Do you have a question about some aspect of the research lifecycle? Perhaps you need help putting together a systematic review or are looking for tools that will help you select a journal for your manuscript. Or maybe you want help tracking citations for your published research. The Himmelfarb Library’s Scholarly Communications Short Video Series can help you with these questions. These brief (~5 minute) tutorials cover topics related to all aspects of the research lifecycle from project planning to publishing to promotion and preservation. The series currently includes 15 video tutorials that cover the following topics:
Look for more video tutorials in January 2022 on topics including post-publication promotion tips, advanced literature searches using the MeSH search builder, open access publishing, and more. Have a suggestion for a video tutorial? Complete this brief survey.
Image citation: Pinnock, G. (2018). The Research Data Management (RDM) lifecycle at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Retrieved from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UCT_RDM_lifecycle_(all_icons).svg
First-year medical students: we invite you to take your study of renal, GI, and liver anatomy to the third dimension!
BodyViz software, now available at Himmelfarb Library, combines digitized MRIs and CT scans to create 3D renderings of human anatomy. Enhance your learning experience during the CPR and GI/Liver blocks by exploring 360° anatomical views of kidney, gastrointestinal, and liver tissue.
Where and How?
The workstation is located at the Bloedorn Technology Center, on the third floor of the library. To use BodyViz, reserve the workstation online, and then check out the BodyViz accessories kit at the Circulation Desk on your way to the third floor.(We even include a game controller that allows you to rotate, pan, and zoom effortlessly!
Program Features
Not sure what you are looking at? Annotation mode displays labels that identify and explain anatomical structures. Want to examine deeper layers? Clipping mode allows you to peel away tissue. Want to enhance the visual display of an organ? Turn on active coloring.
The Himmelfarb Library’s Scholarly Communications Committee is pleased to present a series of short lectures that will answer common questions researchers may have! Running for 3-5 minutes, each video will address a specific topic ranging from predatory journals to preprints to changing citation styles and so much more. Below are the titles and brief descriptions for the first round of lectures:
Setting Up Your Google Scholar Profile: Taking control of your online researcher profiles is a great way to put your best foot forward online. One of the most important of those profiles is your Google Scholar author profile and in this video, I'll show you how to claim that profile and make sure it's accurate and complete.
From AMA to APA: Quickly Changing Citation Styles: Reformat the references in your manuscript for submission to a journal in just 5 minutes by using RefWorks Write-N-Cite for Word!
Tracking Citations with Scopus: Following article citations in Scopus can help you identify highly influential articles in a field as well as articles that you may have missed using traditional keyword searching. To that end, in this video we’ll briefly explore Scopus's unique citation tracking features.
The Researcher Audit Profile Service at the Himmelfarb Library: ORCiD. Scopus Author Profile. Publons. Google Scholar Profile.. Keeping up with your author profile in numerous systems can be a daunting task. In this brief video, you will learn about the Researcher Profile Audit Service designed to help researchers at GW maximize their use of these systems. An audit of your researcher profiles in prominent systems can help to differentiate you from other researchers, allow you to quickly demonstrate your impact for professional advancement, and help you to build a professional network.
The Clarivate Manuscript Matcher: The Clarivate Manuscript Matcher is a text prediction tool that can used by authors to identify potential journals to approach about publishing your manuscript. This short video introduction covers the essentials of how to register for an account and how to use the Clarivate Manuscript Matcher.
Preprint Servers: Balancing the Pros & Cons: Do you want to learn more about preprints and how they can help you share your research with others? Are you curious about how preprints differ from published scholarly articles? Then watch ‘Preprint Servers: Balancing the Pros and Cons,” a video from Himmelfarb Library’s Scholarly Communications Committee! In this video, we’ll briefly discuss what preprints are, some benefits of the preprint model and some challenges that may impact scholars and researchers.
How to Spot a Predatory Journal: Learn how to spot a predatory journal quickly and easily! This video focuses on the top five things to look for when identifying predatory journals.
Podcasts are an excellent way to learn new skills, stay engaged in culturally relevant conversations or reinforce your preexisting knowledge about a specific topic. From Spotify to Apple Podcasts to YouTube, there are numerous applications available that let you listen to the latest podcasts while on the go. Podcasts are a great resource that can help you both in and out of a classroom or clinical setting.
Himmelfarb Library is excited to announce a new guide on podcasts for medical and health sciences professionals, students, and researchers. Whether you are an avid podcast listener or new to the medium, we hope you will find a podcast that speaks to you! We are also seeking recommendations for podcasts to be included on the guide and would love to feature you and your favorite podcast in a blog post or tweet.
You might listen to podcasts while running or doing the dishes. You may select episodes that are the same duration as your commute time. You could look for podcasts to reinforce lessons from a recent course lecture, provide updates on articles in your favorite journal, or spark new directions for inquiry and research. Looking for the inside scoop on NIH funding? There’s a podcast for that. There are as many reasons to listen to podcasts as there are listeners and nearly as many different podcasts, too! We hope our new guide will help you find your next favorite.
As we begin the Fall 2020 semester, we know that this semester is going to be different than other semesters. With most classes moving online, and a very few operating via a hybrid model, we all have to adapt to a new way of learning, teaching, studying, and conducting research. While we’re all doing things a little bit differently these days, Himmelfarb Library wants you to know that we are still here for you!
If you’re a first year medical student, you may wonder how a medical and health sciences library differs from other academic libraries. While academic libraries as a whole work tirelessly to support students, faculty and staff during their time at a college or university, medical library professionals seek out services and resources that are specifically targeted towards medical and health professionals.
It is not necessary for a medical librarian or other library professional to go through medical school or have a prior background in the medical or health sciences career field. Through constant training and professional development, medical library professionals build a foundational knowledge of common medical terms. The staff at Himmelfarb library frequently attend training sessions to broaden our scope of knowledge to better serve our patrons. Some of our staff members are also embedded in various classes and act as an extra source of support within that environment. With this knowledge we are able to tailor our services to the needs of our unique patrons.
Medical research can be a daunting undertaking, but medical libraries provide access to print and electronic book, online databases and academic journals that are instrumental during the research, drafting and publishing process. Himmelfarb’s reference desk is available to answer any questions you may have. Through the use of our Ask A Librarian service, it’s possible to connect with someone in a matter of seconds. If you’re interested in learning more about the various ins-and-outs of scholarly publishing, our Scholarly Communications Committee recently completed a webinar series that touches on various publishing topics. The webinars are located under our Scholarly Publishing libguide. Once you’ve published a peer-reviewed article, we’re able to archive it within our institutional repository--the Health Science Research Commons, also known as the HSRC. With the use of Plumx metrics, it’s easy to track the level of engagement a published article receives. No matter what questions you may have, Himmelfarb is ready to assist.
Medical libraries also strive to provide access to new medical technology. Himmelfarb has several pieces of equipment that can be checked out from the circulation desk. We also house a 3D printer that students, staff and faculty members can use to print various 3D models. This service is by request only. For more information, read the ‘3D Printing at Himmelfarb’ libguide. We’re constantly searching for new and innovative technology that can be used by our patrons and we hope to provide additional technological services in the near future.
Medical librarianship is a dynamic career field that often changes to address the needs of medical and health science professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced library professionals to develop and maintain a virtual learning environment. Though many staff members of Himmelfarb library continue to work remotely, we’re available to answer any questions you may have. We’re thrilled to be an extra source of support during your time at the George Washington University and we look forward to working with you!
As Himmelfarb Library begins the transition into Our New Normal, you may have questions about where to access certain services and resources we provide. Here’s a guide on what you’ll find available online and in-person.
Online
All of our e-journals, e-databases, and e-books remain available online. We also provide our Documents2Go service entirely online, where you can request articles unavailable in our collection.
We offer instructions on downloading and installing our mobile apps to your device.
Himmelfarb’s Reference team is also available online. Our chat service is monitored by reference staff 8:30AM-8PM EST Monday through Thursday and 8:30AM-5PM EST Friday. Have a question a little too involved for chat? We can also schedule individual meetings with a reference librarian via WebEx. Email us at himmelfarb@gwu.edu to start the process!
In-Person
In addition to our print collection available in our book stacks, you can also find our multimedia collection, audiovisual collection, and software resources on the third floor, in the Bloedorn Technology Center.
Our special collections, the Humanities & Health collection, Historical collection, and Healthy Living collection, are all accessible in-person.
Some of our older journals are kept in on-site storage as bound volumes. You can request a specific volume for perusal by following the instructions on our Borrowing and Requesting page.
Anatomy models are available in various places throughout the library. Our skeletal models and bone boxes are up on the third floor. Heart and brain models can be checked out at the Circulation desk.
If you have any questions about access as we move forward with Our New Normal, reach out to us at himmelfarb@gwu.edu or call the Circulation Desk at 202-994-2962.
Himmelfarb Staff Member 3D Prints Face Shields for Health Care Workers
Click to watch: 3D printing process
John Lopez, Himmelfarb Library’s Data Technician, has joined an initiative to 3D print face shields for healthcare workers. John shares how he became involved in the project, and what the process entails.
How did you learn about the face shield printing initiative?
I initially read an article about a hospital in Brescia, Italy which was hit hard by the pandemic. They were running out of valves used for their respirators which the manufacturer couldn't provide quickly enough, so a small startup company reversed engineered the valve and began 3D printing them, which the hospital then used. The article quickly became viral just as COVID-19 reached the states.
I began noticing online 3D printing communities around the world organizing similar efforts once Josef Prusa - the founder of Prusa Lab in Prague, Czech Republic - released an open-source face shield design, made available for anyone with a 3D printer to produce. Various iterations were soon released, but the Prusa face shield design proved to be the most effective among health care workers.
3D-printed face shield
Are you partnering with a particular organization or initiative?
I joined the volunteer effort started by Open Works, a makerspace workshop based in Baltimore who were among the first to mobilize volunteer makers with an organized and efficient plan to provide face shields to local healthcare systems and hospitals. A chain of custody is established via email registration, as each 3D print file is assigned a unique parts number which helps keep track of how many face shields were printed by a volunteer.
What part of the shield is 3D-printed? What other materials do you need for assembly, and where can you get them? Is there a standard for what material the face shield should be made of (e.g., thickness)?
Face shield components
The face shield is actually a printable headband, as well as a printable chin strap which serves as a mount for the visor; both are included in the 3D print file. An elastic cord, along with the actual clear acrylic visor, are required to complete assembly, both of which are done at Open Works once they receive completed face shields.
PETG is the type of filament material primarily used to print the face shields, which can be purchased on Amazon for example. It's preferred due to its rigidity and because it can be sterilized more efficiently than other types of printing material such as PLA. There is indeed a printing guideline for makers to follow which sets the parameters to prevent the face shield from breaking.
How long does it take to print the shield frames?
The average print time when following the recommended print settings can take up to 6 hours for a single face shield. There are certainly a variety of ways to print faster by tinkering with hardware, such as changing the nozzle size, but it's not encouraged as strength and quality of the model are prioritized over speed.
Are you using the library’s 3D printer?
I'm grateful for my two 3D printers at home since the library's 3D printer service hasn’t been accessible.
Roughly how many have you assembled so far?
Volunteers had been asked to print at least three face shields each during the early weeks of the pandemic. The incredible response from volunteers reached a saturation point in mid-April as thousands of face shields had been made. Since then my focus has been printing ear straps for face masks.
Face shield components
Once they’re assembled, how do you get them to their destination?
Once a face shield is done printing, I wear nitrile gloves to remove the part from the print bed and follow the sanitation checklist provided by Open Works. A liability waiver is also signed then sent along with the face shields through USPS.
Is there a website (or several websites) you would recommend people visit for more information?
A good starting point for anyone with a 3D printer looking to join local volunteer efforts in their area
One of the most challenging aspects of writing an article can be finding a location to publish it. This can be confusing especially in a time where the more traditional publishing models are changing. This is precisely why you should watch Part I of our 2020 Scholarly Communications webinar series!
Join our Reference and Instructional Librarian, Paul Levett to explore both traditional and new publishing models. During this pre-recorded session Paul will explore what methods we are seeing less of, and what Publishing approaches are becoming a trend. It can also be beneficial to acquire more information about the pros and cons of Open Access publishing, and how Article Processing Charges (APCs) might affect you.
Your work is important. At GW, we understand the effort and research that goes into writing an article. Himmelfarb Library wants to help prepare you to make decisions regarding publishing your article.
Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) workers traveling to communities, 1980s: Women between the ages of twenty and fifty are recruited by BRAC to teach oral rehydration therapy. Because Bangladeshi culture does not always allow women to travel far from their homes, men chaperone the workers and introduce them at each village they visit. Courtesy BRAC Bangladesh
The Himmelfarb Library and the SMHS Office of Diversity and Inclusion will be hosting the National Library of Medicine (NLM) exhibit: Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health.
Per the National Library of Medicine, Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health examines stories of the community groups that are making a difference in global health around the world. People are working on a wide range of issues—from community health to conflict, disease to discrimination. As we learn more about the challenges of the past, we join a growing community of people committed to global health. A revolution in global health is taking place—see this exhibition and learn more."
The exhibit will be located on the first floor of Himmelfarb Library from October 21 until November 20, 2019. We hope you will visit!
(All images courtesy: of Aalap Herur-Raman, MSI)
