Blogs

Welcome to Resource Spotlight! The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library provides access to an incredible array of databases, e-book collections, software and more. In this series of posts, we’ll be showcasing highlights from our collection. In this edition of Resource Spotlight, we’ll be looking at Scopus. Scopus is the single largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature. Unlike Medline resources like PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus is also the home to non-journal literature, like conference abstracts and books. Indexing more than 22,000 journals, Scopus covers science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts, and humanities - making it a great resource for interdisciplinary projects.  Scopus’ user-friendly interface mimics Google search in its simplicity. No special syntax or subject headings are needed to conduct an initial search. Being an academic resource, though, Scopus offers many functionalities that Google does not:  Author search and author profiles Search by affiliation to gauge the output of a specific school or department The ability to search for certain document types Optional advanced search functionality that lets you search specific fields like chemical or biological entities, editors, funding information, conference information and more Offering data at the article, journal, and author level, Scopus’ broad range of content coverage makes its research impact information robust as well. Users can easily disambiguate authors and navigate to author profile pages that list publications, frequent collaborators, h-index, citation counts, disciplines that the author publishes in, and more. As mentioned above, this level of granular information is also available at the article and journal level.  Scopus is a great place to start your research, a necessary inclusion in most systematic reviews, and a massive time-saver in calculating h-indices.  With something to offer for students, clinicians, researchers, administrative staff and more start exploring Scopus today! For questions on how to best use Scopus, feel free to contact Research & Education Librarian Caitlin Meyer.

Update: On Monday, March 26th, the Commerce Department announced that the 2020 Census will reinstate the citizenship question for the first time in 70 years.  Our panelists discussed some of the dire and far-reaching consequences a Census undercount can have on public and economic health, as well as political representation.  A number of states are planning legal action in response to this decision.  See "What Can We Do?" below for a list of organizations advocating for a fair and trustworthy Census.   Thanks to all who joined us on Tuesday, February 27th for a fascinating discussion: What happens to community health when data is compromised? A discussion panel on the 2020 Census and other survey data. A special thanks to our phenomenal panelists who made this session possible: Rachel Leventhal-Weiner – Data Engagement Specialist at Connecticut Data Collaborative Contact Rachel at rlw@ctdata.org. Kenya Flash – Pol. Sci., Global Affairs & Gov. Info. Librarian at the Center for Science and Social Science Information, Yale University Miriam Olivares – GIS Librarian at the Center for Science and Social Science Information, Yale University Jim Hadler – Senior Consultant, Infectious Disease and Medical Epidemiology, Connecticut and Yale Emerging Infections Program, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists  And our Moderator, Kyle Peyton, PhD candidate in Political Science, Yale University, ISPS Policy Fellow.   For those of you who could not attend, or want to stay involved in the discussion, here are some highlights and additional resources.   What does Census data do?: Informs other population surveys Acts as an integral part of geospatial work Helps determine public health funding based on incidence Allows for analysis of social determinants of health through the American Community Survey, which fills in important details of population data that the decennial Census outlines.    Read more about the links between Census data and public health in these articles: Using the Census to understand the link between flu and poverty in New Haven, CT Exploring the relationship between poverty and premature mortality in New York City   Why is the Census endangered? A question about citizenship status has been proposed for the 2020 Census.  This question has the potential to significantly reduce response rates among already undercounted immigrant and minority communities, jeopardizing the accuracy of the data collected and driving up costs as more resources are used to follow-up with non-responders.  As Census data drives redistricting and federal funding, an inaccurate count puts vulnerable communities at risk of not receiving necessary funding and resources.  Inaccurate Census data also hinders efforts of public health officers to initiate effective disease prevention programs in high risk communities. In addition, underfunding of the Census has the potential to result in an inaccurate count, as fewer resources are available for field testing and follow-up of non-responders, among other issues.  The impacts of an undercount would be felt long after 2020, at both the local and national level.  Lack of funding doesn’t just affect the decennial Census, many Census programs and other federal surveys are at risk.  As Census data provides the infrastructure for numerous policy, commerce, and research efforts, stripping resources from the Census is like tearing up our roads and highways!    What can we do? Reach out to your congressional representative and demand a fair and thorough count!  A full count is in their self-interest as well as the communities they represent.  Follow The Census Project, a network of organizations that “support a fair and accurate 2020 Census and a comprehensive American Community Survey”. https://thecensusproject.org/ The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) is building a strategy to end gerrymandering and create fairer maps in the 2021 redistricting process. https://democraticredistricting.com/ The Count on Stats initiative of the American Statistical Association aims to educate and advocate for the importance of trustworthy federal statistics.  https://www.amstat.org/policy-and-advocacy/count-on-stats The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics devoted to increasing the public’s knowledge of Federal statistics and creating dialog around the value of Federal statistics for the public good. https://www.copafs.org/ At the local level, The Connecticut Data Collaborative aims to “empower an ecosystem of data users by democratizing access to public data and building data literacy”.  In addition to offering processed and machine-readable datasets through their data portal, the CT Data Collaborative offers a monthly open data conference call and provides updates in federal and state data in the news, in addition to various events. https://ctdata.org/ Register for the next Open Data Call and learn more about The CT Data Collaborative’s events here: https://ctdata.org/academy/ Contact a librarian at CWML for questions and additional resources about the Census and its impact on public health!  

Welcome to Resource Spotlight! The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library provides access to an incredible array of databases, e-book collections, software and more. In this series of posts, we’ll be showcasing highlights from our collection. In this edition of Resource Spotlight, we’ll be looking at the Incidence & Prevalence Database (IPD). Made available by Clarivate Analytics, IPD is a compendium of global epidemiological data from hundreds of sources. The collection of data is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of your research topic - whether that be incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, trends, cost, risk-factors, or disease classifications.  The sources integrated into IPD include government reports, medical journals, market investment reports, medical and scientific associations, national and international healthcare surveys, trade journals, database audits, and industry contacts. The website is updated monthly with new information and government statistics are typically updated annually.  In addition to the data sets procured from sources mentioned above, IPD also features:  Hundreds of “Article Reviews”, where expert analysts condense information into digestible pieces “IPD Summaries”, tables of worldwide and regional incidence and prevalence data  A self-produced “Global Incidence and Prevalence Report with Map” Information on U.S. patient discharges IPD offers some advanced searching functionality that allows users to search by countries or regions, by certain publication criteria (author, title, date), by ICD Code, or by their controlled vocabulary of keywords.  The Incidence & Prevalence Database may be useful to those involved in clinical research, public health, market research, product development, business development, and more.  Start exploring the Incidence & Prevalence Database today! For questions on how to best use IDP, feel free to contact Public Health Librarian Kate Nyhan.

(by Melissa Grafe) Yale University’s Medical Historical Library is pleased to announce the acquisition of an important collection of ephemera, photographs, and rare books related to disability, the Robert Bogdan Disability Collection. Professor Robert Bogdan compiled an archive guided by the ideas of the field of Disability Studies, an approach that focuses on “disability” as a social, cultural, and political phenomenon. Bogdan, an early pioneer in that field, has taught courses related to it since 1971. He started collecting disability ephemera in early 1980s in order to advance his research and writing. As Bogdan began collecting he realized that although there were archives and collections related to specific aspects of disability and particular disability-related organizations, none took a broad Disability Studies approach. The collection is unique in being both broad in scope yet deep in particular areas. For example, there are over four hundred photo postcards of people with a range of disabilities participating in regular life, pictures that might be found in family albums. The people are photographed as family members, friends and loved ones, not as clinical types. There are over one hundred pieces related to begging, ephemera used by people with disabilities to solicit money. There are close to three hundred items related to charities soliciting money for people with disabilities. In addition, there are hundreds items associated with institutions where people with disabilities were confined.  As Bogdan explains, “The collection expands our understanding of the social history of disability as well as contains images that are esthetically challenging and engaging.” There are over 3,500 items in the collection. It covers the period from approximately 1870, when photographic images became widely available, through the 1970s, when the disability rights movement became an important force for social change. Most of the items are contained in 14 large three ring binders organized by topics.  Their format varies but the great majority of the materials are postcards, and most of those are photo postcards. Other photo formats include carte de visite, cabinet cards, as well as other larger photographs. These are complemented by pamphlets and other printed materials.  Please see the preliminary inventory of the collection.  The Medical Historical Library created this finding aid of the collection, which researchers can use to request materials to view in the Library's secure reading room. Bogdan’s work Freak Show is a classic in the field of disability studies, as are a number of his other publications. His most recent book, Picturing Disability, draws on images in the collection. Bogdan has received many honors and awards for his contribution to the field of disability studies.  He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Social Science and Disability Studies at Syracuse University. For questions concerning the collection, please contact Melissa Grafe, Ph.D, John R. Bumstead Librarian for Medical History: melissa.grafe@yale.edu

We’ve offered PubMed and EndNote classes for years, but this year we’re trying something new to make our workshops as efficient and productive as possible! PubMed We realize that our different user groups use the same products in very different ways. Residents and attending physicians may need quick answers to clinical questions whereas students writing their theses may need a more comprehensive search of the literature. We also realize everybody is very busy and 60 minutes are hard to find. To meet these needs, we’ve created two new 30 minute PubMed classes: PubMed for Clinicians and PubMed for Research. Both classes are followed by an optional half-hour hands-on session where attendees can work through their own questions or provided examples.  EndNote Despite offering the same functionality, EndNote looks very different on Apple computers and PCs. To address these discrepancies and make learning basic EndNote tasks easier, we’ve split the introductory class into two: EndNote for Mac and EndNote for PC. Attendees can bring their own computers to become familiar with the interface and create a functioning, organized library by the end of the class. For advanced users, we’ve created a retooled Advanced EndNote class where attendees will fill out a survey prior to the class that lets the instructors cater each session to the needs and questions of the people in the room. No two sessions will be alike!   Check out the class calendar for upcoming workshops.  Are you interested in attending a library workshop and can’t make it to 333 Cedar St.? Let us know, and we can schedule something for your group at your location.