Greetings from Your Network Librarian

Posted by Darlene Kaskie on June 17th, 2016 Posted in: General

Greetings from your Network Librarian for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) Greater Midwest Region (GMR), a new or should I say revised position for the new location of the Regional Medical Library (RML). As you may already know, on May 1, 2016, the RML moved from the University of Illinois at Chicago to the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, and I moved along with it–well, virtually at least. I am still in Chicago, telecommuting to the new RML office but will be heading out to Hardin once a month or so for staff meetings. My duties as Network Librarian include regional member services, DOCLINE®, Emergency Preparedness and Response, and MedPrint, among others. I also will be one of the office leads for the Portal, the online reporting database for contract and activity reports.

To understand what the 2016-2021 grant will mean to you, a good place to start is the GMR Proposal for the 2016-2021 grant. The proposal is linked from the About GMR tab on the top navigation bar of the GMR website, http://nnlm.gov/gmr/. The proposal lists ten aims that the GMR has outlined for the five-year grant. Several of these aims involve network membership directly. These aims are summarized here:

AIM 1: Partnerships with regional network members
AIM 3: Expand and manage the GMR network
AIM 4: Strengthen the Network National Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan
AIM 5: Increase the number of network members actively and effectively participating in NLM programs and services within the GMR

As Network Librarian, I hope to enhance network membership by building upon current connections and creating new partnerships throughout the GMR and nationally. Several types of organizations are part of the GMR, not only “libraries of medicine”. NN/LM has expanded to include different types of libraries as well as other information centers who have health information access as part of their mission. Public libraries, community college libraries, community based organizations (CBOs), and faith-based organizations (FBOs), and even departments of public health are Network Members. How can you be sure that your organization is an engaged member of NN/LM? Start by checking your member profile. The easiest way to do this is through the Network Members Directory, http://nnlm.gov/members/adv.html. If you see that your contact information is out-of-date and you have access to DOCLINE, you can login to update. If you are not a DOCLINE user, send me an email with the correct information, and I will update it for you. I may be reached at jacqueline-leskovec at uiowa.edu.

Jacqueline Leskovec, MLIS, MA, RN
Network Librarian
National Network of Libraries of Medicine
Greater Midwest Region
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences
University of Iowa
Web: http://nnlm.gov/gmr/
Skype: jacqueline.leskovec

ABOUT Darlene Kaskie
Darlene Kaskie, M.L.S. is Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist for Region 6 of the Network of the National Library of Medicine. She connects communities to training, engagement, and funding to improve access to health information and NLM Resources such as MedlinePlus. Advancing health literacy and digital skills training helps people make informed decisions about their health. She earned her Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) from the Medical Library Association.

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