Genamics JournalSeek might be a good replacement for JAKE, as well as a place for students and faculty to look when considering where to publish.
http://journalseek.net/
From the website: "Genamics JournalSeek is the largest completely categorized database of freely available journal information available on the internet. The database presently contains 94715 titles. Journal information includes the description (aims and scope), journal abbreviation, journal homepage link, subject category and ISSN.
Searching this information allows the rapid identification of potential journals to publish your research in, as well as allow you to find new journals of interest to your field."
You can browse by category or search. I tried a few abbreviations and retrieved the title of the journal I needed.
News & announcements for the staff of the Information Desk
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Friday, April 03, 2009
Pet Policy
Re: Gerstein's pet policy.
Just for clarification, all staff should be aware that our policy is no pets, except 'seeing eye dogs' for those with visual disabilities. This is as per the University's policy as stated at: http://www.fs.utoronto.ca/aboutus/policies/fire.htm (scroll down to the section on pets)
"PETS other than seeing eye dogs are NOT permitted in any University buildings. Exceptions must have written permission from the Dean or Chair responsible for the area, and the owner will be responsible for clean-up, damage and liability."
Just for clarification, all staff should be aware that our policy is no pets, except 'seeing eye dogs' for those with visual disabilities. This is as per the University's policy as stated at: http://www.fs.utoronto.ca/aboutus/policies/fire.htm (scroll down to the section on pets)
"PETS other than seeing eye dogs are NOT permitted in any University buildings. Exceptions must have written permission from the Dean or Chair responsible for the area, and the owner will be responsible for clean-up, damage and liability."
New Old printer
There is a new old printer at the Information desk! No more jamming, freezing, etc. (hopefully).
It's the Lexmark 520 that previously lived on the 2nd floor with the RRUnit.
Enjoy!
It's the Lexmark 520 that previously lived on the 2nd floor with the RRUnit.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Origin of PICO
There was a question at the info desk about when the first time the term PICO was coined, so the author could use the reference in a systematic review footnote. The usual reference for the birth of PICO seems to be this:
Sackett DL, Richardson WS, Rosenberg W, Haynes RB (1997). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM. New York: Churchill Livingston.
However, see http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/270/17/2093 for the first discussion of the ideas. The terms were then solidified in Richardson WS, Wilson MC, Nishikawa J, Hayward RS. "The Well Built Clinical question" ACP J Club. 1995 Nov-Dec;123(3):A12-3. The authors don't coin the acronym PICO but use all the words. (We don't have an online copy at U of T but someone on the web put up a scan here: http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/subject/ebm/richardson.pdf )
Sackett DL, Richardson WS, Rosenberg W, Haynes RB (1997). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM. New York: Churchill Livingston.
However, see http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/270/17/2093 for the first discussion of the ideas. The terms were then solidified in Richardson WS, Wilson MC, Nishikawa J, Hayward RS. "The Well Built Clinical question" ACP J Club. 1995 Nov-Dec;123(3):A12-3. The authors don't coin the acronym PICO but use all the words. (We don't have an online copy at U of T but someone on the web put up a scan here: http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/subject/ebm/richardson.pdf )
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Alternatives to UpToDate
Q: Which alternatives should we recommend when students/faculty come in looking for UpToDate?
A: ACP PIER and Clinical Evidence are two great tools which are actually updated more frequently than UpToDate. They are useful diagnostic and point-of-care tools, providing evidence-based guidance for practitioners.
A: ACP PIER and Clinical Evidence are two great tools which are actually updated more frequently than UpToDate. They are useful diagnostic and point-of-care tools, providing evidence-based guidance for practitioners.
Labels:
database,
e-resources,
evidence-based tools
Friday, March 13, 2009
MLA citations no longer require URLS to be included.
MLA citations no longer require URLS to be included.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/03/11/mla
"...the MLA has ceased to recommend inclusion of URLs in citing Web-based works – unless the instructor requires it or a reader would likely be unable to locate the source otherwise. “Inclusion of URLs has proved to have limited value… for they often change, can be specific to a subscriber or a session of use, and can be so long and complex that typing them into a browser is cumbersome and prone to transcription errors. Readers are now more likely to find resources on the Web by searching for titles and authors' names than by typing URLs,” states the handbook."
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/03/11/mla
"...the MLA has ceased to recommend inclusion of URLs in citing Web-based works – unless the instructor requires it or a reader would likely be unable to locate the source otherwise. “Inclusion of URLs has proved to have limited value… for they often change, can be specific to a subscriber or a session of use, and can be so long and complex that typing them into a browser is cumbersome and prone to transcription errors. Readers are now more likely to find resources on the Web by searching for titles and authors' names than by typing URLs,” states the handbook."
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Astronomy Library Services
A reminder that the Astronomy library doesn't serve undergraduate students, so they should not be referred over to them. They serve their department faculty and researchers, as well as graduate students from other faculties by appointment only.
FYI
The Astronomy library does not use SIRSI, all of their materials are signed out using cards!
FYI
The Astronomy library does not use SIRSI, all of their materials are signed out using cards!
Labels:
astronomy,
graduate students,
referrals
Monday, March 09, 2009
Bill Changer Claim Forms
If the Bill changer eats a users' money or gives incorrect change, patrons should fill out the 'Bill Changer Claim Form' held at the Loan Services Desk. Contact Peter Gurney for information or to locate the forms.
T-Card Claim Forms
T-Card Claim Forms are issued from the Loan Services Desk when a Visitor Card is not dispensed by the Cash to Card machine or when a patron has deposited funds that are not added to card.
Patrons fill in the form and leave it with staff at the Loan Services desk. The Library's Business Office at Robarts Library follows up on the claim.
Patrons fill in the form and leave it with staff at the Loan Services desk. The Library's Business Office at Robarts Library follows up on the claim.
Labels:
claim forms,
printing,
procedures,
tcard
Staff Pre-loaded Print Card
The staff print card is located in the printer cabinet behind the information desk. It is preloaded with money by the library. This card is never given to patrons; staff must accompany the patron and use the card to print their materials for them. Remember to return the card to the printer cabinet when finished with it. If the balance is low, please report to Jeff Heeney.
Vouchers
Vouchers aka “Gerstein Public Printer Voucher for Missing/Defective Print Jobs”
Vouchers are issued when a patron uses their T-card or a Visitor card to print, and payment is subtracted from the chip on their card but the machine does not print/photocopy, or does so but the print/photocopy is damaged or illegible.
Vouchers are filled out at the Information Desk by desk staff, indicating the number of pages lost. Having a voucher allows a patron to approach the Information Desk at a later date and ask that a print/photocopy job be printed at a public printer by a staff member using the staff print card in the printer cabinet. When issuing a voucher, please inform the patron that are only to be claimed at Gerstein (i.e. patrons cannot take these to the Info Commons or Robarts to get print jobs). This is purely an internal Gerstein procedure.
Vouchers are issued when a patron uses their T-card or a Visitor card to print, and payment is subtracted from the chip on their card but the machine does not print/photocopy, or does so but the print/photocopy is damaged or illegible.
Vouchers are filled out at the Information Desk by desk staff, indicating the number of pages lost. Having a voucher allows a patron to approach the Information Desk at a later date and ask that a print/photocopy job be printed at a public printer by a staff member using the staff print card in the printer cabinet. When issuing a voucher, please inform the patron that are only to be claimed at Gerstein (i.e. patrons cannot take these to the Info Commons or Robarts to get print jobs). This is purely an internal Gerstein procedure.
Labels:
photocopying,
printing,
procedures,
vouchers
Card Flagged Error Message
If a users’ card is showing the error message ‘Card Flagged’ when they try to print or photocopy, they should be instructed to go to the last machine where the card worked, and reinsert the card into that machine. This should remove the flag.
If they cannot remember which machine to go to, or if this does not remove the ‘flag’ they should be instructed to go to the T Card office (2nd Floor Robarts) to have the card unflagged.
If they cannot remember which machine to go to, or if this does not remove the ‘flag’ they should be instructed to go to the T Card office (2nd Floor Robarts) to have the card unflagged.
Labels:
photocopying,
printing,
procedures,
visitors card
Courtesy Printing Cards
Courtesy cards, vouchers and the Gerstein Staff Print card are all stored in the locked black printer cabinet behind the Information desk.
‘Courtesy cards’ are visitor cards which are held at the desk for the use of one-time visitors to the library when they have only a few pages to print. If the user is photocopying, they can be directed to the coin-operated machine and the change machine if they do not have coins.
If someone comes to the desk and asks for one of these ‘Courtesy cards’ they are likely not a one-time user and should be instructed to purchase a visitor card. Desk staff should use their discretion as to when the card can be borrowed by a patron.
When the courtesy cards are loaned out, the staff member must request a piece of identification from the person borrowing the card, which will be returned when the card is brought back to the desk. Staff should lock the ID into the black printer cabinet to keep it secure for the patron. If your desk shift is ending, let the next person who comes out know that the ID is being held in the cabinet for a visitor.
When lending these cards, the staff member should tell the patron that any funds left on the card will not be refunded, and to only load the card with the amount needed to cover the cost of printing.
‘Courtesy cards’ are visitor cards which are held at the desk for the use of one-time visitors to the library when they have only a few pages to print. If the user is photocopying, they can be directed to the coin-operated machine and the change machine if they do not have coins.
If someone comes to the desk and asks for one of these ‘Courtesy cards’ they are likely not a one-time user and should be instructed to purchase a visitor card. Desk staff should use their discretion as to when the card can be borrowed by a patron.
When the courtesy cards are loaned out, the staff member must request a piece of identification from the person borrowing the card, which will be returned when the card is brought back to the desk. Staff should lock the ID into the black printer cabinet to keep it secure for the patron. If your desk shift is ending, let the next person who comes out know that the ID is being held in the cabinet for a visitor.
When lending these cards, the staff member should tell the patron that any funds left on the card will not be refunded, and to only load the card with the amount needed to cover the cost of printing.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
2009 Toronto Notes
2 copies of the 2009 Toronto notes are on their way to Gerstein, to the STL room.
If a patron needs them immediately, they can be purchased at the Bookstore.
If a patron needs them immediately, they can be purchased at the Bookstore.
Labels:
bookstore,
short term loan,
stl,
toronto notes
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Questions about studying for licensing and qualifying exams
A reminder to all Info Desk staff,
If a patron comes in with questions about study materials for medical licensing and qualifying exams, including practice exams, you can direct them to our study guide on this topic which can be found at:
http://link.library.utoronto.ca/MyUTL/guides/index.cfm?guide=medlicense
If a patron comes in with questions about study materials for medical licensing and qualifying exams, including practice exams, you can direct them to our study guide on this topic which can be found at:
http://link.library.utoronto.ca/MyUTL/guides/index.cfm?guide=medlicense
Robarts Renovation Update and 2009 Planning
The front page article in the lastest issue of the /University of Toronto Libraries Newsletter /described the renovation and construction work that is already underway as part of the overall Robarts renewal plan. If you haven't seen this article, it can be found at: http://content.library.utoronto.ca/general-information/news/utl-news/fall2008.pdf
By way of update regarding the two test projects, the north apex on the 9th floor is now scheduled for completion in early February. The construction boarding has come down and the area has been secured with fencing to allow for carpeting and finishing work.
Construction on the 5th floor will begin in February and is expected to continue into the early summer. Although the government publications and maps collections on the 5th floor will be accessible during the construction period, all staff currently working on the fifth floor will be relocated. Sherry Smugler and Vicky Escandor will move to the 6th floor in mid-January. The government publications processing function will have a permanent home on the 6th floor. The GIS Maps and Data staff, which includes Marcel Fortin, Laine Ruus, Susan Jewel, Gerald Romme and Bernie Disonglo, will move to space on the 1st floor in February. They will remain there for the duration of the construction and then move back to the 5th floor. Public service assistance for Data Maps and GIS will be delivered from the 1st floor location and will involve some travelling back and forth between the 1st and 5th floor. Signage and webpages will be updated to note this when the move takes place.
In preparation for construction, the 5th floor government publications collection has been reduced in size and redistributed. The map cabinets will remain on the 5th floor but will be shifted.
The planning and initial design process for the rest of the Robarts renewal and renovation will take place during the first six months of 2009. The process will include input and consultation with representatives of the staff groups residing in areas designated for renewal. General meetings will also be scheduled to update all interested staff on the overall planning process. The initial planning process will result in a costing exercise which will determine the overall extent of construction and scheduling timelines for specific areas. If all goes as planned, construction will begin in the late spring and continue on an area-by-area basis over a three year period. The continuous operation of the library throughout the construction is a given and will inform all scheduling considerations.
Further updates will be issued in the new year. The new main library webpage will also feature a link to renovation news.
Joan Leishman 16/12/2008
By way of update regarding the two test projects, the north apex on the 9th floor is now scheduled for completion in early February. The construction boarding has come down and the area has been secured with fencing to allow for carpeting and finishing work.
Construction on the 5th floor will begin in February and is expected to continue into the early summer. Although the government publications and maps collections on the 5th floor will be accessible during the construction period, all staff currently working on the fifth floor will be relocated. Sherry Smugler and Vicky Escandor will move to the 6th floor in mid-January. The government publications processing function will have a permanent home on the 6th floor. The GIS Maps and Data staff, which includes Marcel Fortin, Laine Ruus, Susan Jewel, Gerald Romme and Bernie Disonglo, will move to space on the 1st floor in February. They will remain there for the duration of the construction and then move back to the 5th floor. Public service assistance for Data Maps and GIS will be delivered from the 1st floor location and will involve some travelling back and forth between the 1st and 5th floor. Signage and webpages will be updated to note this when the move takes place.
In preparation for construction, the 5th floor government publications collection has been reduced in size and redistributed. The map cabinets will remain on the 5th floor but will be shifted.
The planning and initial design process for the rest of the Robarts renewal and renovation will take place during the first six months of 2009. The process will include input and consultation with representatives of the staff groups residing in areas designated for renewal. General meetings will also be scheduled to update all interested staff on the overall planning process. The initial planning process will result in a costing exercise which will determine the overall extent of construction and scheduling timelines for specific areas. If all goes as planned, construction will begin in the late spring and continue on an area-by-area basis over a three year period. The continuous operation of the library throughout the construction is a given and will inform all scheduling considerations.
Further updates will be issued in the new year. The new main library webpage will also feature a link to renovation news.
Joan Leishman 16/12/2008
Labels:
construction,
gis library,
robarts
Ovid MEDLINE Global Reload
Hello all,
Just a reminder that due to the reload we occasionally have questions early in the new year from those who have set up alerts in Ovid databases. They often wonder what has happened to their alerts. The reload sometimes delays new content from showing up in the alerts or the alerts themselves into early February. Please see below.
Sandra
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 2009 Ovid MEDLINE® Global Reload
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:48:14 -0800
*2009 Ovid MEDLINE® Global Reload*
*Dear Ovid Customer:*
We are working on the dataset for the 2009 Global Reload and look forward to completing the 2009 MEDLINE regeneration as quickly as possible. At this point, we expect that the reload will be live on OvidSP in mid-late January 2009*. *
As a reminder:
* The last MEDLINE Daily update went out on November 19, 2008.
* The last MEDLINE Weekly update went out on November 24, 2008.
No substantive field changes are currently planned for this reload. A complete description of the 2009 MeSH thesaurus changes are available by linking to:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/whatsnew.html
If you should have any questions during this time, please contact us at
wkhealth-support@wolterskluwer.com
Sincerely, Ovid Technologies
Just a reminder that due to the reload we occasionally have questions early in the new year from those who have set up alerts in Ovid databases. They often wonder what has happened to their alerts. The reload sometimes delays new content from showing up in the alerts or the alerts themselves into early February. Please see below.
Sandra
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 2009 Ovid MEDLINE® Global Reload
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:48:14 -0800
*2009 Ovid MEDLINE® Global Reload*
*Dear Ovid Customer:*
We are working on the dataset for the 2009 Global Reload and look forward to completing the 2009 MEDLINE regeneration as quickly as possible. At this point, we expect that the reload will be live on OvidSP in mid-late January 2009*. *
As a reminder:
* The last MEDLINE Daily update went out on November 19, 2008.
* The last MEDLINE Weekly update went out on November 24, 2008.
No substantive field changes are currently planned for this reload. A complete description of the 2009 MeSH thesaurus changes are available by linking to:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/whatsnew.html
If you should have any questions during this time, please contact us at
wkhealth-support@wolterskluwer.com
Sincerely, Ovid Technologies
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Group Study Room Policy
Group Study Room policy is now as follows:
Please direct groups of 2 to our 1 Below group study 'area' as an alternative. (below the reference room)
- Rooms are for the use of groups of 3 or more students. One or two individuals using a Group Study room should be prepared to move if requested to do so by groups of 3 or more students. Thank you for your cooperation.
- Covered beverages are permitted but eating is not.
Please direct groups of 2 to our 1 Below group study 'area' as an alternative. (below the reference room)
Labels:
group study,
policy,
renovation,
signs
Friday, November 28, 2008
PubMed - Interface Changes
I suspect most of you have seen this already, but just in case. . . PubMed will soon have a different look. There's a link to the technical bulletin in the message below (or attached).
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/nd08/nd08_pm_adv_search_evolves.html
Harriet
19/11/08
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/nd08/nd08_pm_adv_search_evolves.html
Harriet
19/11/08
Racer - password/pin issues
Yesterday at our meeting there was some discussion about the difficulty
experienced by some patrons, whose PIN is all letters in lower case,
when using this password to access RACER. I contacted Amy Greenberg and
her reply is as follows: "The password (in RACER, coming from the
nightly Sirsi upload) is the same, but in capital letters. Looks like
somewhere between the data upload and conversion, it is being converted
to upper case. This is what the patron will need to use."
Bottom line-when logging into RACER type an all letter password in upper
case. Patron can continue to use lower case when accessing 'my.account'.
Jane Lynch
28/11/08
experienced by some patrons, whose PIN is all letters in lower case,
when using this password to access RACER. I contacted Amy Greenberg and
her reply is as follows: "The password (in RACER, coming from the
nightly Sirsi upload) is the same, but in capital letters. Looks like
somewhere between the data upload and conversion, it is being converted
to upper case. This is what the patron will need to use."
Bottom line-when logging into RACER type an all letter password in upper
case. Patron can continue to use lower case when accessing 'my.account'.
Jane Lynch
28/11/08
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