Oh look. PubMed linked everything for us!”
Without knowledgeable trained library staff people will not find quality information and material on the internet. We make it happen.
People take the computer/internet for granted. They think it “does” everything for them. They couldn’t be further from the truth.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Project 1 - Library visit
I visited the CSULB library. This was my first visit there since I graduated from CSULB 5 years ago.
If you have never been to this library it is located near the top of the hill on the CSULB campus at 1250 Bellflower Boulevard. The library’s main phone number is 562-985-8472. Their website is www.csulb.edu/library.
Give yourself some time to explore. The library is 5 stories tall. Well, actually 6 with the lower underground level. This link gives a detailed description of the library’s collection http://www.csulb.edu/library/guide/loc/index.html. They use the Library of Congress classification system.
If you need assistance ask one of the reference librarians. The reference collection is on the 1st floor. You can make a one-on-one appointment with one of the subject specialist librarians for more in-depth assistance. I took advantage of this as a student and it made my life easier in my upper division classes. This library also has distance assistance available 24/7 via a link on the library’s home page.
The CSULB library’s hours differ depending on the time of year and day of the week. For instance, in June to August the library is open from 8:00 am to 9:30 pm Mondays-Thursdays. Fridays they open at 8:00 am and close at 5:00 pm. Saturdays they have shorter hours – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sundays they are closed. They are also closed on Independence Day.
When the fall 2009 semester start the library is open longer to accommodate the students, as would be expected. Starting August 31st the hours are Mondays to Thursdays 7:00 am to Midnight. Fridays are 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. Saturdays are 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and Sundays are 12:30 pm to Midnight. They are closed on Thanksgiving Day.
The library’s OPAC is called COAST. You don’t have to be a current library user to access it. I did a simple search in COAST using “art history” as my search term and my search brought back over 5,000 results. I was able to see which books were available, which were checked out and when they were due, etc. They have a large collection.
I was excited to see that anyone with a computer can access close to 40 databases with links provided on the CSULB library’s site. Click on this link to see a list of the databases: http://csulb.edu/library/eref/alumni_databases.html. You may not be able to get the full text of articles, but you can request ILL articles.
I was curious to see if I could check items out. And I can - alumni can get a library card once they join the CSULB Alumni Association (I need to do that!).
Current community college students, such as those of us at Long Beach City College, can check out items as long as you have a current student ID card. I wish I had known that while working on my A.A. degree. Please click on this link to read the reciprocal borrowing agreements between LBCC and CSULB libraries http://csulb.edu/library/guide/LBCC_guide.pdf.
Even high school students can use the CSULB library. Library staff will issue them a special card. This applies ONLY to high school students in the Long Beach, Los Angeles and West Orange County students.
So please do yourself a favor and check out the CSULB library. I know I’ll be back.
If you have never been to this library it is located near the top of the hill on the CSULB campus at 1250 Bellflower Boulevard. The library’s main phone number is 562-985-8472. Their website is www.csulb.edu/library.
Give yourself some time to explore. The library is 5 stories tall. Well, actually 6 with the lower underground level. This link gives a detailed description of the library’s collection http://www.csulb.edu/library/guide/loc/index.html. They use the Library of Congress classification system.
If you need assistance ask one of the reference librarians. The reference collection is on the 1st floor. You can make a one-on-one appointment with one of the subject specialist librarians for more in-depth assistance. I took advantage of this as a student and it made my life easier in my upper division classes. This library also has distance assistance available 24/7 via a link on the library’s home page.
The CSULB library’s hours differ depending on the time of year and day of the week. For instance, in June to August the library is open from 8:00 am to 9:30 pm Mondays-Thursdays. Fridays they open at 8:00 am and close at 5:00 pm. Saturdays they have shorter hours – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sundays they are closed. They are also closed on Independence Day.
When the fall 2009 semester start the library is open longer to accommodate the students, as would be expected. Starting August 31st the hours are Mondays to Thursdays 7:00 am to Midnight. Fridays are 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. Saturdays are 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and Sundays are 12:30 pm to Midnight. They are closed on Thanksgiving Day.
The library’s OPAC is called COAST. You don’t have to be a current library user to access it. I did a simple search in COAST using “art history” as my search term and my search brought back over 5,000 results. I was able to see which books were available, which were checked out and when they were due, etc. They have a large collection.
I was excited to see that anyone with a computer can access close to 40 databases with links provided on the CSULB library’s site. Click on this link to see a list of the databases: http://csulb.edu/library/eref/alumni_databases.html. You may not be able to get the full text of articles, but you can request ILL articles.
I was curious to see if I could check items out. And I can - alumni can get a library card once they join the CSULB Alumni Association (I need to do that!).
Current community college students, such as those of us at Long Beach City College, can check out items as long as you have a current student ID card. I wish I had known that while working on my A.A. degree. Please click on this link to read the reciprocal borrowing agreements between LBCC and CSULB libraries http://csulb.edu/library/guide/LBCC_guide.pdf.
Even high school students can use the CSULB library. Library staff will issue them a special card. This applies ONLY to high school students in the Long Beach, Los Angeles and West Orange County students.
So please do yourself a favor and check out the CSULB library. I know I’ll be back.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Blog Reflection 1
As I mentioned before this is my 2nd online course and I am enjoying it this one as much as my 1st one.
I have already recommended online courses to many people – family, friends, and co-workers. My hubby is considering getting his Master’s degree and I have told him “make sure you can do most of it through online courses!” I’m only (half) joking. He is very computer literate/savvy so I know he would have no problem but there are some people in my life that I told to stay away from online classes. These are the people with zero to little computer skills.
You definitely need to be more self motivated for online courses – for instance, you don’t have a professor in your face reminding you of when assignments are due.
My hubby’s sister-in-law is a professor and in the fall she will be teaching a hybrid online course. This is her first one and she asked me for input. I told her how much I love never having to miss work to attend class; or fighting traffic to get to school; or fighting for a parking spot or having to give yourself 15 or 20 minutes to walk from your car to class. Of course, she will have to deal with the technical aspects of teaching an online class.
In review online classes are a big YES for me.
I have already recommended online courses to many people – family, friends, and co-workers. My hubby is considering getting his Master’s degree and I have told him “make sure you can do most of it through online courses!” I’m only (half) joking. He is very computer literate/savvy so I know he would have no problem but there are some people in my life that I told to stay away from online classes. These are the people with zero to little computer skills.
You definitely need to be more self motivated for online courses – for instance, you don’t have a professor in your face reminding you of when assignments are due.
My hubby’s sister-in-law is a professor and in the fall she will be teaching a hybrid online course. This is her first one and she asked me for input. I told her how much I love never having to miss work to attend class; or fighting traffic to get to school; or fighting for a parking spot or having to give yourself 15 or 20 minutes to walk from your car to class. Of course, she will have to deal with the technical aspects of teaching an online class.
In review online classes are a big YES for me.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Hello to everyone in LIB 3
This is my 1st blog. I created it for a previous online course I took in 2008.
I haven't posted anything to it in six months and I realized I missed my blog! :-)
I haven't posted anything to it in six months and I realized I missed my blog! :-)
Friday, December 19, 2008
LIB*21 Tutorial
This tutorial is for the physician, staff and employees at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center/Miller Children’s Hospital. Users will learn how to search the Parks Medical Library’s online catalog and A – Z lists to locate journals and books by title. Information is also included on how to order journal articles and books through the library’s Document Delivery(aka ILL ) Service for materials the Parks Medical Library does not have.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Blog # 9
Our last blog? Wow. This semester really flew by quickly.
I’ve heard about blogs for a few years but never visited one and when I saw that we had to set one up for the class I kind of panicked. I think I am pretty gosh darn computer literate – one has to be working in a library with an online catalog – but setting up and maintaining a blog? Eek!
Turns out it wasn’t quite as frightening as I imagined it to be. It is still strange to me to post assignments to a blog instead of turning in a paper as I did through all my school years. When I graduated from CSULB they had just implemented e-Reserves and my professors were not accepting papers via email or blogs. This online course has really opened my eyes to newer technologies and I must say I enjoy them.
My life is so busy right now that I doubt I will continue blogging between the end of the Fall 2008 and beginning of Spring 2009 semesters. Besides working, my sister and I are completing the (what seems like) millions of paperwork, repairs and all the other fun things that go with selling a house. But at least we had it on the market for only 2 weeks before we got a reasonable offer. Yippee! Instead of blogging I plan on spending time with my hubby and our two mutts. I can't wait. :-)
Happy Holidays to one and all!
I’ve heard about blogs for a few years but never visited one and when I saw that we had to set one up for the class I kind of panicked. I think I am pretty gosh darn computer literate – one has to be working in a library with an online catalog – but setting up and maintaining a blog? Eek!
Turns out it wasn’t quite as frightening as I imagined it to be. It is still strange to me to post assignments to a blog instead of turning in a paper as I did through all my school years. When I graduated from CSULB they had just implemented e-Reserves and my professors were not accepting papers via email or blogs. This online course has really opened my eyes to newer technologies and I must say I enjoy them.
My life is so busy right now that I doubt I will continue blogging between the end of the Fall 2008 and beginning of Spring 2009 semesters. Besides working, my sister and I are completing the (what seems like) millions of paperwork, repairs and all the other fun things that go with selling a house. But at least we had it on the market for only 2 weeks before we got a reasonable offer. Yippee! Instead of blogging I plan on spending time with my hubby and our two mutts. I can't wait. :-)
Happy Holidays to one and all!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Blog Reflection 8
I feel the need to rant! So many people assume that we sit around all day and read books or twiddle our thumbs because the computer does all the work for us. If only I got paid to read. If only computers did all the cataloging, reference and circulation work for us.
When I tell people I work in a library their eyes usually glaze over with a look that says “poor thing” or “oh…that’s nice. I guess”. I swear this happens a lot. The average person just doesn’t get it and I sincerely doubt they ever will. They see a person or two at a Circulation desk and maybe someone shelving and think that is all one needs to run a library.
For instance, teaching is such a large part of what I and fellow employees do on a daily basis. My library happens to have an OPAC available on the intranet only and accessibility to most of our resources are IP authenticated. Day after day we are asked questions that are easily answered with a little training and I have found that I enjoy teaching people how to use our resources. They are so thankful and happy to learn the correct way to do their research or studying and there are different ways we train.
One way we assist people is by participating in our hospital’s monthly new hire orientation where one of the librarians gives a short presentation outlining our library followed by a Q & A at the end of orientation. It is a great way to get people to know we exist and that we’re here to help them.
Our librarians created a PowerPoint tutorial that is posted on our intranet page with step by step directions on using the OPAC, Journal and Book A – Z Lists and Single Search. The tutorial is available to 24/7 and from anywhere in the hospital.
But by far the greatest way we teach people is one on one. Every day I am asked questions that lead to educational opportunities. The number one thing people learn is that they need to use our library’s intranet page to access databases, journals, books and evidence-based resources (among other things).
As I was suggesting before I get a little frustrated from times when people assume that “everything is on the computer”. It is my job to make sure patrons know other wise and to get the word out that working in a library is actually work. I feel better now.
When I tell people I work in a library their eyes usually glaze over with a look that says “poor thing” or “oh…that’s nice. I guess”. I swear this happens a lot. The average person just doesn’t get it and I sincerely doubt they ever will. They see a person or two at a Circulation desk and maybe someone shelving and think that is all one needs to run a library.
For instance, teaching is such a large part of what I and fellow employees do on a daily basis. My library happens to have an OPAC available on the intranet only and accessibility to most of our resources are IP authenticated. Day after day we are asked questions that are easily answered with a little training and I have found that I enjoy teaching people how to use our resources. They are so thankful and happy to learn the correct way to do their research or studying and there are different ways we train.
One way we assist people is by participating in our hospital’s monthly new hire orientation where one of the librarians gives a short presentation outlining our library followed by a Q & A at the end of orientation. It is a great way to get people to know we exist and that we’re here to help them.
Our librarians created a PowerPoint tutorial that is posted on our intranet page with step by step directions on using the OPAC, Journal and Book A – Z Lists and Single Search. The tutorial is available to 24/7 and from anywhere in the hospital.
But by far the greatest way we teach people is one on one. Every day I am asked questions that lead to educational opportunities. The number one thing people learn is that they need to use our library’s intranet page to access databases, journals, books and evidence-based resources (among other things).
As I was suggesting before I get a little frustrated from times when people assume that “everything is on the computer”. It is my job to make sure patrons know other wise and to get the word out that working in a library is actually work. I feel better now.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Blog Reflection # 7
At work I frequently have people ask me where they can find information on many different subjects. Although I work in a medical library with a great clinical medical collection I am still surprised that people use Yahoo! or Google for "answers".
Thankfully the majority of our patrons know to use PubMed or one of our subscription databases such as Ovid or MDConsult to do research, but some people still don't get it.
We refer almost everyone to our catalog where there is access to journals from EBSCO & Elsevier, among others. Don't get me wrong. I use Yahoo! and Google to search for many things...but the longer I work in a library the more I understand these search engines do not have all the answers!
I steer people clear of wikis as I don't think they can be trusted to find true, reliable information. After I inform people of the "dangers" of a wiki I demonstrate reputable sites for them to visit. LII.org is good source, as are encyclopedia.com and Encyclopedia Britannica.com (although one has to pay for this resource). If someone needs statistics I think the Center For Disease Control (www.cdc.gov) is a great one as it contains more than just medical statistics and facts.
Library employees are there, in part, to guide patrons to the appropriate resources for their needs and we need to know the pros and cons of various resources to better inform them.
Thankfully the majority of our patrons know to use PubMed or one of our subscription databases such as Ovid or MDConsult to do research, but some people still don't get it.
We refer almost everyone to our catalog where there is access to journals from EBSCO & Elsevier, among others. Don't get me wrong. I use Yahoo! and Google to search for many things...but the longer I work in a library the more I understand these search engines do not have all the answers!
I steer people clear of wikis as I don't think they can be trusted to find true, reliable information. After I inform people of the "dangers" of a wiki I demonstrate reputable sites for them to visit. LII.org is good source, as are encyclopedia.com and Encyclopedia Britannica.com (although one has to pay for this resource). If someone needs statistics I think the Center For Disease Control (www.cdc.gov) is a great one as it contains more than just medical statistics and facts.
Library employees are there, in part, to guide patrons to the appropriate resources for their needs and we need to know the pros and cons of various resources to better inform them.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
The last few weeks have been a bit crazy. Between work, school and putting my house on the market I’ve been pretty gosh darn stressed out.
This is my first experience with an online class it has been a really interesting experience with my work schedule it is a better fit for me. What can be difficult is finding the time to sit down and complete an assignment. I find that an online course forces me to much more self motivated than a traditional class.
I have learned about so many new, great resources. I had never heard of Bartelby.com or looked at a Factbook before but I have found myself looking up information that has nothing to do with school work. So many people I know (and I’m guilty of this as well sometimes!) use Google or Yahoo! to search pretty much everything. Wikipedia can’t be trusted but I know plenty of folks who get there ‘information’ from them. I try to tell them that anyone can put whatever they want on a wiki without any solid references or bibliographies to back them up but they still use it.
What else can I do but give them a little information and cross my fingers?
This is my first experience with an online class it has been a really interesting experience with my work schedule it is a better fit for me. What can be difficult is finding the time to sit down and complete an assignment. I find that an online course forces me to much more self motivated than a traditional class.
I have learned about so many new, great resources. I had never heard of Bartelby.com or looked at a Factbook before but I have found myself looking up information that has nothing to do with school work. So many people I know (and I’m guilty of this as well sometimes!) use Google or Yahoo! to search pretty much everything. Wikipedia can’t be trusted but I know plenty of folks who get there ‘information’ from them. I try to tell them that anyone can put whatever they want on a wiki without any solid references or bibliographies to back them up but they still use it.
What else can I do but give them a little information and cross my fingers?
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Proposal for a Consumer Health Library
Creating a New Reference Library
Malibu, California has a population of 12,575 citizens and a good size public library as well as two libraries at Pepperdine University. I lived in Malibu over 20 years ago (and it isn’t what it is cracked up to be, believe me) and I can not recall ever walking into the public library nor the Pepperdine University libraries. I think a consumer health library would be of valuable assistance to the 12,757 citizens of Malibu.
I decided to see what health information at Pepperdine University Library’s website - http://library.pepperdine.edu/ and the Harnish Law Library - http://law.pepperdine.edu/library/. Both libraries are open only to current students, alumni, dependants of faculty and staff and Friends of the Pepperdine University Library. I attempted to get into some of the Medicine and Health databases but was unable to access any information which was not a surprise. Most citizens of Malibu would be out of luck as well if they were trying to find information on a drug or a disease.
I searched the Malibu public library’s catalog at http://www.colapublib.org/libs/malibu/ using “medicine” as a search term and received 100’s of results. Most of the results were not consumer health related – many history of medicine texts, information on how to get jobs in healthcare and alternative medicine books were available. I was happy to see they had Dorland’s Medical Dictionary and an English/Spanish medical dictionary. I then clicked on the Collection link and found out this library has a large mountaineering collection, a Jewish history collection and a nautical collection but could not find any information on consumer health.
Using information I obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau for 2000 American Community on www.factfinder.gov I found out that 94.4% or 11,876 of Malibu’s citizen them are “white alone or in combination”; the median income for a household is $102,031; the majority have a obtained Bachelor’s degree (32.7%) & 11.5% have a Master’s degree; only 3.5% did not receive a high school diploma.
My proposal for a consumer health library in Malibu would include most if not all of the reference resources from the Brandon/Hill selected list as the majority of citizens of Malibu have a college education and would probably be able to grasp the information. The majority, 75%, of the collection would consist of print resources with 25% available online. In print I would include some these books: The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists; Dorland’s and/or Steadman’s Medical dictionaries; Dictionary of Medical Syndromes by Magalini et al; Steadman’s Abbreviations, Acronyms & Symbols; Mosby’s Medical, Nursing, Allied Health Dictionary; The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine; A Breast Cancer Journey: Your Personal Guide by the American Cancer Society; Merck Manual, Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment and the American Cancer Society Consumer’s Guide to Cancer Drugs and the last few editions of PDRs (Physician’s Desk Reference).
I would also include most if not all of the Brandon/Hill list journals in print like the American Family Physician, American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, JAMA, Journal of the American Dental Association, Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, and the New England Journal of Medicine.
Electronic resources would include PubMed including LinkOut in PubMed so patrons doing research and be able to get full text of articles and links to the journals available at www.freemedicaljournals.com and www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov. I would also include links to free consumer health information at resources like www.MedlinePlus.gov and www.healthfinder.gov
For library staff I would like to have at least four full time librarians with at least two of them medical librarians, 3 technicians and a clerk.
I believe that with the print and electronic resources as well as the right staff the people of Malibu would be able to find the reliable health information they need.
Malibu, California has a population of 12,575 citizens and a good size public library as well as two libraries at Pepperdine University. I lived in Malibu over 20 years ago (and it isn’t what it is cracked up to be, believe me) and I can not recall ever walking into the public library nor the Pepperdine University libraries. I think a consumer health library would be of valuable assistance to the 12,757 citizens of Malibu.
I decided to see what health information at Pepperdine University Library’s website - http://library.pepperdine.edu/ and the Harnish Law Library - http://law.pepperdine.edu/library/. Both libraries are open only to current students, alumni, dependants of faculty and staff and Friends of the Pepperdine University Library. I attempted to get into some of the Medicine and Health databases but was unable to access any information which was not a surprise. Most citizens of Malibu would be out of luck as well if they were trying to find information on a drug or a disease.
I searched the Malibu public library’s catalog at http://www.colapublib.org/libs/malibu/ using “medicine” as a search term and received 100’s of results. Most of the results were not consumer health related – many history of medicine texts, information on how to get jobs in healthcare and alternative medicine books were available. I was happy to see they had Dorland’s Medical Dictionary and an English/Spanish medical dictionary. I then clicked on the Collection link and found out this library has a large mountaineering collection, a Jewish history collection and a nautical collection but could not find any information on consumer health.
Using information I obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau for 2000 American Community on www.factfinder.gov I found out that 94.4% or 11,876 of Malibu’s citizen them are “white alone or in combination”; the median income for a household is $102,031; the majority have a obtained Bachelor’s degree (32.7%) & 11.5% have a Master’s degree; only 3.5% did not receive a high school diploma.
My proposal for a consumer health library in Malibu would include most if not all of the reference resources from the Brandon/Hill selected list as the majority of citizens of Malibu have a college education and would probably be able to grasp the information. The majority, 75%, of the collection would consist of print resources with 25% available online. In print I would include some these books: The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists; Dorland’s and/or Steadman’s Medical dictionaries; Dictionary of Medical Syndromes by Magalini et al; Steadman’s Abbreviations, Acronyms & Symbols; Mosby’s Medical, Nursing, Allied Health Dictionary; The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine; A Breast Cancer Journey: Your Personal Guide by the American Cancer Society; Merck Manual, Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment and the American Cancer Society Consumer’s Guide to Cancer Drugs and the last few editions of PDRs (Physician’s Desk Reference).
I would also include most if not all of the Brandon/Hill list journals in print like the American Family Physician, American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, JAMA, Journal of the American Dental Association, Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, and the New England Journal of Medicine.
Electronic resources would include PubMed including LinkOut in PubMed so patrons doing research and be able to get full text of articles and links to the journals available at www.freemedicaljournals.com and www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov. I would also include links to free consumer health information at resources like www.MedlinePlus.gov and www.healthfinder.gov
For library staff I would like to have at least four full time librarians with at least two of them medical librarians, 3 technicians and a clerk.
I believe that with the print and electronic resources as well as the right staff the people of Malibu would be able to find the reliable health information they need.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Print vs. Online
If I woke up tomorrow morning and I was magically given $5,000 to spend on reference materials what would I do? Hmm… Would I spend it all on online books? Would I spend it on print books? Should I divvy the money 50/50? Or 100/0?
There are so many great things about print books. Images, photos, graphs, charts and the like are much easier to read. The price of print materials is usually less expensive, especially in these difficult budget times, than online content. Print books do not require patrons to be computer literate. And as far as library staff goes there isn’t the hassle of update/changing/deleting links. I also happen to believe that most people still
However, print books do have a few cons: they aren’t accessible anywhere but in the physical library and only one patron at a time
If I went with all online content patrons would able to get access from anywhere with Internet access. I have to say that accessibility is the only thing I like about online books. Some of the downsides about online books: print content, as I mentioned before is usually less expensive; photographs, charts, graphs and other images can be thumbnail size, or you have to click 2 or more links to print them out full-size or an image may not be included in the online content;
I realized I said that one of the cons to print is that it can only be viewed by one patron at a time but some online databases allow one or maybe two people to view an e-book at a time. As a library employee I know all too well that e-books frequently have their URLs change which means you have to change the link in more than a few places most likely.
Not to mention that there is a lot of patrons who are not computer literate or even if they know how to use the computer they are not always familiar with using an OPAC/IPAC to get to the content they need.
So if someone miraculously gave me $5,000 to spend on reference materials at my library I would use 75% of the money on print and 25% on e-books. That might seem crazy in this computer-centered world but I believe it makes the most sense.
There are so many great things about print books. Images, photos, graphs, charts and the like are much easier to read. The price of print materials is usually less expensive, especially in these difficult budget times, than online content. Print books do not require patrons to be computer literate. And as far as library staff goes there isn’t the hassle of update/changing/deleting links. I also happen to believe that most people still
However, print books do have a few cons: they aren’t accessible anywhere but in the physical library and only one patron at a time
If I went with all online content patrons would able to get access from anywhere with Internet access. I have to say that accessibility is the only thing I like about online books. Some of the downsides about online books: print content, as I mentioned before is usually less expensive; photographs, charts, graphs and other images can be thumbnail size, or you have to click 2 or more links to print them out full-size or an image may not be included in the online content;
I realized I said that one of the cons to print is that it can only be viewed by one patron at a time but some online databases allow one or maybe two people to view an e-book at a time. As a library employee I know all too well that e-books frequently have their URLs change which means you have to change the link in more than a few places most likely.
Not to mention that there is a lot of patrons who are not computer literate or even if they know how to use the computer they are not always familiar with using an OPAC/IPAC to get to the content they need.
So if someone miraculously gave me $5,000 to spend on reference materials at my library I would use 75% of the money on print and 25% on e-books. That might seem crazy in this computer-centered world but I believe it makes the most sense.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Blog Reflection 2
I can definitely see how blogging would work in a public library. I know I've use patron reviews for bestsellers on Amazon.com to see what others think about books. However I don't view them in Amazon.com for Cd's because I know what I like (80's New Wave!) and don't care what others think.
I'm still not sure if blogging/reader reviews would work in my library which has a clinical medical collection. Most of our print and electronic books are well known in the medical field, like Nelson's Pediatrics or the PDR. Our patrons know these books and ask for them by name.
But as I said in my previous blog time will tell if a blog will work in my library.
I'm still not sure if blogging/reader reviews would work in my library which has a clinical medical collection. Most of our print and electronic books are well known in the medical field, like Nelson's Pediatrics or the PDR. Our patrons know these books and ask for them by name.
But as I said in my previous blog time will tell if a blog will work in my library.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
My 1st Blog
Hi one and all -
This is my first blog (as if you couldn't tell by the title). Heck, I've never even visited a blog before.
I can't see, at least yet, how a blog could work in a library setting but I know time will tell. I'm enjoying online learning. The best part for me is that I don't have to miss work and use my vacation time to attend class on campus. :-)
Until next time...
Elizabeth
This is my first blog (as if you couldn't tell by the title). Heck, I've never even visited a blog before.
I can't see, at least yet, how a blog could work in a library setting but I know time will tell. I'm enjoying online learning. The best part for me is that I don't have to miss work and use my vacation time to attend class on campus. :-)
Until next time...
Elizabeth
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