NLM Musings from the Mezzanine
Innovations in Health Information from the National Library of Medicine
Open Access Week raises awareness of open access, fosters discussions about open scholarship, and encourages new ways to promote knowledge sharing. In honor of Open Access Week, let’s dive into some of the ways that NLM supports open access all year long!
"You might be thinking that providing access to research products and processes sounds a lot like what NLM does," writes Dr. Lisa Federer in this week's blog, "and you’d be right!" Learn how NLM advances open science, a concept at the heart of what NLM has been doing since its founding nearly 200 years ago.
Beyond the vast portfolio of products and services that NLM provides (‘what’), how do we seek to identify impact and benefit to the American people (‘so what’)? And in the face of observed outcomes and impacts (the results and effects of our products, services, and research), what should we do next? How do we learn from the data and information about our efforts to advance excellence and innovation at NLM (‘now what’)?
During the summer of 2017, my first summer as Director of the National Library of Medicine, Joyce Backus—our then-NLM Associate Director for Library Operations (ADLO)—approached me with a wild idea: “How about we engage an architectural firm to guide renovations of our library space?” Joyce was a forward-thinking ADLO and had already done much to … Continue reading Anticipating a Future We Never Anticipated
This blog was authored by staff who serve on the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Library Operations (LO) Strategies Working Group.NLM is nearing its 200th anniversary in 2036, and NLM’s Library Operations (LO) is reflecting on its continuing mandate to acquire, organize, preserve, and disseminate biomedical information. LO is one of NLM’s largest divisions and … Continue reading NLM’s Library Operations is Reimagining to Better Serve You
This blog contains my remarks from the 2022 Lindberg-King Lecture and Scientific Symposium: Science, Society, and the Legacy of Donald A.B. Lindberg, M.D., which took place on September 1, 2022. Watch a recording of the event here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTDPTxjL6oc&t=10617s I had the great fortune of becoming the director of the National Library of Medicine immediately following … Continue reading When You Stand on the Shoulders of a Giant, What Do You See?
As we start year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s time for NLM to take stock of the parts of our past that will support the next normal and what we might need to change as we continue to fulfill our mission to acquire, collect, preserve, and disseminate biomedical literature to the world. Today, I … Continue reading The Next Normal: Supporting Biomedical Discovery, Clinical Practice, and Self-Care
In February, I received the Miles Conrad Award from the National Information Standards Organization (NISO). NISO espouses a wonderful vision: “. . . a world where all can benefit from the unfettered exchange of information.” As the Director of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), this is music to my ears. Standards are essential to … Continue reading We Can’t Go It Alone!
Patient privacy — you might be scratching your head right now. NLM is a research enterprise and a LIBRARY for heaven’s sake! What does a library have to do with patient privacy? NLM protects the privacy of all people who use our resources, which are free and accessible 24/7. NLM complies with requirements for privacy … Continue reading Your Privacy is an NLM Priority
Guest post by Patricia Matthews-Juarez, PhD, Chair of the Environmental Health Information Partnership (EnHIP) and Rueben C. Warren, DDS, MPH, DrPH, MDIV, Scientific Advisor for EnHIP In 1989, after many successful years of developing scientific and technical databases, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) started its first long-term outreach plan to train health professionals how … Continue reading Investing in a Sustained Partnership: A Data-Driven Human Approach to Social Justice and Equity