Tuesday, November 17, 2020
2:00-3:00pm ET
Join author Dr. Bill Sullivan, professor of pharmacology and microbiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, as he discusses his book: Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are.
We hope you will join us for this important conversation which will be livestreamed on YouTube. The event will also be livestreamed on NNLM PNR's Facebook Page. Learn more about the event here.
SciStarter - Be A Citizen Scientist
The seasons are changing here in New England. Many trees have lost their bright colors of red, yellow and gold and the evenings have a cold snap to them. As we look to the time change, I notice the darkness looms around us and it brings back the fear of darkness many people have. In order to ward off those primal fears of darkness and even creature phobias I have chosen a few great connections you can engage in with SciStarter. Being a citizen science has its advantages. You can remove fears by replacing that emotion with strength through knowledge and let science light the way – literally.
Globe at Night is presented as a National Optical Awareness Project to raise awareness about light pollution and night sky brightness. The best part is you can be anywhere on Earth and be able to partner with this SciStarter project.
If you are looking for a little more on the spooky side of the environmental part of science then how about reptiles, arachnoids and toads? Oh my! Two projects from SciStarter are regarding observing reptiles and amphibians for research, conservation and preservation purposes. Perhaps you will find the cutest spider of them all, so tiny that it was not discovered until recently.
SciStarter is available for children of all ages and is free for all to enjoy.
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NNLM Reading Club - November Title Selections
Your health is the product of three factors: lifestyle, environment and genetics. In November, NNLM Reading Club is taking a closer look at human genetics.
Featured are three books that translate the complexities of genetics into understandable terms. Pulitzer Prize-winner Siddhartha Mukherjee traces the history of genetics from its beginnings in the 19th-century experiments of Gregor Mendel and intertwines it with the story of his own family in The Gene: An Intimate History. Adam Rutherford looks at the wealth of information our DNA contains – including the history of our species – in A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold through Our Genes. Finally, in Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are, Indiana University School of Medicine Professor Bill Sullivan describes how genetics, epigenetics, microbiology and psychology combine to affect our personalities and actions.
Sullivan will be the guest speaker for a Nov. 17 online author talk as part of the NNLM Reading Club Presents… Series. Join us at 2 p.m. ET at https://youtu.be/1l2CGOsYL04.
To learn more about these books and their authors – and to find related information from the National Library of Medicine and other authoritative sources – visit NNLM Reading Club’s Human Genetics page.
Satellites - Who is watching whom?
I love staying connected to the weather this time of year. In New England it changes all the time. Today we had bright sunlight with snow flurried. Well, with that pictured in your mind. What do you think about your TV stations weather deliverer? How are they providing us such amazing images, so we can stay tuned in to how our weather is ever changing - down to the specific flow patterns. It’s with satellites!!
Maybe it’s our turn to watch the satellites as they ‘streak’ throughout our skyline. NASA is looking for a few citizen scientists who might be interested in this very task. This is a free SciStarter affiliate project. You can use your smartphone’s camera to record satellite streaks through the night sky and monitor this problem over a period of time. Scistarter described this project on their webpage.
As more satellites are placed into orbit, they will become an increasing problem to astronomers on the ground. By taking part in this exciting citizen science project you can help scientists understand the international impact that satellites play in our outer atmosphere field. Help be a global partner - watch for satellites!
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Stand Up for Health: Health and Wellness Services for Your Community for Public Libraries
January 11, 2021 to February 5, 2021
Do you work in a public library? Are you interested in engaging with other public librarians and staff members to improve your knowledge and comfort with health and wellness related reference and services? Stand Up for Health: Health and Wellness Services for Your Community is a free online course that was developed in cooperation with WebJunction, PLA, and public librarians to create a cohort learning experience. Registration is limited to public library staff.
Over four weeks we will explore consumer health, health references in a public library environment, free health resources for library staff and patrons, and developing health and wellness related programming. New content is released each week and consists of assigned readings, discussion with your fellow cohort members, and an assignment, all of which should take about three hours. Learn more and sign up here!
CHIS Spotlight - Hope Bodwell
Position: Library Director
Institution: Monson Free Library
Please share a few sentences about your position and what you do.
I am the library director in Monson, MA, a town with a population of 8,500 people. We are a team of eight people so we all wear many hats. As a director the administration and fundraising duties land on me but I love to interact with our community and community health education is a priority in our community. The library has taken on a key role in providing needed services to our residents.
Why did you want to receive Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS)?
I am an active member and library representative on our community's Substance Abuse Community Partnership Committee. That involvement plus seeing the unmet needs in our town sparked an interest in improving the library's community health resources and services. I had taken taken the Stand Up for Health course and that let me to applying for the CHIS program. I am now working on completing Level 2.
How have you used what you learned in NNLM CHIS courses in your work?
Absolutely. Each course has given me knowledge to better serve our residents. I am using PubMed and Medline much more as a reference tool, we now have a dedicated community health resource area, and we will be adding a community health specialist who will be based out of the library and will a focus on substance use resources and services in our area. I have taken many of the courses relating to substance use and it has improved my understanding about the issue and how we as a library and community can support each other. After taking the CHIS courses I feel I have a better handle on community health issues and it has made a difference in our approach to collections, reference interviews and programming.
Why do you feel providing health information is important to your work/community?
It affects all of us, individually and as a community. By taking these courses I have looked at community health needs assessments by local hospitals and have learned so much about what health issues affect our town and we have tried to target those topics through collections and programs. The library is continually evolving and we are the neutral, safe, no-judgement area where everyone is welcome to education and reliable and accurate information. It is our job and I am passionate about improving the health and wellness of our residents. It makes a healthy community in mind, body and spirit!
Any tips or advice you have for someone interested in taking classes to achieve CHIS?
CHIS is valuable for anyone working in a library. The topics are current and diverse. We all interact with the public and the knowledge learned in these classes makes all of us a better resource for our community. It also strengthens us as a staff by better understanding workplace wellness and self care when community health gets overwhelming.
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