Continuing Education Class Descriptions

Morning CE (8:00 am - 12:00 pm)

Expert searching: Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analysis — Ann McKibbon
4 MLA CE Credits

Course Description:
This course is designed to give librarians an understanding of systematic reviews and meta-analyses and their place in healthcare literature. We will discuss the types of systematic reviews: systematic reviews, meta-analyses of study-level data, and meta-analyses of individual patient data. We will explore how systematic reviews differ from narrative reviews. We will also look at the various steps of systematic reviews (question formulation, searching and retrieval, study selection, data extraction, determination if data can be combined (meta-analyses), and results presentation. The results presentation will include a discussion of statistical and numerical data and how to understand and read forest plots of the studies and funnel plots. The course will finish with an examination of many systematic reviews discussing what material is being combined, discussion of the implications of the review, and how each is indexed. We will concentrate on MEDLINE but also discuss CINAHL and EMBASE. MEDLINE has differing definition of systematic reviews and meta-analyses than many people who produce systematic reviews. Other sources of systematic reviews will also be presented (e.g., DARE). Other topics will include the uses of systematic reviews in the production of economics studies, clinical practice guidelines, health technology assessments, and formal decision analyses. We will also discuss the roles for librarians in the production of systematic reviews and the need for comprehensive searching and new advances in stopping rules for searching. Format will be about 40% didactic and 60% hands on working with current and historical systematic reviews.

Target Audience:
All librarians can benefit.

Difficulty Level:
Introductory level.

Class Objectives:
Learn to identify a systematic review, meta-analysis and narrative reviews. Know the steps in systematic review production. Learn how to read a forest plot and describe the results of a meta-analysis. Understand how NLM indexers define systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Know you systematic reviews and meta-analyses are indexed and therefore retrieved. Gain skills and experience to be part of a systematic review team.

Instructor: Ann McKibbon
Ann McKibbon LMS PhD has been a member of many systematic review teams and has published several in both journal and technical report format. She has taught widely for librarian and health care provider audiences and written about systematic review production and the role and place of librarians

Your Library’s Value: Needs Assessment, Program Development, Program Evaluation—Cindy Olney
4 MLA CE Credits

Course Description:
One goal of evaluation is to assess and improve the “value” of a program or unit. In this workshop, participants will first learn how to define “value” by assessing the needs of the many different stakeholders in their environment (users, administrators, library staff, etc.). They then will learn to map their programs and services against institutional goals using a logic model and develop an evaluation plan to investigate and document their libraries’ contributions to the institutional mission. The workshop will end with a presentation about online library-value calculators, which participants can use for cost-benefit analysis and return-on-investment.

Target Audience:
Health sciences librarians (although information will be applicable to other library settings)

Difficulty Level:
Introductory

Class Objectives:
By the end of the class, participants will be able to translate larger institutional goals into library goals and outcomes, then develop a plan to provide and evaluate programs and services that will demonstrate their library’s value.

Instructor: Cindy Olney
Cynthia Olney, PhD, is an evaluation specialist for the NN/LM Outreach Evaluation Resource Center, has provided consultation for numerous National Library of Medicine and other health information outreach projects, and will present this OERC workshop.

All Day CE (8:00 am - 3:00 pm)

Clinical Skills for Medical Librarians — Jennifer Lyon & Rachel Walden
6 MLA CE Credits

Course Description:
Continued education in medicine is essential to integrating the librarian more fully with medical teams and improving their understanding of the medical literature and how it applies to individual patient cases. The purpose of this course is to provide librarians with practical medical knowledge, focusing on information relevant to case histories, laboratory data, and medical team discussions. Understanding medical concepts improves the librarian's abilities to communicate with physicians and patients, to read and understand the medical literature, and to relate clinical concepts in constructing a literature search. This course will consist of several modular activities. Each module will include an introduction, the medical knowledge content, and a practice activity. The modules will cover: 1) common medical terms and abbreviations; 2) common types of drugs, drug names, drug nicknames; 3) laboratory values including vital signs, basic metabolic profile, complete blood count, and urine analysis.

Target Audience:
Anyone interested in managing time, organizing their computer, and using new online tools

Difficulty Level:
Beginning

Class Objectives:
Learn about resources and methods for building their knowledge base in clinical medicine; learn to recognize and interpret common medical terms and abbreviations become familiar with the names (generic and trade), nicknames, and uses of some of the most widely utilized drugs in medicine today; learn how to quickly recognize vital sign numbers and abnormalities including blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, and oxygen saturation; learn to recognize and understand the laboratory values in a basic metabolic profile, a complete blood count, and a urine analysis including normal ranges, abnormalities, and some of the clinical consequences of the abnormalities; participate in practice examples and game-like activities designed to assist their recall of the provided information.

Instructors:
Jennifer Lyon and Rachel Walden, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Eskind Biomedical Library, Nashville, TN

Afternoon CE (1:00 pm - 5:00 pm)

Free Online Tools to Organize Your Life — Barbara Andrews
4 MLA CE Credits

Course Description:
Is it impossible to find archival and even recently crated files on your computer? Do you have notes scribbled on the back of receipt and multiple calendars so it is inefficient in terms of getting task accomplished and managing your time? This course will look at techniques and free online tools to increase productivity by managing your computer, tasks, projects and notes. We will also look at using these tools to enhance collaboration with co-workers.

Target Audience:
Anyone interested in managing time, organizing their computer, and using new online tools

Difficulty Level:
Beginning

Class Objectives:

• Stay organized
• Deal with interruptions
• Work more efficiently
• Organize computer files by creating folders and using better file naming conventions
• Become familiar with free online tools to put your schedule on track
• Become familiar with free online tools to manage your tasks, projects and notes
• Become familiar with free online tools to collaborate with co-workers

About the Instructor:
After more than 25 years teaching and working in libraries, Barbara Andrews established Andrews Consulting to provide training and consulting services to libraries and other organizations. Barbara has served as the Assistant Regional Administrator for the Metrowest Massachusetts Regional Library System, Assistant Library Director at Newbury College, Reference Computer/Resources Librarian at Massachusetts School of Law and a Database Designer at SilverPlatter Information. Before Working in the Library filed, Barbara was employed as a Professor and Director of the Radiologic Technology Program at the Massachusetts Bay Community College. Barbara has a Masters in Science Degree in Library and Information Science from Simmons College and a Masters in Administration with a specialization in Business from Framingham State College.

Beyond Google: Using Web 2.0 Search Tools — Jessamyn West
4 MLA CE Credits

Course Description: This course will provide a three-pronged approach to searching for health sciences information online. The focus will be on 1) lesser known search engines and data repositories, 20 configuring the Firefox browser to be a more effective search tool and 3) using social tools to ask, answer and index online questions.

Target Audience: Any health sciences librarian or other librarians needing to search for medical information.

Difficulty Level:
Intermediate level course focusing on less-known internet search engines

Class Objectives:
The purpose of this course is to teach participants to use a fuller range of online search tools. To offer participants targeted lists of web search tools for searching for images and videos.

Instructor: Jessamyn West
Jessamyn West is a frequent instructor and early adopter of Web 2.0 social networking tools. She has spoken at state, national and international conferences on topics such as information policy and the digital divide, Library 2.0 and social software especially its implementation in small and rural libraries. Her blog is at http://librarian.net.

Tuesday CE (1:00 pm - 3:00 pm)

The Healthy Librarian: Cultivating Wellness in the Workplace — Michelle Eberle
2 MLA CE Credits

Course Description:
Learn simple strategies to cultivate wellness in the workplace at your library. Participants will learn skills to manage challenges of the job. This interactive session will explore practical solutions including stress management skills, ergonomics and how to incorporate more activity into your day. Resources for improving one’s health literacy including health check tools and developing resiliency for changes in the profession will be explored. Participants will leave with enhanced knowledge and practical skills for incorporating healthy habits into their daily work. This program evolved out of the American Library Association’s workplace wellness initiative in 2008.

Target Audience:
Librarians interested in cultivating a health promoting workplace.

Difficulty Level:
Beginning

Class Objectives:

• Know why workplace wellness matters
• Learn the difference between workplace wellness and a health promoting work culture
• Gain valuable tools to enhance workplace wellness in the following areas: nutrition, ergonomics, stress management, exercise and fitness and beyond the workplace
• Leave feeling rejuvenated with creative ideas to make their library a health promoting workplace

About the Instructor:
Michelle L. Eberle, MS LIS, is the Consumer Health Information Coordinator (CHIC) for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region. With a position with a really neat acronym, she travels around New England educating librarians, health professionals and consumers about National Library of Medicine resources and services. Michelle earned a Masters in Library and Information Science from Simmons College in Boston, MA where she was blessed to meet her husband, Matt, also a medical librarian. Michelle graduated from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut with a Bachelors of Arts in Social Work. After graduating from Simmons, Michelle worked at the Somerville Hospital as a solo Medical Librarian. At Somerville Hospital, she discovered her passion for consumer health librarianship by serving on the patient education committee.