Due to unforeseen problems scheduling a meeting in Colorado Springs, North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley will be the site of the June 28th meeting. The presenter will be Dr. Stephanie Clements, who is both a podiatrist practicing in Greeley and medical reporter for Channel 9 News. The title of the program is "The Media & Medicine". More information on Dr. Clements can be found at: http://www.9news.com/health and http://www.9news.com/talent/clements.htm.
NCMC librarian Carmen Urich is hosting. Carmen has a request for attendees: "Greeley will be in the midst of its Stampede Days, so polish off those cowboy/girl boots and wear them if you got them!"
Bring yourself and inner child to the CCML annual picnic being hosted at Glenn Pflum's house on Saturday, July 29, 2000. The gathering will start about 5:00 p.m. and last until people leave. CCML will provide some money for drinks and table service. If you would care to bring something that your inner child loves to have for a picnic, please do so. Also, wear your play clothes for climbing in the old crabapple tree in the back yard, or for playing lawn games like croquet, badminton, or lawn darts. For indoor people there will be cards and board games available.
The picnic will be held at 2801 Birch Street, Denver, CO. Birch Street is four blocks east of Colorado Blvd, directly north of Denison Memorial Library by 19 blocks. Glenn's house is the 50's brick ranch on the corner of Birch Street and 28th Avenue. He hopes you can make it, and help him to continue his 50th Birthday celebration. For a nickel, if you're lucky, maybe he'll let you touch the Bronze Medal he won at his Paris swim meet! Please RSVP by July 21st to Glenn Pflum if you plan to attend (Glenn.Pflum@hcahealthcare.com; 303-788-6669)
The Colorado Library Marketing Council has decided to offer this successful program once again online. (The first online program began on March 7th and is nearing completion). The class size will be limited to 20. It will be 13 weeks long and will go from September 11th to December 8th. The course objectives are to learn how to "manage yourself" using the concept of internal locus of control and how to use marketing tools to create a successful program in your library.
Discussions are underway to offer college credit or CDE credit for this course. The CLMC is working on funding alternatives and therefore the cost has not been established. For more information about this course, check out the CLMC web site: http://www.clmc.org
I have posted a couple of announcements regarding possible member interest in a consortium purchase of either Harrison's Online, or MDConsult. So far, results have been rather underwhelming. Five people responded regarding Harrison's Online, four were interested. Four people indicated that they had an interest in MDConsult.
Unless I hear from others of you by the end of May, I will probably tell Donna Muscatello from Harrison's and Jeff Redding from MDConsult that we do not have enough people interested in either product to warrant a consortium package deal. People who are still interested in the products should contact the representatives listed above.
Ask ABI Inform what it would like to tell you about "performance appraisal," and you'll be offered more than 500 articles. Most people are the victims of performance appraisals or evaluations at least annually, and some in turn are required to inflict them on others. The question is: are there any that really work? The answer from Patricia Belcastro of the Rocky River Public Library in Ohio, is "ours does." To prove it, she and the ALA have produced Evaluating library staff: a performance appraisal system, published in 1998 and available from the Isabelle T. Anderson Collection.
Their system came about, she says, in response to "the staff's overwhelming cry to 'evaluate us for what we do daily.'" Certainly anytime you find your staff crying overwhelmingly about anything, it's best to respond.
The product is based on a desire to provide "quality service," and flows from the library's Code of Service, a brief, four-part statement, to a longer set of "standards of performance" guidelines, which are both general and job-specific, and finally to a much longer performance evaluation form based on the standards.
The intent is to use the evaluation as a coaching tool as well as a basis for pay increases and advancement (or, of course, discharge). The system recommends continuous observation and recording of anything which would be important in giving someone a rating of Exceeds Standards or Needs Improvement...the two choices along with Meets Standards. It's emphasized that things need to be measurable, and ultimately they do turn the evaluations into a numeric result.
There's really nothing new in the idea of basing evaluations on the actual job and its effect on customer service...the same applies to continuous improvement and regular feedback between annual evaluations. What the book offers that makes it unique is not only suggestions, but also the complete system, from code to standards, to evaluation forms and five case studies, offered for your adaptation and use.
While most of us in medical libraries probably are saddled with the larger organization's existing system of evaluation, the book may have some ideas that could be extracted and added in to what we're working with.
What probably won't be useful are the evaluation forms themselves, which average around 22 pages long. Hmmm. Evaluations are tough enough without having to produce a novella each time you do one.
I also think that turning customer service into something measurable might not be quite as simple as the Rocky River folks imply. Take, for example, under Service to Patrons and Coworkers, number 6: "Does not communicate any value judgment when interacting with a patron." Under Meets Standards, you find "You provide assistance without communicating any value judgment." To reach the Exceeds Standards level with its potential pay raise, "You do not communicate any negative judgment pertaining to any patron at any time." ....OK....and the difference is........?
Still, it's a difficult topic and a moving target, and Ms. Belcastro and her colleagues have done a thorough job of putting a very complete system together.
Incidentally, in the case study involving Eleanore, the long-term problem employee, all I can say is good riddance and did anyone think about megadoses of Prozac?
Now that a new membership year has commenced for CCML, you might be interested to know some facts, figures, and trends about our organization. There are currently 118 members in CCML. One-hundred four members, or 88 percent live and/or work in Colorado, while the other 14 members, or 12 percent live out of state. Four from Wyoming, two from Texas, two from Montana, and one each from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, and Florida. (See tabular data below.)
Ninety-seven of our 118 members, or 82 percent, are Regular members. Associate members number four, which is 3 percent of the membership. There are 6 Student members, comprising 5 percent of the membership. Emeritus members, numbering 11, make up 9 percent of CCML. (See tabular data below.)
Five people, or 4 percent of the membership, have joined since the beginning of 2000. Sixty-three people, over half of the membership (53 percent) joined CCML in the 1990's. About a quarter of the members, 32 people or 27 percent, joined in the 1980's. Thirteen members, or 11 percent of the current membership, joined in the 1970's. Four members or 3 percent of the membership joined in the 1960's and 1 member, which comprises less than 1 percent of the membership, joined in the 1950's. Almost a quarter of the membership, 27 people, have joined CCML since 1997. (See tabular data below.)
Although CCML has seen steady growth in its membership numbers during the last twenty years, it has experienced declining membership since its high of 134 during the 1995-96 year. Five of the last six years have seen very small decreases in membership from year to year (except for one year which saw a 14-member decline). (See tabular data below.)
It should be noted however, that membership numbers, for the purposes of this article, have been calculated using the annual directories. The directories only reflect membership at the beginning of the calendar year. Thus, increases in membership during a calendar year, for which there is no readily available data, are not a factor in this discussion. This is unfortunate as having these increase in membership data would shed more light. For instance, at the beginning of the 1999-2000 year, CCML had 119 members. By the end of that calendar year, there were 133 members, representing an 11 percent increase. The 2000-2001 calendar year, however, has only 118 members (either renewing from the previous year or who joined in the year 2000), which represents an 11 percent drop from the end of the previous calendar year.
| Geographic Distribution | ||
| Area | # of members | % of membership |
| Colorado | 104 | 88 |
| Out-of-State | 14 | 12 |
| Emeritus | 11 | 9 |
| When Joined | ||
| Decade | # of members | % of membership |
| 1950's | 1 | 1 |
| 1960's | 4 | 3 |
| 1970's | 13 | 11 |
| 1980's | 32 | 27 |
| 1990's | 63 | 53 |
| 2000 | 5 | 4 |
| Type of Membership | ||
| Type | # of members | % of membership |
| Regular | 97 | 82 |
| Associate | 4 | 3 |
| Student | 6 | 5 |
| Membership Numbers | ||
| Year | # of members | |
| 2000-2001 | 118 | |
| 1999-2000 | 119 | |
| 1998-1999 | 121 | |
| 1997-1998 | 115 | |
| 1996-1997 | 120 | |
| 1995-1996 | 134 | |
| 1994-1995 | 115 | |
| 1993 | 111 | |
| 1992 | 104 | |
| 1991 | 96 | |
| 1990 | ? | |
| 1989 | 89 | |
| 1988 | 89 | |
| 1987 | ? | |
| 1986 | 90 | |
| 1985 | 83 | |
| 1984 | 88 | |
| 1983 | 90 | |
| 1982 | 64 | |
| 1981 | 73 | |
| 1980 | 72 | |
The non-profit Herb Research Foundation (HRF) has a number of information services available to members and also non-members. Services range from herb information packets, reference lists, web site, herb abstracts and publications, to custom botanical literature research in online databases plus document delivery, access to the HRF Research Library, fax and telephone notifications of major developments. To respond to telephone inquiries, the HRF natural healthcare hotline uses its own proprietary database on herbs. These services are provided at a discount or as part of membership, depending on the category a member chooses.
Quarterly publications are the newsletter Herb Research News, the peer-reviewed journal HerbalGram, Herb World Update for industry news, and TechNotes highlighting recent research. Herbs for Health is a bi-monthly consumer-oriented magazine. Abstract Updates cover over 400 plant genera and are mailed monthly. Monographs include The Encyclopedia of Popular Herbs that has information on 40 of the most widely used herbs, as well as articles, and pamphlets on production and marketing. Reference items available through the HRF include the books Herb Market Trends and Statistics and the U.S. Tea is "Hot" Report.
The HerbalGram, co-published by HRF and the American Botanical Council, is primarily concerned with the scientific investigation of medicinal herbs, and has no product advertising. It includes reports on research, government regulations, and international advances in botanicals and ethobotany.
The web site at http://www.herbs.org includes research and industry news, a forum for questions and answers and selected herb-related Web links. The "Herb Information Greenpapers" are online full-text pamphets. "The HerbDoc Express" offers scientific articles to purchase ($15 each). Information Packets of articles on specific topics are offered at $7 each for non-members, $5 for members. The Herb World Bookstore links to specific books available through Amazon.com for purchase.
The HRF Library includes 150,000-plus articles on thousands of herbs. The HRF says, "Our research staff uses online databases, professional bibliographers, scholars and herbalists, university libraries, botanical centers, interlibrary loan services and other sources to keep our library current."
The Hotline phone/voicemail at (800) 748-2617 (also at the main HRF number (303) 449-2265) answers questions about the health benefits and safety of herbs and other natural substances. Information offered includes documented benefits, scientific citations, safety data, and general information. Its staff "is carefully trained to answer questions without diagnosing, prescribing, or recommending any particular brand or product." The Hotline is accessed by the public, and HRF members. It is also used by commercial members as a value-added service they can offer to their customers. Non-members can use a credit card to obtain this service when they call.
The HRF conducts, encourages and supports research and education on herbs, herbal products, and botanical medicine. A major focus is teaching developing countries how to grow herbs as cash crops. One such project is Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products. HRF's partners in this project are Purdue University and the South African Agricultural Research Council.
The HRF, established in 1983, is governed by a board of directors, and has an advisory board composed of physicians and scientists. The 12 membership categories range from Individual at $35/year to the Business Leaders Circle at $24,000./year. The staff includes Lisa Podmajersky, Research; Mindy Green, Education; and biologist Robert McCaleb, Founder and President; plus the Hotline information specialists and support staffers. McCaleb was formerly research director at Celestial Seasonings.
Fliers available on request include "Educating the World About Herbs: Information Services Catalog;" "The Natural Healthcare Hotline;" and "Get Professional Help: Custom Botanical Research Services."
Herb Research Foundation, 1007 Pearl Street, Suite 200, Boulder, Colorado 80302. Telephone: (303) 449-2265; Fax (303) 449-7849; E-Mail: info@herbs.org; Web Site: http://www.herbs.org
[NOTE: For complete information see printed Council Quotes.]
Clearing up some questions left over from another century....
"I'm trying to be a good, modern father, but I really, really don't like being around what turns up in my baby's diapers. Is there a good excuse available to get me off the hook and let me skip a few turns?"
With the Y2K problem conquered and UFOs in what appears to be some sort of self-imposed limbo, a few of us are finding a shortage of vague but terrifying things to sink our paranoid teeth into, beyond the standard conspiracy theories. Eager to help are the Andersons...JH and RC...of the Anderson Laboratories, Inc. In a recent Archives of Environmental Health article, they discuss some "Acute respiratory effects of diaper emissions."
"What's the news here?" you might very well ask. Who among us hasn't gasped in astonishment and/or gagged when faced with the incredibly disgusting things that such a sweet-faced little fifteen-pound angel can produce? In fact, the emissions tested here are even more lethal than you might imagine.
The test subjects were 131 male Swiss-Webster mice (you can't buy these off the shelf), who were lulled into thinking they were in Paradise by first being encouraged to lounge around for a week on beds of corncob chips, munching Purina lab chow and drinking bottled water. Then, when they least expected it, they were stuffed into "a sidearm that served as a whole-body plethysmograph," and rolled into a "glass exposure chamber," then exposed to the fumes from three brands of disposable diapers, identified mysteriously only as A, B, and C, and one brand of cloth diapers...no letter assigned.
The disposables consistently caused difficulties ranging from "sensory irritation," to "reduced mid-expiratory airflow velocity," and a whole grab bag of other breathing problems. The cloth versions were relatively benign. None of these emissions proved fatal to the mice, which is more than can be said for their interactions with the experimenters. We all appreciate their sacrifice.
The really bad news here is that THESE WERE BRAND NEW, UNUSED DIAPERS. They caused these little guys to wheeze and whoop without a single molecule of human waste being on board. This can't be good news for any parent or prospective parent, not to mention millions of innocent and uninformed babysitters and grandparents.
It's mind-boggling to try to imagine what sorts of things waft up from a seriously used diaper. For those feeling superior about their forward-thinking use of cloth diapers, remember that the tests didn't take into account what might have happened if those same mice had been dangled over a diaper pail loaded with about 2 days worth of thoroughly saturated cloth diapers waiting for the next load of laundry.
When the word gets out on this, we'll all wish we had stock in the companies selling those cool white-hooded respirator suits.
Speaking of this sort of thing, the online news site Your Health Daily featured a story a few months ago headlined "Spring's a good time for ridding the home of toxic chemicals." Keep this little scheduling tip in mind the next time you're tempted in July or December to dump some of that hot, bubbling, unidentifiable liquid that's been sitting in a bucket in your basement for years and wreaking havoc on the pets who keep sniffing at it. Timing is everything.
"For a scavenger hunt, I need to find something unpleasant that hasn't at one time or another been blamed on El Nino...any chance?"
Apparently not any more. According to a recent report in The Lancet, the 1997-1998 appearance of everyone's favorite ocean-warming, weather-whipping phenomenon, actually led to an impressive increase in diarrhea, of all things. This isn't a result of people consuming Nino-tainted water, but seems to be linked with a rise in the ambient temperature in a specific region.
What's next? We can probably extrapolate from this and be ready for some serious global constipation as a result of the rebound effects caused by La Nina, the smaller sibling of El Nino. The wise weather-watcher will stock up on the appropriate elimination-related items, and probably the Weather Channel will begin to offer a Gastrointestinal Minute at 13 and 43 minutes past the hour.
"It's my life's ambition to get into the Guinness Book of World Records, so I'll be doing a marathon ride on a roller coaster at a park just outside of Cincinnati for as many months as it takes. I'm pumped, I've made some sandwiches, and I've got my thermos...any health tips?
Not that it's likely to make much difference to someone with your level of ambition, but some Japanese physicians reported recently in the journal Neurology that riding The Beast, the Steamin' Demon, Mamba, Son of Beast, or any of their close relatives can lead to subdural hematoma. This is significant because they eliminated from the study those who acquired their personal head injuries by standing while the car was in motion and slamming into the sign that straddles the tracks to remind those who can read to "Sit down, Stupid." The coaster they studied most closely is Japan's own Fujiyama, which climbs to a height of 259 feet and then screams down at speeds reaching 81 miles per hour. Some would view this as a crystal clear example of Natural Selection at work. Good luck on your trip and we look forward to reading about you.
Do you have patients who are interested in participating in a clinical trial? You can share an informative article with them that appeared in the March 12, 2000, USA Weekend supplement to the Denver Post.
You can find the article online at: http://www.usaweekend.com/00_issues/000312/000312clinicaltrials.html
It is with considerable sadness that I let you know that Eleanor Krakauer has passed away. She will be greatly missed. Her daughter has honored her request that there be no services.
Eleanor's last year had been a most difficult one filled with a great deal of pain. The bulk of her pain was caused by the arthritis from which she suffered. It is with this in mind that her daughter asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her memory to:
The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation
2280 S. Albion
Denver, CO 80222
Cards may be sent to her daughter.
[See printed Council Quotes for address.]
JUNE
Fireworks Safety Month (through July 4); Prevent Blindness America
500 East Remington Road; Schaumburg, IL 60173; (800) 331-2020
Contact: Marketing Department; http://www.preventblindness.org
National Safety Month; American Society of Safety Engineers
1800 East Oakton; Des Plaines, IL 60018-2187
(847) 699-2929
Contact: Customer Services; http://www.asse.org
National Prevention of Eye Injuries Awareness Week, June 28-July 5, 2000; United
States Eye Injury Registry (USEIR)
Box 55565; Birmingham, AL 35255
(205) 933-0064; Contact: Loretta Mann, Technical Director
JULY
Impaired Driving Enforcement Mobilization Weekend, July 1-4, 2000
400 Seventh Street, SW; Washington, DC 20590
(202) 366-4294
Contact: Sandy Richardson; http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/enforce/Mobilizing/MoblizAmer.pdf
dot.gov/people/injury/enforce/Mobilizing/MoblizAmer.pdf
National Sobriety Checkpoint Week, September June 25- July 5, 2000
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
511 East John Carpenter Highway, Suite 700; Irving, TX 75062
(800) GET-MADD
Contact: Arlene Lamark; http://www.madd.org
| OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS 1999 / 2000 | |
| Elected Officers | |
| President | Jerry Carlson |
| President-Elect | Paul Blomquist |
| Secretary | Gene Stortz |
| Treasurer | Jeff Kuntzman |
| Past-President | Glenn Pflum |
| Appointed Officers | |
| CQ Editor | Lynne Fox |
| CQ Associate Editor | Jeff Kuntzman |
| Mailing Coordinator | Bettye Snipe |
| Membership Database Coordinator | Shelley Coleman |
| Parliamentarian | Jerry Carlson |
| Standing Committee Chairs | |
| Education | Jenny Garcia |
| Journal Locator | Catherine Reiter |
| Membership (Acting Chair) | Sue McGuinness |
| Internet | Lynne Fox |
| Nominating | Pat Nelson |
| Ad Hoc Appointments | |
| Colleague Connection Representative | Lynne Fox |
| Colorado Library Marketing Council Rep. | Suzanne Kaller |
| MCMLA 2K Conf. Planning Committee Chair | Lisa Traditi |
| Council Quotes is a bimonthly publication of the Colorado Council of Medical Librarians (CCML). CCML / P.O. Box 101058 / Denver, CO 80210-1058. Subscription is a benefit of membership. Editor, Lynne Fox; Assistant Editor, Jeff Kuntzman; Contributors, CCML members. |
Return to the CCML Main Page.
This page was last updated on 25 May 2000.
Direct questions about this page to Lynne Fox.
http://www.ccmlnet.org/CQMayJune00.html