Health Sciences and Medical Librarianship Commons^™

Virtual Lunch And Learn: Efficient Database Translation, Stefanie Lapka

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

Searching across multiple databases is an important part of a comprehensive literature search—but translating a search strategy from one database to another takes more than simply copying and pasting.

Join us for September's Lunch & Learn to explore database translation. Register to attend this virtual session.

Resources Feature: Explore Public Opinion Data With Roper Ipoll, Joanne Romano

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

Looking for public opinion or survey data? Roper iPoll, available through the TMC Library, provides access to nearly one million survey and poll questions and responses covering decades of public opinion research.

Explore Roper iPoll through the TMC Library’s A–Z Databases: https://bit.ly/4rixZFk

History Of Medicine Seminar Returns For Fall 2026, Alice Sherwood

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

The History of Medicine Seminar is back for the Fall 2026 semester! This longstanding collaborative series brings together the TMC community for conversations exploring the history of medicine, archival collections, philosophy, and morally relevant questions in medicine.

View the Fall 2026 History of Medicine Seminar schedule

From The Archives: Rediscovering The John Preston Papers, Isabella Sumner

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

The John Preston, MD Papers, the newest collection at the McGovern Historical Center, contain letters and institutional records documenting life at the Austin State Lunatic Asylum—now Austin State Hospital—during Dr. Preston's 36 years as superintendent. Materials include correspondence from patient's families, physicians, judges, sheriffs, and attorneys, along with budgets, patient records, and even menus for staff and patients. Together, they offer a window into mental health care in Texas during the early 20th century.

Read the full story and explore highlights from the collection on the McGovern Historical Center blog. 

Welcome Back! Start The Academic Year With The Tmc Library, Stefanie Lapka

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

Welcome to a new academic year! Whether you're beginning a new semester, continuing your work, or joining the TMC community for the first time, the TMC Library is here to support your learning, teaching, research, and professional work.

Ready to get started? Rediscover what the TMC Library can do for you and explore our services today.

Virtual Lunch And Learn: Refresh Your Library Toolkit, Stefanie Lapka

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

You might not need a new lunchbox, but everyone can use a refreshed set of resources! Join us for our August Lunch & Learn, Get into a "Back to School" State of Mind with the TMC Library, and explore how the Library can support you at every stage of your career.

Let's make this your most efficient year yet! Register to attend this virtual session!

From The Archives: Houston's Pharmaceutical Past, Kelsey Koym

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

Step back into Houston's early pharmaceutical history with the McGovern Historical Center's newest collection, the Houston Drug Company Records.

Explore the story behind the collection and how these records found their way to the McGovern Historical Center: The Houston Drug Company Records

New Publishing Benefit For Tmc Authors: Mdpi, Joanne Romano

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

Publishing with MDPI? TMC-affiliated authors can now take advantage of new benefits through MDPI's Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP), including a discount on article processing charges (APCs) when publishing in MDPI journals.

Planning to publish? Learn more about the MDPI author benefit and how to take advantage of your TMC affiliation: Publishing Support at the TMC Library: MDPI

Finding And Using Validated Surveys In Health Science Research, Tracy Ashby

Library Class: Lunch & Learn

Join us as we introduce techniques for identifying and using validated surveys in health sciences research. Learn strategies for finding reliable, evidence-based measurement tools in the databases and gain tips on how to evaluate their quality and relevance.

From Box To Browser: The John P. Mcgovern, M.D. Papers Are Now Online, Tara Sims

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

After nearly three years of archival work, one of the McGovern Historical Center's most significant collections is now fully processed and searchable online, making it easier than ever for researchers around the world to discover Dr. McGovern's legacy. 

Read the full story on the McGovern Historical Center blog:
From Box to Browser: The John P. McGovern, M.D. Papers Are Now Fully Discoverable Online/

Resource Highlight: Boardvitals, Joanne Romano

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

BoardVitals is now available through the TMC Library! This online exam preparation platform provides thousands of board-style practice questions, customizable quizzes, and detailed answer explanations to help you prepare for certification and licensing exams across a variety of health professions.

Learn more and get started: https://library.tmc.edu/boardvitals-for-exam-preparation/

Start The Year Strong With Library Support, Stefanie Lapka

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

The new academic year is just around the corner! Now is the perfect time to schedule a library orientation or instruction session with the TMC Library. Our librarians are here to connect your students and teams with the resources and research skills they need to succeed.

Request a library orientation or instruction session today: https://librarytmc.libwizard.com/f/Class

Virtual Lunch And Learn: Finding And Using Validated Surveys In Health Science Research, Stephanie Lapka

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

Virtual Lunch and Learn: Finding and Using Validated Surveys in Health Science Research on July 31, 2026 at noon.

Finding the right measurement tool can be challenging. In this month’s Lunch & Learn, discover how to find reliable, evidence-based measurement tools and determine whether a survey is the right fit for your research project.

Register to attend this virtual session!

Board Exam Preparation Resource Trends In Academic Health Sciences Libraries Serving Colleges Of Osteopathic Medicine Programs., Joanne Muellenbach, Kyle Robinson, Hsin-Liang (Oliver) Chen, Harold S Bright, Lori Fitterling

PCOM Scholarly Works

BACKGROUND: The study seeks to identify the board exam preparation (prep) resources made available to medical students by academic health sciences libraries and other departments within U.S. colleges of osteopathic medicine (COM) programs, and the extent to which these resources are utilized by medical students and educators.

METHODS: The study was conducted in two phases. In phase one, forty-two COM library directors were invited to complete a survey regarding their usage, funding, and access models for available board prep resources. In phase two, semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom to explore the library's role in providing access to these resources. …

Waring Library Society Newsletter, Summer 2026, Jude Arendall, J. G. Reves, Joann Livingston Zeise, Elinor Cecile Gray Borgert

The Waring Library Society Newsletters

This issue includes a tribute to President David Cole by Dr. Jerry Reves, in honor of Cole’s retirement. It features an intriguing story on the history of the X-ray, and a special article on the history of the gin and tonic, written by our very own WLS member and leader, Dr. Elinor Borgert.

Enhancing Research Communication With Visual Tools, Sonya Fogg

Library Class: Lunch & Learn

Understand the role of visual communication in medical research. Distinguish between data visualizations, infographics, and visual abstracts. Identify best practices and some resources and tools for creating effective visuals.

Virtual Lunch And Learn: Enhancing Research Communication With Visual Tools, Sonya Fogg

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

Virtual Lunch and Learn: Enhancing Research Communication with Visual Tools on June 26, 2026 at noon.

Understand the role of visual communication in medical research. Distinguish between data visualizations, infographics, and visual abstracts. Identify best practices and some resources and tools for creating effective visuals.

Register to attend this virtual session!

Resource Highlight: Accessdermatologydxrx, Joanne Romano

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

Try AccessDermatologyDxRx! It is your go-to Access collection in dermatology featuring core texts, review questions, cases, videos, 3D modules, and more, including: Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology Flashcards, Weinberg’s Color Atlas of Pediatric Dermatology and Taylor and Kelly’s Dermatology for Skin of Color.  Try it today!

Upcoming Holidays, Katie Prentice

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

No abstract provided.

Maintaining Student Support During A Library Restructure, Ashley Purvis, Jenn Ann Monnin

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This talk presents a brief, collaborative autoethnography of a health science library downsizing due to budgetary constraints. Prior to Fall 2024, the library consisted of five librarians, with one liaison to each school on the Health Sciences Campus. After staff downsizing, a functional model was instituted with two librarians serving students, faculty, and research. One librarian focuses on support of the research enterprise, while the other focuses on student success, completing the majority of health sciences instruction. Presenters will briefly describe the new library structure and spend the majority of time presenting their reflection on the division of labor; deciding …

National Agricultural Library (Nal) Search., Leah Everitt, Sonya Lemke

Publications

SEARCH is the USDA National Agricultural Library (NAL)'s main discovery platform that provides integrated access to the NAL Digital Collections, Special Collections, PubAg and AGRICOLA. NAL SEARCH is a valuable tool for health science librarians, students, and professionals seeking veterinary science, nutrition, or animal experiment alternatives. This article aims to give users a comprehensive overview of this resource.

Screening Tools For Maternal Mental Health In Africa: A Systematic Review, Joyce Jebet, Irene Mageto, Benard Mutwiri, Abednego Ongeso, Ruth Wagathu, Rose Maina, Denis Munene, Kawira Kithuci, Peter Gatiti

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background:

Maternal health during pregnancy and the postnatal period encompasses mental health, which is a key aspect in enhancing a positive outcome. Despite screening for other possible complications during pregnancy and the postnatal period, very little attention has been paid to screening for mental health. Screening is a key tool in early diagnosis and, eventually, timely diagnosis and management in cases where complications arise.

Aim:

This study aimed to assess the available maternal mental health screening tools and compare the outcome on their utilization during pregnancy and postnatal periods in the African continent.

Methodology:

This was a …

Recruitment As Care: Building Trust With Hard-To-Reach Populations In Sensitive Health Research, Alexander N. Vera

MUSC Conference Presentations

Recruiting participants for sensitive health research on social media presents unique ethical and methodological challenges. This session shares lessons learned from a qualitative study examining how young adults in South Carolina use TikTok to seek sexual health information. The presentation highlights creative and trauma-informed recruitment strategies that successfully engaged a hard-to-reach population while maintaining participant trust and privacy. Attendees will learn how recruitment language, social media algorithms, and transparency practices shape engagement, and why building trust matters more than technology alone. The session also considers how these lessons can inform future research in health sciences librarianship, especially for librarians supporting …

Electronic Research Notebooks And Partnership Checklists: Fostering Cultured Collaboration In Evidence Synthesis Projects Using Labarchives And Swirl-Sr, Gary Kaplan, Mslis, Ahip, Abby Adamczyk, Mlis, Ahip, Emmett Booth, Mlis, Ahip, Stephanie Roth, Mlis, Ahip

Academic Commons and Scott Memorial Library Staff Papers and Presentations

Background

Librarians providing evidence synthesis services often face project management challenges, from tracking progress on search strategy development to clarifying team roles. Librarians have a variety of tools to address these challenges.¹ We propose using electronic lab notebooks (ELNs), which standardize how scientists record research progress. Institutions have adapted ELNs to protect intellectual property and improve rigor and reproducibility.

Although many published systematic reviews report following guidelines such as PRISMA, they still lack rigor and reproducibility.² Therefore, one of the authors developed the Standards for Working with Research Librarians-on Systematic Reviews (SWiRL-SR) checklist to facilitate collaboration and improve …

Ai Tools For Research Teams, Sandra Desjardins

Library Class: Lunch & Learn

Join us for a fast-paced, practical session on using free and low-cost AI tools to save hours on your research workflow, from initial discovery to final synthesis. We'll have an overview of tools like Rayyan, ResearchRabbit, and Elicit.

Mapping Information Literary To The Medical Curriculum, Ella Hu, David Stewart

Posters

Medical school accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) requires library staff to be responsive to educational needs. Despite a move toward integrated learning, library instruction is often limited to single sessions early in the curriculum. Curriculum mapping addresses this by providing a systematic analysis of program courses to visualize teaching priorities and the student experience. This strategic tool enables librarians to shift from reactive service to proactive engagement, finding high-impact courses through syllabus analysis. Furthermore, aligning the ACRL Framework with medical education standards, such as AAMC Core EPAs and ACGME requirements, is essential for identifying instructional gaps …

Waring Library Society Newsletter, Summer 2026, Waring Library Society, Waring Historical Library, Medical University Of South Caroilna, Jude Arendall, Joann Livingston Zeise, Brooke Fox

The Waring Library Society Newsletters

In this issue, the Waring Library Society welcomes its new President and shares updates on recent and upcoming renovations to Waring Historical Library. Waring Historical Library's staff reflect on insights gained from a recent sabbatical, and highlight several events and engagements the Waring has been part of this season.

Improving Outreach To Residents Through Semi-Structured Interviews, Emmett Booth, Mlis, Ahip, Gary Kaplan, Mlis, Ahip, Abby Adamczyk, Mlis, Ahip, John Caruso, Md

Academic Commons and Scott Memorial Library Staff Papers and Presentations

Objectives

Our academic medical center has a large number of residents and fellows across programs based out of multiple hospitals, five of which receive direct support from the libraries. Two librarians supporting the scholarly activities of residents and fellows were hired by the university in the last six years. As these positions evolve, we seek to understand if outreach is working, whether support is effective, and whether scholarly support needs are changing. Building on survey results from last year,1 the team is conducting interviews with residents and program directors to better understand their perceptions of library support and services.

Learn More About The Crown Jewel Of The Mcgovern Historical Center, Katie Prentice

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

No abstract provided.

Changes In The Dental & Oral Health Information Landscape, Alisun Dekock, Melissa Ernst, Jimmy Gonzalez Vicker, Kelly O'Brien

Individual Scholarship

As we navigate rapid changes to information access and utilization, dental and oral health care professionals are finding new ways to meet the needs of their users. Practitioners locating, evaluating, and applying research continues to encounter new obstacles, including significant changes to institutions that share health data and make recommendations. This poster discusses effective strategies dentistry librarians have used for information retrieval, method analysis, and patient education.

Background  

This poster provides an overview of how four dentistry librarians are responding to trends and changes in the dental and oral health information landscape at their various institutions and organizations.

Description   

Within …