Free communications (other interesting things)

Introduction

In the last 20 years, scientific resources moved to the clouds. When searching for scientific information, users have thus to surf the Web, far from the OPAC or the intranet. Bringing users to the resources selected by the library in a simple way is therefore a challenge.

To answer to such a challenge, librarians may provide their users with a tool ensuring permanent visibility of libraries' resources: a toolbar for Web browsers (1). One technical option is the Community Toolbar, a toolbar provided for free by a commercial company.

Community toolbar is available for Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and Google Chrome, and supports either Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. This toolbar may be customized without any programming skills. This probably explains why about 200000 publishers choose this platform, with among them about 3000 libraries (2). Community toolbar allows to search within a catalogue from the toolbar itself. It provides shortcuts to WebPages, but also to RSS feeds and Tweets. It also provides a catalogue of "Gadgets" to add supplemental functionalities; e.g. a live chat. Publisher of a toolbar has also access to analytics (e.g. active users, most used menus).

A Community toolbar is not intended to replace the OPAC but should be seen as a complement. The main advantage is its permanent visibility when surfing the Web: users do not need to go back to the OPAC or an intranet page to benefit from resources selected by the librarian. One disadvantage is that the toolbar is yet another place where the resources must be described. This can add workload to a one person library, and could also increase the risk of dead links or incomplete list of resources.

The library of the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE), inspired by an EAHIL's colleague (3), introduced a Community toolbar in 2007. The KCEBIB library toolbar was designed to provide links to resources and catalogues, paying attention to workload of the librarian.

Objectives

To describe how the toolbar interacts with the library catalogue, its use and how users evaluate it.

Methods

The information specialist created a Community toolbar, the KCEBIB toolbar, using the Free online service available at http://www.conduit.com. Selected functionalities are the search box that allows to search selected resources; menus containing direct links or sub menus; RSS feeds and Tweets aggregators. This toolbar is standard at KCE: either Internet Explorer as Firefox are fitted with the KCEBIB toolbar on all computers.

The Integrated Library Management System (ILS) PMB is used to catalogue physical and online resources since 2006 (4). PMB provides lists of resources from an indexation term, and produces RSS feeds from selection of resources.

Analytics are provided by the Conduit toolbar and by the Google analytics code placed on the OPAC.

A poll was conducted on the Intranet of KCE in November 2011 to get feedback from users (55 people, including 40 researchers).

Results

The KCE Library Toolbar counts 10 items: a search field, a direct link to the OPAC, four menus to library resources (references, databases, journals, data sources), one menu listing tools, one menu providing links to other institutional websites, one menu listing RSS feeds and one menu listing Tweets (Fig. 1).

• The search box is fitted with 12 supplemental sources to search, including the library catalogue, OAIster or Flickr Creative Commons.
• The "References" menu provides 11 direct links (scientific procedures, thesaurus, classifications), 6 links to lists from the OPAC (classifications, dictionaries, directories, encyclopaedias, online courses, selected eBooks) and a link to the VDIC e-books online catalogue (consortium catalogue), also build with PMB (5).
• The "Databases" menu provides direct links to "core" databases (bibliographical databases, clinical guidelines databases, clinical trials registers, Institutional repositories). Each list of direct links is completed by a link pointing to a list of resources indexed under the same MeSH term on the OPAC (e.g. “Databases, Bibliographic” counts more than 80 resources).
• The "Journals" menu provides 18 links to "core" journals, either a direct link or link a to the journal page on the AtoZ catalogue (when several different accesses are available for the same journal). Two more links are provided: a link to the OPAC listing the KCE collection of journals, and a link to the AtoZ catalogue of e-journals (consortium catalogue).
• The "Data sources" menu provides 13 links to core resources, but also a supplemental link to the OPAC for resources indexed under "statistic & numerical data". 
• A “Tools” menu lists 8 useful internal tools (e.g. Who’s who) and a “Links” menu lists 23 institutional Websites of interest (e.g. KCE Website, Extranet, Belgian or International organizations).
• 22 RSS feeds (News from selected Web sites, recent entries in the KCE library catalogue and TOC from core Journals) and 2 Tweets (Cochrane, EUnetHTA) are also provided through the toolbar.

Analytics of the toolbar show that all colleagues are active users of the toolbar. The top 3 menus are “Databases”, “Tools” and “Journals” (Tab.1). Analytics of the OPAC show that direct access counts for 17% of the total accesses (Tab.1).

The poll showed that a majority of the 19 respondents are satisfied by the library toolbar: 63% find the library toolbar very useful, and 26 % useful (Tab.1).

Discussion

KCE acquires its library resources directly or through a consortium (VDIC, consortium of Belgian governmental health libraries); this results in several different catalogues to consult in order to access the library resources, either subscribed or free.

A library toolbar appeared thus to be a simple and inexpensive tool to provide a place to access the resources selected by the library always under the eyes of users surfing the web.

After 5 years, we can confirm that Conduit claim to provide a Community toolbar being manageable without coding skills is a reality. Adding a link to a resource, an RSS feed or a Tweet feed is really a piece of cake; even adding a target to the search box is a very simple operation.

But adding on the toolbar all pertinent resources that are already listed at the library catalogue(s), even if not complicated to achieve, cannot be recommended: it would result in a duplication of efforts and waste of time.

So, beside the list of core resources (which is stable), we make use of links to those lists of items indexed under the same term in the library catalogue.  This allows us to keep maintenance as low as possible while offering to user a centralized and efficient discovery interface.

Also, considering the toolbar is standard on all computers, a page listing library resources on the institution's intranet is not required anymore. A toolbar managed by the librarian is a far more flexible option than an intranet page, especially when the intervention of a webmaster is required for updates.

Using a toolbar in conjunction with the ILS turn thus to be a very efficient way to present resources selected by the library to its users while keeping maintenance limited.

Oxford Book Transplant (OBT) is a charitable initiative set up and run by Oxford medical students. The aim is to provide up-to-date medical textbooks to hospitals and in particular medical schools in the developing world. The students take the books in their backpacks when they go on elective placements abroad to show appreciation for hospitality and mentorship they receive. They also help organize larger shipments to higher education libraries and medical facilities in developing countries.

Cairns Library is actively supporting OBT with a collection bookshelf placed prominently in the foyer and regular donations from the withdrawn library stock (never older than 5-10 years). The clinicians and researchers based at the John Radcliffe Hospital are aware of this initiative and happy to donate valuable books they no longer require. Regional hospital libraries at Milton Keynes, Banbury and Oxford have responded with equal generosity and they forward their contributions through the internal mail system.

A librarian from the Cairns helps with filtering incoming books and maintains a broad subject classification within a dedicated storeroom. The outreach skills are put to use for establishing contacts in destination countries and assessing specific subject requirements.

However, in the current economic situation the fundraising efforts which students undertake regularly have failed to generate enough money to cover transport costs for larger deliveries (currently up to €1.70 / £1.50 per kilogram of books, depending on destination). This prompted OBT to seek collaboration with local expat communities in the hope of sending the books via already established channels the communities are using to deliver goods and aid to their countries of origin. A remarkable support has been offered by members of Ugandan, Nigerian and Afghan diaspora in Oxford, all of whom have by now organized and sponsored successful shipments.

The Ugandan community in Oxford (UGACOX) delivered 250 kg of textbooks while the Nigerian and Afghan shipments amounted to 500 kg each. The medical school libraries in destination countries did not stipulate any specific subject requirements as long as the titles corresponded to a standard medical school reading list. The emphasis was on the most recent editions available. An exception to this was the Nigerian shipment which was organized on behalf of the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria and gave preference to radiology/diagnostic imaging. For the Afghan shipment an additional effort was made to provide significant number of e-book titles on a portable drive, following the Kabul Medical School’s reassurance that they had adequate hardware in place to enable network access to the titles.

The letters of acknowledgement and appreciation received from the libraries which benefit from donations are displayed and shared in Oxford to attract more support for OBT. The collaboration between medical students, health care libraries and local communities has enabled a sustainable and incredibly rewarding project to go from strength to strength with more shipments planned in the near future.

Second hand medical textbooks remain a valuable resource in many developing countries and have vital role in medical education and public health. This conference poster will offer down-to-earth advice on how to donate books to medical libraries in resource poor settings, including examples of successful shipments, testimonials and photographs.

Introduction

Though often tackled throughout the history of medicine, the concept ‘One Health’ has emerged at the end of the last century, indicating that the world has acknowledged the intrinsic relationship between animal diseases and public health.

The first successful attempt of human vaccination with animal pathogens was performed at the end of the 18th Century with smallpox vaccination by British physician Edward Jenner.

Two centuries later, in the 1960s, veterinary epidemiologist Dr Calvin Schwabe* called for a unified approach between veterinary and human medicine to combat zoonotic diseases, using for the first time the term “one medicine”, a concept which brings together animal health, public health and environmental health globally.

Background

By 2050 it is estimated that there will be nine billion people living on the earth, mostly in urban communities. They will increasingly demand animal protein.

New approaches to food production, food security and disease control will be necessary.

Already the majority of new diseases are zoonoses and as population densities grow, the incidence of animal-derived disease in the human population will also grow.

Today, approximately 60% of existing human pathogens and over 75% of those that have appeared during the past two decades can be traced back to animals. Many of them have a proven link with wildlife and could potentially be used in bioterrorism.

In a study dedicated to veterinary public health(1) published by the WHO (World Health Organization) in 1999, the authors stress that “Veterinary Public Health programmes may be formulated as long-term objectives on an international basis with the active participation of international organisations concerned with animal and/or human health, such as FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) [b] and;WHO, which are charged with providing technical advice and assistance to Member States, especially developing countries.”

Objectives

The need to control emerging diseases re-emphasizes the need for enhanced collaboration on reducing risks of zoonotic potential including foodborne diseases and severe animal diseases at their source.

The H5N1 avian influenza crisis and its rapid spread in Southeast Asia in 2003-2004 has shown how crucial it is to address persistent global threats at the interface between humans, animals and ecosystems, and to identify ways to operationalize One Health in policy and practice by sharing information and strengthening collaboration among different sectors.

On September 29, 2004, the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) convened health experts and scientists from around the world for the ‘One World, One Health’ [c] symposium focused on the current and potential movements of diseases among human, domestic animal and wildlife populations.

The meeting adopted the ‘Manhattan Principles’, a list of 12 recommendations for establishing an approach to preventing epidemic/epizootic disease and for maintaining ecosystem integrity for the benefit of humans, domesticated animals and biodiversity.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) One Health Office has organised with its partners (the OIE, the European Commission, the World Bank, FAO, WHO and the UN Children’s Fund), a number of meetings on “One Health” aiming at providing a forum for national and international specialists to focus on policies and implementation of a One Health approach to improving human and animal health.

The “Stone Mountain” meeting: “Operationalizing “One Health”: A Policy Perspective—Taking Stock and Shaping an Implementation Roadmap, Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA, May 4-6, 2010”, identified means to constructively implement a One Health strategy.

Results and outcomes

For zoonoses detection, verification and sharing of official and unofficial information between organisations specialising in human and animal diseases is especially important.

The cooperation between the OIE, FAO and WHO became effective in the mid 90’s, but it grew substantially with the HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) crisis in the mid-2005.

In April 2005, the OIE and FAO launched a joint worldwide network of expertise on avian influenza (OFFLU) - expanded in 2009 to include all animal influenza - to support veterinary services in their efforts to reduce risks to animal and public health from animal influenza viruses, with the collaboration of the WHO on issues relating to the animal-human interface.

The OIE has developed an assessment tool for the evaluation of Performance of Veterinary Services (OIE PVS Tool) in order to assist countries in determining their current level of performance. To promote and support intersectorial collaboration at the national level, the OIE has also implemented OIE-PVS “One Health” pilot missions, which are tailored to assess the quality of National Veterinary Services relevant to the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code standards, with special emphasis on collaboration activities with the Public Health sector and other relevant stakeholders at the animal-human interface.

Officially launched in 2006, GLEWS (Global Early Warning System including zoonoses) is the first OIE, FAO and WHO joint program that formally brings together both human and veterinary public health systems in order to share zoonotic disease outbreak information, epidemiological and risk analysis and to deliver early warning messages to the international community on areas at risk of TADs (Transboundary Emerging Diseases).

In October 2008, the OIE, FAO and WHO (with the UNICEF, the UN System Influenza Coordinator and the World Bank) prepared a consensus document(2) -“Strategic Framework”- on global measures needed to coordinate medical and veterinary health policies more effectively, taking into account new requirements to prevent and control zoonoses.

The objectives of the Framework were to define how to minimize the risk and the global impact of epidemics due to Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID), by strengthening disease information, surveillance and emergency response systems at national, regional and international levels, and by supporting them through effective public and animal health services.

It was adopted by more than 100 countries at an international Ministerial Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) the same year and discussed by experts gathered in the “One World, One Health: from ideas to action” meeting, hosted in 2009 by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

In April 2010, the OIE, FAO and WHO conjointly published a Tripartite Concept Note(3) in which the three organisations indicate their intention to work more closely together to address health risks at the human/animal-ecosystems interfaces with a common vision of “a world capable of preventing, detecting, containing, eliminating, and responding to animal and public health risks attributable to zoonoses and animal diseases with an impact on food security through multi-sectorial cooperation and strong partnerships.”

In November 2011, the Government of Mexico, together with the OIE, FAO and WHO, convened a High Level Technical Meeting (HLTM) in Mexico City. With a special focus on rabies, zoonotic influenza and antimicrobial resistance, this meeting reflects an important step in putting into action the principles presented in the Tripartite Concept Note of April 2010.

The “Global Conference on Wildlife Animal Health and Biodiversity - Preparing for the Future”, (with the Wildlife Conservation Society), and the “Global Conference on Rabies Control: Towards Sustainable Prevention at the Source”, two meetings organised by the OIE in 2011, with the participation of the FAO and WHO, addressed both the benefits and challenges that are related to coordinated management approaches to the health risks at the wildlife/domestic animal and human ecosystems interface.

This paper will explain and detail the initiatives of the OIE and its International partners in the field of education, food security, animal health and veterinary public health, the ultimate goal being to improve the health of all species including humans, domestic animals, wildlife and plants.

Notes

• [a] Calvin W. Schwabe, known as the “father of veterinary epidemiology”, 1927-2006
• [b] Formerly “Office international des epizooties”, in 2003 the OIE became the «World Organisation for Animal Health”, keeping its acronym OIE.
• [c] The ‘One World, One Health’ concept, which establishes a more interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial approach to preventing epidemic or epizootic disease and for maintaining ecosystem integrity, is a trademark of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Immigration and international labour markets have been popular topics in the recent times. Exploring what core skills and competencies are needed to survive in the second culture is an area of great concern for many disciplines including health librarianship.

How health library professional from one country can fulfil the skills demands of international market. This case study will entail the learning journey of an immigrant, who achieved career mobility in health librarianship in the UK.

Today, when ‘health information without frontiers’ is possible due to technology, infrastructure and initiatives like open access; then it also carries a value in exploring the concept of such ‘global health librarian’ whose skills-mix is applicable in the global market of health libraries.

This study will elaborate some tips, tricks and recommendations for the health librarians to achieve career mobility and success in the foreign country.