The National Library of Medicine (NLM) let us know some months ago that they’ve been working on a new version of PubMed (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/ma19/ma19_pubmed_update.html). I attended a webinar today to learn more about the new features, functionality, and look of the site, which is set to launch at the beginning of 2020.
The “labs” (or beta) version is already available to use. If interested, give the new site a try at UH’s custom link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pubmed/?otool=uhulib
Be sure to click on the green “Feedback” button in the lower right corner of the page to let NLM know what you think, or if you encounter any problems that need to be fixed prior to launch.
Once the new site has officially switched over, we’ll be offering open classes on how to get the most out of your PubMed searches. Watch this space (and your email) for more information.
As of this morning, the glass study room walls in the Health Sciences Library are now frosted. The effect is mostly opaque (although the glass on the doors is still clear).
We hope this will help you stay focused as you work in the rooms.
We’ve implemented a new process for faculty and staff to reserve the conference room (2221-A) in the Health Sciences Library.
Going forward, please visit https://uh.libcal.com/reserve/hsl-private/2221A and use the calendar at the bottom of the page to schedule the room.
Description
The Health Sciences Library Conference Room is equipped with a Polycom HDX 8000 conferencing system with Zoom integration. Can utilize both camera and room microphones for interactive Zoom meetings. CougarNet-login desktop computer, laptops available for checkout, cables and adapters to connect your own laptop. 82 inch monitor on the wall as well as a glass markerboard.
This room can be reserved by faculty and staff. The capacity is 14.
Directions
Located in Health 1/Health 2 inside the Health Sciences Library. The Health Sciences Library is room # 2222; the Conference Room # is 2221-A.
Go to https://libraries.uh.edu/pubmed
You can tell you’re in the right place if the URL looks like this:
Enter your search as usual:
Click on the title of an article you’d like to read:
Click on the “UH Find This Item” button on the right side of the page:
A new tab will open.
This is the page that looks different. Look at the links under the “View Online – Full text availability” headings. Choose one that has appropriate date coverage for the article you’re trying to get. In this case, either one would work, so I just went with the first one on the list.
Look for the link to download the PDF.
…
Here’s another example. Click on a title from your PubMed results list:
Click on the “UH Find This Item” button on the right side of the page:
Look at the links under the “View Online – Full text availability” headings. Pay attention to the notes, if there are any. Choose one that has appropriate date coverage for the article you’re trying to get. In this case, I chose the second link, because the first link has a note saying it is “For UH Clear Lake users.”
Click on the “Download PDF” button to get the full text article.
We are still tweaking some of the settings on this new system. I will update with more information (especially on requesting interlibrary loans through PubMed) as it becomes available.
If you have questions, please contact Rachel Helbing at rrhelbin@central.uh.edu or 713-743-5462.
On Friday, March 1, the Health Sciences Library hosted an escape room activity for the 95 first-year Optometry students enrolled in Community Health. We designed this interactive game to give students an opportunity to implement the information literacy skills that we covered in a lecture earlier that week.
The skills covered included the following:
- Locating the Optometry Resources guide
- Identifying an empirical, peer-reviewed research article
- Applying PICO to a database search
- Using PubMed to obtain full-text articles
- Finding journal impact factors
16 teams of 5-7 students competed against the clock and each other in order to solve a series of 8 tasks, presented in a mix of online and physical format clues.
Our winning team, iCare(tm) [pictured below], finished in 19 minutes 57 seconds. Everyone was able to complete the activity within the allotted time, plus or minus a few extra hints. 🙂
This foray into gamification was a success – everyone learned something and had fun. We are looking forward to facilitating similar activities in the future.
iCare(tm) finished first with a time of 19:57.
- There are 4 group study rooms available for checkout in the Health Sciences Library.
- Each room contains a table, chairs, whiteboard, and monitor.
- Room capacity is 2-6 people.
- You may reserve a room for up to 2 hours per day.
- You may renew the room for up to 2 more hours per day, pending availability.
- We also provide the following for checkout:
- HDMI cable and adapter
- Whiteboard kit containing markers and an eraser
- Overdue fines are $3 per hour, per checked-out item
Visit https://uh.libcal.com/reserve/spaces/hsl to check availability and reserve a room.
3 of our group study rooms
Are you a morning person?
Trying to avoid being outside in the heat once the sun has fully risen?
Have you resolved to be an early bird and finally get that worm?
A tired bird is yawning.
We’ve got great news for you!
Starting with the Fall 2018 semester, the Health Sciences Library now opens at 7:00 am on weekdays.
We’ll still stay open late-ish and be open 7 days per week for all your studying needs.
Our current hours:
Mon-Thu: 7 am – 9 pm
Fri: 7 am – 6 pm
Sat: 10 am – 5 pm
Sun: 12 pm – 7 pm
View of the Health Sciences Library from the hallway of Health 1 building
The Health Sciences Library opened on January 8, 2018. We are pleased to serve the Colleges of Nursing, Optometry, Pharmacy, and other health-related programs at the University of Houston. Please watch this space for news and content related to our library, its collections, and services.