Dear Colleagues,

A special issue of Health Libraries Review is dedicated to the role of professional associations on continuing professional development for librarians and information professionals. Distance learning opportunities, career development kits, mentoring and qualification processes (fellowships) are the proposals of Medical Library Association (MLA), Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and Library Association (LA). An Aactive policy@ to support continuing professional development could influence government's Library and Information Commissions. Moreover this active policy could facilitate transmission of professional value, and also offer an individually targeted attraction to professional to join and then retain their membership.

Giovanna F. Miranda
Co-Editor & Publications

Note: A reduced rate is available for EAHIL members for the HLR subscription 2000: GBP35.00 (Europe) More information from: Saron Kershaw

JOURNAL ISSUES

Since the February Newsletter, the following journal issue of Health Libraries Review has been received : vol. 16, 1999, no. 4 

A. Brice and D. Stewart : Editorial p. 213

A. Ritchie and P. Genoni. Mentoring in professional associations: continuing professional development for librarians. p. 216-226.
Professional associations should include mentoring as a form of continuing professional development. Mentoring programmes and activities have the advantage of being immediately responsive to individual learning needs, and their availability to "members only" can be designated as one of the advantages of professional association membership.

G. Walton and C. Edwards. Staff development in the electronic library: lessons for the health sector from the IMPEL2 eLib project. p.226-233.
Information Technology for Library and Information Services is less developed in the NHS than in higher education. More and more clinicians want to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to access information remotely. The ability of librarians to develop their "Askills" is crucial. This study identifies that attention should be most keenly focused on two areas, IT skills and skills to support the changing role.

K. Wood. CPD: What the Library Association offers. p.234-242.
This paper explores the role of The Library Association in providing and supporting opportunities for continuing professional development. Emphasis is placed on the opportunities offered to gain practical skills through active participation in professional activities.

K. Nesbit. Distance learning for MLA's centennial! p.243-248. 
In celebration of the Medical Library Association's Centennial, their Continuing Education Committee developed a year of distance learning opportunities concerning evidence-based health care. The Centennial Distance Learning Program strove to reach as many members as possible by offering a wide variety of formats, including a teleconference, Web resources, journal clubs and a suite of traditional CE courses at the annual meeting.

G. Fennessy. Continuing professional development in Australian health libraries. p.249-255. 
This article provides an outline of current issues in continuing professional development within the Australian health library sector. The role of The Australian Library and Information Association is explored.

lnnovations on the lnternet.
B. Anagnostelis Series Editors. p 256
S.W. Glover. The impact of the Internet and electronic journals on biomedical publishing.
F. Norman and Y. Hibbott. The SuperJournal project: the value of electronic journals to biomedical users.

V. Fraser. Continuing professional development in the NHS-what is to be done_. p. 268

P. Levy. Professional development in a virtual learning community. p. 270

J. Blenkinsopp. Reflections on evidence-based practice training. p. 274

Consumer Health Information - New Directions Consumer Health Information study Day. St. Thomas' Hospital, London, 13 April 1999. p. 277

Research (J. Farmer and D. Williams) p. 278

BOOKS REVIEW

Copyright: interpreting the law for libraries, archives and information services. 3rd edn. By G.P. Cornish 1999. 188 pp. ,19.95. Library Association Publishing, London. ISBN 1-85604-344-4. This book is laid out in the form of 600 questions and answers. It is intended as a practical work of reference for library staff at all levels and all types of libraries, providing simple answers to the most common types of copyright query.

Copyright in health libraries. 3rd edn. By S. Norman 1999, 84 pp. ,9.95. Library Association Publishing, London. ISBN 1-85604-323-1. The book is an introductory guide to UK copyright law for librarians, aimed specifically at those working in non-profit health libraries.

Health Care resources on the Internet. A guide for librarians and health care consumers. By M.S. Wood, 1999, 208 pp. $39.95 hard, $24.95 soft (outside USA $48 or $30). The Haworth Information Press, Inc., New York. ISBN 0-7890-0632-4 hard; 0-7890-0911-0 soft. The book discusses how to locate and search for health care information on the Internet. Librarians will find many useful tables and figures as well as specific web sites and Internet addresses.

PAPERS REVIEW

About the web: selected magazines and journals for Academic Librarians. J.M. Hackenberg and M. K. Moody. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 1999, 4 (2), 79.

The Public Library and the Internet: who has a right to what_ A.J. Grafstein. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 1999, 4 (2), 7.

MD Consult: One-stop web-based clinical information. F.A. Brahmi. Medical Reference Service Quarterly, 1999, 18 (3), 29.

Web sites for Midwives. D. A. Anderson. Medical Reference Service Quarterly, 1999, 18 (3), 39.

Professors use web to catch students who plagiarise... R. Dalton. Nature, 1999, 402, 222.

INFORMATION SOURCES

....... Web-based

Encyclopaedia Britannica has made its entire 32 volume content set freely available on the web. The site offers all 44 million words from the Encyclopaedia, as well as news and articles from 75 magazines. http://www.britannica.com

Thesaurus on consumption, abuse and addiction to psychoactive substances

Produced by TOXIBASE, the French bibliographic database on addictions and national information network. This thesaurus drawn up in French has been translated into English (keywords and entry terms). It presents a structured alphabetical list, a thematic list, an appendix list of geographical terms, a cross-reference list and bilingual lists (French-English/English-French).Suitable for any centre that has begun to organise documentation in this field, it is already used in the 9 documentation centres of TOXIBASE network and also by some French speaking and other European Partners such as E.M.C.D.D.A. (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction). http://www.drogues.gouv.fr. For further information :

Tobacco Industry Documents 27 million pages of tobacco industry documents are now accessible. Users can conduct full-text searches. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/industrydocs

....... CD-Rom Based

The Laboratory Interpreter, version 1.0. Is a useful program for learning the basics about clinical laboratory test interpretation and it is a source and list of clinical conditions that can lead to a specific laboratory abnormality.
Requirements: PC with 386 or higher processor, Windows 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, NT, 4MB hard disk space. Cost $ 39.95, ISBN 0-683-30594-8, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999.

........ on Video

Introduction to good clinical practice is a video course and text that includes 3 hours and 20 minutes of video and a 160 pp. work-book, produced by the Columbia University and New York Presbyterian Hospital Office and Clinical Trials. Cost : $1500, but special terms are available for non-profit organisations. 
For further Information :

NEWS FROM EDITORS

The British Library has announced that users of the National Library of Medicine's Pub Med and Internet Grateful Med can now use Loansome Doc to request articles from the Document Supply Centre. Before attempting to send requests you must contact The British Library for a unique NLM identification number (LIBID). Payment can be made by using an account with The British Library or credit card.
For further information contact the Lexicon office:

ISI has launched ShopISI an e-commerce online store. ShopISI offers the individual researcher to learn about and order ISI products online using a secured credit card system or an invoice billing option. www.shopisi.net

OVID has announced a new database With the focus on medical, nursing, and drug-related contents it contains electronic versions of important reference textbooks from multiple publishers, all collated and integrated under a single search engine and interface.
For more information, call Ovid in the UK on +44-(0)181 748 3777 or e-mail:

NEWS FROM EUROPE

Internet access for everyone - The key objective of a European Commission initiative - eEurope - launched in early December is Internet in every home and school, and in every business and administration in the 15-nation European Union.
In June 1999 just 60 million Europeans were using the Internet, as compared to more than 80 million in the United States, which has a much smaller population than the European Union. eEurope has 10 priority areas of action. The first of these relates to young people and schools.
The goal proposed for the end of 2001 is access not only for schools but also public places, including those located in the most disadvantaged areas. e-Europe is also designated to reduce the cost of Internet access.
Eurofocus 1999, n.42, 2

Contents No. 51