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Sue Skoglund, Editor
Valerie Reid, Webmaster
Table of Contents
It's Not Hi-Fi, It's Wi-Fi! - Wireless in the Library
Profile on Members: Welcome to our New Members
Web Sites for PDAs
Slate of Candidates
New Logo Contest
February MDMLG Meeting
Announcements
Upcoming Dates
We’ve all heard a great deal about the new wireless
technology. We’ve heard that we can sit in the park and submit our taxes, surf
the net from a table in a restaurant, and send our email from a yacht in the
Caribbean (I wish!). It all sounds wonderful.
In general terms wireless connectivity means the ability to
access networks, or the Internet, without the need for a telephone or Ethernet
jack. It might allow a person to send items to a printer without having the need
to be connected via cable to that machine. The jargon used might be a word
called Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi. You might hear of a standard called 802.11. You
might see terms like WLAN or WPAN.
Many hospitals have gone in at least some part towards this
model of connectivity. Attending personnel are able to retrieve and submit
patient data while at bedside. They access medical information while
simultaneously sending out a request for prescriptions to be available at the
patient’s pharmacy. They can run a quick Medline search to double-check a
particular course of action, and they can add all of that information to a
patient EMR.
There are a few caveats. One is able to do all of these things
to a relative degree, but it presumes a degree of connectivity that simply is
not available as of yet. Starbucks coffee in Seattle has designated a dozen or
so shops in the greater Seattle area as wireless network hubs. You can have your
latte and surf the net too.
In practical terms though, connectivity is not routine. There’s
competition for signal, server problems and a simple matter of not every square
foot of space even reaches the network hubs. In the right place and time you’re
simpatico, but it’s sometimes not reliable enough to partake in a Net
conference or to submit time-urgent information for most of us.
There are many terms thrown about here. I will attempt to make
sense of the muddle at least in terms of what we might see in a hospital.
Bluetooth is the transmitter format that is to free us from
our cables. It’s a device that transmits radio signals. Its intent is to allow
devices to communicate at fairly close range, about 30 feet, and it’s meant to
replace cords and cables. Printers can "read" the data sent from the
laptop’s wireless card. You are on the network, but not literally plugged into
it. They have been installed in cellular phones, PDA’s and computers (hardware
and peripherals). The devices can ‘sense" one another; they then will
automatically transmit to each other as needed.
The IEEE standard 802.11x is a wireless LAN (local area
network) standard. It’s not a specific product. It refers to a way in which a
wireless network hub and device modem or card interact and the speed with which
the transmission occurs. There’s been 802.11b (wireless fidelity, Wi-Fi, and
current standard) and 802.11a; 802.11g has just been approved as a standard,
with 802.11i in development.
IEEE approved 802.11b in 1997 as a wireless transmission
standard. Chips and transmitters were manufactured to use the 2.4 GHz part of
the spectrum. This allows transmission of a signal for 300 feet or more
consistently, as opposed to Bluetooths 30-100 feet range. This is also the same
part of the signal that new cordless phones, some cell phones, and pagers use,
so it can cause noise, distortion and dropped signals can happen during
transmission. This is an annoyance in a telephone, but life threatening in a
patient monitor. Many hospitals configure their pager scheme around this
frequency, and most facilities don’t allow the use of cellular phones to limit
this type of interference. 802.11g (just approved a few weeks ago) resolves some
of these issues by allowing the signal to be broken and transmitted in different
packets so that it suffers less interruption and is less hackable. The 802.11g
standard also offers backward compatibility, a useful consideration.
The 802.11a standard approved in 2002 transmits at roughly the
same speed as 802.11g. It isn’t compatible with the devices which run on
802.11b however. 802.11a offers a more complex schema to encrypt data and
transmit it through packet formation and routing. It is a consideration for a
facility just going to a wireless network that doesn’t have to account for
older standards.
Many of the incompatibilities are manageable through the
network creation in IT. These are just issues facing the implementation.
Network jargon is an issue for many of us so it might be
helpful here to define a few of these terms: WPAN, WAN, WLAN, WEP, and WPA. WPAN
(Wireless Personal Area Network) is usually a close range use of wireless
technology, say inside an office or a home. It might run peripherals to multiple
computers using Bluetooth and allow multiple Internet users within range of the
signal. WAN (Wireless Area Network) is a not clearly defined term, but is often
used with a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network). They are sometimes used to
describe the same type of setup – networks with several nodes covering
multiple departments and often multiple buildings in a given area. WEP (wireless
encryption protocol) and WPA (Wi-Fi Protocol Access) are types of security used
in encoding wireless transmissions. WEP is the available standard given in
802.11b, but WPA is the updated version until the standard of 802.11i is a
workable standard.
Security is a huge problem. Wireless networks are not as
secure as hardwire, and we all know how faulty wired Ethernet/LAN can be. I was
on a cruise 2 years ago; my credit card number was stolen over the wireless
transmission between the port laptop and the cruise ship network. It’s very
hard to trace because the hacker can change location and network usage very
quickly. This was a major inconvenience to me, but it is nothing compared to a
facility being sued over patient records. Mobile hackers are able to sit in a
car and break into secure transmissions using your own wireless or a nearby
wireless frequency. The very thing that makes it so convenient also creates the
problem.
HIPPA, the elephant in the corner, demands heightened security
protocols, one of which affects wireless setups already in place in many
hospitals. The current solution is to demonstrate that the system is using the
best available firewall, VPN and encryption technology reasonably available. As
long as errors and fumbles are kept within reasonable limits, we should be able
to implement these technologies. That may change over time. It’s too new to
everyone to know how the next five years will fare with HIPPA. Libraries,
depending on how the firewalls are implemented, may or may not be subject to the
same regulations. We have to be concerned about the rules not only because they
affect our organizations, but because we, in implementing new technology to make
our facilities more efficient and user-friendly, also run the risk of creating a
parking space for the Trojan horse.
Websites to check out for further information:
http://www.wi-fiplanet.com
http://www.computer.org
http://www.ieee.org/portal/index.jsp
http://www.wired.com
Juliet
Mullenmeister
St. Joseph Mercy of Macomb
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 Jennifer
Bowen, Family Resource Librarian at Children’s Hospital, came to
Children’s from a position as Reference Librarian at Plunkett & Cooney law
firm. Although Jennifer had planned to be a law librarian, she decided to look
for a part-time position when she became pregnant with her first child. She
found the job at Children’s to be a "perfect fit," and hopes to stay
there as she raises her family. She finds her work in the Resource Center more
rewarding than legal research. She says the parents of sick and hospitalized
children really appreciate the information she gives them, and she truly feels
that she is able to make a difference.
Jennifer joined MDMLG to learn more about the medical field. She finds the
meetings very interesting, and appreciates problem-solving and other advantages
of networking with other members.
 Barbara
LeTartereceived her LTA degree from Oakland Community College and has worked in many
different kinds of libraries, including medical, dental, legal, school and
academic. She spent several years at home raising her family, and then returned
to work at Hutzel Hospital in 1995. Since 1997, she has been the Document
Services Team Leader at Sladen Library, Henry Ford Hospital. Currently, Barbara
is enrolled at Central Michigan working for her B.S., and plans to follow that
with a Master’s in Library Science, "if I have the stamina!"
As a member of MDMLG, Barbara appreciates the opportunity to exchange ideas
with others – particularly with regard to the rapidly changing technology.
She has two daughters and describes herself as an outdoor person and an avid
gardener.
 Alan
Naldrett is completing his final semester in Library Science at Wayne State,
and is in a practicum at Mt. Clemens General Hospital. He is also working
part-time at Wayne State’s Addiction Research Institute and is involved in
maintaining a national website dealing with addiction, http://www.projectmainstream.net
. Alan says the website is a communications network for professionals involved
in substance addition research, but contains resources for the general public,
as well.
Alan will be looking for a full-time library job at the end of April, but may
also continue at WSU toward a specialist degree. In his spare time, Alan plays
guitar, bass, and keyboard for a blues band at bars, fund-raisers, and other
events.
He says he heard about MDMLG in a class with Linda Baker, and appreciates the
opportunity his membership gives him to associate with others in the field.
 Roma
Svera graduated in December, 2002 from Wayne State University library
school, and is now looking for her first full-time library position. She is
especially interested in a medical library, but is open to any library
opportunity. Meanwhile, she is continuing in a position she has held for a long
time in market research, where, among other projects, she has used Microsoft
Access to create several databases for her company.
Like Alan, Roma joined MDMLG as a result of her class at WSU with Linda
Baker. Recently, she attended her first meeting, and enjoyed not only the
program, but also the opportunity to network with medical librarians and learn a
little more about their work.
 Teri
White, Information Research Assistant at Bon Secours Cottage Health
Services, moved from a job in Admitting to her current library position because,
she says, she was "ready for a change." For awhile she missed the
interactions with patients that were a major part of her job in Admitting, but,
with the opening of the new community Health Resource Center at Cottage
Hospital, Teri finds that her opportunities for direct contact with patients –
and staff - are increasing. And, she says, the people she interacts with in her
library position are more appreciative – kinder – than they were in
Admitting. Even the medical staff!
At work, dividing her time between two libraries, and at home, raising two
children, Teri says that she never has enough time to just read!
Carol Attar
Attar Associates
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TOP
There has been a lot of interest for some time now about PDAs (personal
digital assistants). Everybody seems to have one. You hear of people downloading
software for theirs. PDAs are supposed to be innovative in terms of organization
and time savings. Where do you start? How do you learn about the different types
of PDAs? What exactly can they do? What types of software are available for
them? Where can you find this software?
Whether you want to purchase a PDA for yourself or assist your library
customers in using theirs to the fullest potential, you’ll need some
assistance in navigating through the myriad of web sites available on the
subject. I’ve collected some sites that will be helpful to you in learning
more on all aspects of PDAs.
After visiting these sites, you’ll realize that a PDA is much more than
just an electronic appointment scheduler, an address book and a way to play
games. It is really a revolutionary method of information storage and retrieval,
and will have an impact on our lives similar to that of the internet.
The prominent manufacturers of PDAs are:
Here are a couple of buyer’s guides and general web sites to get you
started:
There are literally hundreds of web sites where you can download software for
your PDA and thousands of software titles available for download. Many are free
of charge, some are shareware, and others are available for purchase.
General Software Download Sources:
- About.com / Resources for All Your
PDA Needs -
This site is an extremely comprehensive web page with links to all aspects of
handhelds: Buyer's Guide, manufacturers, download sites, user groups,
tutorials and more.
- AvantGo
-
AvantGo is one of the premiere PDA download sources, and allows you to pull
information from the web and turn your PDA into a portable information source at
no charge.
- FreeDownloadsCenter.com –
Both shareware and freeware programs for PDAs are offered on this site.
- Handago -
This site's software is available for both the Palm OS and the Pocket PC, and
they offer more than 20,000 applications.
- Palm Digital Media
/ Electronic Books -
Palm Digital Media offers contemporary fiction and non-fiction books,
newspapers, and magazines for reading on PDAs.
- PalmGear.com -
This site offers everything for the Palm, including personal library
organizers and tools for calendar maintenance, contact management, office
applications, and task management.
- PocketGear.com -
This resource provides links to PocketPC downloadable software such as task
management, projects, contact management, and calendar.
- TuCows -
This company was the first to provide software on a "freeware" or
"shareware" basis and now offers 30,000 software titles.
Medical / Health Software Download Sources:
- BioMedicalPDA
–
This knowledge-management platform, produced by Professional PDA
Publishing and John Wiley & Sons, contains curated databases of biological
information ranging from cell biology to pharmacology.
- E-MedTools –
E-Med Tools provides specific medical software and texts for the Palm OS.
- EBM Calculator /
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine –
The EBM Calculator is designed to calculate relevant statistics for Diagnostic
Studies, Prospective Studies, Case Control Studies, and Randomized Control
Trials (RCT).
- Ectopic Brain –
This is designed to be a starting point for physicians using PDAs in
clinical practice. It gives excellent basic information as well as links for
files and applications.
- ePocrates –
This site distributes a free drug-information database that updates
automatically each time you perform a sync operation.
- HandHeldMed.com –
The PocketClinician Medical Library™ bundles resources on this site. You can
also customize your PDA with everything from the DSM IV: Text Revision
to Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary.
- Healthy PalmPilot –
This is billed as the internet's largest collection of medical resources for
the Palm OS; there are close to 800 downloadable resources.
- JournalToGo –
Health care professionals can keep current with medical literature abstracts
and healthcare news articles delivered to their PDAs. This service is
available at no charge, and includes: automatic literature searches,
peer-reviewed journal abstracts from the National Library of Medicine and news
articles from Reuters.
- Medical Pocket PC –
This website was founded by physicians and medical students with extensive
experience in the use of handhelds, and offers physicians and health care
professionals the latest medical software for the Pocket PC.
- New England
Journal of Medicine / PDA Services -
Users of PDAs can get the NEJM latest full-text articles or complete
issues, abstracts, editors' summaries, and table of contents.
- PDA MD.com –
This premier web site provides tutorials, forums, news, and software for
health care professionals who use PDAs.
- Pediatric Pilot –
This site contains database files on drug therapy, immunization, and medical
calculations, and provides links to both PDA and pediatric web sites.
- Pediatrics on Hand / The
Complete Guide to the Pediatric Handheld –
Pediatrics on Hand maintains the most up-to-date collection of pediatric
specific programs and files for the handheld.
- Skyscape.com –
This site allows downloading of time-limited trial versions or purchasing
medical resources for the Palm or PocketPC PDAs.
- Unbound Medicine
-
Using Unbound Medicine's CogniQ™ knowledge management platform, content is
provided from the BMJ Publishing Group, including handheld versions of BMJ,
Clinical Evidence, and tables of contents and abstracts from specialty
journals.
In addition, the Medical Library Association sponsors a listserv for
librarians on PDAs. For further information and to subscribe, visit http://mlanet.org/education/telecon/pda/pdadiscuss.html
.
Valerie L. Reid
Henry Ford Hospital
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The Nominating Committee has drafted the following slate of candidates for
2003-2004. Profiles of each candidate are available in the Members-Only portion
of the MDMLG web site at http://www.mdmlg.org/members/biographical-profiles.htm
.
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Karen Tubolino
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Marilyn Kostrzewski
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Lynda Baker
Diana Balint
Alexia Estabrook
Misa Mi
Nominations for the Board and the Nominating Committee may be made from the
membership at large by petitions signed by not fewer than ten (10) regular
members providing they are submitted in writing to the chair of the Nominating
Committee at least twenty-one (21) days before the election. Petitions must be
accompanied by a written statement of acceptance from the candidate and
biographical sketch. The deadline for submitting petitions to Gina Hug is April
17th.
Sue Skoglund
Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital
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The Public Relations Committee is sponsoring a competition to develop a new
logo for MDMLG. We have had the current letterhead and stationary design for
about the last 15 years. Tap into your artistic talents and design a new logo to
update our look. The following rules apply:
- All entrants must be members of MDMLG.
- Designs must be representative of the library profession and should not
violate copyright protection.
- For any questions, please contact Misa Mi at 313.745-0252 or mmi@dmc.org
The unveiling will be at the summer luncheon meeting where the designer of
the award winning logo will receive the prize of $50.
The deadline for entries is February 20, 2003, at 5:00 p.m. Please email, fax
or mail your logo design to:
Carol Vandenberg
Madonna University Library
36600 Schoolcraft Rd.
Livonia, MI 48150
cvandenberg@madonna.edu
734.432.5687 (Fax)
734.432.5691 (Phone)
Misa Mi
Children's Hospital of Michigan
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February MDMLG
Meeting
The next MDMLG meeting will be held at Providence Hospital on Thursday,
February 20, 2003. Dr. David Svinerich, Director of Research at Providence
Hospital, will discuss the Institutional Review Board process and suggest
ways that librarians can get involved. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m.
The program will begin at 1:00 p.m. followed by a break and the Business
Meeting at 2:30 p.m. An Ebsco-sponsored lunch is available at 11:30 only
for those who signed up. Further information, along with a map, can be
found on the MDMLG
Meetings web page.
Sue Skoglund
Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital
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 Munson Healthcare was
awarded a $109,000 grant from the National Library of Medicine. The grant is
funding the Northern Michigan Access Project, an initiative to create digital
library services for five Munson Healthcare affiliate hospitals as well as three
rural clinics. The focus of the grant will be to provide access to medical
databases and research for rural healthcare providers as well as lay level
health information to communities in the Munson service area. Grant money will
also be used to provide computers and printers at each site as well as provide
training to end users.
Karen Tubolino invites
area librarians to attend a series of teleconferences broadcast from noon to
2:00 p.m. over the VA Knowledge Network. Upcoming programs include:
-
Reference Series: Virtual, Electronic and
Traditional
(part 1: February 7, 2003; part 2: April 11, 2003)
-
Library Support Staff Soar to Great Heights: How
Library Workers Give Back
(March 21, 2003)
-
Electronic and Networked Information and Databases:
Making Choices
(part 1: May 2, 2003; part 2: June 6, 2003)
Past titles have included: Building Another Bridge: Equal
Access to Technology for Special Populations (November 15, 2002),
Effective Web Design for Your Institution: A Fresh Look (December 6,
2002), and Time Management: Getting Things Done (January 24, 2003)
All programs will be taped and available for interlibrary
loan. Call the VA Library for more information at 313/ 576-1085. All are
welcome to attend.
Wayne State University's Teaching, Learning, and Technology Roundtable
will be holding its fourth annual conference, Enhancing Teaching through
Technology, on March 6, 2003. Sessions on PDA applications have been added
to the schedule and will be held at Shiffman Library. Stay tuned for
further information.
Upcoming Dates:
| Date |
Event |
| February 20, 2003 |
MDMLG Meeting |
| March 6, 2003 |
Wayne State University Teaching, Learning and Technology
Roundtable |
| April 17, 2003 |
MDMLG Meeting |
| June 19, 2003 |
Summer Luncheon at the Sterling Inn, Sterling Heights |
| September 18, 2003 |
MDMLG Meeting |
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Communications Committee 2002-2003
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