Inside this Issue
- Focus on E-learning
- E-learning website and blog
- Resource guide to e-learning software and resources
- Sympodcasting
- Instantly Collaborative Spaces
- RSS Feeds and Public Health
- SPH Podcasting Update
- E-learning Guide
- PHLI Summer Schedule
- E-learning Bibliography
- Annual User Survey
- Announcing Merit Online
- Posters and Public Health
- PHLI Technology Update
- New Web Statistics Software
- New Staff Bios
- Librarian Exchange
- Staff Notes
- A Day in the Life
Posters Highlight Areas of Public Health Research and Illustrate New Information Technologies
Examples of two recent posters
By Jason Nargis
The PHLI reference team has been producing public health themed scientific posters every few months to be displayed in the hall outside the library entrance. These posters are designed to stimulate interest and discussion regarding public health issues and also serve as examples of style and content for those creating their own posters. In addition to the posters, recent New York Times articles on public health related subjects and covers of recently acquired books are on display in the hallway.
Recent poster themes include: Avian Flu Epidemic Models, Hurricane Katrina Population Loss and Concentration, Use of Weblogs (Blogs) in the Coverage and Public Health Response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and Obesity Trends Among US Adults.
The Tsunami Weblog poster illustrated the integration of information technology into various educational formats. The major thrust of the poster was providing an overview of blogs and their relation to the tsunami. Because of the large number of URLs (web addresses) it was not practical to expect viewers to be able to write down multiple sites to visit later for more information. As a solution to this problem, all the links cited in the poster, in addition to many more resources, were listed on a del.icio.us account. Del.icio.us is a free, social/interactive online web bookmarks aggregator. By going to one website, viewers are able to see a large list of websites and resources.
Del.icio.us allows you to creatively organize and share links through a system of “tagging” or adding keywords and headings to describe your links. There are simple instructions on the main del.icio.us website for creating your own lists.
The list from the poster can be visited at: http://del.icio.us/sph_tsunami (that’s: sph_tsunami)
Another example of integration is the blog that a SPH student created to document and share his experience during the summer of 2005 doing relief and logistics work in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. A blog is a great way to distribute information to a wide number of people with internet access anywhere in the world and to allow them to make comments on postings or pictures. If this blog had included an RSS feed link (see article on page 4), readers could have had their RSS readers inform them when a new post had been added. The blog can be visited at: http://tsunami-tsummer.blogspot.com/
All of the posters displayed were created using PowerPoint software. Reference librarians Jean Song and Gillian Mayman periodically teach introductory classes on creating scientific posters using PowerPoint. There will be an open class offered this fall, and special sessions for classes or other groups may be scheduled by request.
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