Health Library News

From June 26th 2008 there will be no electronic access to the New England Journal of Medicine via the library login. The online access was originally created in the days of the old Medical Institute. The login distributed at the time was the administration login. This is now in breech of the modern NEJM electronic licence. Continuing use of the login may result in loss in provision of both print and electronic format by the publishers. The library does not have the necessary funds to provide the site licence required to maintain electronic access and no alternate access is available via either national NHS purchases or Keele subscription. The print copy will remain available at the library for viewing. NHS staff with departmental accounts may request a print copy of the article be posted internally to the department (this is charged as an interlibrary request at £1 per article). Unfortunately as an American journal, our current copyright licence does not permit articles to be scan...

Due to the increasing demands on the service and budget restraints, a new fee will be introduced for the renewal of interlibrary loans borrowed from the British Library. A couple of years ago the British Library started to charge for renewing loans £3.10 per renewal, which up until now the Library has managed to cover. A subsidised fee will be introduced of £1.00 per item per renewal. The ILL team will add this as a manual fee to the appropriate library record once confirmation of the renewal has been received by the British Library.

A new charity has been established to promote awareness of the rare genetic condition alkaptonuria. The Society has a advice centre based at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital to support both patients and the medical profession. The condition is cause by the under production of the enzyme homogentisic acid oxidase which displays as ochronosis, a blue-black discoloration of connective tissue including bone, cartilage, and skin caused by deposits of ochre-colored pigment. Further information and research papers are available on the Alkapatonuria Society website .

From the 3rd August 2008, the Health Library and IT Suite will be open on Sundays from 1pm - 5pm. Please be aware that this will be a basic service with no librarians on duty. If you have any complex enquiries or problems, please contact the library by email or visit us or phone Monday to Saturday. No access will be available to the rest of the Clinical Education Centre.

The Health Library would like to welcome two new members of staff. Jayne Hickton ( jayne.hickton@northstaffs.nhs.uk ) will be replacing Marilyn Vigurs as the Outreach Librarian for the two primary care trusts, local social services and hospices. Jayne was previously a Community Librarian for Stoke-on-Trent Libraries with responsibility for Bentilee and Meir Libraries and is well versed in delivering library services within a community setting. Jayne is there to help people whom find it difficult to visit the Health Library directly. Further details of the service are available on the Health Library website . Tom Fallows ( t.j.fallows@lib.keele.ac.uk ) has joined the team as a new part-time library assistant, who will be staffing the new Sunday opening to be launched on 3rd August. Tom began working in libraries while studying for a Film degree at Plymouth College of Art & Design and has since worked at Hanley Library and several different bookshops within Stoke-on-Trent. Watch out ...