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 News
Release
Increased scope and innovation of library
and technological services detailed in 2002 - 2003 PHISA annual report.
July 25, 2003 press release from the University
of Michigan School of Public Health.
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—The
University of Michigan School of Public Health made significant advances
over the past year in providing technological and informational resources
to support the school's teaching, research, and outreach initiatives.
The increased innovation and scope of services are detailed in the recently
released annual report from UM SPH Public
Health Information Services & Access (PHISA).
PHISA is the integration of the University
Library's Public Health Library and the School of Public Health's Information
Technology department, with responsibilities for all aspects of information
services related to library, network and computing, and web services.
Highlights from the June 2002 - May 2003 PHISA annual report include:
Library Services
In 2002-2003, there were 90,790 visits to the library, a 27% increase
from last year; in addition, 72 instructional classes were offered with
853 participants; and 3,977 reference questions were answered. PHISA expanded
the library's collection (currently 88,000 volumes and 500 journal subscriptions)
through special one-time funding for acquiring resources in support of
new initiatives in the school: bioterrorism and emergency preparedness,
global health, and distance learning.
Rich Media Modules
PHISA staff videotaped selected SPH courses as part of a pilot to produce
rich media modules for on-demand learning. This service allows in-class
lectures and presentations to be captured and made available for viewing
via the web.
Wireless Pilot
Wireless capabilities will be available by Fall 2003. Users will be able
to access the Internet and SPH network files via laptops and other portable
computing devices.
Network & Computing
Services
Network & Computing Services completed its first full year under the
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) funding model. Currently, 949 computers
within the school have SLA contracts. Additionally, Network & Computing
Services maintains 879 Netware accounts and 495 Unix Accounts. In 2002-2003,
4,689 Help Desk requests were resolved, 154 new accounts were created,
and 96 new PCs were installed.
E-Reserves
Faculty participation in E-Reserves has increased from 8 courses with
350 documents residing in the system in Fall 2001 to 27 courses and 1,212
documents in Winter 2003. (E-Reserves is a method for delivering convenient,
integrated, electronic access to course resources.)
Curriculum-Integrated
Instruction
PHISA offered its first for-credit, curriculum-integrated instruction
course entitled "Spreadsheet Modeling" (HMP 565). "Training
in Microsoft Access" has also been added as one of PHISA's standard
workshops, and PHISA librarians redesigned the library services curriculum
for the SPH Academic Summer Preview for incoming graduate students.
Web Services & Database
Development
SPH Intranet: PHISA launched the SPH Intranet as a web resource
for faculty and staff. This password-protected site provides access to
a variety of community resources, including links to frequently used forms,
faculty meeting schedules and minutes, and funding sources.
Course Approval Intranet
Database (CAID): The Course Approval Intranet Database (CAID), launched
in November 2002, is a web application that facilitates the ACAP course
approval process by allowing faculty to propose new courses, make changes
to existing courses, and check the status of course proposals via the
web.
Merit Review Database:
Plans are underway for the Merit Review Database project for the SPH Intranet,
designed to streamline the merit review process. A faculty and staff advisory
committee is guiding the development of the pilot phase of this project.
SPH Faculty & Staff
Directory: The SPH Faculty
& Staff Directory allows users to locate contact information for
faculty and staff and features multiple search options, including name,
department, and free-text. The directory provides links to faculty profiles
and an online form for convenient directory entry updates.
External Funding
Physician/Patient Bilingual Digital Library: PHISA has received
funding from the National Institutes of Health as part of the National
Library of Medicine's Internet Access to Digital Libraries (IADL) grant
program to build a web site in support of the REACH Detroit initiative.
The Physician/Patient Bilingual Digital Library is available in both English
and Spanish and features links to a variety of health information resources
on the management of diabetes. Resources have been evaluated based on
their overall quality, reading level, linguistic style, and cultural relevance.
Access the health information links.
More information:
Nancy Allee, Director, PHISA
734-764-2208, nallee@umich.edu
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