Many people believe that library collections only contain books and other media materials. But housed within many collections are strange and unique artifacts or exhibitions. From locks of hair from former politicians to undecipherable manuscripts to historical medical equipment, libraries across the world contain items that users may not typically associate with research institutions. In honor of Halloween, this article will discuss a few eerie and uncommon library and museum collections and exhibits!
A few weeks ago, many people learned that the Library of Congress is home to a large collection of musical instruments. But the Library also stores historical artifacts not found in any other institution in the world. For example, there is a collection of hair samples in the collection. The hair strands come from former presidents such as George Washington, James Madison and Ulysses S. Grant, musicians, writers and other artists like Walt Whitman and Ludwig van Beethoven and other figures. There’s even strands of hair from an unidentified person that was found in Clara Barton’s diary. “Nearly all of the hair stems from the 18th and 19th centuries, in the era before photographs were common and lockets of hair were seen as tokens that could be anything from romantic to momentous” (Tucker, 2022)
The Library of Congress also stores personal items from historical American figures. A bittersweet example is the list of personal effects that were in President Abraham Lincoln’s pocket on the night that he was assassinated. Some of the items include two pairs of spectacles, an embroidered handkerchief, several newspaper clippings, a single bank note and a pocket knife. While these items aren’t necessarily spooky or strange, they do offer a glimpse into the everyday life of an important historical figure and by extension reveal what was important to people in that time period.
The National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland is an institution dedicated to preserving and teaching the history of health sciences in the military. The museum is part of the Defense Health Agency Research and Engineering Directorate which falls under the Department of Defense. “The National Museum of Health and Medicine was established during the Civil War as the Army Medical Museum, a center for the collection of specimens and artifacts for research related to trauma and pathology.”(National Museum of Health and Medicine, 2022) There are several different exhibits on display including ‘The Legacy of Walter Reed,’ ‘Traumatic Brain Injury,’ ‘Civil War Medicine,’ and the virtual exhibit ‘Effects of Canister Shot in the Civil War: Skull of a soldier of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers.’ The museum contains skeletal fragments, photographs and more educational materials that highlight the history of military health sciences and how war impacts the body. The National Museum of Health and Medicine is open Wednesday through Sunday and is free to the public! If you’re interested in exploring the collection in person, be sure to plan a visit.
The Historical Medical Library and the Mutter Museum are two institutions that are affiliated with the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The Historical Medical Library was founded in 1788 and includes “the archives of other Philadelphia medical institutions, College’s corporate archives, and letters, case books, and student notebooks that document the personal life and professional practice of doctors in the Philadelphia region and around the world.” (The Historical Medical Library, n.d.) The library maintains a virtual image library where visitors can look at digitized collection items. Their digital exhibits cover various themes such as health professionals during World War I, historical advertisements from drug manufactures and the evolution of human anatomy.
The Mutter Museum is a publicly available institution that “displays its beautifully preserved collections of anatomical specimens, models and medical instruments in a nineteenth-century ‘cabinet museum’ setting.” (The Mutter Museum, n.d.) The museum started when Thomas Dent Mutter, MD, an American surgeon, donated his personal collection in the hopes of inspiring others to learn about health sciences and the human body. The Mutter Museum is open everyday, except Tuesday, from 10 am until 5 pm. Exhibits include the Hyrtl Skull Collection, The Soap Lady, and the Spit Spreads Death exhibit which cover the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 in the Philadelphia area.
Historical manuscripts are often stored and preserved in libraries. These documents cover various topics such as medicine, botany, astronomy and religion and are carefully preserved to maintain the author’s work and colorful and imaginative paintings found inside. Medieval manuscripts still captivate modern viewers because of the manuscripts’ depictions of famous myths and religious stories. Medieval manuscripts also reveal an ancient world that was fascinated with the strange and magical. Manuscripts such as A Dialog on Werewolfism by Claude Prieur and Book of magical charms have intrigued scholars and casual readers for years. But one of the most mysterious manuscripts is The Voynich Manuscript located in Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Researchers know little about the purpose of the manuscript, the author or the text written inside. No one has been successful in deciphering the text inside, despite many attempts at uncovering the code. The artwork inside depicts real and imaginary plant life and people in strange pools of water.
The Voynich Manuscript remains a mysterious and prolific manuscript that will likely confuse researchers for years to come.
Library and museum collections contain the strange and the mysterious. Many items in collections are our only tangible connection to past historical figures and provide a gateway for users to learn more about a certain time period. As Neely Tucker explains in a blog post from the Library of Congress “These items came in as a part of larger collections and we kept them because the Library is also a history of us, of humankind, and that messy history can’t all be contained on paper, vinyl, film and tape. These are some of the items that help give the tactile sense of bygone people who were about our size and height, who lived with the same phobias and desires that we do today. They offer a bit of needed spice, of raw humanity.” (Tucker, 2022).
People have long believed that eating well-balanced and nutritious meals would lead to a long and healthy life. What does that mean? It is an ever-changing conversation about what is healthy. To help patients make healthier food choices, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences developed a culinary medicine elective that is offered to third- and fourth-year students. The field of culinary medicine combines knowledge of food and cooking with science and medicine. Over 60 academic medical centers use the Health meets Food Culinary Medicine courseware that was created by CulinaryMedicine.org.
Following almost twenty years as a clinician at George Washington University, Dr. Seema Kakar launched culinary medicine education in 2017. She rented a teaching kitchen space and began teaching the Health Meets Food curriculum. The program educates medical students and other healthcare providers to empower their patients on making healthy food choices.
The Seva Culinary Medicine Teaching Kitchen Fund was established by Dr. Kakar and her husband as an endowment for the GW medical school. By establishing this new space, the GW medical community will be able to use food and science to benefit their patients and community. Visit the GW Culinary Medicine Program website for more information.
In celebration of National Medical Librarian Month, we’d like to celebrate all Himmelfarb staff and the important work they do each and every day! While working at Himmelfarb does have some similarities to working in other types of libraries, working in a health sciences library has some unique aspects. So we asked our staff to share a bit about their experiences at Himmelfarb. Here’s what they had to say:
What brought you to Himmelfarb? How did you end up working here?
“My spouse got transferred to DC and I needed a job in the area. I was working in an academic health sciences library previously and wanted to stay in that type of environment. I'd actually interviewed for another job at Himmelfarb the year before when he had another assignment to DC that subsequently got canceled.” ~ JoLinda Thompson, Associate Director of Library Operations (Interim), and Systems Librarian
“While I was in graduate school, I worked part-time for my campus' library. When I graduated, I knew I wanted to continue working with libraries. I sent out a lot of applications to various institutions in the area. Thankfully, I had a great interview experience with Himmelfarb and I knew it would be a good place to work for the foreseeable future.” ~ Brittany Smith, Metadata Specialist
“After 16 years of working in the Biomedical Communications Department of SMHS as manager of the print shop, I was asked by the VP of Himmelfarb Library and Biomedical Communications to consider helping the Library fill a much-needed vacancy. A plan was made to have me split time between the two departments. After one year, I was permanently moved full-time into Himmelfarb Library as the newly established Serials Manager.” ~ Lonnie Williams, Serials Manager
“I came to the DC area for a fellowship at NLM. I love the DMV, so wanted to stay in the area. I found the opening at Himmelfarb not long after the conclusion of my fellowship year and have been here since!” ~ Stacy Brody, Reference and Instruction Librarian
“I worked for a government contractor on an NCI (National Cancer Institute) project after I finished my master's, but really missed being in an academic setting. My husband found an ad for a reference librarian at Himmelfarb in the Washington Post's Sunday print(!) edition and I've been here ever since.” ~ Laura Abate, Library Director
“My husband and I had recently moved to DC from Fredericksburg, VA where I'd been working at a community college library. I reached out to Himmelfarb's former director, Anne Linton, whom I'd met about 6 months earlier. The reference department was short-handed at the time, and I ended up helping out at the reference desk a few days a week. During that time, a full-time position opened up, and I applied and got the job.” ~ Ruth Bueter, Serials Librarian
“I responded to a job ad in the Washington Post” ~ Yvonne Lee, Print Resources Specialist
“Prior to GW, I was working at the University of Maryland, College Park in the chemistry library. I actually applied and interviewed for two other positions at the Gelman library before being offered a job at Himmelfarb about 12 years ago.” ~ Tom Harrod, Associate Director of Reference, Instruction, and Access
If you’ve worked in non-health sciences libraries, how does working at Himmelfarb compare to your other experience?
“I worked in school library environments briefly (student teaching experiences). It was vastly different! Although during my early days at Himmelfarb (in the '90s), I applied some of the crowd management skills I learned in student teaching when we'd have large groups of students gathering on the first floor at certain times of the day.” ~ JoLinda Thompson
“When I was a student library worker, I worked for the general sciences branches of the library, like the Physics library and the Math and Engineering library, so I'm accustomed to working with library materials for specific departments and students. At first, it can feel intimidating to work with this population because I'm much more comfortable with the humanities. But ultimately, working at Himmelfarb is immensely rewarding and I learn about subjects that I would have never encountered before in my daily life.” ~ Brittany Smith
“Compared to my other library experience, Himmelfarb patrons are intelligent, motivated, serious about learning, and appreciative of the library.” ~ Yvonne Lee
“I've worked in public and special libraries. At Himmelfarb, I have more teaching responsibilities. I also have more opportunities to pursue my own professional projects and support researchers directly by conducting searches for systematic and other reviews.” ~ Stacy Brody
“The focus on recency with books and journals is very health science-specific and has forced me to reassess my understanding of collections in a couple of ways. First, it might be okay to get rid of a book just because it's ten years old. And second, while that ten-year-old book may not be of much value, a 30-year-old book may have some crucial historical information.” ~ Ian Roberts
“During grad school, I worked in the primary campus library on the reference desk. The range of questions that we received was huge. Answering a question could mean anything from showing someone where the encyclopedias were; to helping them search Lexis-Nexis via command language; to heading down to the huge, maze-like government document archives in the basement.” ~ Laura Abate
“I've worked in archives, law libraries, and scholarly publishing in the past. Himmelfarb is fun because it's so fast-paced. No two days are ever the same!” ~ Sara Hoover
“In a lot of ways, working at Himmelfarb is similar to my previous experiences in academic libraries. The biggest difference is that there's a whole other vocabulary that comes with working in a health sciences library. Not having a health science or medical background, there were a lot of terms that went way over my head at the beginning. Another pretty large change is that I get to be involved in CIS classes and get to know my students pretty well since I spend a year and a half with the same students. While I did get to interact with students and teach classes at my last library, I typically only saw students once in class and didn't have the opportunity to get to know them as well as I have here at Himmelfarb.” ~ Ruth Bueter
What do you enjoy most about working in a health sciences library?
“Knowing that what you're doing is making a very real and positive impact on the lives and health of others.” ~ JoLinda Thompson
“I enjoy seeing the unique items that are available to library patrons. I loved testing out the VR headset and using the anatomy software loaded onto the device. And it's always fascinating to hear how people use our 3D printer to print models for their research.” ~ Brittany Smith
“Working with such an expert staff!” ~ Lonnie Williams
“I love the diversity of research questions we receive in reference! I always learn something new in my searching.” ~ Stacy Brody
“The quantity and complexity of health sciences resources can be overwhelming - and I don't pretend to understand most of the medical jargon - but you pick up a lot of fascinating information working in this environment.” ~ Ian Roberts
“I've always loved the combination of working with people and systems. I love seeing our students progress toward their goals and working with all of our users to identify the right resources to support their work. And, I also love working with the library's systems and tools, and trying to keep up with the pace of change.” ~ Laura Abate
“Supporting the process of making health science research more widely accessible. The health sciences are a great place to support open science!” ~ Sara Hoover
“I love that I get to learn a lot of completely random health sciences knowledge just by virtue of interacting with Himmelfarb's resources, and our students, faculty, and staff! Every day there's something new to be learned! That said, the best part of working at Himmelfarb is getting to work with such amazing colleagues - I learn so much from my co-workers every day and I feel lucky to get to work with such great people!” ~ Ruth Bueter
“I like having access to so much health information at my fingertips.” ~ Yvonne Lee
“The range of patrons with whom we interact.” ~ Tom Harrod
Do you have a favorite and/or unique experience you’ve had while working in health sciences libraries?
“The library I worked in previously served patients and the public as well as the medical center community. This was prior to people having access to the internet at home and there was an enormous need for medical information at that level. They were often very grateful for having someone to help them find information and listen to them during a stressful and difficult time.” ~ JoLinda Thompson
“I've worked under six different Serials Librarians and have had to serve in the compacity of the Serials Librarian on a few occasions while the position was vacant.” ~ Lonnie Williams
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, I've had the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with health sciences librarians from around the world. That has been an amazing opportunity.” ~ Stacy Brody
“On a flight back from Seattle a few years back, I was seated with two women who were accompanying the first lady of Niger on a tour of the U.S. After they learned that I was a librarian and was traveling with other Himmelfarb staff, I found myself in the aisle mid-flight translating a conversation in French and English between the library director at that time, Anne Linton, and the first lady of Niger.” ~ Laura Abate
“Creating a catalog record for the Pandemic board game two months before the global pandemic.” ~ Sara Hoover
“While working at the reference desk, I received a call from the White House wanting information from a book in our reference collection.” ~ Yvonne Lee
What’s the funniest thing(s) you’ve overheard at Himmelfarb? (Because let’s face it, the health sciences can be pretty funny sometimes.)
“The view from students that Himmelfarb doesn't have a relevant resource, they get all their resources through Google searches!” ~ Lonnie Williams
“I love the April fools' and holiday articles and just the generally quirky articles that appear in the literature.” ~ Stacy Brody
“I flirted with infectious disease (said by a resident who chose another specialty).” ~ Laura Abate
“Discussion of style preferences for scrubs.” ~ Sara Hoover
“I recently overheard a student who'd just come from the anatomy lab apologize for smelling of "skull dust." I have to admit that it made me chuckle and was the highlight of my day. Things like that don't really happen in many other environments.” ~ Ruth Bueter
“The imaginative staff birthday posters are always so funny and fun!” ~ Yvonne Lee
What’s a favorite memory (or more than one) of working at Himmelfarb?
“As the librarian that maintains the Emergency Preparedness and Response Research Guide for Himmelfarb, I began closely following the news out of China about a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan in early January 2020. When the CDC began publishing information about the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) to its website mid-month I started adding information and links to trusted resources about it to the research guide. By end of February, there was so much information to share that a Research Guide dedicated to the novel coronavirus was developed for our users. This guide, along with the COVID-19 Situation Report that a number of Himmelfarb librarians contributed to, were shared with the GW SMHS community in the weekly GW Health Updates (now The Digest). Organizing the guide and keeping it updated was something I was able to do to help health sciences professionals on the front lines of the pandemic during that very tumultuous and heartbreaking time.” ~ JoLinda Thompson
“Having to change our Print Journals Collection, (over 7000 Volumes), into an electronic Collection in one month. All without having a Serial Librarian to create and manage the process. We experienced teamwork at its best as every unit worked to accomplish this task on time!” ~ Lonnie Williams
“Our colleagues put together an amazing virtual holiday party during peak COVID.” ~ Stacy Brody
“I love all of the beginnings at Himmelfarb - especially the new student and resident arrivals. It's rewarding to meet people who are passionate about what they're doing and are so excited about taking their next step.” ~ Laura Abate
“Match Day! Always so rewarding to see the med students go off and do great things in the world (complete with impeccable medical informatics skills)!” ~ Sara Hoover
“Some of my favorite memories are of student orientations when we get to meet the incoming class of medical students. There's always such a buzz of excitement in the air. I also have fond memories of when the first group of 1st-year med students I taught finally made it to their Match Day four years later - there's always a sense of being proud of students you've gotten to know who have finally reached such an important milestone. Himmelfarb staff have also done some pretty cool things together outside of work. I have fond memories of pre-Covid outings to Washington Nationals games, meeting up for dinner, and we even went Contra dancing at Glen Echo once!” ~ Ruth Bueter
“I enjoyed Himmelfarb's holiday parties, especially the delicious foods brought by staff.” ~ Yvonne Lee
“One that sticks out was a submission we created for the Art Show many years back with pictures provided by Himmelfarb staff of their experiences with a major snowstorm that we had had the prior winter. This was a massive storm that closed things down for several days and it was fun to see the pics people had taken when we were all trapped at home!” ~ Tom Harrod
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience at Himmelfarb or working in a health sciences library?
“I think this is an exciting time to work in a health science library and as an early career library professional, I am eager to learn as much as I can. I'm thrilled I was able to begin my career at Himmelfarb!” ~ Brittany Smith
“I love working with my coworkers and the schools we support!” ~ Lonnie Williams
“My colleagues have great taste in music :)” ~ Stacy Brody
“It can be intimidating and overwhelming, but it's rarely dull and there's always something new to learn.” ~ Ian Roberts
“While I didn't expect to end up working in a health sciences library when I was getting my library degree, I wouldn't want to work anywhere else! Himmelfarb is an amazing combination of amazing colleagues and wonderful opportunities to learn and grow both professionally and personally. I also think that working in a health sciences library, and specifically my involvement with CIS classes, has actually made me a better patient and advocate for my own health during my interactions with my own physicians. I'm more aware of questions to bring up with my doctor, or things I should mention that I may have thought were insignificant previously. Working in a health sciences library has greatly improved my own health literacy.” ~ Ruth Bueter
“Working at Himmelfarb has been a blessing - A truly GREAT place to work!” ~ Yvonne Lee
Happy National Medical Librarian Month!
We’d like to say thank you to each and every Himmelfarb staff member for all of the hard work and dedication you put in every single day! Without our amazing staff, we wouldn’t be able to provide our students, faculty, and staff with the great services and resources they need to pursue their important research, learning, and patient care every day. We hope you’ve enjoyed getting a glimpse into what it’s like working at Himmelfarb.
Halloween has become a celebrated time of the year when we welcome colder temperatures, costumes, and all the pumpkin spice we can get our hands on. What are your plans for this spooky season? Whether you are hosting a costume party or are staying in, there are fun recipes that can make this season all the more festive!
If you are looking for something that is both eye-catching and healthy, these green apple Monsters are not only easy to make, but also are an excellent source of fiber and protein! Pumpkin fans, we have got you covered. Granola cups with pumpkin yogurt are easily customizable, so feel free to choose your own toppings if you would like!
Stuck on what to serve as an entree? Why not some Jack-o’-lantern stuffed peppers? The best part of this recipe is that any color pepper can be used to achieve the jack-o’-lantern look! Want to test your skills? A butternut squash risotto is bound to impress. This recipe is also vegetarian-friendly, just substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
Not into Halloween? No problem! Autumn gives us every reason to delve into these decadent and colorful Pumpkin cheesecake bars. If you need a side or something to drink along with it, you can never go wrong with a more traditional Spiced Cider.
We wish you all a safe and treat-filled holiday season! Do you have a favorite Halloween recipe? Let us know in the comments below!
Did you know that the two most common types of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and cholangiocarcinoma are responsible for 12,000 deaths a year? It is critical that we take the time to not only research but also communicate the importance of these cancers so that you may encourage your patients to seek appropriate care.
Patients who have Hepatitis B or C are at a significantly higher risk of developing one of these types of cancer. They cause 80% of all liver cancers. You can find out more about screening, prevention, and treatment at the American Association for Cancer Research and information on viral hepatitis, including patient education materials from the CDC.
If you want to know how you can contribute and spread awareness for Liver Cancer, the Global Liver Institute launched the #OctoberIsForLivers initiative which is the first global campaign dedicated to public awareness, policy, education, and clinical practice needs to prevent and manage liver cancer.
It is also important for patients to know the risks and how they can take care of their liver health. Encourage healthy habits in your patients such as limiting their exposure to toxins, washing produce, and the value of a healthy diet and exercise.
In conclusion, it is critical that you make sure that you understand liver health, so that you can promote liver wellness to your patients. Additionally, below are some liver resources in Himmelfarb’s collections that you can use for research, and to help facilitate liver-related conversations with your patients.
With the new 2023 NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy scheduled to take effect in January 2023, file naming conventions are an important piece of the data management puzzle. This new policy encourages project teams to agree on file naming conventions for objects and files and follow file naming convention best practices. This post will explore current best practices for file naming conventions.
Why Use Standardized File Naming Conventions?
Creating standardized file naming conventions is an important part of the research process. Standard file names are a great way to keep your research organized while ensuring that files can be easily located and identified by everyone in the research group. Using standard file naming conventions will also help future users find and understand the data after the project has ended. Using standardized and descriptive file names will help streamline the workflow by helping users easily identify the contents of a file without having to open the file (Univ. of Michigan Library, 2022).
The best time to develop a file naming convention is before you start your research project. Having a file naming convention in place before you start the project will prevent your project from having a backlog of unorganized files, which can lead to misplaced or lost data (Longwood Research Data Management, 2022). Your research group should decide at the outset of your project what naming conventions will be used. Once a file naming convention has been agreed upon by the research group, it must be consistently followed by all members of the group. If the naming convention isn’t followed, data could become difficult to find, making it unusable.
What Should Be Included in File Names?
File names should be descriptive enough to capture relevant information about the file, so try to build two or three salient characteristics of the project and dataset into each file name (University of Michigan Library, 2022). Think about the types of files you’ll be working with and the types of information each file will contain when developing your file naming convention. For example, what groups of files will your naming convention cover? Are different naming conventions needed for different sets of files? Does your group, department, or discipline already have file naming conventions in place which could be used?
It’s also a great idea to think about the metadata you’d like to include in each file name. Consider what information should be included to allow users to easily and quickly locate or search for a needed file. Since computers arrange files by name, character by character, it’s a good idea to put the most important information at the beginning of the file name. If finding information by date is a priority, start each file name with a date (see the Standardized Dates section below for more information on using dates in file names). If the type of data is the most important piece of information, start each file name with the type of information instead.
Consider including the following pieces of information in your naming convention structure:
Unique identifiers (such as a grant number)
Project, study, or experiment name or acronym
Location information (such as spatial coordinates)
Researcher initials
Date or date range (in a standardized format)
Experimental conditions (such as instrument, temperature, etc.)
Version number (more information below in the Use Versioning section below)
Type of data (image, dataset, samples, etc.)
Family type, or file extension
Lab name or location
What Should be Avoided in File Names?
While many file naming best practices revolve around what should be included in a file name, there are also best practices related to what should not be included in file names. Here are the top three things to avoid in your file naming conventions:
Spaces: While separating metadata elements is a common practice, avoid using spaces to separate each element. Consider using dashes or underscores instead of spaces. For example, instead of using File Name.xxx, consider using File-Name.xxx or File_Name.xxx instead. You could also consider not separating metadata at all, and using Camel Case to eliminate spaces: FileName.xxx
Special Characters: Avoid using special characters such as @ # $ % & * in file names. Limit file names to alphanumeric characters.
Long File Names: In general, file names should be kept to 30 characters or less. Shorter file names will make it easier for users to identify the contents of the file. Longer file names may not be readable by software programs.
Standardizing Dates
When including dates in file names, using International Organization of Standardization (ISO) standards is generally considered to be the best practice. Dates should be formatted starting with the four-digit year, followed by the two-digit month, and two-digit day:
YYYYMMDD (ex: 20221021)
YYYY-MM-DD (ex: 2022-10-21)
Use Version Control!
Many research projects involve creating and maintaining multiple versions of the same file. If this is the case for your research project, be sure to use versioning to indicate the most current version of files. Using file versioning not only helps you keep track of which file is the most recent update, but it also provides you with the ability to revert data to an earlier version without starting from scratch or having to regenerate data (Cornell University, 2022).
Some tools such as electronic lab notebooks or Box allow you to assign version numbers, but you can create version control by building versioning into your file naming convention. You can track versions by adding version information to the end of a file name. Here’s an example:
File_Name_v001.xxx
File_Name_v002.xxx
File_Name_v003.xxx
You can also include the date to indicate a version number:
File_Name_20220213.xxx
File_Name_20220321.xxx
File_Name_20220601.xxx
Avoid using ambiguous labels, such as “revision” or “final” in your file names. It’s also a good idea to save your original, untouched raw data and leave it that way. Having this raw data saved will allow you to always have the original data as a safe, untouched copy.
Standardized Numbers - Use a Leading 0!
If sequential numbering is part of your file naming structure, use leading zeros. For example, instead of using 1, 2, 3, use 001, 002, 003. This will ensure that your files will be sorted in an easily findable manner. This applies to version control numbering as well.
Directory Structure Naming Conventions
File naming conventions don’t just apply to your files, use the same best practices to structure your directory folders as well. Directory folders should provide key information about the file contents stored within each folder. Be sure to include the project title, unique identifiers, and the date. It might be helpful to create a brief description of the content stored in major folders and to provide an overview of the directory structure in your documentation. The level of detail included should be enough to help someone understand the contents and organization of the files.
Here’s a nice example: (Cornell University, 2022)
Top Folder: Study_name
Subfolder1: Study_name_Datasets
Study_name_2019-2020.csv
Study_name_2021-2022.csv
Subfolder2: Study_name_Semanitc_analysis
Study_name_semantic_analysis.R
Study_name_semantic_analysis_output.csv
Readme File: Study_name_readme.txt
Document Naming Conventions
Be sure to document each file naming convention in a top-level readme file. This file should include instructions for navigating the structure so that others involved in the research project, and others who might use this data once the project is complete can follow the naming conventions used. This file can be a README.txt file and should be kept with your files.
File naming conventions are an essential part of any research project! Be sure to take the time to create a file naming convention that will help keep your files organized, easily findable, and usable by your research team and any others who may look at your data once your project is finished. Stay tuned for future posts on best practices related to other data management topics!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time when we show support for breast cancer patients and raise awareness of the disease and the importance of early detection. 1 in 8 women will receive a breast cancer diagnosis sometime in their lifetime. Though tremendous progress has been made in early detection and treatment since the 1980s, 43,000 women still die annually of breast cancer and there are significant disparities in who is more likely to survive.
“In the United States, age-adjusted breast-cancer mortality is about 40% higher among Black women than among non-Hispanic White women (27.7 vs. 20.0 deaths per 100,000 women from 2014 through 2018), despite a lower incidence among Black women (125.8 vs. 139.2 cases per 100,000 women)” according to a recently published Perspective article in the New England Journal of Medicine.1 The article asserts that Black women have benefited less from mammography than White women and that social determinants of health play a role. The higher incidence of hormone receptor (HR) negative cancer subtypes, including triple-negative, in Black women is another factor in survival disparity. These tumors are harder to detect by mammography, more aggressive, and not responsive to hormone therapy, making for a poorer prognosis than the more common HR positive subtypes. The NEJM article calls for making prevention and treatment of triple-negative breast cancer a national priority.
Genetic testing for BRCA gene mutations also has the potential to reduce breast cancer incidence and mortality. 55%–72% of women who inherit a harmful BRCA1 variant and 45%–69% of women who inherit a harmful BRCA2 variant will develop breast cancer by 70–80 years of age.2 Testing is not recommended for the general public. Only those with increased risk for a BRCA mutation should pursue genetic counseling and potential testing. The NCI has a guide on BRCA cancer risk and genetic testing, outlining at-risk populations, benefits and harms of testing, and treatment options for those who have the mutations.
Jatoi I, Sung H, Jemal A. The Emergence of the Racial Disparity in U.S. Breast-Cancer Mortality. N Engl J Med. 2022 Jun 23;386(25):2349-2352. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2200244. Epub 2022 Jun 18. PMID: 35713541.
Kuchenbaecker KB, Hopper JL, Barnes DR, et al. Risks of Breast, Ovarian, and Contralateral Breast Cancer for BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers. JAMA. 2017 Jun 20;317(23):2402-2416. doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.7112. PMID: 28632866.
October is Talk About Prescriptions month, so Himmelfarb Library is celebrating our most frequently used pharmacology journals!
International Journal of Drug Policy: This journal publishes current research, reviews, debate, and critical analysis on drug use and drug policy. Articles focus on the social, political, legal, and health contexts of psychoactive substance use and the effects of drug policy and practice on drug-use behavior, and the health and social consequences of drug use.
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery: Focused on drug discovery and development, this journal publishes reviews and perspectives on topics such as drug discovery, summaries of key primary research papers, updates on the newest advancements in new drug approvals, patent law, and industry trends.
Value in Health: Publishing original research and health policy articles related to health economics and outcomes, Value in Health evaluates medical technologies including pharmaceuticals.
Journal of Medical Chemistry: This title publishes articles, perspectives, and drug annotations that focus on the relationship between molecular structure and biological activity or mode of action.
Clinical Therapeutics: This journal focuses on publishing developments in drugs and other therapies including diagnostics, pharmacoeconomics, health policy, treatment outcomes, and innovations in drug and biologics research. Articles range from pivotal studies that explore new chemical entities, to those that explore the repurposing of currently marketed agents.
Neuropsychopharmacology: As the official journal of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), this journal publishes clinical and basic science articles that further the understanding of the brain and behavior. Articles that focus on the molecular, cellular, physiological, and psychological properties of agents that interact with the central nervous system and identify new molecular targets for the development of new drugs are regularly published.
For questions about any of these titles or other pharmacology journals, contact Ruth Bueter (rbueter@gwu.edu).
In addition to the great titles listed above, Himmelfarb also provides access to essential pharmacology databases including Lexicomp and Natural Medicines. Lexicomp provides clinical drug information with integrated access to multiple drug databases, access to Trissel’s IV Compatibility, drug interaction checker, drug I.D., patient education materials, and dosage calculators. Natural Medicines supports evidence-based alternative therapy decision-making and includes 1,400+ natural ingredient and alternative therapy books, and 185,000+ commercial products.
Check out our Pharmacology Guide and find out more about Himmelfarb’s pharmacology resources, including pharmacology textbooks, recent pharmacology faculty publications, and additional useful databases and journals.
October is National Medical Librarians Month! This year’s theme is Avoid Misinformation! Take the Right Path: Partner with Your Medical Librarian. The Medical Library Association is raising awareness of the value health sciences librarians bring to clinical information needs. Health sciences librarians can find the best evidence to answer your questions.
In 1992, the landmark “Rochester Study”1 demonstrated a relationship between information services provided by health sciences librarians and improved patient outcomes. The study sampled a group of 448 physicians in the Rochester, NY area. 80% of the 208 physicians who returned their questionnaires said that they probably or definitely changed some aspect of patient care based on information received from a hospital librarian. The National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) sponsored a follow up study whose results were published in 2013.2 Focus groups, surveys, and phone interviews gathered input from physicians, residents and nurses from 118 hospitals about a recent incident in which they had sought information for patient care. The key findings were:
Library and information resources were perceived as valuable, and the information obtained was seen as having an impact on patient care.
Electronic access to information resources from multiple locations has increased the ability of health professionals to use these resources for improved patient care.
The roles of librarians are diversifying to include management of electronic resources, user instruction and support, specialized research and clinical information search services, and involvement in institution-level quality improvement.
Marshall et al. (2013)
A similar 2016 study conducted in the UK measured clinical librarian’s impact on patient outcomes. It found a wide range of positive interventions including “direct contributions to choice of intervention (36%) diagnosis (26%) quality of life (25%), increased patient involvement in decision making (26%) and cost savings and risk management including avoiding tests, referrals, readmissions and reducing length of stay (28%).”3
Librarians at Himmelfarb are all well versed in the principles of evidence-based practice. Many are expert searchers, with advanced training on databases like PubMed and Scopus. Our reference team has years of experience conducting systematic reviews and other in depth searches. When you have an information need, whether it be for research or patient care, turn to our team of professionals at Himmelfarb Library! You can reach us at himmelfarb@gwu.edu or call 4-1850 or chat with us 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday.
Marshall JG. The impact of the hospital library on clinical decision making: the Rochester study. Bull Med Lib Assoc. 1992 Apr;80(2):169–78. PMID: 1600426
Marshall JG, Sollenberger J, Easterby-Gannett S, Morgan LK, Klem ML, Cavanaugh SK, Oliver KB, Thompson CA, Romanosky N, Hunter S. The value of library and information services in patient care: results of a multisite study. J Med Libr Assoc. 2013 Jan;101(1):38-46. doi: 10.3163/1536-5050.101.1.007. PMID: 23418404
Brettle A, Maden M, Payne C. The impact of clinical librarian services on patients and health care organisations. Health Info Libr J. 2016 Jun;33(2):100-20. doi: 10.1111/hir.12136. Epub 2016 Feb 17. PMID: 26887653.
Dr. Antonia Novello is a healthcare professional who for many decades focused on improving the health of women, children and those most vulnerable in modern society.
She was born in Puerto Rico on August 23, 1944 and is the oldest of three children. During her childhood, Dr. Novello suffered from congenital megacolon which impacted her large intestine. Treatment options were available, but due to her family’s financial situation, Dr. Novella was unable to receive surgery to cure the condition until she was eighteen years old. This experience had a lasting impact on her and was one factor that inspired her to pursue a career in health sciences. Dr. Novello earned a multitude of degrees and certificates including a Bachelor of Science and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Puerto Rico in 1965 and 1970 respectively and a master degree in Public Health from John Hopkins University in 1982.
After marrying Joseph R. Novello and moving to Michigan, Dr. Antonia Novello completed an internship and residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in pediatrics nephrology. She took an interest in nephrology after a beloved family member died due to complications with their kidneys. Dr. Novello practiced medicine in a private office for two years, but eventually transitioned to work for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1978. Novello focused on health issues related to women, children and marginalized communities during her time at NIH. She was instrumental in the legislation that led to the creation of the national organ transplant registry and she also played a significant role in requiring all cigarette containers be labeled with a health warning. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush selected her as the new United States Surgeon General making her both the first woman and the first Hispanic American to fill the role.
Novello served as the U.S. Surgeon General from 1990 until 1994 when the Clinton Administration began. During her tenure, Novello continued to advocate for women and children. “In March 1992, she and James S. Todd, executive vice-president of the American Medical Association (AMA), held a news conference at which they denounced the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company’s advertisements featuring the cartoon character Joe Camel, because research showed that it appealed to young children.” (Meier et al., 1997, p. 272) Novello was also vocal about the alcohol industry’s marketing practices, particularly the industry’s use of advertisements which showed people skiing, surfing or mountain climbing with alcoholic beverages close by as it suggested people could perform these activities while consuming alcohol. Novello also raised awareness on domestic violence and its impact on women. (Meier et al. 1997)
After 1994, when a new Surgeon General was appointed, Novello continued to work within the healthcare industry until her retirement in the 2010s. Novello currently spends her time between Puerto Rico and Florida and is still an active advocate for the health needs of others. Most recently during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Novello spoke with parents and other community members of the importance of vaccination and even participated in local vaccination clinics and programs. And in August of 2021, she and other living former surgeon generals participated in a White House event where they discussed “getting information and access to vaccines to communities of color, who have been the hardest hit during the pandemic.” (Sesin, 2021)
Novello has received recognition for her work as a healthcare provider and public health advocate. Some of the awards she has received over the course of her career include “the Public Health Service Commendation Medal (1983); Congressional Hispanic Caucus Medal (1991); Order of Military Medical Merit Award (1992); and the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal (2002).” (Brandman, 2021) Dr. Antonia Novello’s lengthy career is inspirational for people committed to serving their communities and her legacy of speaking up for women and children will have profound effects for years to come.
References:
Meier, M. S., Franco Serri, C., & Garcia, R. A. (1997). Notable Latino Americans. ABC-CLIO
