Tag Archives: medicine

Preserving a piece of our past

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Over the past year, the Riley Hospital Historic Preservation Committee worked to create a comprehensive history of the Indiana University School of Medicine’s Medical Educational Resources Program (MERP). Their 14‑month effort brought together decades of hard‑to‑find records, archival materials and firsthand recollections into a cohesive and detailed narrative.

With the encouragement of colleagues in the IU School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and the Office of Continuing Education in Healthcare Professions, the team adapted this history into a four‑part series now featured on the IUSM Blog. This collaboration was made possible thanks to the ongoing support of the Department of Pediatrics Communications Team and the IUSM’s Strategic Communications and Visual Media Team, whose efforts helped bring the series to publication and ensure it reaches a wide audience.

Each post explores a different chapter of MERP’s impact, from the early days of statewide instructional technology, to pioneering uses of video in medical education, to expanding continuing medical education beyond the medical center. The series also draws on valuable primary recollections from Sharon Chenoweth Green, whose early involvement with MERP provided essential historical detail.

Readers can navigate all four posts through the “Suggested for You” section on each page or via the direct links:

In addition to the online history series, the Indiana State Library preserves the print editions of the MERP Memo newsletter in its Indiana serials collection, providing an important primary source record of the program’s development and day‑to‑day work. These newsletters capture MERP’s innovations, milestones and evolving role in medical education, offering researchers and historians a rare and detailed look at how the program operated in real time.

Photo of MERP newsletter cover.

Together, these entries preserve and celebrate a significant chapter in Indiana’s medical education history, offering valuable reference material for researchers, educators and anyone interested in MERP’s lasting contributions.

Photo of MERP newsletter cover.Photo of MERP newsletter cover.

You can also find a bound print copy of the blog articles in the Indiana State Library Indiana Collection.

This blog post was submitted by Michelle Frost, collections and outreach manager at the Indiana State Library.

Reading is healthy: Introducing the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Reading Club

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Book clubs and reading groups are staples of library outreach and literacy efforts. In these groups, people gather to discuss Oprah’s picks or the New York Times’ best-sellers in an effort to socially engage with literature and current events.

To help grow health-related literacy, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine’s NNLM All of Us Community Engagement Network has announced the launch of the NNLM Reading Club. The goal is to support libraries’ health literacy efforts and address local communities’ health information needs by celebrating important National Health Observances through the fun and intimacy of a book club.

Screen cap from https://nnlm.gov/all-of-us

Screen cap from https://nnlm.gov/all-of-us

The NNLM Reading Club offers a selection of three different book titles along with corresponding free, ready-to-use materials designed to help promote and facilitate a book club discussion on a health issue or topic. It’s easy to download the discussion materials and direct patrons to the library’s book holdings. However, the NNLM is offering an added benefit.

Beginning Nov. 1, 2018, participating NNLM libraries are making the quarterly reading club picks available in a free, handy and portable book club kit. This program-in-a-box format includes eight copies of each of the following items: the selected book, discussion guide, MedlinePlus.gov flier, NIH MedlinePlus Magazine, NIH All of Us Research Program brochure and additional materials in support of the selected health topic. All of these materials are tucked inside a handy library book bag and shipped to the requesting library.

Any U.S. library that is an organizational member of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine is eligible to apply and to receive one NNLM Reading Club book kit from Nov. 1, 2018 through April 30, 2019. The good news is membership to the NNLM is free.  Due to the limited supply of federally-sponsored NNLM Reading Club book kits, libraries that support outreach to vulnerable populations receive priority status.

Click here to browse the November selections and download the ready-to-use materials or to order an NNLM Book Club kit from a participating region.

This post was submitted by Professional Development Office Supervisor Kara Cleveland.

INSPIRE database spotlight: Consumer Health Information

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Consumer Health Information offers detailed answers to the 200 most commonly-asked health questions. Supporting the needs of patrons and patients, these answers are provided in evidence-based reports that feature graphics, illustrations, easy-to-read text and links to additional information. The database is available in multiple languages:

• Arabic
• Chinese (simplified)
• Chinese (traditional)
• Farsi
• German
• Hindi
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish
• Tagalog
• Vietnamese

Each language is offered as a separate database to allow for a simple, easy-to-use research experience for users where English is not their native language. Available databases include user interface screens with help, searching functionality and full-text in its own particular language.

In addition to evidence-based reports, Consumer Health Information also offers an interactive body map that assists users in locating articles about health-related topics for all areas of the body.

All of the content in Consumer Health Information is written by experienced medical writers and independently reviewed by medically credentialed experts. The articles in Consumer Health Information are reviewed and updated on a regular basis to reflect the most recent information and research available.

Consumer Health Information can be found by visiting the INSPIRE website, clicking on either Databases by Subject or Databases by Subject – Tiled and selecting World Languages. In the Databases A-Z category, it can be found under the Consumer Health Complete database link, which also has the information in English. INSPIRE is free to use for all Indiana residents.

Note: As of 2024, the multilingual Consumer Health databases have been discontinued. 

Note: Information provided in this database should not be viewed as a medical diagnosis.

This blog post was written by Amber Painter, southwest regional coordinator. For more information, contact the Professional Development Office (PDO) at (317) 232-3697 or via email.