I really enjoyed exploring mashups and used the list in Allan Cho’s article
http://pubs.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/jchla/jchla28/c07-007.pdf to choose from. I began with Biowizard http://biowizard.com which uses NCBI Entrez as its application programming interface (API). Users are able to customize a personal profile, share research interests, upload articles from Pubmed to share and comment on other users’ choices. Photos can be uploaded and users can join groups and chat live with others.
I registered with Biowizard and submitted an article chosen from a Pubmed search on Clinical Librarians. This appeared in the New Submissions after a few seconds and is available for others to comment on or discuss, gaining votes as they do so. I then searched the site and retrieved it, so the system works ! I checked this morning to find 24 votes had been allocated to my submission, so there is more than a little interest in it.
Gwen likened this aspect of Biowizard to a ’virtual journal club’, which would be one use for it.
Try searching for my submitted article and give it some more votes !
I then had a look at HEALTHMAP http://healthmap.org I was really impressed with this ! There are many tools incorporated in HEALTHMAP, Google maps, Pubmed, WHO, Wikipedia, Centers for Disease control and prevention, it’s API is Googlemaps. The medical/public health sites mash with Googlemaps to show the prevalence of disease world-wide. Diseases are listed, most prevalent first (cholera!) you can click on a disease to load it onto the map. An information button links to Wikipedia, Pubmed, WHO etc for an explanation of that disease. You can check alerts by country, which are fed by Newspapers and news sites like BBC.
A look at the whole world with all the diseases loaded on could help with your choice of holiday destination ! The UK looks very dodgy, whereas France is clear – do we believe this !!!
Monday, 19 November 2007
Friday, 16 November 2007
How time flies
Well it's Friday again ! I can't believe how fast the time goes these days, must be something to do with being old !!!
I have been gently getting to grips with Mashups, reading around the subject and looking at a few things, so hopefully I can get on with the assignment next week. My group has completed our assignment and are very pleased to have got it out of the way. At work it's been busy again with training and this morning Gwen and I had a lovely session with 53 student nurses using the Kefalonia method. At home I appear to have lost number two son for a fortnight while he house-sits for his girlfriend's parents which will be nice and quiet but I shall miss the comings and goings. Off to the Golf Club dinner and dance tonight, that'll be fun, and back in time to see how much Children in Need has raised this year.
Have a good weekend one and all - we're nearly there !
I have been gently getting to grips with Mashups, reading around the subject and looking at a few things, so hopefully I can get on with the assignment next week. My group has completed our assignment and are very pleased to have got it out of the way. At work it's been busy again with training and this morning Gwen and I had a lovely session with 53 student nurses using the Kefalonia method. At home I appear to have lost number two son for a fortnight while he house-sits for his girlfriend's parents which will be nice and quiet but I shall miss the comings and goings. Off to the Golf Club dinner and dance tonight, that'll be fun, and back in time to see how much Children in Need has raised this year.
Have a good weekend one and all - we're nearly there !
Friday, 9 November 2007
TGI Friday
Well I've survived another hectic week, masses of training, meetings and an awayday ! and even managed to catch up with my 3CsT3 assignments. I feel particularly pleased with myself because my group has started on our group assignment - thanks to Sandra, and I can see the end of the tunnel !
I have also completed on the sale of my flat this week and am installed in my new home, a great relief to my colleagues who have heard me bleating on about it since April; and number one son is moving back to TGI Fridays in Sutton tomorrow from managing the restaurant on the Hagley Road, a move up the management ladder for him. All in all I think I deserve the champagne which we drank earlier in the week - spoils from our trip to France last month.
I hope everyone has a good weekend, think of me unpacking boxes !!!
I have also completed on the sale of my flat this week and am installed in my new home, a great relief to my colleagues who have heard me bleating on about it since April; and number one son is moving back to TGI Fridays in Sutton tomorrow from managing the restaurant on the Hagley Road, a move up the management ladder for him. All in all I think I deserve the champagne which we drank earlier in the week - spoils from our trip to France last month.
I hope everyone has a good weekend, think of me unpacking boxes !!!
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
Assignment 4: A health related wiki
While I was searching for inspiration, I came across David Rothman's list of medical wikis http://davidrothman.net/list-of-medical-wikis there was nothing on my theme of Epilepsy so i checked out another topic close to my heart (chest?) at the moment www.fluwikie.com but this turned out to be a bit like 'Protect and Survive' so in the end I decided to have a look at http://ebmlibrarian.wetpaint.com. I don't know how I've never come across this before !
As a trainer I found it really interesting with lots of links to useful things for me like training materials, handouts, exercises and scenarios, some of which linked back to CASP, but others were completely new to me. You are invited to add to the scenarios and other materials, which I haven't done yet, but intend to. I also intend to share exercises, it's a great resource for me, I've been looking for a new icebreakers and other exercises for ages.
As a librarian I found the look of the wiki more familiar than some I've encountered with links in a navigation box, rather than just a search facility making it easier to find your way around. At the moment you are invited to' check out the EBCP search engine created by Andrew Booth' (I should have known !)
I really like this wiki and intend using it frequently.
As a trainer I found it really interesting with lots of links to useful things for me like training materials, handouts, exercises and scenarios, some of which linked back to CASP, but others were completely new to me. You are invited to add to the scenarios and other materials, which I haven't done yet, but intend to. I also intend to share exercises, it's a great resource for me, I've been looking for a new icebreakers and other exercises for ages.
As a librarian I found the look of the wiki more familiar than some I've encountered with links in a navigation box, rather than just a search facility making it easier to find your way around. At the moment you are invited to' check out the EBCP search engine created by Andrew Booth' (I should have known !)
I really like this wiki and intend using it frequently.
Assignment 3
I have been exploring Connotea, http://www.connotea.org/ which I had never heard of before. I liked the look of the site to begin with as it’s not cluttered and the instructions are clear. I chose to continue with my theme of epilepsy and found searching easy. There were plenty of results from a good selection of clinical journals which were up to date and relevant. There are lists of subject and user tags so you can follow up a subject or someone with the same interest.
The tool is designed specifically for scientists and clinicians and the results of searching reflect that. Although most of the results I found were references from journals it will pick up web pages or blogs as well. This is useful for me as I would like to see entries from sufferers as well as clinicians. Because the tool is aimed at scientists and clinicians Connotea has extra features on some websites such as Pubmed and many journals, where it is able to recognise the page you are on and automatically collect the bibliographic information.
The community pages on Connotea are a Wiki www.connotea.org/wiki so registered users can read write and edit articles about the tool. These include FAQs, a problem page and requests.
I haven’t been able to delve too deeply into the site, as I haven’t had my registration confirmation e-mail back yet ! perhaps this will be my opportunity to use the Wiki !
Using bookmarking tools in libraries could be useful in a number of ways:
Specialist/outreach librarians would be able to collect and share resources with their users/specialty.
It would enable library staff to collect and share information for and between users eg student nurses for assignments
Library staff working in a PCT could share a range of information with library users and their clients, for instance patient information, sufferer’s blogs/ experiences etc
It might enable some library staff to share information on a specific aspect of their work, eg training trends, either within a trainers group or with the rest of the staff in their own library
The tool is designed specifically for scientists and clinicians and the results of searching reflect that. Although most of the results I found were references from journals it will pick up web pages or blogs as well. This is useful for me as I would like to see entries from sufferers as well as clinicians. Because the tool is aimed at scientists and clinicians Connotea has extra features on some websites such as Pubmed and many journals, where it is able to recognise the page you are on and automatically collect the bibliographic information.
The community pages on Connotea are a Wiki www.connotea.org/wiki so registered users can read write and edit articles about the tool. These include FAQs, a problem page and requests.
I haven’t been able to delve too deeply into the site, as I haven’t had my registration confirmation e-mail back yet ! perhaps this will be my opportunity to use the Wiki !
Using bookmarking tools in libraries could be useful in a number of ways:
Specialist/outreach librarians would be able to collect and share resources with their users/specialty.
It would enable library staff to collect and share information for and between users eg student nurses for assignments
Library staff working in a PCT could share a range of information with library users and their clients, for instance patient information, sufferer’s blogs/ experiences etc
It might enable some library staff to share information on a specific aspect of their work, eg training trends, either within a trainers group or with the rest of the staff in their own library
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Catching up
I've taken rather longer than anticipated to get back to blogging after a week of champagne tasting followed by the busiest week at work I think I've ever had ! This week is not a lot better as it's half term and we have hardly any staff, but I may be able to catch up on my 3CsT3 by the end of the week, so watch this space !
Friday, 5 October 2007
Reflection
Well here I am at the end of a very manic week ! Having got my two assignments out of the way deliberately (I'm on leave next week ) I've been looking back at some of the readings and having a sneak preview at social bookmarking and dipping my toe into folksonomies. Somehow many of the puzzles of the first week or two seem to have solved themselves and I am feeling much more confident about blogs and blogging. It's good to share an office with someone else on the course as we can mull over ideas and air concerns together.
I shall be sampling champagne (how sad) next week, in France, so I won't miss you or 3CsT3 !but have a good week one and all I'll be back online on 15th.
I shall be sampling champagne (how sad) next week, in France, so I won't miss you or 3CsT3 !but have a good week one and all I'll be back online on 15th.
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