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Month: August 2021

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Himmelfarb Library offers a variety of studying environments, from individual to group and collaborative spaces. Study space in the library is frequently in high demand. If you want a study room you’ll need to plan in advance. Here’s some tips for finding the right space.

Different floors = different noise levels

The first floor has mostly open, shared tables and allows quiet conversations. The areas around service desks on the first floor and third floor in the Bloedorn Technology Center (BTC) will also have activity and some associated noise. If you’re looking for a very quiet space for high concentration, we recommend going upstairs to the 2nd floor, or the 3rd floor outside the BTC, which are designated quiet zones.  

While in the library, electronic devices should be set to quiet mode and cell phone conversations should be taken outside or into a closed stairwell. If listening to music or other audio materials, wear headphones with sound set to a level that will not disturb those around you.

Third floor study options, including open and closed carrels and study tables

What kind of study spaces are on the different floors?

While the first floor has mostly tables and couches, there are some open carrels by the windows. The second floor has open table seating, cubicles, closed carrels, and study rooms, while the third floor has individual open and closed carrels, tables, and study rooms. Himmelfarb's 2nd floor is reserved for use by graduate students.  The B1 level (downstairs) also has some desk seating in the stacks and study rooms.  To see what is available where, check the library floor maps.

Want a study room? Reserve in advance!

All Himmelfarb Study rooms must be reserved prior to use and you can make reservations up to seven days in advance using the form here.  Most study rooms can accommodate up to 4 individuals. All are equipped with a large screen and white board. Check out markers and erasers at the first floor Circulation Desk.

Reservations cannot be made for more than 4 hours at a time. If you leave a room for more than 15 minutes, you may forfeit it. Occupants are strongly discouraged from leaving belongings unattended.

Study room at Himmelfarb Library

Study rooms allow for group collaboration, but groups should be mindful of not disturbing those in neighboring rooms.

Can we have a pizza in the study room?

Food allowed in Himmelfarb is limited to small quantities only and food deliveries are also not allowed. Snacks and drinks are permitted in study carrels. Drinks must be contained with a lid. Please be respectful of others and clean up after eating.

It’s so peaceful here and there are comfy couches - can I take a short nap?

We understand that long days and intense study can sometimes send our users into a nod. Unfortunately, GW University policy does not allow sleeping in public places on campus. And your fellow students may not appreciate your snores!

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Picture of a mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine vial.
Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash

If you have watched the news during the past year, you’ve likely heard about mRNA vaccines. You may even have had a more personal connection to mRNA vaccines. If you received either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, you received an mRNA vaccine! Perhaps you heard that GW served as a clinical trial site for the Moderna mRNA vaccine, and may have volunteered for the clinical trial. 

How do these vaccines work? Traditional vaccines trigger immune responses in the body through injecting “a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies” (CDC, 2021). mRNA vaccines work differently. Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is a type of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that uses information in cells to create a blueprint for protein production within the body (NLM, NIH, HHS, 2021). mRNA vaccines introduce “a piece of mRNA that corresponds to a viral protein, usually a piece of a protein found on the virus’s outer membrane” (NLM, NIH, HHS, 2021). Your body uses this mRNA as a recipe, and cells start to make this viral protein. “As part of a normal immune response, the immune system recognizes that the protein is foreign and produces specialized proteins called antibodies” (NLM, NIH, HHS, 2021). These antibodies protect against infection “by recognizing individual viruses or pathogens, attaching to them, and marking the pathogens for destruction” (NLM, NIH, HHS, 2021). 

The surface of the COVID-19 virus (Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2) is covered in “spike proteins,” a glycoprotein that helps the virus enter a host cell by binding to a receptor on the surface of a host cell and fusing the viral and host cell membranes together. mRNA COVID-19 vaccines teach the body how to make this spike protein, (CDC, 2021). Once vaccinated, your body begins to recognize this spike protein as an intruder and begins to produce antibodies to fight off these spike proteins. Once you have these antibodies, they will be able to identify these spike proteins should you be exposed to the COVID-19 virus (Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2). If you do have a Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 exposure, these antibodies will quickly identify the spike proteins surrounding the virus, attach themselves to these spike proteins, and destroy the COVID-19 virus before it is able to cause serious illness (NLM, NIH, HHS, 2021).

The following video produced by the Mayo Clinic provides a straightforward overview of how mRNA vaccines work against COVID-19:

Many people believe that mRNA vaccines can alter their DNA. However, this is not possible through mRNA vaccines. Once the mRNA has delivered the instructions of how to make the protein to your cells, the mRNA is broken down fairly quickly and “it never enters the nucleus of your cells, where your DNA is kept” (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2021). Since the mRNA never interacts with your DNA, your DNA will not be altered in any way from an mRNA vaccine.

While mRNA vaccines may seem new, they have actually been researched for decades. The first report of a successful mRNA vaccine was reported in 1990 in animals (Pardi et al., 2018). mRNA vaccines have distinct benefits over traditional vaccines. Among these benefits are safety and production. Because the vaccine does not contain the virus itself, there is no risk for infection. Production of mRNA vaccines have the “potential for rapid inexpensive and scalable manufacturing”(Pardi et al., 2018), as has been demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. For a more in-depth scientific review of pre-COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, Pardi, Hogan, Porter, and Weissman’s review article titled mRNA Vaccines - A New Era in Vaccinology provides an excellent overview of mRNA vaccines. 

References:

Centers for Disease Control. (2021). Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mRNA.html?s_cid=11344:mrna%20vaccine%20technology:sem.ga:p:RG:GM:gen:PTN:FY21

Mayo Clinic Staff. (July 31, 2021). Different types of COVID-19 vaccines: How they work. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/different-types-of-covid-19-vaccines/art-20506465

Mayo Clinic. (2021, February 8). Mayo Clinic Insights: How mRNA Vaccines Work . Mayo Clinic YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/RvR_yf_haqQ

Pardi, N., Hogan, M. J., Porter, F. W., & Weissman, D. (2018). mRNA vaccines-a new era in vaccinology. Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery, 17(4), 261–279. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd.2017.243

U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services. (2021). What are mRNA vaccines and how do they work? https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/therapy/mrnavaccines/

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The Himmelfarb Search box is front and center on the Library’s home page, beckoning users to search here! Have you wondered what it is you’re actually searching when you use the Search Box? Or how you can get the most out of it? Here’s some answers and tips.

Himmelfarb Search Box

What Am I Searching?

The Himmelfarb Search Box is a comprehensive discovery tool for the library’s resources. It includes most of the library’s subscription content (journals and articles and online books) as well as records for the library’s physical collections (print books and journals, equipment, and physical media like DVDs).

But that’s not all. By switching the selection with the down arrow on the right side of the search box, you can change what you’re searching to just article content, just online content, or you can select to search the contents of all the libraries in the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC). Select Articles + GW & Consortium Catalog to include books and media at the other WRLC libraries, like Georgetown, American, and Howard.

Himmelfarb Search box search selections

How Do I Improve My Search Results?

The Search Box includes a lot of content.  It uses relevancy ranking, like Google, to try to bring the best search results to the top of the results page. But sometimes it needs a little help and guidance. You can help narrow results to the most relevant by using the Refine Results options on the left side of the search results page.

Refine results in Himmelfarb Search Box

You can narrow the date range of results, look for results using a particular subject heading, or look for things in a particular collection (for example, select CINAHL Complete to narrow to nursing-focused results), or select books or dissertations or Newspaper articles with Content Type.

Other tips for improving results is to use advanced search to search for multiple concepts at once or search a specific field like title or author. Click on Advanced Search next to the Search Box.

Advanced search button in Himmelfarb Search Box
Advanced search in Himmelfarb Search Box

Or use the Journal search option on the top menu if searching for a specific journal title.

Journal search in Himmelfarb Search Box

I Found What I Want, Now How Do I Get It?

In the results view, anything that has a green Available Online link has full-text available by clicking on the link or clicking the title to see the full record and selecting a specific online source in View Online. For many article results, you may also see a Download PDF link that allows you to directly download a PDF. For the most efficient linking to online content, see our Finding Full-Text Content Made Easy! tips.

Full-text linking options in Himmelfarb Search Box

For items like physical books, you can check the status of items on the shelves at Himmelfarb by looking at the How to Get It section of the full record displayed when you click the title in the results. If you can’t physically come into the library to get the item, you can use our courtyard pickup and delivery services. If the book you want is at Gelman or one of the WRLC libraries, click the Sign In option then scroll to the Get It area to find the Consortium Loan Service (CLS) request form; this will request delivery of the item from the owning library to Himmelfarb or the VSTC Library in Ashburn.

Sign in for CLS in full-text record in Himmelfarb Search Box
Links for CLS and Docs2Go in Himmelfarb Search Box

For articles for which there is no Available Online link, you can use the Docs2Go form which is also an option under Get It. A Docs2Go request will order a scan of the item from another library through our interlibrary loan services.

I Can’t Find What I Want, or I Just Need Help - What Do I Do Now?

Use our Ask Us Chat service to get help from a librarian. The Ask Us service is embedded in the Search tool in a blue tab on the right side of the screen. The Chat is staffed Monday through Thursday 8:30am-8pm and Friday 8:30am-5pm.  Or email a librarian or text us at 202-601-3525.

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You may have already heard. August is National Immunization Month! Some people are reluctant to be vaccinated and it can be difficult communicating to your patients the importance of staying up to date with their vaccinations. Vaccines not only benefit your patients, but also the larger community. 

The CDC has a fantastic toolkit that features educational resources to help you deliver the message of the importance of vaccines.  The toolkit includes ready-to-use promotional materials that can be shared across social media platforms. It also includes an adult vaccine assessment tool that can help you narrow down what vaccinations may be beneficial for your patients. 

What better way to advocate for and educate not only yourself but your colleagues and patients? The tool also includes an easy-to-read vaccination schedule for children, teens, and infants. Keeping up to date with vaccines can be difficult, especially when your patients have to account for more than one individual. The list includes a chart of vaccine-preventable diseases along with symptoms and complications that can occur if you or your child is not vaccinated. 

How can you support patients with specific health risks? There is also guidance for adults who have health conditions, such as asthma, liver disease, or a weakened immune system.  Traveling? The CDC has you covered with the necessary information you need to make sure you are ready to embark to your destination safely, while providing updated recommendations on the current status of COVID-19 across the globe. Be advised that all travelers are required to have a negative test result before traveling to the US from an international location. 

If you haven’t already, we highly suggest that you take the time to see what the CDC’s Adult Assessment tool can provide for your vaccination information needs.

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image of a tunnel made entirely of books
Photo by Lysander Yuen on Unsplash

Need to borrow a copy of Emergency Medicine PreTest for your upcoming clerkship? Has your professor assigned you materials on Course Reserve? Or would you just like to check out an iPhone/iPad charger? Himmelfarb Library’s Circulation Desk handles it all! We are located on the first floor, just beyond the security gate entrance, and are staffed during all open hours. Read on to learn about our basic loan periods and policies.

Circulating Books and DVDs/CDs

Books from our B1 level stacks, as well as from our Humanities and Healthy Living Collections on the main floor, circulate for 3 weeks. As long as no one has placed a hold request on an item currently checked out to you, you may renew materials twice for a maximum total loan period of 9 weeks. DVDs and audio CDs, housed at the 3rd floor’s Bloedorn Technology Center, carry the same loan rules as circulating books.

How to renew?

You may renew your item(s) in any of three ways:

  • Online: log into your library account with your GW NetID and password.
  • In person at the Circulation Desk
  • Over the phone: call (202) 994-2962

Overdue fines

We do not charge daily overdue fines for circulating books, DVDs, and audio CDs. At 41 days past the due date, however, we will assess overdue, item replacement, and processing fees totaling $120 for most borrowed items. 

Books and Equipment on Reserve

Reserve materials, which are kept behind the Circulation Desk, are available for hourly use. Books placed on Course Reserves by professors have a 3-hour loan period. Most equipment on our Reserves shelves, including HDMI cables, headphones, and iPhone/iPad chargers, have a 4-hour loan period.

May I renew Reserve materials?

Due to their high demand, we are unable to offer renewals of items on Reserve.

Overdue fines

Because of high demand, overdue fines for most Reserve items accrue at $1.00/hour, with no grace period.

For more information

Want to learn more about the kinds of items available to borrow and their loan periods/policies? Check out our Loan Periods and Fines guide. You are also welcome to contact our Circulation Desk staff in person or by phone for more information. Our phone number is (202) 994-2962.

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Image of a magnifying glass over a piece of paper with the word "Research" written on it.

Himmelfarb Library provides access to more than 125 databases, 6,400 e-books, and 4,800 journals - all of which are available electronically through Himmelfarb’s website. We understand that finding and accessing the full-text to this content can sometimes feel overwhelming. But have no fear, this post will point you to some tools that can help streamline accessing full-text content. 

LibKey Nomad & Browzine

LibKey Nomad works with multiple resources including PubMed, publisher sites, Scopus, Web of Science and others to immediately deliver a full-text PDF when available. If a full-text PDF is not available, LibKey Nomad will provide you with Himmelfarb full-text and document delivery options.

To use LibKey Nomad, download LibKey Nomad from the Chrome Web Store page. If you prefer a different browser, you can download the extension for Firefox or Edge. (A Safari extension is current being developed, but is not yet available). After installing the browser extension, choose “George Washington University - Himmelfarb Library” as your institution, and you’re all set! 

LibKey Nomad streamlines the process of getting full-text articles by making it possible to get the articles directly from the publisher’s website. Once you have the LibKey Nomad browser extension installed, you no longer need to go to Himmelfarb’s website, log-in, search our collections, and be linked to full-text content. LibKey Nomad integrates full-text access directly from where you find the article! If you have questions about using LibKey Nomad, contact Laura Abate (leabate@gwu.edu).

Browzine is another resource that can help you access full-text content. Browzine enables you to build a bookshelf of your favorite journals from Himmelfarb Library’s holdings. Users are alerted when new articles and issues are available, and read and save full-text content. To download the Browzine app, head over to the Himmelfarb App Shelf.

GW VPN

If you prefer to access content by going directly through Himmelfarb’s website, you can still access full-text content directly through our website quickly and easily. We strongly recommend connecting through the GW VPN if you are accessing our resources from off-campus. Using the VPN allows your computer to function as though it is on the GW campus, and therefore ensures seamless, integrated access to all of Himmelfarb’s electronic resources without additional logins. 

You need to have a GW NetID in order to use the VPN. If you have not already done so, you can obtain your GW NetID from the GW Help Desk Account Center. Instructions for downloading the GW VPN can be found on Himmelfarb’s Off-Campus Access page.

Himmelfarb Website Access

When accessing full-text content directly from Himmelfarb’s website, you can search our catalog using the search box on our homepage, search our databases, or go directly to an individual journal. When searching our catalog, you will be able to tell if the full-text of the item is available online by looking for the “Available Online” link shown in the screenshot below.

Screenshot of the "Available Online" link that appears for electronic resources in Himmelfarb's catalog.

If the item is a book, clicking on this link will open the book and you can locate the chapter or section of the book you would like to read from there. For journal articles, you may see several access options including a “Download PDF” link and a “View Issue Contents” link if you are using LibKey Nomad, and an “Available Online” link (see screenshot below).

Screenshot of the "Download PDF," "View Issue Contents," and "Available Online" links that appear for electronic resources in Himmelfarb's catalog.

If you have the LibKey Nomad browser extension installed, clicking on the “Download PDF” link will open a PDF copy of the full-text of the article that you can read or download to your device. Clicking on the “Available Online” option will open the catalog record and you will see the available options for viewing this article, as seen in the screenshot below. 

Screenshot of available "View Online" links for a journal article.

Simply click on the option you wish to view, and the full-text of the article will open. Clicking on the “Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals” link from the above example, brought up the following page:

Screenshot of a journal article with a "View PDF" option from a publisher's website.

From here, click on the “View PDF” button in the top left corner of the page to download the full-text PDF, or scroll down the page to view the full-text of the article on your web browser. It’s important to note that each publisher may place their PDF download link in a different location on their pages, so you may need to scan the page to find this option depending on the publisher.

For books, we often have access to both a physical copy and an electronic copy of the book. In these cases, you will see that the item is available in Himmelfarb’s book stacks (located in the basement level) with a call number that will help you locate the item on the shelf, as well the “Available Online” link mentioned above. To access the full-text online, simply click the “Available Online” link.

Screenshot of a catalog record for a book that is available as both a physical book and as an e-book.

Locating and finding full-text access to Himmelfarb’s electronic resources is seamless and easy with tools like LibKey Nomad, the GW VPN, and the Himmelfarb website! Should you experience any problems accessing our resources, refer to our Access Issues guide that provides some troubleshooting tips that provide solutions for some of the most common access problems. You can also reach out to us at himmsubs@gwu.edu for help.

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National Immunization Awareness Month runs through the month of August and serves as a time to highlight the importance of vaccines and tackle any misconceptions people may have about available vaccinations. In a time where conflicting and potentially harmful information is only a short Google search away, it’s necessary that people have access to reliable and accurate sources of information, particularly when it pertains to making a medical decision. It’s a promising sign that more and more people are signing up for their dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, but there is still a significant portion of the population who are hesitant to receive their vaccine. If you’re in need of resources or tips to address vaccine hesitancy and misconceptions, then the following list will offer some guidance on navigating these difficult conversations. 

Whether you’re having these conversations with a close friend, a family member or a patient, what’s most important is that you use empathy and understanding when addressing their concerns or fears. People’s concerns are legitimate and the conversation will be more productive if you avoid talking down to the person or ignore their feelings over the COVID-19 vaccine. Do your own research and gently, but firmly counter any myths or inaccuracies that may arise during the conversation. Begin from a place of empathy and understanding; ask open-ended questions to get a feel for the person’s hesitancy; do your own research and gently push back against any myths or inaccuracies.

Be sure to offer legitimate sources of information. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has an entire section of their website dedicated to COVID-19 that features new information on the virus, current safety guidelines and resources to help people find their closest vaccination site. If you want a simple breakdown of the COVID-19 vaccine and its safety, use the ‘Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine’ guide to address basic concerns. Or check the ‘Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccine’ to familiarize yourself with some of the common misconceptions about the purpose of the vaccine so you are prepared with facts that can help counter the myths during your discussion.

If you’re a healthcare provider and are searching for ways to talk about the vaccine with your patients, consider watching the CDC’s video series, ‘#HowIRecommend’ for tips and techniques you can use when making a vaccine recommendation to your patient. The short video series primarily focuses on vaccine recommendations aimed at children and their guardians, but the advice offered can be used no matter what area of medicine you currently work in. Watch Dr. Tolu Adebanjo’s video on how physicians can improve their vaccine recommendations:

Once you’ve addressed any vaccine concerns, there are still steps you can take to help them. Consider helping them locate a vaccination site or assist them in scheduling an appointment. Offer to drive them to their appointment or watch their kids or pets while they’re away. Continue to support them in any way that you’re able to.

Vaccines are safe and are necessary in slowing the spread of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. We must all do our part to keep ourselves, our friends and family and our larger communities safe. Vaccine misconceptions spread easily on the internet and it’s important to educate ourselves and those around us who may experience vaccine hesitancy or anxiety. This post should provide plenty of tools to help you navigate these conversations so you can successfully dispel the myths many people have about our current vaccines. For more information or resources to help you fight the current vaccine misinformation, be sure to visit the CDC’s website or visit your local health department’s website for resources!

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  • Interested in performing a systematic review, but don’t know how to get started?  
  • Want to learn the basic steps in completing a systematic review?

If you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, then the Himmelfarb Library’s ‘Systematic
Review Seminar Series’ is for you!

This series will be composed of brief, biweekly lunchtime sessions covering a variety of
topics which will take you from the development of a systematic review project all the
way through to the creation and submission of a manuscript. 

To learn more, please visit the series guide: https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/SR_Seminar_Series

The live sessions will be held every other Wednesday at 12 p.m. via WebEx and they
are designed to last around 30 minutes.  The sessions will be recorded and those
recordings will be posted to the series guide linked above.

The first session in the series will be:
Title: Types of Reviews
Location: https://gwu.webex.com/meet/tph
Day: Wednesday August 18, 2021
Time: 12 p.m.- 12:30 p.m. EST

If you have any questions or if you’d like your email address to be added to the series
distribution list, please contact series instructor, Tom Harrod at tph@gwu.edu.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

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August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). This annual observance highlights the efforts of healthcare professionals to protect patients of all ages against vaccine-preventable diseases through on-time vaccination.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all aspects of life, including patients’ ability to attend important appointments and receive routine vaccinations. Many patients had to postpone or cancel appointments and still may not have had the opportunity to catch back up on needed healthcare.

During NIAM, encourage your patients to schedule appointments to ensure they are up to date on annual exams and recommended vaccines. Research has consistently shown that healthcare professionals are the most trusted source of vaccine information for parents and patients.

Use NIAM as an opportunity to access CDC educational resources like the #HowIRecommend Video Series, which offers simple and practical guidance for having successful vaccine conversations with parents and patients. These short videos demonstrate how to make effective vaccine recommendations, address common vaccine questions, and take a team-based approach to vaccination.

For those patients who are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, you play a critical role in helping vaccine recipients understand the importance of vaccination and that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Check out this toolkit on Talking to Recipients about COVID-19 Vaccination, where you will find resources to help you share clear and accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines, raise awareness about the benefits of vaccination, and address common questions and concerns about what to expect when getting vaccinated.

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Kick-off of the summer season in good spirits with these inspired activities from Healthy Living @ Himmelfarb’s August Study Break Guide.

  • Crafternoon With Shop Made In DC (SMIDC)
    Sunday, August 1, 8, 22, 29, 2021 TIME: 12:00-3:00 pm.
    Location: 1353 Wisconsin Ave NW
    PRICE: FREE
    Join us for crafternoons! Bring a project or come and make one at our classroom table! We will have various art supplies available for you to come and craft in our space!
  • Dupont Circle Pop-Up - Love Summer!
    Date: August 28th
    Location: P Street & Connecticut Ave. NW
    PRICE: FREE
    Join Dupont Circle Main Streets in welcoming 50 pop-up artists and makers to the sidewalks of P Street and Connecticut Avenue, NW as we celebrate the dog days of summer on Saturday, August 28th from 12:00 - 6:00 p.m. Vendors will be paired with retail shops, restaurants, and services to maximize shopping interest and create a dynamic pedestrian flow.

For more exciting activities check out the Healthy Living @ Himmelfarb August Calendar.

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