Posts by: Kathryn Houk
It’s a new academic year here at Tufts’ Health Sciences Campus and the HHSL is piloting a new service model. You may have noticed that early in the mornings or late in the afternoons we only have one person on the service desk. Or perhaps you’ve noticed a lack of familiar librarian faces on the 4th floor.
Never fear! The HHSL librarians are alive and well and ready to serve you still!
This year we are piloting a service model where the librarians are largely “on call” – much like our resident and doctor patrons. If you need help from a librarian, please come to the 4th floor desk and the librarian on call will be happy to assist you. (It is not an inconvenience when a patron asks for help – it’s our job and we love to do it!)
You can also email, call, or chat with a librarian if you can’t come see us in the library.
Now that everyone is back on campus and settled into their routine, the HHSL is beginning our Open Workshop series on Thursdays from noon-1pm in Sackler 510. These one hour classes are open to anyone affiliated with Tufts University or the Hirsh Health Sciences Library, and cover a wide range of relevant and interesting topics.
Our kick-off event is this Thursday, and will include snacks, as we take you through some of the most popular FAQs about using and accessing the library resources. You can find all of the upcoming classes and their descriptions on our Open Workshops calendar page.
Registration is required for the workshops, and you are absolutely allowed to eat and drink responsibly in the computer lab!
Come learn with us!
Do you have a lot to say? Passionate about a topic in medicine or dentistry? Have you supported or conducted interesting research? Then you should consider publishing an article! Publishing can boost your resume and your reputation. Many student-focused journals exist for you to submit your work.
“Throes of Creation” by Leonid Pasternak; Wikimedia Commons
Medical Students
- The Medical Student Press Journal
- The Medical Student Research Journal
- The Medical Student International
- The Student Doctor Network
Dental Students
Cherry Ice Cream Sundae by Steven Depolo on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/4605024313/
Did you know that according to a study by research group, Bundle, Massachusetts was the 4th largest consumer of ice cream in 2012?
The dog days of summer are upon us, so now is the perfect time to curate the habit for this beloved and delicious dessert. Especially considering that some ice creameries are only open for the season, here are some tasty places in the greater Boston area you can get your fix this summer:
- Picco (South End): House-made and perfect. Including the “Adult” Ice Cream Soda (raspberry Belgian lambic + vanilla ice cream) and a stout milkshake!
- Fomu (Jamaica Plain, Allston/Brighton): Vegan, made from scratch and local ingredients with flavors such as Avocado, Cardamom Pistachio, Mango Habanero and Sweet Lavender.
- White Mountain Creamery (Boston College, Chestnut Hill): Vermont Maple Walnut, Peanut Butter Banana, Kahlua Brownie and it goes on. They even have sugar free ice cream if that’s your jam!
- Toscanini’s (Cambridge): Some of the best in ice cream since 1981. Too many amazing flavors to choose from, so check it out yourself already!
- Churn2 (Cambridge): Do you like your liquid nitrogen-based ice cream served from a shipping container turned micro-food unit? Then this is your place!
- Christina’s Ice Cream (Cambridge): Over 50 flavors, so there’s bound to be at least one that speaks to your soul. There’s also the adjoining spice store next door.
- Batch (Ice Cream Truck): Batch’s Ice Cream Truck operates only from April to October and can be found Sundays at SoWa Market, otherwise you can always pick up a pint of Brown Sugar Bourbon and Pecan at your local grocer.
- J.P. Licks (all over Greater Boston): While they are open all year round, the flavors in the summer get down right fresh. We’re talking about flavors like Peach, Cucumber, and Mojito Sorbet. Kosher and made in Jamaica Plain with dairy free options abound, including hemp ice cream.
Do you have any other favorites? We would love to hear about them!
Giuseppe Arcimboldo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
It’s been extremely worthwhile to experience and observe just the daily goings on behind the scenes at an institution like Tufts. I’m glad for the chance to sit in during library instruction sessions, committee meetings, and just to be generally included. I am happy to be on as many committees and take on whatever projects I can get my hands on. Not many of my internships have been as inclusive as this, and I’m amiss that I won’t have the chance to be a part of future innovation and teams like data management. I am grateful for my time at Tufts HHSL, and look forward to taking what I have learned to nurture a career in public health focused library institutions.
Ahh, summer! When the misery of winter is but a distant memory, and we are all baking in the heat collectively! Other than no need to justify ice cream, one of the best things about summer are all the free events you can take advantage of. Summer is the perfect time to discover Boston with some of the free events highlighted below:
- Free Fun Fridays! by the Highland Street Foundation runs from June 27th to August 29th this year, and offers free entrance to 67 museums and cultural venues around and within Boston, including free Boston Harbor Island Ferry Rides on August 8th.
- Outdoor movie events all around the city, including the DCR Hatch Shell, Christopher Columbus Park, and the Prudential Center.
- Shakespeare in the Common (July 23rd to August 10th). This year is the magnificent comedy Twelfth Night.
- Neighborhood Nights at Isabella Stewart Gardner (July 10 &, August 7th)
- Berklee Summer in the City Concerts
- Boston Public Library Concerts in the Courtyard
- Boston Harbor Hotel Summer in the City events include live music and classic movies
- Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Harborwalk Sounds (July 10th to August 28th)
Lastly, a great resource to search for free or low cost events in Boston all year round is the Boston Calendar.
Enjoy summer while it lasts!
It is finally summer and I am convinced the weather will get hot at some point. However, we all need to make sure that we, and our loved-ones, know the dangers of UV radiation and play it smart when we are enjoying being outside all summer and fall. You can use the following infographics to teach your friends and family to be safe in the sun!
Need to look something up while on rounds? Want a point of care resource to access on your mobile device, but are looking to explore something different from what you already know? Try BMJ Best Practice!
From the Best Practice website:
“In a single source we have combined the latest research evidence, guidelines and expert opinion – presented in a step-by-step approach, covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Best Practice provides a second opinion in an instant, without the need for checking multiple resources. Its unique patient-focused approach represents a major new advancement in information delivery at the point of care
Best Practice is brought to you by the BMJ Evidence Centre– a division of the BMJ Group that is working to provide healthcare professionals with innovative new products and tools that make evidence useful in practice.”
Best Practice is easy to navigate, set up how you would conduct a clinical exam, and provides step-by-step diagnostic and treatment advice. The resource is evidence-based and all articles undergo a gold standard editorial process with peer review and multiple sign-offs before publication.
For instructions on how to download the BMJ Best Practice app, visit our Mobile Resources LibGuide. You can also access it online from our homepage in the Popular Links drop down menu!
In honor of graduation on Sunday, HHSL will be closed Saturday, May 17th.
Congratulations to all of our 2014 graduates! Celebrate all of your hard work and accomplishments!
We look forward to the great work we know you will do in the future 🙂
TUSM students in the Competency-Based Apprenticeship in Primary Care program recently put a suite of selected apps and mobilized websites into a folder on their smartphones.
Course directors Wayne Altman, MD, and Sarah Rosenberg-Scott, MD, introduced Mobile Medicards and discussed the usefulness of their top five tools for information at the point of care. Librarian Berika Williams created a presentation on how to install apps for DynaMed, STAT!Ref, Epocrates, the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research’s Electronic Preventive Services Selector, and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine’s SHOTs.
Our CAP Apps & Links Guide gives instructions on how to access these resources and various calculators, drug resources, evidence-based compendia, and textbooks. We trust that these resources will enable our students to share their research with their preceptors and seem brighter than ever. Contact us if you need an access code or help installing any of our licensed resources on your mobile device. We look forward to hearing feedback on your favorite apps and mobile links.
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