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Collections Updates & Feedback: Health Sciences Library

Updates regarding Health Sciences Library resources

Collections Updates

Micromedex and More Replacing Facts & Comparisons eAnswers

Due to the inability to agree on licensing terms, the Health Sciences Library is replacing Facts & Comparisons eAnswers with alternative tools like Micromedex (fully incorporated into the School of Pharmacy-provided point-of-care tool DynaMedex) and Natural Medicines.

Access to Facts & Comparisons eAnswers will end on November 30th, 2024. 

"Micromedex is a best in KLAS clinical decision support solution for rapid, reliable insights at the point of care." Its content is updated and reviewed every day by a dedicated team of editors. (Merative, 2024) Merative's Micromedex drug database provides more complete drug and diet supplement information than Facts and Comparisons. In addition, our license for Micromedex via DynaMedex meets the UW Libraries' licensing principles. 

Core capabilities of Micromedex: 

  • Core drug reference 
  • Neonatal and pediatric info 
  • Toxicology 
  • Supplier and pricing data 
  • Formulary 
  • Patient education 

More alternative resources: 

Further reading: 

Thank you for your understanding. Please reach out to the Collection Librarian, Leslie Gascon, at hslresources@uw.edu with your questions. 

To learn how to more effectively search the literature, reach out to your librarian or chat with a librarian anytime! 
 

Allen Signature Award FY24

In Fiscal Year 2024 (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024), the Collection & Research Services Librarian applied for and was awarded $15,000 from the Allen Signature Award for their proposal to enhance the health sciences collection through the purchase of books and films by and for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC), disabled folks, women, and/or trans folks. This year, the Allen Signature Award was dedicated to online resources; some of the ebooks and streaming media purchased with the support of this award are listed below!

Ebooks

Purchased with the support of this Allen Signature Award.

Streaming Media

Purchased with the support of this Allen Signature Award.

3D Anatomy Models

While the Health Sciences Library (HSL) has provided 3D models for years, periodically refreshing the collection, we now offer a guide to those models so you can browse before visiting the library!

Cost Study FY24-25

The University of Washington’s Management Accounting & Analysis (MAA) Office is conducting an anonymous survey starting November 20, 2023 to determine how library services and materials are used. This survey is routine for most large research universities and has been conducted several times previously at UW.

The survey will be conducted once monthly during a randomly selected two-hour period, November 2023 through October 2024.

Learn more about the UW Survey on Library Usage.

Accessibility

Accessibility Progress at the Libraries

Learn about ongoing and completed projects, including the Libraries' E-Resources Accessibility Testing. 

Building Accessibility 

Learn about accessible entrances and bathrooms and inaccessible locations across the Libraries, including the Health Sciences Library, via the Library Building Accessibility webpage. 

Accessibility Kits

Learn more about accessibility items available to checkout at the Health Sciences Library (view the Technology tab). Each library location has an accessibility kit (excluding Gallagher Law Library and Friday Harbor Library) containing the following items for on-site use. Ask at the Information Desk for further details.

Items available for checkout:
  • Trackball Mouse: Trackball mice are highly useful tools for those with dexterity and fine motor skill impairments, including carpal tunnel syndrome or arthritis. This mouse allows people to use differing or fewer muscles in their hands and wrists.
  • Pocket-Hearing Loop: This small personal amplifier is for one-on-one communications, and can be used at a service desk, when walking with a person to the stacks, or in a library classroom. Pocket loops are like a "focused headset".
  • Lapboard: Lapboards can be placed on the lap or across the arms of a wheelchair or mobility scooter. Lapboards effectively provide a desktop space for a mouse and keyboard (or laptop) while improving reach and comfort for individuals with whom using a standard desk is impractical.
  • High-Contrast Large Type Keyboard: The large type and high contrast of these keyboards assist individuals with low vision by reducing eye strain. These keyboards also make typing easier for those with limited fine motor skills by eliminating multi-function keys. Note: Due to funding, the High-Contrast Large Type Keyboards are currently available only at UW Tacoma, UW Bothell/Cascadia College, Health Sciences Library, Odegaard Undergraduate Library and Suzzallo and Allen Libraries.
Items available without checkout:
  • Magnifier Bars: Magnifier bars can be used by those with low vision to enhance the size of text and reduce eye strain caused by small print.
  • Disposable Noise-Reduction Earplugs: Disposable earplugs are useful for those with cognitive or learning disabilities. Earplugs allow for more focused concentration in spaces with additional noise. Available until supply runs out.

Pressbooks

The Accessibility Working Group's e-Publishing Platforms Team has created a resource to help all authors of publications using UW Libraries Pressbooks. This guide is intended to help UW instructors, students and staff create more accessible books using UW Libraries Pressbooks. It covers heading structure, links, color contrast, captions, alt-text and document types. For UW Libraries employees creating Pressbooks books, or supporting those who do, this will help ensure these resources are accessible.

Accessibility for Instructors

Past Collections Projects

UW Libraries Fact Sheet

The UW Libraries Fiscal Year 2023 fact sheet (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023) is now available. Learn about the collection's size and use as well as our visitors! 

LibKey at the UW

Launched January 8, 2024, LibKey allows UW users to connect to resources more easily while browsing! 

This service provides direct-to-resource linking to article PDFs, article HTML, and journal issue table of contents. These LibKey links remove the need to choose among multiple publisher links. In addition, LibKey links incorporate link curation technology that makes the links more accurate and less error-prone than traditional link resolver links.

Learn more and start using LibKey: 

UW Financial Transformation FY23-24

Workday Finance is Live

The UW has implemented one of the largest institutional changes the UW has seen in 50 years, ushering in a new, modern finance and supply chain infrastructure that will support the University into the future.

Need help? Head to UW Connect Finance.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your subject librarian for further assistance.

Course Reserve Purchases

The UW Libraries is purchasing Course Reserves as quickly as possible. Help us prepare for Fall and Winter quarters by submitting your Course Reserve Requests as early as you can; please note that processing your request may take two weeks, possibly longer to have access to the resources themselves.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to hslres@uw.edu or your subject librarian for further assistance.

Open Educational Resources

We encourage you to consider using or creating an Open Educational Resource (OER) for your courses’ required texts and multimedia lessons. This makes the educational experience for our students more equitable because it does not rely on students' financial privilege or increasing debt to fully participate in a course. Creating a way for students to access their course information online for free reduces stress for students and reduces barriers to their success.

Review this guide to Open Educational Resources to find course materials!

Elsevier Negotiations 2022-23

Winter 2023 Update

Learn more from the January 3, 2023, Elsevier Negotiation Update.

Fall 2022 Update

In order to focus on the tenets of sustainability, access and equity, and support for scholarship and teaching, the UW Libraries, including the Health Sciences Library, in collaboration with each of the UW schools and colleges, is reducing our reliance on access to journals via Elsevier.

Learn more from the November 2, 2022, Elsevier Negotiation Update.

UW Financial Transformation FY23-24

Course Reserve Purchases Paused: June 6th to July 10th, 2023

The shutting down of legacy accounting systems as part of the UW Finance Transformation and migration to Workday Financial on July 6 means that the Libraries will be severely restricted in its ability to acquire course reserve and rush requests between June 6 and July 10.

  • All physical and streaming media ordering (whether reserve, rush or non-rush) will be suspended from June 6 until at least July 10.
  • All non-rush purchase requests will be suspended until at least July 10, although we continue to welcome requests for new titles for the Libraries’ collections.
  • Course reserve and rush purchase requests for print and electronic books will continue to be filled to the extent possible, given our supplier restrictions related to Financial Transformation.
  • Submitting purchase requests for Summer and Autumn 2023 courses before June 5 will minimize the chances that the Libraries will be unable to fill your request in time for the course start, due to Financial Transformation.

Course Reserve Requests Deadline Extended to June 5th, 2023

Submitting your Course Reserve Requests for Summer and Autumn 2023 courses before June 5th will reduce the risk that the resource will not be acquired in time for the course start.

Course Reserve Requests Needed by March 24, 2023

Due to the constraints imposed by University of Washington Financial Transformation (UWFT), the library is limited in its ability to purchase textbooks for course reserves from March 25, 2023 through September 30, 2023. This includes purchases related to required course materials for:

  • Spring 2023
  • Summer 2023 (Full-term, A Term, B Term) 

While the UW Health Sciences Library will continue to attempt purchases, we cannot guarantee their delivery in time for any of the quarters listed above.

In order to make sure required course reserve textbooks are available for students, please submit any course reserve requests by March 24th. Please complete the streaming media course reserve request form if requesting a video for your course. 

For those faculty unable to provide these details, the Health Sciences Library highly recommends contributing a temporary personal copy of the texts to course reserves so that the Library can help meet students’ needs. You can bring in your own copy of the textbook to the 3rd floor Information Desk of the Health Sciences Library during library hours.  

Please also continue to submit your required texts each quarter to the Bookstore, as many of your students rely on their information to order textbooks.

Another option to consider is choosing to create or use an Open Educational Resource for future courses’ required texts in an effort to make the educational experience for our students more equitable. Creating a way for students to access their course information online for free reduces stress for students and reduces barriers to their success. You would also not be limited by the libraries’ ordering limitations at this time. If this would help you and your students, review this guide to Open Educational Resources.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to hslres@uw.edu or your subject librarian for further assistance.

Summer 2022 Update

The UW Libraries, including the Health Sciences Library, continue to negotiate licenses and prices with publishers and vendors. As stewards of the Health Sciences Library collections and University funding, we strive to support the six health sciences schools' teaching, learning, and research with economical purchases and subscriptions. When the UW Libraries is unable to add a resource, Interlibrary Loan (ILL) provides access to resources from partner libraries for free to current UW students, faculty, and staff.

Subscription Review 2020-21

Fall 2021 Update

The full list of final cancellations of all UW Libraries (including Health Sciences Library) resources is available online. 

By soliciting your feedback, the Health Sciences Library Collections Team chose to elevate faculty, student, and staff voices above zero-sum perspectives about allocations and expenditures. Thank you for your feedback and for your understanding as the library endeavors to refine the collection while remaining on budget.

September 22, 2021, Update

The UW Libraries will recoup approximately $500,000 annually by reducing the Wiley e-journal package to continue direct access to titles whose use-adjusted-cost justifies that access. We will retain 400 of the most highly used journals. The remaining 1,000 journals will be cancelled (see proposed cancellation list) as of 2022. 

Our calculations indicate that we will retain access to 92% of the usage of Wiley journal articles. The content of many of these 1,000 journals can also be found within other resources such as JSTOR, Academic Search Complete, Communication Source, or is available open access in PubMed Central (PMC) and other open access repositories. As we have always done for articles from unsubscribed journals, we will continue to acquire needed articles via interlibrary loan. 

Please provide your comments regarding individual titles by October 12, 2021, see instructions for submitting feedback. 

Thank you for your time and feedback! 

About the Subscription Review 2020-21

What?

The Health Sciences Library is inviting the UW health sciences community to provide feedback on a list of journal subscriptions. This is an initial list of journal subscriptions that are under consideration; it is not a list of subscriptions that the library is planning to cancel nor is it a comprehensive list of our journal subscriptions. After reviewing faculty, student, and staff feedback, the Health Sciences Library Collections Team will use their expertise to determine which journal subscriptions of the subset listed must be cancelled to stay within the budget.

More details about what the collections review is:

Due to the pace of serials cost inflation and to prepare for the possibility of a flat or decreased budget for collections in the 2021-22 fiscal year, the University of Washington Libraries is planning to cancel some journals and other subscriptions. Please browse the list of selected journal subscriptions to provide feedback (by either scrolling through the alphabetical list or using Control + F (Mac: Command + F) to find a particular title) and then click on the Submit Feedback link to the right of that title to help us construct a list of subscriptions that may be considered for cancellation.

As stewards of the Health Sciences Library collections and University funding, our hope is to move away from binary and zero-sum perspectives about allocations and expenditures. Instead, our intention is to engage in substantive and collaborative discussions that result in making the best possible decisions on acquiring, retaining, and cancelling subscriptions, given current resources and long-term implications on teaching and research at the UW (more details in the Principles & Rubric for Subscription Review).

To provide feedback on the UW Libraries' non-health sciences subscriptions, please see the Subscription Review 2021 (FY22) guide; the UW Libraries' list of titles differs in that they are asking for feedback on the titles they propose cancelling. The Health Sciences Library is first asking for your feedback and then creating a list of titles to cancel based on your feedback.

Why?

Budget constraints.

More details about why:

The Health Sciences Library has been affected by the increasing costs of inflation throughout the 2019-21 budget and by the expected flat or decreased 2021-23 budget. See the UW Libraries' Subscription Review 2020-2021 for more details and updates.

In preparation, Librarians and Libraries staff are providing this list of journal subscriptions to obtain your feedback to determine which journal subscriptions may need to be cancelled. We invite the UW community to explore the list and identify journals you consider essential to your teaching or research. This list is a subset of the UW Libraries' collections related to the Health Sciences Library budget.

Please note that submitting a comment does not guarantee that we will be able to keep the resource. Librarians will evaluate each title based on:

  • your feedback,
  • their knowledge of the discipline and departments, 
  • usage and impact metrics,
  • cost, and
  • value.

See more details on the Principles & Rubric for Subscription Review webpage.

After reviewing your feedback, the Health Sciences Library Collections Team will use their expertise to determine which journal subscriptions must be cancelled to stay within the budget. This final cancellation list will be communicated via email and on this webpage to the Health Sciences Community this Fall. If a journal you use is on the final cancellation list, we are committed to continuing to work with you to provide an alternative path to access the resources you need.

Who?

The UW health sciences community.

More details about who:

The Health Sciences Library is asking health sciences faculty, students, staff, and researchers across the health sciences community to tell us which journals are necessary for their work. Please browse the list of selected journal subscriptions to provide feedback on cancellations (by either scrolling through the alphabetical list or using Control + F (Mac: Command + F) to find a particular title) and then click on the Submit Feedback link to the right of that title. If you are not sure to which title the list is referring, please click on the journal title's link to see more information in the UW Libraries Search.

When?

Monday, May 3rd through Monday, May 31st, 2021. 

More details about when:

The Health Sciences Library is collecting feedback from the health sciences community Monday, May 3rd, 2021, through Monday, May 31st, 2021. Depending on the feedback received, the Health Sciences Library may request further feedback in Fall. 

In addition to this review period and changes to library collections, the UW Libraries will be evaluating some large interdisciplinary packages throughout this and the next two fiscal years. 

Questions or Feedback Related to this Guide?

If you have questions not answered here or feedback for the guide itself, please submit your question or feedback to the Health Sciences Library here.

Note: For research or reference related questions, please Chat with a Librarian via the Ask Us webpage. 

Database Review 2020-21

Learn more about the 2020-21 Database Subscription Review.