In July the Biomedical Library entered the first phase of the implementation of the SOUTHmed electronic system when the OVID MEDLINE/CINAHL database came online. This system will be available from terminals in both the Campus and UMC Biomedical Library sites as well as any workstation or laptop connected to the USA network or any other Internet connection. Persons with Jaguar1 or other University server accounts will be able to dial in to the system.
Once into your network account, at the network prompt type "telnet usaovid" (without quotes). You will then be prompted for your login name and password. The full MEDLINE and CINAHL databases are online as well as the full text of 15 popular journals, including JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Medicine, BMJ, Archives of General Psychiatry, and more. Each journal covers the period from 1993 to the current month (although there is a lag time for indexing). When doing your search, if the citation is from one of these titles you can select "link" and view, download or print the entire article.
Implementation of the client version of the OVID software is in process as well. When this is operational it will be possible to view graphics (pictures, tables etc.) as well as text.
For more information on connectivity or accounts call 460-6892. Each user must fill out a password application. As with any other University computer account, the sharing of passwords with unauthorized users is prohibited.
The PDR Library, produced by the Medical Economics Company, includes the electronic versions of the PDR, Merck Manual and Stedman's Dictionary. These texts can be searched from terminals in the Biomedical Library or from any computer on the USA Network which has access to a NOVELL server. Call the Biomedical Library Systems Department at 460-6892 for connectivity information.
The electronic version of these texts has many more capabilities than the printed texts. Each text can be searched individually or all at the same time. The PDR has some very exciting and useful features. One of the most popular is the "multi-drug regimen" component. Simply type in the various medications a patient is taking or being considered to prescribe and the system will provide information on any history of incompatibility among the medications considered.
Classes on the OVID system will be taught at Campus at 10am on Tues and Thurs and 3pm Wed and Fri. At the UMC site classes will be held at 3pm on Tues and Thurs and 10am on Wed and Fri during July and August. World Wide Web classes will be held at the Campus site on July 11 and 25 and August 15 and 29 from 3-5pm. At the UMC site classes will be held on July 17 and 31 and August 14 and 28 from 3-5pm. Classes on searching the electronic PDR Library will be taught on Campus at 11am on July 9 and August 8 and at 4pm on July 24 and Aug 21. Call the Circulation desk at either site to make reservations
Brochures will soon be mailed for the SOUTHmed Network. This is a fee-based service that allows non-USA individuals to access the services of the Biomedical Library and Learning Resources. Brochures will be sent to law firms, corporations, hospitals, and other heath care organizations in the area.. For information, call Judy Burnham, 471-7855, or the Director's office, 460-6885.
The following individuals have donated materials to the Biomedical Library in the last few months. These materials have helped to expand the collection and have replaced some missing journal issues:
The URL for the Biomedical Library homepage is now: http://southmed.usouthal.edu.
A public access computer has been installed at the Medical Center site, allowing access to e-mail and WWW. Additional workstations will be added this summer.
The Medical Center site will reduce staffed hours for the summer. Please note the listed hours on the back page. Also, the reference desk at the Campus site will only be staffed until 8:30pm Sun-Thur during the Summer Quarter.
In order to better serve the Psychiatry Department, the psychiatry materials will be moved from the UMC site to the Campus site during the Summer Quarter. This includes books and journals. If there are questions about location, consult SOUTHcat or check with a library staff member.
Geneva Bush served as Registrar of the Alabama Library Association meeting in Mobile in April. During that meeting, Judy Burnham received the "Outstanding Publications Award" from the College, University and Special Libraries Division of the AlaLA.
Tom Williams, Pat Rodgers, Geneva Bush, Jie Li and Judy Burnham recently attended the annual meeting of the Medical Library Association in Kansas City. During the meeting, Jie presented a poster session on "Building an Alternative Medicine Web Page" and received a Continuing Education Award from MLA. Judy presented a paper on "Comparison of CINAHL, EMBASE and MEDLINE for the Physical Therapy Researcher". This research was also presented as a poster at the USA Research Forum, along with Dr. Dennis Fell, Asst. Prof., Physical Therapy Dept.
Yvonne Hawkins, Supervisor of the Document Delivery Dept. will retire effective June 30. Yvonne has worked for USA for 16 years. A retirement party will be held in her honor on June 27, 1996 in the Terrace.
Mercedes Tyus-Bradford has been promoted to Supervisor of the the Document Delivery Dept., effective July 15.
The COM Microcomputer Lab plans changes that will be phased in over this summer. New programs and procedures will be implemented. New computers for standard use - word processing, E-mail, Internet -- will be added. These will be Pentium-based machines with more speed, memory and disk space. The computers will be on a new server to provide faster, more versatile access, with new procedures in place. Check in the Lab for details. WordPerfect for Windows 6.1 will be added and users will have access to the MEDLINE database and other reference tools through the new library-wide system. A set of medical bookmarks for the World Wide Web has been provided on the computers in the lab; also, SOUTHcat and Grateful Med can be accessed from the World Wide Web.
The multimedia section in the lab also has two new computers. These are high speed, high memory machines with CD-ROM and sound. Users can check out CD-ROM's from the Circulation Desk for use within the building. Software for these CDs will be installed on the new machines. Titles available include the Sandoz Education Series, A.D.A.M., the Cardiac Physiology disks used in class last spring (Dr. Downey) and the new edition of the Human Anatomy disks used for Gross Anatomy.
The four old multimedia computers are being revamped. They have been taken off the network and will work in a Windows environment. This will allow quicker startup. These units will be used only for the Radiologic Anatomy and the Histology series during Fall Quarter and for Neuroanatomy programs during Winter Quarter.
The College of Medicine has approved the purchase of a high-resolution Multimedia LCD Projector as well as a Visual Presenter with Magniscope viewer. This equipment can be used to project directly from a printed text, from a computer (including CD ROM), a laserdisk or a videotape and will provide high-resolution, large screen images. We expect these devices to be delivered well before the commencement of Fall classes. They will be available at no charge to COM personnel on a first come, first served basis although priority will be given to group use in the auditoria in the Medical Sciences building. Due to logistics, it may be difficult to provide for use of this equipment off campus. Call Learning Resources at 460-7317 to schedule use. Learning Resources staff will deliver and set up the equipment and be responsible for the actual projection. For further information on these devices and what they can do please call Mike Carmichael, Director of Learning Resources at 460-6319 or 6317.
Please contact the Biomedical Library at medlib@jaguar1.usouthal.edu if you need assistance in accessing any of these sources.
BIOFEEDBACK, New Series, Issue #32, Summer 1996
The Biomedical Library Biofeedback, a publication of the University of
South Alabama Biomedical Library, is published at irregular intervals. Editor:
Judy Burnham. Contributors to this issue were Roberta Barclay, Judy Burnham, Sister
Mary Giles Peresich, Pat Rodgers and Tom Williams. Comments should be addressed to Judy
Burnham, Biomedical Library, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688-0002
To make comments, suggestions, or get more information, send email to medlib@jaguar1.usouthal.edu or call (334)-414-8210.
University of South Alabama Biomedical Library
Revised: July 1, 1996